The Cheapskate

This is one of five designer colors you can choose for this dirt-cheap Netbook.

(Credit: Lenovo)

Update No. 5 (7:40 a.m. PST, Sunday): Now Target has that same 10-inch Aspire One for $199! It's in-store only, though, so call before you drive. Thanks to reader Travisp11 for the heads-up!

Update No. 4 (7:45 a.m. PST, Saturday): Amazon has a deal that's nearly as good: the Acer Aspire One for $229 shipped. (Note: Add any of the available colors to your cart to see that price.) I've reviewed this netbook; it's superb.

Update No. 3 (11 a.m. PST): Sorry, folks, looks like the deal is definitely dead this time.

Update No. 2: Working again! Make sure you follow step 5 and add Bluetooth, otherwise you won't get the color choices.

Update: Sigh. I knew this wouldn't last. Looks like Lenovo has already taken it down (or at least removed the custom-color options necessary to drop the price). My apologies. Deals are so ephemeral right now.

Best Netbook deal of the year, right here, right now. I have no idea how long it will last, so let's get to it.

Lenovo has a 10-inch IdeaPad S10-2 Netbook for $208.70 shipped. The specs are pretty standard, including a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth, and Windows XP Home. And it's new, not a refurb!

There's a little hoop-jumping here, so stay with me:

1. Head to the Lenovo Family and Friends page.

2. Enter passcode familyandfriends and click Sign In.

3. Wait for the red Holiday Gift Ideas banner to appear, click it, and then click it again on the subsequent page.

4. Click the Netbooks tab, then click Customize & Buy on the IdeaPad S10-2 at the far left.

5. Scroll down and add Bluetooth. Then choose one of the five designer color options (Flower Sea is pictured here). Alas, there's no preview, but they're all pretty gorgeous.

6. Click Continue a couple times and then add the S10 to your cart. Finally, apply coupon code USP12NETBOOK for a final price of $208.70.

Awesome. Just plain awesome. Gotta give shout-out credit to Dealnews for this deal, which should tickle those who've been waiting for a Netbook.

I don't even need a Netbook, and I'm this close to grabbing one anyway. How about you?