I have two main qualms with the netbooks I've tried: the screen resolution, and the keyboard size. I can do with less than a full-sized keyboard, or at least I THINK I can, but the 80-90% range that most netbooks have is too tiny. I need to have something a bit closer to the size I have on my desktop keyboard.
As far as the screen resolution, I think that $20-30US should be enough to bump the resolution of the screen by a step; keep in mind that the main cost with flat-screen displays is associated with their physical size, as that drives up the likelihood of a defect popping up in any given panel made. I.e, the bulk of the price difference between a 17" and 19" desktop LCD is, in fact, related to the glass, and the cost difference associated with adding more actual pixels is minimal. 1280x720 or 1280x768 is about what the least I'd really find good on one; I don't plan on watching HD movies or gaming, but simply put, that's what I'd need to be able to fit enough simple applications or web browser space so that I can use the thing without feeling cramped.
Basically, what I want out of a netbook, that has yet to really be delivered, is a slightly-larger one that sports a full-size keyboard, (well, full-size for the letter/number keys) a good resolution (at least 1280x720) on a 9-11" display panel, an 8GB-SSD, at least 1GB of RAM, and a CPU/IGP low enough in power draw to give me >6 hours of battery life under normal use. (and at least >2 hours under 100% constant load) I mean, when will Intel stop with this GMA crap, and switch to something like AMD's 55nm GS780 chipsets? I don't care so much about the computing power, but the fact that Intel 945GSE consumes far more power than the Atom it's traditionally paired with.