One of the modern marvels of the computer age has been the netbook.  Originally, I dismissed these mini-laptops.  Why would someone pay $350 for a netbook when you can get a full-sized laptop for about that price, I always wondered.  Then I read about Disney’s joint venture to market ASUS Netpal laptops and it hit me like a brick in the face.  Netbooks are perfect for kids!

For example, Disney’s ASUS MK90 and MK90H feature spill-resistant keyboards and ShockShield protection in case of sudden drops.  The MK90 has a 16GB solid-state hard drive, making it very resistant to shocks and drops (the H has a 160GB traditional spinning hard drive).  Both systems feature 1GB of DD2 RAM, Intel Atom N270 processors, 3 USB ports, wireless and wired Internet access capabilities, multi-card reader, and even a built-in 0.3 megapixel webcam.

That’s not all, though.  Each laptop comes with a host of security features to protect young surfers, media management software, picture editing software, Disney Magic Desktop, web browsers, and a number of customizable themes featuring Disney characters running on a Windows XP Home backbone. The $350 price tag is pretty sweet, too!

This machine is meant for kids, but with these kind of features, I have to admit I’m tempted to pick one up for myself.  While I’m not crazy about the Disney branding, you really can’t turn your nose up at this kind of portable computing power and damage resistance.  Does anyone have any good recommendations for grown-up netbooks?