Choosing your Netbook
Netbooks are small low priced computers intended primarily for web browsing and are actually experiencing a growing success. The first of its kind was launched by Asus, the EeePC 701.
Today, all brands sell Netbook. If the price is decisive is on the technical things are played.
Determining your needs
Surf on the net and word processing or spreadsheet
For a basic, no need for large storage capacity,you can opt for a EeePC 701.
Watch videos, store photos,multimedia applications,choose one with a good hard drive to and RAM (EeePC, HP, Dell, Acer).
To have the same performance as any laptop but in a smaller version you can opt for a Sony.
General and technical aspects
Portability: the size of the screen and the weight
7''(17.78 cm).
8''(20.32 cm).
8.9''(22.60 cm).
10''(25.4 cm).
Note:The size of screen will determine the size the netbook.
Most netbook weight around 1 kg.More precisely 920 grams for lighter ones and about 1.3 kilograms for the heaviest.
Autonomy: Battery life
Batteries allow 2 to 3 hours of autonomy. All depends on the number of cells in the battery. A 6-cell battery de7800 mAh (milli ampere per hour) ensures for about 4 hours.
For smaller Ultraportables, setting certain functions (screen brightness, sound volume, automatic shut-off after 5 minutes of inactivity), it is possible to increase the time lap between battery recharges.
Note: lithium batteries should not be completely emptied before being recharged, it may tend
Connectivity
USB ports, Internet ... Number of USB port: 2 to a minimum. Allows you to plug in a USB flash drive, a DVD player or DVD drive.
Wireless internet (WiFi) or Bluetooth.
Headphone and microphone input .
Storage Capacity
For most mini-computers, currently between 4 GB and 160 GB of storage capacity.
Two types of storage exist for Miniports:
flash memory or SSC, fast and light, they take little space;
HDD: classic.
It is possible to increase storage capacity by adding a SD, MMC or SDH, up to 16GB
RAM
RAM memory will affect overall performance. A 512 mb memory will not be enough to run software like Photoshop or Illustrator. Prefer 1024 Mb. Only a few notebooks exceed the 1 GB of RAM.
Processor
The processor is one of the important elements: a 1.6 GHz processor is a good average. A processor allows quality saves energy and thus greater autonomy of your device.
The screen resolution
The screen resolution is the maximum number of pixels that can display the screen per inch.
For a proper quality display, 1024 x 600 pixels is the minimum.
Operating System
Windows or Linux
Depending on your use and preferences both reveal to be interesting choices, but Linux is a
bit lighter(installation)
Webcam
Almost all Netbook have an integrated webcam 0.3 MP . For a good image quality opt for a 1,3 Megapixel
CD or DVD drive
Most notebooks have a built-in drive, but the smallest models may have a separate USB drive. Most manufacturers offer one or more of the following choices, with the price going up as you go down the list:
- CD-ROM drive (read-only)
- CD-R writer
- Combo Drive:” Reads DVDs, reads and writes CDs
- Super Drive:” Reads and writes both CDs and DVDs
My choice
In my opinion , when choosing a netbook , the things to consider are, low-cost, low-power systems , an Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 16GB or larger SSD drive, and Windows XP andwith Bluetooth connectivity to connect your smart phone for mobile broadband access.