features that make the EEE-PC a decent choice:
*4 hour battery life
*flash based hard drive(no moving parts to break)
*cheap(maybe $200 for a used 701)
*powerful enough to do anything you may need aside from hard core autocad.
things that have to be overcome:
*small storage space
*the cheaper ones come with linux
*no CDROM drive or floppy drive for that matter
the new breed of "netbooks" are taking hold as people find that emailing and web surfing does not need much horse power. king of the netbook ring right now is the Asus EEE-PC. the EEE-PC comes in many flavors at different prices. if your interested in a cheap gps lappy(i actually use a 701 as my only pc) then you should zero in on the 700,701,900 and 901 models.
first thing you will need to do is install windows if it hasn't come with it. not a easy task... im a big linux geek, but there really isn't anything remotely usable for linux GPS navigation programs.
to install xp you have two routes:
1. with thumb drives(i prefer this one)
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=1888
2. with a external CDROM drive
http://www.i64x.com/eeexp.php
after that its up to you what to install for programs. you will need a SD card to install anything big. installing anything from cds will require putting their content onto a thumb drive, using a external CDROM drive, or installing through a network.
now with all that said, most of the used ones ive seen are coming with XP already installed. be sure to ask if its a legal copy of XP to save yourself some headache with installing windows updates.
PS this post brought to you by a 701 via bluetooth keyboard/mouse and using my 42" LCD tv as a external monitor.