Last HP laptop I handled has shiny flimsy cheap plastic around the keyboard. Hardware isn't bad but the feel of the thing left me with a crap-feeling.
I'm gonna echo that. Netbooks are great for travel where you don't plan on using it for long duration. But as a primary system? Heck no. Too small of a screen, no optical drive, limited CPU horsepower, etc. For a primary system, I'd recommend something with at least a 13" screen and a optical drive.
The hat always shows up around this time of year.