Netbooks – Different Than Laptops?
The most popular word in gadget circles the past couple years (besides “iPhone”) is “netbook.” You’ve probably even seen one without realized it. Basically, a netbook is a smaller, lesser powered, laptop (or notebook) computer. Several foreign companies released them at first, but now even Dell and HP have their own versions of netbooks.
Originally starting with a 7-inch screen and a severely cramped keyboard, netbooks have found their sweet spot with 9- and 10-inch screens and keyboards almost as large as standard, but still small enough to fit on the small netbook footprint. While size is an important feature, the biggest selling point is price. Some versions can be had for just $200, while beefier models that include large hard drives, a Windows operating system, and a slightly faster processor can cost upwards of $400.
Netbooks are aimed at people whose computing needs primarily consist of surfing the internet, sending e-mail, maybe doing a little word processing or spreadsheet work, but have little use for things like video editing, watching streaming video, etc. Most netbooks also don’t include an optical drive (DVD/CD drive), so watching your DVDs or listening to CDs isn’t a convenient option unless you plug in an external drive or hook the netbook up to another PC, which kind of defeats the purpose of the item.
I purchased a netbook several months ago and can tell you from experience that I am a happy customer. I bought one of the more “souped up” models, and the most positive aspect is the battery life – I can get about 8 hours on a single charge, which truly makes the netbook portable. As for the other features, you get what you pay for – it is plenty fast for surfing, emailing, typing, and even posting to this website, but the small screen has its limitations for things like spreadsheets where you need more screen real estate. I have a 10-inch screen and couldn’t imagine using one much smaller. The keyboard is 92% of a normal size and works just fine in limited use. I don’t even mind longer typing sessions on it, but I find that I make more mistakes on it. For those of you with fat fingers, I would not recommend it.
Trying to watch something on Hulu was a success, but it was occasionally glitchy and I got the feeling that the processor just wasn’t capable of handling video consistently. I wouldn’t depend on it as a video player, nor would the manufacturer even recommend it.
In all, if you don’t use your computer for work or watching movies, a netbook CAN be a solid replacement for that $1,000 laptop you’ve been eyeing. The best part, is that at a few hundred dollars, they are easily replaceable a couple years down the road.
(image above taken from: http://www.asus-netbook.com/images/asus-netbook-windowsxp.jpg)
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