Today, I demo’d the original EeePC from Asus and the new Dell Mini 9. These Netbooks and all the others on the market from nearly a dozen companies have the following characteristics in common:
- 9″ or less screen size (there are some 10″ screens, but I start to put those in the category of ultra portable notebooks instead of netbooks)
- All cost less than $400 and some less than $300
- Weigh less than 3.5 pounds (anything over that weight goes into that ultra-portable category). Many of the netbooks weigh closer to 2.5 pounds.
- All have small keyboards – between 70 and 80% of normal size keys
- All have wireless capability to connect to wi-fi hot spots
- All have a minimum of 3 USB ports and 1 SD card slot
Depending on the netbook, you might find these differences:
- Some are pre-installed with Windows XP
- Some are pre-installed with a version of Linux customized for the small platform and screen
- Most come with 4-20 GB flash memory for the hard drive, thus requiring less weight, power, and space.
- Others come installed with an 80-160 GB hard drive.
- Many of the netbooks, but not all, come with a decent webcam built into the lid.
What functions and uses are best performed on a netbook?
- Traveling. There is no better current option for portable computing as a traveler than a netbook.
- Email. Some people feel that smartphones like a Blackberry or iPhone are sufficient for traveling and they work quite well, but for responding to lots of email and comfortably composing and reading those email, a netbook makes a lot of sense.
- Skype video phone calls. You can’t make video phone calls in a hotel, campground, or coffee shop with a smartphone.
- Word Processing and spreadsheets. You won’t write a novel or build a complicated multi-sheet spreadsheet on a netbook, but you certainly can edit and view them on one.
- Digital photography while traveling. Install Picasa on one of these little gems, and you can use it to download, view, and email your photos easily while traveling.
- Maps. The screen is small, but much bigger than a cell phone and makes looking up destinations and info about them convenient.
- Games. Sure, you can get your solitaire fix or play a number of online games on them.
- Music. Using an Internet music site like Pandora.com works well on these devices…providing you have an Internet connection.
What is a netbook is NOT designed to do?
- Replace a desktop computer. They are too small for long periods of use…your hands and eyes will cramp up before it does.
- Replace a laptop for those who need to travel with full office capabilities and proprietary programs installed to perform work and travel with large amounts of data.
Who can make the best use of a netbook?
- Because of their flexibility and portability, I think anyone with an interest of staying connected while traveling would be happy to have one of these netbooks.
- Anyone who wants to stay connected but doesn’t want to carry 7-10 pounds of computer and has no need for that kind of expense, upkeep, and bulk associated with a laptop.
- Someone who recognizes that these units do have small screens and keyboards and respects that trade off for its portability.
- Children. Since netbooks are pretty durable (especially the Linux ones), inexpensive, and yet powerful, students who could use their own computer to compose short documents, learn to use email and the Internet, and play with their digital cameras make good candidates for a netbook.
Where can you get a netbook?
Any number of retailers now carry them or you can click on these netbooks listed here for the ones I recommend.
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