Netbook Popularity - A Guide to Buying.

The term “Netbook” has become a term associated with very portable small Laptops since the launch of the Asus Eee PC last year.  

What should you consider when you want to buy a Netbook?

The title “Netbook” has now completely become associated with affordable Ultra Mobile Computing. Generally, Netbooks are smaller versions of Laptops

that are designed to be used primarily for basic tasks, such as word processing and surfing the Internet.

This year has seen a wave of Netbooks launched by a number of leading big brand names, including HP, Dell, Samsung, and Acer. By the end of 2008 they will be joined by Toshiba, and Fujitsu Siemens as well as others, and as the popularity continues to grow, we can expect to see the Netbook market do the same, with more brands and an increasingly complex range of models.

One of the main benefits of the Netbook is that they are considerably smaller and lighter than a standard Notebook allowing you to comfortably carry with ease. Common features include a small screen (usually around 9” to 12”), wireless connectivity, but lack an optical disc drive, and a small sized keyboard (Usually 80% to 95% v standard size). The small screen size helps to reduce cost and allow for a more mobile platform, whilst still providing users a comfortable viewing area for basic documents and web pages.

Netbooks typically arrive with a pre-installed operating system (OS), running either Linux or Windows XP Home Edition. Windows XP Professional has become the de facto business standard and XP Home compliments this, providing users with a familiar experience and increasing the compatibility with your existing peripherals and other software applications such as Office 2007 etc.

Linux is less well known than Windows – the Linux based Netbooks are usually cheaper than the Windows equivalent. Linux is an open source fully featured OS with an increasing amount of users, it is very versatile but also very different to Windows and your experience depends on how technical you are as a user. There are distinctive communities who use it including students, and web masters.

The majority of Netbooks run on Intel’s Newest and smallest processor, the Intel® Atom™. This is an energy efficient processor which delivers the performance you need to surf the internet, as well as stream video and music. Its tiny size and low cost have helped create some incredibly compact and capable products, with reasonable battery life in a cost effective package! 

There are numerous “Second Generation” models now available; the most popular include the Asus EeePC, and the Acer One.  All of which allow you to surf online wherever you are via the Wi-Fi Hotspots; they often come with built in webcams and microphones which means that you can stay in touch with your friends and family with ease.

The lack of an optical drive may deter business professionals who require frequent access to data/documents held on CD’s or DVD, but if this is something you require a USB optical drive can be attached to alleviate this. Certain models may also lack some higher end business Laptop features such as Gigabit Ethernet, which helps speed up network access, or Wireless N which boosts wireless networking speeds, but for normal wi-fi connectivity these notebooks perform admirably. The small screen size and smaller keyboard size may not be suitable for long periods of extended use, in which case a full size Laptop or Desktop may be a better investment, however, it is these features that justify the tag of "ultra-portable".

The Netbooks offer you a low cost portable way to wirelessly access the web. So far the Netbooks have found success with students and consumers but their unique characteristics also make them attractive to many professionals.

Market research firm IDC predicted that the category “could grow from fewer than 500,000 in 2007 to 9 million in 2012 as techmarket for second computers expands in development economies”.

If you are looking for a full featured Laptop then Netbooks are probably not for you. On the other hand, if you want a compact, lightweight, inexpensive Web Browser/processor,  then a Netbook could be the perfect PC for you.

Take a look at the Netbook range