Category: Geeks r Us
Has anyone debated between a small laptop or a netbook?
I notice hp has a fully featured 12" laptop, with external optical drive.
Acer also has similar configurations, 12-14 machines with external optical drives.
Kind of makes you want to weigh the pros and cons of buying one of the above options vs a 10-inch netbook.
The largest plus to a netbook is the size and battery life. Also the comfortable and fimiliar xp.
Windos7 on the smaller laptops is very tempting. People seem to be raving about windows7 and it isn't officially out yet.
What are your guys thoughts?
My Acer Aspire One is 8.9 inches. I doubt you could get that amazing size on a small laptop. It is, indeed very light and does run XP. But the battery life is extremely bad (two hours at the most) if you don't get a 6 or 9-cell battery, which could extend the life exponentially. It also doesn't have any ports except usb, no optical drives, and only the smaller flash cards, not the pcmcia. The price is wonderful though (mine was about 300 including the warrenty and bag) and you could take it anywhere. Like the larger laptops, it's got wireless, so you can go on the net any time you want if there's a connection available. However, there's no ethernet or dialup, so if your location only supports those, you're out of luck unless you've got an external usb modem. For me, the speed is totally fine. It runs on an Atom processor, which is the equivalent to a Pentium 3. So if you're a power user that won't be a good thing for you. It does, however, have an excellent storage capacity, with a 160 gb hard disk, so you're not missing out on space as might be expected. I love the small size but many find it cramped and you don't get a full keyboard.
Now I realise I've been referring to only my netbook but many also have the same features. I guess it really all depends on what you want out of a computer. If you want simplicity, small size and cheap price and are willing to trade in good battery life, ports and optical drives, then a netbook is for you. I'd say check them out and see in person. I did alot of research before deciding on my Acer and despite it's low price tag, I read that it's one of the top in it's field. But I'm sure that you can find an equally good small laptop at an equally good price. Good luck.
From waht i have heard about netbooks, i wouldn't quite say they are the equavilent to a pentinum 3.If all you want to do isis surf the web and other web based stuff, play a few simple games and listen to music/watch movies then a net book should be fine.