Looking
For The Best Netbook Computer?
Let's Take a
Look At The Netbook Computer System
Finding The
Best Netbook Computer
A Netbook is a newer type
of laptop computer system which pretty
much falls into a super small notebook category.
Netbooks in a nutshell are
small, light on your wallet, lower powered laptop computers.
We like to call Netbooks a go anywhere computer for
they are small enough to fit in a purse or backpack with ease and the
typical
Netbook is actually fairly rugged too so it can take a bit of day to
day
punishment. Not to
mention if you break
it you’re not exactly going to break your bank either.
Most
Netbooks currently
run Windows XP Home Edition or a
basic Linux based operating system.
Because of their lower/slower hardware
configurations Netbooks pretty
much limit buyers at the moment in the way of operating system choices. Expect this to change
with time of course for
the best Netbook computer systems are becoming more and more powerful.
In fact at the
time of this writing it now looks as if Windows
Vista’s successor Windows 7 is going to be available on Netbooks. That’s the beauty with the
computer industry,
it’s constantly evolving and we’re happy to see these super small
number
crunching machines evolving with the rest of the industry.
Super Small
Notebook Computers
Netbooks as we briefly
mentioned are much smaller than other notebooks, typically they have 9
and 10
inch screens, and weigh anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds.
They also sport smaller
keyboards and touchpads of course because of
their size, but we’re happy to say keyboards are between 75 and 95
percent of a
typical laptop keyboard.
Keyboard size
is a big factor to consider when shopping for a Netbook, especially if
you have
bigger than average hands.
Price is going to be one
of the major selling points for most of you when it comes to Netbooks. A typical Netbook costs between $300 and $500 or less,
though they can also cost a bit more on the other hand.
We
personally wouldn’t pay more than about
$450-500 bucks maximum for a Netbook. In our opinion it just doesn’t
make sense
for a
full featured laptop doesn’t cost much more if not within the same
price range
as a Netbook on the highest end of the price scale. Afterall to find the best netbook
computer you are going to really want to pay special attention to price.
Typical Netbook Configuration:
- Intel
Atom Processor –
Speeds ranging between 1.6 and 1.86 GHz or better
- Built
in Wi-Fi capable of
wireless G and B
- Built
in 100Mbps Ethernet
jack
- 1GB
of RAM
- Standard
hard disk or
Solid State Hard Drive depending on configuration
- Integrated
Graphics
processor by Intel or other manufacturer
- Flash
memory card slot
- At
least two USB ports
- Integrated
Web camera
- Monitor
output such as a
VGA or even HDMI
- Microphone
input and
Headphone output jacks
You may have noticed from
our list the lack of an Optical drive such as a DVD or CD burner. This is of course to be
expected considering
the petite form factor of Netbook computer so we’re not really
complaining
here.
Because of the Netbooks
intended market reach this isn’t really a concern either, and of course
it
lends to a Netbooks laptop mini-me stature and cheap cost. Since most Netbooks have
at least 2 USB ports
plugging in an uber cheap external drive is a snap anyways.
PCMCIA upgrade slots are
also often missing on even the best Netbook computer systems and most
if not all lack a generic 56k modem
too which
isn’t really a big deal to most users but may suck for some of you who
may potentially
travel to a remote vacation sport or what not.
Taking A Closer Look To Find The
Best Netbook Computer
Many Netbooks include the newer hard drive called
a SSD or Solid
State Drive.
In brief a Solid State Drive
uses flash memory to store
your data opposed to a traditional hard drive which uses a mechanical
motor
that drives spinning magnetic platters for data storage.
Keep in
mind Solid
State
drives have limited storage capacity but in tradeoff are faster and
offer more
shock protection in the event of a drop etc. See our Laptop
Hard Drive Buying Guide for more details on this cool tech.
Many Netbooks typically offer pretty decent
battery life which is another
big selling point to pay attention to when shopping.
Some models include 6 or more
cell batteries which will increase battery runtime. Remember cheaper
isn’t
always your best option with Netbooks, so look around if good battery
life is
an important feature for you.
Typically
the best Netbook computer systems will have higher cell batteries
though it honestly still depends on the Netbooks overall size for super
tiny Netbooks may not have the girth to accommodate a large capacity
battery. Basically just read every detail when comparison shopping and
ultimately you will find the system that meets your
current
lifestyle requirements.
We recommend you check out our Asus
Eee PC 1000he laptop review. Asus claims their Netbook
achieves up to 9.5
hours and since Asus pretty much started the Netbook revolution in 2007
with
their Eee PC we definitely recommend you take a close look at thier Eee
line of Netbooks.
Screen size is another thing worth noting.
Because a Netbook is such a small portable
don’t expect miracles, the
typical Netbook screen resolution at the time of this writing is
1024x600
pixels. Not much
can be done in regards
to this however because of physical size restraints and other factors
like the
size of onscreen elements such as text. 1024x600 is actually a good
balance for it
doesn’t
make for absolutely unreadable text.
Additional Thoughts
Overall we truly
feel a Netbook computer is going to be a
great supplement to an
existing desktop or larger laptop computer, a great birthday gift or
even a
perfect starter laptop for a younger person.
You simply can’t beat their price and hip size
to be honest.
Plus
laptop manufacturers have taken to these
little guys and thus you have so many choices available from top name
manufacturers including Dell, Asus, Gateway, HP, Toshiba, LG, Lenovo,
and so
many more.
What are you waiting for?
Go get
yourself a Netbook already!! But
before
you go, here’s a brief list of some of our favorite models at the time
of this
writing.
Best Netbook Computer
Reviews: More reviews coming very soon!
Happy Purchasing!
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also:
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