Smallest And Lightest Laptop Computers

Intro - Smallest And Lightest Laptops

Each year, computer companies release what they hope will be the smallest and lightest laptop on the market.

Portability is very important, especially for business workers, and you'll want to find a laptop that is light in weight, and small in size, but that still has all the features you need to fulfill your computing needs.

The market for laptops had been advancing at a steady pace in the last few years, with smaller and lighter laptops creating subcategories like tablets and netbooks. 

Asus and Acer both dominate the netbook market, and Apple has one of the most popular tablets, the iPad. To create a true contender for the smallest and lightest laptop, many computer manufacturers have gotten rid of some features on their smaller models, including the DVD, CD, Blue-ray drive.

One of the contenders for the small and light laptop is the UMID mbook M2. It's a noticeable improvement over the M1 models, and is very portable. The weight is less than one pound and the display is 4.8 inches. It offers many features for such a small unit, and you can even get it preloaded with Windows 7. Although it is powerful for its size, the M2 may be too small for many laptop users.  

The Asus Eee PC T91MT Tablet is another contender for the smallest and lightest laptop title, although it loses out to the M2. Its weight is only a bit over two pounds, and although it is light in weight, it is plenty large enough to be used comfortably. You can update to 2 GB of RAM, and they offer free online storage, as well. The screen is 8.9 inches, so it's quite a bit larger than the screen on the M2. A full battery charge will give you about five hours of use.  Price-wise, the T91MT Tablet is comparable in price to the M2, or just a bit higher. But you can watch movies on the screen, which is harder with ultra-small models. 

Acer makes a good small and light laptop, although it doesn't compete with the M2, size-wise. It does offer a lot of functionality for its size - 2.4 pounds - and the price makes it competitive. Its 8.9 inch display compares favorably to the Asus T91MT, and this machine runs Windows 7, as well. It has three USB ports, which is excellent for a netbook, and it has WiFi capabilities, too. This model is not the choice for you if you are on the go, however, since the battery life is only about 2.5 hours. The price is less than $300, though, which makes it a better value for your money.

Tiny Laptops - Big On Features

HP makes a mini netbook too, the Mini 110-1125NR. It's even a bit larger than the Acer, but it still weighs less than three pounds. The processor speed and storage are competitive with the Acer and the Asus, and the screen is a more easily viewed 10.1 inches. You can get up to eight hours of battery life, as long as you're using features that don't tax the battery. This model also has a 92% of full size keyboard, which you'll find very comfortable to use.

Sony has an entrant in the smallest and lightest laptop category, the VAIO Lifestyle. It only weighs 1.4 pounds, so it is indeed a contender. The processor speed and RAM are comparable to the other models we have mentioned, and the screen is 8 inches in width. A built-in microphone and webcam are handy touches, and it has GPS functionality. It still runs Windows Vista, which may be a negative for some potential users. The battery runs for about four hours on one charge.

The drawback on the VAIO Lifestyle is the price, since it is about $900. This is a much higher price than any of the other models we have looked at. In fact, you could get three of the cheaper, smaller laptops for the price of one of these models.

The Toshiba Mini NB305 looks mundane at first glance, with a typical processor and a bit less RAM for its size. But if you're looking in the 10.1" screen range, this is a good buy. Toshiba designed the trackpad and keyboard so that they feel more like what you'd find on a 12" laptop. But the NB305 only weighs in at about three pounds, and you can get nearly eight hours usage on one battery charge. This model is competitive pricewise too, at about $300.

Smallest And Lightest Laptop Netbooks 

The new smaller netbooks are the next wave in mobile computing. You'll be attracted to them not only because of their size, but also because the prices are often lower than those of their larger counterparts. Business users appreciate netbooks because they have the capabilities of some laptops, in a smaller size. There are many various netbooks vying for the title of smallest and lightest laptop. Sure, the larger laptops have better picture due to the screen size, but no one wants to be bogged down by a heavy laptop.

On the lower part of the spectrum of netbooks, there are some models, as we have discovered, with lower prices. They boast decent disk space, modest memory and good power. The more expensive netbooks may cost more than a full-sized laptop, and these usually have more powerful processors and a bigger hard drive. Simple tasks like checking email, word processing and web surfing can be easily done on cheaper machines, but if you're into heavy business use or hard-core gaming, you'll need more than some of these smaller laptops can offer you.

If you wish to buy your netbook or laptop online, it's a bit difficult to determine the actual size you'll be getting. If you check screen sizes, for example, be aware that the laptop's overall size will be larger than the screen size. Still, smaller laptops and netbooks will be able to fit easily into a handbag or messenger bag. If money is not an object, you can get a great netbook with almost all the extras of a full sized laptop.

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See also:

• Smallest Laptop Computers

• Lightest Laptop Computers

• Thinnest Laptop Computers
  
  
• A Look At Netbook Computers
  
  
• Dell Mini Laptops
  
  
• Asus Eee Netbooks
  
  
• Finding The Best Netbook Computer

• Pink Laptop Guide - Includes Apple Laptops

• Dell Laptop Reviews

• Best Netbook Guide

• Comprehensive Laptop Buying Guide

• Laptop Comparisons
  
  
• Dell Inspiron Mini Laptops
  
  
• Toshiba Mini Laptops
  
  
• Asus Eee PC Laptops
  
  

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