lol fancy there being a word character limit.
Here's a question, what do people know about netbooks. If I keep my console, upgrade my tv and get a netbook, can I use it to open word docs, watch you tube and come on forums like this without too much drama? That's essentially all I use a pc for right now and I do need to upgrade or transition to something new real soon cuz my current pc is on its last legs.
pai-may
I bypassed netbooks seeing them as a bit of a fad. Essentially they attempted to fill a gap in the market that didn't really need filling between smart phones and small laptops - but doing individual bits worse than the gadgets either side of them.
The size - designed to be small and portable, yet too large to really be convenient. They won't fit in a pocket like even a large phone, and if you need a bag / cover to carry it around in then something slightly larger (small laptop) isn't that much more inconvenient and offers a lot more potential. Battery life will be a limiting factor - by making it small and lightweight they compromise the battery, so you may need to carry around a charger which adds to the weight and also restricts its actual flexibility.
Power - they can be more powerful than mobile phones, but are notably lacking against even low end laptops. Forget gaming unless you want something from the early 2000's or before. They won't have an optical drive so you will need to work out how you get it onto the device and not have CD checks or online requirements (Steam).
Gradually manufacturers realised that the people that went for the initial ones wanted more powerful versions, so gradually the specs on offer increased, but so did the price and size, until they become indistinguishable from small laptops - which didn't carry the price premium for being branded "netbook" or the new buzzword "ultrabook".
If you want something relatively lightweight and portable and only really for basic internet and emails you can probably get away with a cheap small laptop. If you want to watch films on it make sure it is large enough to have an optical drive built in (likely 13"+) and ideally something that actually lists a graphics card, rather than built in / onboard graphics. 2GB of RAM is an absolute minimum, with 4GB preferable. Decide what size screen you want and what resolution, bearing in mind that laptops can sometimes come with unusual res (1440x900 WXGA) rather than the more common 720p / 1080p widescreen standards.
Log in to comment