7 Points to Follow When Buying A Netbook
Here are my points of choice when looking for a netbook. Most of these points
of choice can also be used for buying a full-sized laptop, so read up!
1. I highly suggest if you ever invest in a netbook, go with a 10″ screen. Not necessarily for the size of the screen, but for the keyboard size. You wouldn’t believe how that one extra inch could provide so much more space for typing! The screen also must be a LED backlit display. It’s always easier on the battery life.
2. Longer battery life isn’t always better. Do you really need that 9 hours of battery life? Will it even last that long when you use it the way you want to use it? Think of it this way: longer battery life, the heavier the computer. You want a netbook to be lightweight and “throw-it-in-the-bag-and-go, comfortably”. Not to mention they might advertise it as 9 hours, but when you receive it, it turns out to be a 3 hour battery.
3. Go with the middle. I don’t suggest going with a $499 machine, nor a $180 machine. Try to stay near the $299s. Most of the specs will be the same throughout all the different companies and price ranges, yet cheaper than $299 tend to have lower specs.
4. Compare the prices both online and off. It may surprise you, but even with tax, it’s possible for retailers to be cheaper. Some retailers even have an internet connection in the store, so you can compare the prices right then and there.
5. Can you upgrade the ram? As much as 1gb will last you for the first few months of the machine, you’ll want to upgrade it later.
6. Does it have an SD card slot, or two? SD card slots can be a great convenience when you own a netbook. If you bring it everywhere like you might a camera, you can off load your pics quickly. Not only that, but the smaller hard drives on the netbooks might be limiting. I always ‘dreamed’ of having an SD card for everything. One for music, one for movies, one for photos. You could swap them out when you need the content.
7. Wifi. Always make sure you have the latest and greatest wifi card, it makes a world of a difference on the road n’ in your home. Bluetooth is always nice to have, too.
To conclude:
As a fellow writer of this blog would say, “What is the future of the netbook?”
To make it short and simple, I believe that all of the specs of current, heavier notebooks out there will slowly ‘merge’ into the netbook. You’ll start seeing more graphics power, bigger SSDs (hard drives will fade soon enough), and higher resolution screens.
In the end, my choice was an ASUS Eee PC 1005HAB (only available at Best Buy, $299). I’ll let you look to see if I followed my own requirements!
