Top tips for buying a netbook
Small laptops are now generally called netbooks which are designed for wireless communication and web browsing ‘on the go’. They are lighter and half the size of a normal laptop. Laptops have more powerful microprocessors and other components than netbooks. They also have DVD drives. Netbooks don’t have CD/DVD drives.
The word netbook is a blend of the words internet and notebook.
Will it do the job?
Most netbooks feature a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Processor, 1GB Ram, 160GB Hdd and although they give good performance in the jobs they're designed for, they are not heavy-duty operating systems. If you need to do some heavy-weight computing, you may need a laptop with more power.
What features do you require?
The majority of netbooks are similar to a laptop and most have a hard drive, card reader, a wireless card, Bluetooth, webcam, speakers, USB Ports and microphone. Make sure it has everything you need for use. Netbooks are primarily meant for are web browsing, text messaging, reading or writing documents and listening to some music at times.
Keyboard
If you buy a 10in netbook you’ll have a full–size keyboard. Anything smaller and you’ll have an ultra portable netbook with very small keyboard. Test the keyboard for ease of use before you buy.
Screen size
A netbook with smaller screen resolution will not display the web pages properly with internet explorer e.g. Eee PC with a 7-inch screen as it was not able to view an entire web page on the cramped display. On a screen that small, you have to scroll left and right as well as up and down to see an entire web page. Scrolling up and down is normal but left and right was annoying. Also beware of eyestrain using a small screen for long periods.
Is the track-pad easy to use?
Check the track pad for ease of use and that the buttons are well positioned for your fingers. Alternatively carry a mini-mouse in your pocket.
Weight
Netbooks are meant for simply surfing the internet, note-taking or even reading e-books on the move. So the lighter your netbook weighs the more you will carry it around. Normally these netbooks weigh around 1Kg to 1.5Kg.
Battery life
Netbooks generally have either 3-cell or 6-cell batteries. The battery life can be as short as 2 hours with the standard 3 cell batteries or up to 6 hours with the 6 cell battery. These days some devices can give up to 8hrs of battery life. Also the more life your battery has, the more it will add to your netbook size/weight. The less life it has you will be carrying a charger too.
Value for money
Many new netbooks have come out. There are a lot of look-alikes since newcomers have copied what the pioneers found to be the most popular configurations. The net effect is to put more good devices out there from a number of competitors. You may be able to pick up a nice machine for a very low price so check the prices in more than one shop. Does it boot up quickly? Some may take over a minute wasting valuable battery time. Check out the after sales service by a simple internet search for complaints against the particular outlet.
Software: see what comes preinstalled (Windows/Linux OS)
You have to consider what operating system your target audience would prefer. If you plan to go windows route than you will have to pay for additional software such as office/antivirus. Whereas Linux OS have free softwares for word processing and virus protection.
Built-in support for 3G
These days you can have a netbook with built-in 3G module which will give you instant access to internet.
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