TOP 10 THINGS To Keep In Mind When Buying A Netbook

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As more and more companies are rolling out netbooks, it gets a little difficult for a normal consumer to make a choice between them. Netbooks differ in terms of specs, size and a lot of other aspects. Here are top 10 things to keep in mind when choosing a netbook:

1) Display: This is the one of the most important features that one must keep in mind while selecting the netbook of his choice. Some people plan to use their netbook for small amount of time. For them, even a netbook with smaller display would work fine. However, if you are a person that plans to use the netbook for prolong durations (say more than an hour), we would suggest you to invest in a netbook with bigger display, preferably 10-inch.

2) Resolution: Resolution determines the number of pixels you have on the display. In other words, it determines how much data/stuff can be shown on the display. Higher the resolution, more data visible on the screen and vice-versa. In netbooks, the screens are generally 10-inches (or less). Most of the modern day netbooks come with 1024 x 600 resolution, which is pretty decent for almost anything you throw at it. That said, there are some netbooks such as Sony VAIO P, which sports a mind-boggling resolution of 1600 x 768 on just 8-inch screen. Although this shows a lot of data on the screen at a time, but the end result may not be pretty for everybody. Most of the people that we interviewed said that they just do not want to blind by looking at a such a high resolution display. We have found that 1024 x 600 and 1366 x 768 are best for netbooks that come with 10-inch display.

3) Matte screen or Glossy screen: Some people swear by glossy screens while some just hate them. Glossy screen are great if you are not going to work under sunlight or any kind of (direct) light. Matte, although does not look as pretty as glossy screens when inside the house, perform overall better when viewed outside the house. Thus, we prefer matte screens for netbooks.

4) DVD drive: Most of the netbooks do NOT come with built-in DVD drives. This is because manufactures want to keep their weights (and price) as low as possible. That said, there are few netbooks in the market that do offer DVD drives built-in. Take a look at EEE 1004DN that comes with built-in DVD drive. Keep in mind that adding a DVD drive adds few more grams to the overall weight.

5) Keyboard: Most of the people who buy netbooks are actually looking for small computers to enter lots of text while on the go. If you are one of those people, you definitely go in for a netbook that comes with a bigger keyboard. As a rule of thumb, 10-inch netbooks come with almost laptop-size keyboards.

6) SSD or HDD: If you travel a lot or plan to use your netbook in a bus, where you may be getting a lot of bumps, then go for the model that comes with SSD (solid state drive).

7) Weight: Netbooks are meant to be portable. You expect them to carry them around with you almost everywhere you go. Almost all netbooks weigh less than 1.5kg. For some, lugging 1.5kg is not a big deal but that may not be the case with everybody. Some would just hate to carry anything that weighs more than a kg. Generally heavier netbooks have better battery life. Example: ASUS EEE 1000HE offers battery life upto 7.5 hours.

8 ) Trackpoint/Touchpad: Most of the netbooks come with touchpad just like your full size notebook. In some the trackpad is of small size in order to make the height of the device smaller (take a look at HP Minis). In most ASUS netbooks, the trackpad is almost the size of normal notebooks. Sony VAIO P is the only netbook so far that uses trackpoint for selecting objects on the screen. If you are eyeing on the VAIO P, we would recommend you to try it in a local store near you, otherwise the trackpoint may take some time to get used to.

9) Touchscreen as input: Some of the netbooks have started coming with touchscreens. If you are interested in using touchscreen as input, you should get one with swivel screen as it will allow you to use the ‘convertible netbook’ in slate mode. Take a look at EEE T91 and Gigabyte T1028, if you into “convertible tablets”

10) Brand: Some people are very brand-conscious, while some are not. Example: Many people that were addicted to Sony products just did not buy a netbook until they rolled out VAIO P.

Have netbook in mind and want to learn more about that netbook? Search and find more about it from our Netbook Database! If you have any questions, fire them as comments below and we will answer them ASAP

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