Netbooks Buying Tips - ConsumerGuru
What to Look for When Buying Netbooks
GURU says this about buying a Netbook!Netbooks are a newly emerging market with products quickly evolving and offering more features. What is a netbook? Is it an ultra-portable laptop or something different? Foremost, a netbook is ultra-portable with a slim, compact design and weighing less than 3lbs. It is designed for portability with a screen size ranging anywhere from 8 inches up to 12 inches on the most recent models. Its primary use is for web surfing, email access, basic word processing and spreadsheets. Note that netbooks do not have an optical disc drive. Any biggger requirements like modern gaming or large picture editing and a laptop is appropriate. A netbook is intended to be used as a supplemental machine or lightweight travel companion, not a heavy duty workhorse. Netbooks are attractively priced and can be had for as little as $250.00 and as much as $650.00 for newer models. It seems that somewhere in the mid $300.00 range is appropriate. Again, needs to be assessed to see if a netbook is really sufficient. For a couple of hundred dollars more, a suitable laptop might be available.
Typical configurations found in a netbook are 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, integrated 10/100 network card, 6-cell battery, minimum of 2 USB 2.0 ports, and Windows XP Home Edition. Models can also be found with the Linux operating system. Netbooks come almost naked in terms of onboard software so downloading software is required.
What to look for in a netbook? Since a netbook is small and compact, keyboard size is 89%-93% of a full sized keyboard. It is recommended to test drive a netbook and to make sure the keyboard is a comfortable fit. Also, look at the screen size and see if a 8.9” display will suffice or a 10.2” display. New models are emerging with 12.1” screens but they come at a significant cost increase. The larger screen netbooks tend to have a bigger keyboard. Battery life is also important since a netbook’s intended use is portability. Although there are 3-cell battery models available, opting for a 6-cell battery is a wise choice and the weight differential is minimal. The extra dollars spent is a wise investment.
Before making a netbook purchase, needs should be determined and given a fixed budget. Netbooks are a popular trend that will be rapidly changing with configurations. Keep in mind that they are a basic computing device with limited processing power for now!