I think you should take a look at netbooks. They're very lightweight and low power (long battery life). They use an Atom processor to give longer life. The tradeoff is slower processing, but for your purposes, that shouldn't be a problem. I've started bringing my netbook on the road with me and I travel for business. My netbook has 2 gig of ram and 160 gig hard drive. I put Open Office on it for my word processing and spreadsheet needs.

I got mine with built-in Verizon access so it was inexpensive (with a 2 year agreement). I forget the exact price, but I think it was $150. My wife got one for free (after rebate and agreeing to 2 years service with Verizon), but it has less ram and a smaller hard drive. If you get a chance, go to a store that carries netbooks and try them out. Some of them have tiny keyboards that may eb difficult to use.

If you will really only be using it for surfing and emails, you might want to consider something like the Pandigital Novel. Here is a link to a thread were we've been discussing it lately. It's being positioned as an ereader, but I think it's more of a tablet computer with ereader capabilities.

There are other Android based tablets available, too. I just went to Amazon and searched for Android tablet and there are quite a few available.

I've got an HP netbook that I got specifically for trips, which cost about $300. It's my second netbook and I am very pleased with it. Below is a link to a model very similar on Amazon.

The major advantages are: nice screen, and comfortable keyboard (some netbooks have too small a keyboard and may even have a few keys moved to uncommon locations). It has a 160 GB hard drive which is way more than I need, especially since it's not my main computer. And it has 1 GB of RAM which seems like enough (it's pretty peppy running Win7 Starter); you can increase the RAM if you think you need to. It also has a battery life approaching 10 hours, which is a very important factor with a computer you travel with. Lastly, it's still small enough to easily fit into my carry-on luggage.

If you are interested in this one, be aware that HP has a bunch of netbooks in the Mini 210 series, and you should check to make sure that the one you get has the longer battery life, because the cheaper end of this line comes with a battery that lasts only about 60% as long as mine. I happened to buy my netbook at Costco, and there are two advantages to doing that: 1) they double the warranty to 2 years; and 2) you can bring it back within a reasonable time (3 months, I think) if you end up not liking it.

Here is a link that might be useful: HP netbook

Check your local flyers for netbooks...I have heard complaints from those that bought one with the Win7 Starter (it is a stripped down version of Win7 and not very good). try and find one with the WinXP Home...Try and find one with at least a 10" display...there are some with an 8.9 which many find too small..there are also some netbooks with an 11"... Some notebooks have a 12" display but then you are getting into higher pricing..

This is the netbook that I have...I love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aspire One Amazon

A netbook should be ideal for your needs. I would look for a netbook with the Intel Atom N450 processor or the new Z530 . The older Atom N270 lacks the technology that yields the extra long battery life. I would also suggest a six cell battery over a three cell.
Think about upgrading to 2GBs of RAM. It will involve removing the 1 GB module and replacing it with a 2GB module at a cost of about $50. The performance boost is worth the money.
IÂve had no problems with Windows 7 Starter. I use Windows 7 Professional on my desktop computer and I donÂt see much difference. Microsoft was going to strip down the Starter edition, but changed their mind on a lot of the features. Windows 7 also has much greater security compared to Windows XP. I remember having a lot more problems when I ran Windows XP on a desktop. Vista had problems, but Windows 7 is very stable.
Look for a system that comes with a reinstallation disc for the operating system. A reinstallation partition is not going to help you if your hard drive fails or the system files are corrupted by a virus.

Test the various netbooks at a local store to get a feel for the keyboard and mouse. They are all diferent.

You might also look at refurbished systems. I saved a bundle on a Dell refurb that came with the same warranty as their retail models.

I think MS decided not to force the netbook makers to use the starter edition of W7. I would have hated the starter edition because it limited how many programs could run at once. I'm constantly switching between programs, so that would have been a deal killer. The one I have has the full W7 (I think it's the home version).

I love my Acer Aspire One netbook, I purchased a longer life battery for it which is around 10 hrs so it last plenty long.
Mine has xp sp3 home on it and I am very happy with that. It has the atom processor. I know that AMD has recently put out a netbook processor and some netbooks now have that processor, I am a big AMD fan.

I also have the pandigital novel mentioned in another thread and love it too, I can surf the web, do email, and read my books plus play the games that come on it. I would not want to have to do a lot of typing with it since the virtual keyboard area is pretty small. but for the price it is a nice little tablet.

Acer Pushes AMD Into Netbook Space
MSI Ships 2 AMD Netbooks With Radeon HD3200
Aspire One 521 Is Acer's First AMD Netbook  Live Photos Inside

I love my netbook but if I had had the option of an AMD chip I definitely would have gone for it, I just like AMD.

Regardless of what computer you choose I would strongly urge you to try before you buy (or if you order online, do so from a company with very liberal return policy). As the physical size of the machine shrinks, so does the keyboard and there is quite a bit of difference in keyboards from the various manufacturers (and even within manufacturer lines). Especially if you are a touch typist, you may find the smaller keyboards awkward or even uncomfortable to use.

If you are interested in a full laptop, rather than a netbook, I suggest HP's DV4 series. I bought one that has a 14.1" display, 4GB of RAM and a large hard drive. It runs Windows 7 Home premium. Of course, you'll pay more for one like this, around $600, but it is a full-fledged laptop and is quite light weight. The optical drive can be removed to make it even lighter, if you wish.

Just another option among many good suggestions.

I don't know if Microsoft intended to have a 3 app limit on Windows 7 Starter, or if it was just a rumor. I do know that there is no app restriction on the released version that is preloaded as an OEM on netbooks. I run multiple apps all of the time. Any talk of multi application limitations is simply not true.

My netbook keyboard is 85% the size of a full size laptop keyboard. To put that in perspective, my desk top keyboard is bigger when compared to a standard laptop keyboard. I find it much easier to type on a standard desk top keyboard and a laptop is always going to be an inconvenience for me.

The primary features of a netbook are portability and long battery life. I believe that makes them a perfect choice as travel companion. I find myself taking my netbook places I would never lug a larger laptop. If I need a stronger computer, I use my desk top.

Current issue of Consumer Reports.

DA

Johnkr--I stand corrected. There were other limitations on Windows7, but the 3 application limit was on XP and Vista starter and was removed from Windows 7.

Wow! This is my first chance to get back on here and I am so thanful for all the answers. It sure looks like you all recommend the notebooks. I am taking notes on all the recommends and will be checking them out.
Thank you so much everyone.

Sorry I meant to say netbooks

dont pass on 12" notebooks either....they are small, but have features like the DVD drive which the netbooks dont and slight larger thus a larger keyboard