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Question: What are netbooks good for?

(Posted by: That Asian Guy From Math Class on 2010-02-15 12:14:23)

I am browsing the market for a laptop and I stumbled upon a fairly cheap Acer netbook. Since I am not really the traveler person, I was wondering if this would be a good buy? Normally, I only use the computer for movies, music, powerpoint/ word, and the internet.

Posted by: plugwash on 2010-02-15, 12:29:55

The biggest issue with netbooks IMO is the screen resoloution. 1024x600 is just about enough for web browsing but very cramped for most other apps and sometimes dialogs won't even fit on the screen (for example i'm pretty sure itunes has a settings dialog that won't fit on a 1024x600 screen). You can get netbook like machines with better screen resoloutions but they cost a LOT more than regular netbooks (I consider this extra cost worth it but a lot of people probablly wouldn't). The CPUs are a lot slower but that isn't a huge deal unless you are trying to watch HD video (and it's not like you can really appriciate HD video on a screen that size anyway) or play modern games. Ram is usually only 1GB but it's also usually trivial to upgrade so that isn't a huge deal. Also some netbooks use small slow SSDs instead of HDDs (most current ones have HDDs though) which while it has quiteness and robustness advantages is generally a pain when actually using the machines.

Posted by: Harley Drive on 2010-02-15, 12:18:19

Not much they are like out of date underpowered laptops there is hardly any point in them unless you already have an expensive desktop and laptop and just need a cheap carry around

Posted by: Brian on 2010-02-15, 12:18:58

Netbooks are good for the same things as notebook (laptop) computers. The cons are that is does not have a cd/ dvd drive. You can add an external disk drive though The pros: Much cheaper than a laptop Most software can be downloaded via the internet or through an external drive bought separately Smaller than a laptop to easier to travel with

Posted by: Booting You on 2010-02-15, 12:20:26

If you get one with a decent CPU then you should be OK with your movies. Some of them though will struggle to even watch HD content on youtube. Just find one you like and read a couple of reviews. For your usage though it sounds like a netbook would suit you quite well. It's not everyone's idea of a nice looking piece of equipment but it performs really well and it's a decent price too, see what you think crave.cnet.co.uk/ laptops/ 0,39029450,49297248-11,00.htm

Posted by: a_bard00 on 2010-02-15, 12:22:14

Everything that was said above, plus: much longer battery life. If you can use online storage ('in the cloud'), and just use normal word processing or just need to print out documents, then a full-blown laptop is overkill. Netbooks are small, low power (both in terms of electricity use and CPU power), lightweight.

Posted by: Theresa on 2010-02-15, 12:25:45

Yes i am typing this on a netbook- they are great because they do everything laptops do and they are smaller and cheaper- they dont have a cd drive but you can buy one that goes in it. The only thing i dont like is the mouse but you can get an external one too