Most netbooks aren't very powerful. They're fine for just browsing/e-mail but that's about it plus their resolution stinks for browsing on a regular basis.
I have a 12" HP Elitebook I use at home some and had a 10" Asus EEE I tried to get used to and the 12" blows the 10" away. Better keyboard, a 'real' resolution (1280x800 vs the 1024x600 on the EEE), same weight, and actually thinner than the EEE was. However, it's also quite a bit more expensive also.
Some of the newer netbooks with better chipsets/graphics might be better than the EEE I used, but I'd have to try one first before recommending it.