The Netbook Takeover - A “little” review
Posted on 01. Dec, 2009 by admin in Technology
“Wow! That computer is soooo small!” That’s most people’s first impression of the new, trendy little laptops appropriately titled “Netbooks”. They are definitely tiny and small enough to spark curiousity in even the most “anti-pc” person out there. I’m a die-hard Mac fan and I admit, the Netbooks grabbed my attention and forced me to do some research.
WHAT IS A NETBOOK?
Netbooks are THE smallest PC based laptops on the market right now. They come as small as 10.1″ (the screen size) and are small enough to fit in a standard sized purse or hand bag. If you wear baggy enough jeans, you could probably fit one in your back pocket. :) Most come pre-installed with Windows XP Home Edition or Windows 7 starter, powered by 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, 1GB of RAM, 160GB harddrive, and a web cam. Priced under $400, you’re sure to get most of your money out of one.
WHO IS THE NETBOOK FOR?
If you’re wanting to manage lots of music and handle a lot of media this a Netbook is not for you. These little machines were designed strictly for internet use, social networking and basic word processing. They’re just not powerful enough to handle more than all of that at one time. You might be able to run a program such as Photoshop, but it’s going to run pretty slow. The processor won’t be able to handle it.
I purchased the HP Mini 110 Netbook for my wife this past weekend and it seemed to handle several internet functions and some Office programs with no problem. Running video through sites such as Youtube, surfing through Facebook, and checking emails were easy, with not much hesitation. This was our fear after reading a few reviews, but we were pleased with its peformance.
TREND OR FUTURE OF LAPTOPS?
I wouldn’t write the Netbook off as a trend just yet. As the internet evolves and the need to stay connected 24/7 is here, such laptops and portable computers will only become more advanced and more affordable. Nokia, for example, just released their version of a netbook which is the Nokia Booklet 3g. This laptop is designed to run off of AT&T’s 3G network, giving users a constant connection to the internet anywhere in range of that 3g connection. This netbook is sweet! and feels like a small Macbook. We would have purchased this one in place of the HP, but too many reviews confirmed slow performance by the Booklet and unless you sign a 2 year contract with AT&T, the 3g feature is useless. You’d basically just have a really cool looking netbook that runs a little slower than the others on the block.
This Booklet just goes to show the steps being taken to keep users connected all the time, all over the world. This Nokia creation is basically just an iPhone on steroids and the 3G capabilities through a laptop, though very appealing, just can’t be justified right now with the speed and portability of most smart phones.
I’m sure we’ll see more and more companies jump on this “trend” which will only make it more affordable for us all. A laptop for under $400 that can connect to the internet, allow me to blog and chat via a web cam, as well as give me the ability to perform basic computer and word processing functions, and small enough to fit in a purse? Com’on? You’d be crazy not to jump on this. Enjoy your new Netbook.
Review written by Hector Garcia. Follow Hector on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hectorgarcia
