Give a gift of a netbook this year; I will be. These ultra-light computing devices are versatile, affordable and appealing. But which one to buy? Should you pay more for a laptop? What are the pros and cons between different models? Never fear, here's how to work your way through the morass and buy with confidence!

Just twelve months ago the diminutive 7” Asus Eee kicked off an unexpected new market – more portable than a sub-notebook, more affordable than many PDAs and existing in the realm between those two.

A new term was coined for just this type of device and the legion of alternative models spawned in the wake of the Eee’s sales success. They have been dubbed “netbooks” and as we approach the festive season in many parts of the world it’s worth considering a netbook as an appropriate Christmas gift for the student, the new computer users, the traveller, the gadget freak or the hard-to-buy-for in your life.

Here’s my roundup of what’s out there!