Feed: Buying a Netbook - AggScore: 14.0

t seems like all the rage in personal computing lately is the mini laptops or netbook. These netbook are tiny when compared to many current laptops. The trend for a number of years was to increase screen size and performance, with laptops ballooning out to as large as 22 inch screens and 9 to 10 pounds total weight. This trend has reversed and now small and light are catching consumer's eyes.

Netbooks are small; most have screen sizes between 6 and 10 inches. Rarely does a netbook weigh more than 2 and a half pounds - they're roughly the size of a paperback book. This makes netbooks far superior in portability. As a writer, I found that the difference between carrying a 10 pound laptop versus my 2.2 pound netbook saved me about dollarsignr45 a week - on back massages! The size and portability of netbooks are definitely the biggest plus.

A netbook tends to be much more affordable than all but the cheapest laptops. Many companies offer their netbooks for as low as dollarsignr300. Compare that to the most economical laptop which usually prices around dollarsignr600. Additionally, HP and Sony have begun branding upscale netbooks in the 800-900 dollar range - these netbooks pack a little more punch - and a slightly larger screen. But whatever your price range, you can certainly find a netbook for you.

Several developments were needed to occur before netbooks could capture so much of the market share from laptops. First, netbooks do without optical disk drives, i.e. CD-ROM. In order to backup files or include new software, USB 2.0 ports are incredibly useful with a minimal amount of space devoted to them. The emergence of reliable onboard wireless internet cards over the same span of time meant that the portability of the netbooks wouldn't be jeopardized by the cumbersome ethernet cords. This coincides with the evolution of net-based applications and software - meaning that netbooks don't miss much when it comes to functionality.

Finally, netbooks also employ solid-state drives instead of hard drives. To a layman, this simply means that the same storage capabilities are available with less space and power needed.
Of course, it's important to remember that netbooks aren't perfect or problem-free. Many people find that the keyboards are too small. It used to be that these netbooks had tiny or incomplete keyboards. In fact, many netbooks offer full-sized keyboards, though some still come in at 85% of normal size.

Another downside in usage is that the 'mouse pad' is roughly half the size of a regular laptop and takes some getting used to. Finally, processor speed is greatly improved, but the netbook is not a powerhouse by any means. Forget intensive graphics - I've had trouble with streaming video. However, for me the trade-off (processing power for portability) was a positive one. At that's what it comes down to with netbooks, like any other computer: you need to consider your wants and needs in order to make the right purchase for you.

Nasreen Haque

What is the best Netbook for internet browsing and word documents?

I love to write, and I do it best when I can get my ideas out quickly. I want a Netbook for simple internet browsing, good features for lots of writing (a bigger keyboard, for example), good battery life and preferably somewhere around 300 dollars, but I might pay more if it's worth it. Thanks!

Answer
Most net books have smaller keyboards than laptops, so you probably would be better off getting a laptop. There are good cheap laptops out there for dollarsignr330 like this one at best buy.