Convincing Myself I Don't Need It

Now that I have a new job, I'm doing a lot more internet research, and getting MUCH more annoyed when my computer gets slow, which it does a lot now. I sometimes want to reformat my computer and just run Open Office and Firefox, but I need some of the other stuff on my computer for other... stuff. So I "suffer" in silence. Ok, well, I whine and fuss, but not constantly. Almost not constantly.

Anyway.

I was reading about Netbooks and realized that was probably the answer for me. A limited computer that could run Firefox and OpenOffice and nothing else, leaving my regular computer, a Dell Inspiron 6000 whose battery died completely some time ago, for everything else I do online and with graphics and such. I could move around with my computer again, and not have to completely shut down my system whenever I want to go to a different room. Yeah, there's the solution! I get a Netbook and it'll solve all my problems!

When I get obsessed with an idea, it tends to jam up in my brain and refuse to leave even when I try to evict it. So I went off to Dell.com and looked at their Netbooks, which they call "minis". I did their whole customize thing and figured out I'd have to pay at least $500 for one that would suit me (Update: the system I want is actually $405 custom-made, but with shipping and taxes and such I'm sure it's closer to $500). Now, $500 is not much, but hubby-Eric and I are deep underwater financially right now (and until Frankenhaus finally sells, yes, we're still waiting). We can't even afford that much, and I somehow doubt Dell would offer me financing with our current credit score (having a house that you can't make payments on sitting on your record for as long as Frankenhaus has pretty much destroys any credit you have). Or if they did offer financing, I bet the terms would be so bad even I would turn them down. So getting a new Netbook is impossible.

But obsession is not rational, and I'm still thinking about it. So, do any of my readers have a Netbook, and if so what do you think of it? If not, do you know of any reviews I ought to check out? Maybe I'll get one in time for my next big road trip... by Christmas or so. Or maybe by next year's Emerald City Comicon. Or maybe by the time I can afford one, there will be more and cheaper options available.