5 Best Netbook Laptops

Netbooks typically have less powerful hardware than larger laptop computers and do not include an optical disc drive that contemporaneous laptops often had. Netbooks were some of the first machines to substitute a solid-state storage devices instead of a hard drive, as these were smaller, required less power, and were more shock-resistant. Unlike modern solid state drives, these early models often did not offer better performance. In 2007, laptop sales declined for the first time since 1998, while notebook sales rose. Even so, the rise of tablet computers slowed notebook sales in 2010. Subnotebook and Netbook computers by definition are PC’s which are more compact and lightweight than laptops, and offer both the ultra-portability and flexibility to be used from the hand.

The 8.9-inch screen is considerably smaller than other laptops, but it’s not a bother. I find the size adequate for things I would do on a small computer. My only design complaint is the narrow buttons on the left and right side of the track pad.

You may hear people call their netbook a laptop, and that’s because they are designed to do similar tasks. Today’s market includes an amazingly wide range of netbook-style capabilities, styles and prices. But the term netbook lives on, even if it doesn’t mean exactly what it meant in 2007. Toshiba has a 10.1-inch model that it calls a netbook for about $450. Used HP, Acer, and Asus netbook models can often be found online.

The higher amount will provide better performance but is an added cost. Expandability and Ports – Some netbook computer models may have only two USB ports and may lack a PC-Card slot. In his recent report, Mr. Sacconaghi speculated that 50 percent of consumers could get by with an Atom-based computer for their everyday tasks. PC makers like H.P., Acer and Dell, which face razor-thin profit margins selling laptops, could use the rising competition to place more price pressure on both Microsoft and Intel, Mr. Sacconaghi said. Based on an architecture called ARM, from ARM Holdings in Britain, cellphone chips consume far less power than Atom chips, and they combine many functions onto a single piece of silicon. At around $20, they cost computer makers less than an Atom chip with its associated components.

The well-designed keyboard and the large touchpad and buttons make it comfortable and easy to use. Its performance is solid–for a netbook–but perhaps the NB205’s biggest selling point is its long battery life. Toshiba claims nine hours in regular use, and on CNET’s more demanding test using continuous video playback the NB205 held out 6 hours 14 minutes. It still starts at $399.99, but it now comes with Windows 7 Starter and is available in five different colors .

He started with an SSD-based Acer Aspire One running Linux. The machine was reasonably zippy at running Linux, but just for fun he installed Windows XP on it. There is a huge variation in SSDs, and I don’t know if XP performs reasonably well on the SSDs in other Netbooks. You can buy an SSD that’s faster than a spinning platter disk in all respects , but you may not want to pay for it. Michael Horowitz offers an introduction to Netbook computers, a new class of low-end laptops.