SSDs are the future of storage. Unfortunately, at present their rates remain far too high for a rapid democratization of technology. Some brands have understood and are starting to offer more affordable alternatives.
Intel sells and a 40GB model available for one hundred dollars, the X25-V. If it has storage well below that of a traditional hard drive, the performances are decidedly higher.
Intel announces a read speed of about 170 MBps and 35 MBps write. Features that can benefit from an increased responsiveness with an average access time of 0.1 ms. Specifically, the DSS will perfect system disk on a laptop equipped with two bays to maintain a traditional hard drive for storage.

If you want to install it in your netbook / laptop, verify that it has a SATA connector.

The X25-V is available for around 172USD in Materiel.net. He also marketed by Kingston as a reference “V-Series 40GB.