Choosing a netbook

This hub was written when I first searching for a portable laptop. At that time, netbook was still very new in the market and most manufacturers had only just put together their first netbook and most of them had almost identical specification. Things have changed, so does my hub.

My opinion about laptops is always the same, it should be portable. If you make a comparison between a desktop and a laptop, the weight, dimensions, portability and performance are what separate the both. Erm…. performance? Not anymore.

Laptops have evolved rapidly and they can now match the performance of a normal desktop computer yet they are extremely portable. Powerful laptops normally weight more as they need more cooling equipment and breathing space inside the laptop casing. As such, it is normal for a high specification laptop to weight more than 3kg. And that’s excluding the carrying case and cables. Personally, I considered 3kg to be too much of a weight to carry over my shoulder.

Portable to me is the top priority. Performance is next while it is measured against the tasks that I will be performing. Netbook, as the name suggests, is great for internet browsing and simple word processing tasks. More importantly, it is very portable and cheap.

Processor

Intel Atom used to dominate the netbook market. AMD Neo competes with Intel in the netbook market. Both processors have dual core models and offer similar performance. Many would prefer AMD processors as they don’t rely on Intel Graphic chipset.

There are still some netbooks using Intel Atom Z530 which is meant for Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and can only handle a maximum of 1GB of RAM. However, it consumes less power; thus, you get longer battery life from your netbook.

The original Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz is still very alive and kicking. Some newer netbooks are still equipped with this processor which really brings down the netbook prices. Dual core Intel Atom or AMD may sound nice and fast but at the moment, it doesn’t bring any better experience compared to single core processor according to various reports.

Hard Drive

Hard drive affects the performance of a netbook. There are three types of hard disk drive to choose from; Solid State Drive (SSD), PATA and SATA. As the name suggests, the Solid State Drive is solid and durable than normal hard disk drive. Netbooks with SSD are said to produce less noise and heat and they are lighter as well as providing better shock proofing than conventional hard disk drive.

On the other hand, the SSDs found in netbooks are not the high performance type which indicates that there is no much difference in performance.

SATA is the technology that replaces PATA and it is definitely faster. Most netbooks are equipped with SATA drives except Dell Mini Inspiron 12 which I assume that it is due to the restriction of the processor’s capability. The more the better. Most netbooks come with 120GB hard disk space but I would welcome the exchange of 120GB with 32GB or 64GB of SSD without any additional charge.

Weight and Dimensions

After reading numerous professional reviews, weight and dimensions are quite in the same frame for all netbooks, as with the price. Thinner and lighter netbooks ultimately cost more but I do not quite see the point by forking out a hundred pounds or more to get a thinner or lighter by 100 – 200 grams netbooks. The netbooks specifications will still be the same anyway.

Screen

Netbooks have a range of screen sizes from 7-inch to 12-inch. Normally, a 10-inch netbook has a resolution of 1024 X 600. Some manufacturers have adopted 1368 X 768 on some of their netbook models. I prefer 1368 X 768 than the traditional 1024 X 600 as it means less scrolling and more space on the desktop.

Connectivity

Bluetooth, WiFi, webcam, card reader, USB ports, VGA-out, microphone and speaker jacks and LAN port. What more do you want? HSPDA comes with a higher price and some netbooks offer a space for HSPDA card. Lenovo Ideapad S10 has an express card slot which other netbooks do not provide.

Well, it is kind of tough decision here but both HSPDA and express card slot will cost you more than what you have to pay for a normal netbook. I am not quite sure about the benefits of an express card slot if I have one since a netbook provides everything that I need. On the go, my HTC Desire can act as a hotspot for my netbook to utilise the 3G network. Hence, I am not too bothered about it.

Battery and the Rest

Netbooks allow you to work longer unplugged. Most netbooks come with a 6-ell battery and some netbooks are reported to be able to run less extensive tasks for 6 to 10 hours. Before making any decision, you need to also know that the touchpad is smaller than normal laptops. Most of the time, you may find your fingers out of the touchpad zone without realising.

Finally…

Other things that you might want to consider are the heat and noise emitted from the netbook. You probably get lesser noise if you opt for a netbook with SSD. At a price of around £300, you can already get yourself a decent netbook. With almost the same price, you could get a 15-inch Intel Core 2 Duo laptop. But would you carry a bulky laptop or tiny netbook while on the move?

I have chosen Samsung NC10 in the past because of the battery life and the anti-bacterial keyboard. The review from TrustedReview has also proven that Samsung NC10 runs coolly under all operations. My personal favourite netbook is Sony Vaio Y Series but it is not available in UK.