Netbooks: How to buy the best netbook Choosing your perfect netbook
What is a netbook?
A netbook is another word for a mini-laptop or mini notebook.
The Asus Eee PC was one of the first netbooks, and over the last couple of years several desktop and laptop computer manufacturers have brought out netbooks that are gaining in popularity as low-cost, highly portable computers.
Which? has netbook reviews from brands including Acer, Compaq, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, Sony Vaio and Toshiba
How do netbooks differ from laptops?
Here are the key differences between netbooks and laptops:
Portability
The main advantages of a netbook over a laptop are portability and price. Netbooks are generally cheap, small and highly portable.
You'll find netbooks weighing less than 1kg and little more than an inch thick. Most aren't much bigger than a magazine.
Of course, while they may look cute, this small size does have its drawbacks. Not surprisingly, you won't see a full-sized keyboard on a netbook – it simply won't fit on the diminutive chassis.
Netbooks’ screens are smaller, too – usually 7, 8 or 10 inches, but some have 12-inch screens. The size you go for is all about trade-offs. Of course, if you choose the larger screen, you'll get a larger keyboard but your netbook will be larger, too.
Netbooks are great for using on the move
Specifications
There are some disadvantages to netbooks, though. As is reflected in their price, netbooks have relatively low specifications compared with laptops and they don't come with a CD or DVD drive.
While you can pay around £500 for a laptop and get 3GB of Ram, the few hundred pounds you spend on a netbook will get you only 1GB.
In addition, you can now get laptops with separate graphics cards for around £500. Netbooks have built-in graphics so graphically demanding tasks might look jerky.
Nevertheless, as their name suggests, netbooks are ideal for surfing the net as well as basic office tasks. Some of the slightly higher-spec netbooks should also be capable of carrying out slightly more demanding tasks such as editing photos.
Most netbooks come with the Windows XP operating system, though some have Windows 7 and others Linux. It is likely that future netbooks will run the Google Android operating system, as used on smartphones such as the HTC Hero.
More information in our individual netbook and laptop reviews
For more information on the best netbooks to buy, read the Which? netbook reviews, where you'll find full details of all the netbooks tested by Which?, including Best Buy netbooks. You can also read Which? laptop reviews if you need a portable computer with a bit more power and a larger screen.
Read more on choosing and using netbooks and other mobile devices in our book Laptops and Mobile Devices Made Easy.
