What is a netbook? What can a netbook do and top picks right now!
At the beginning there was the computer. Then the laptop or notebook appeared due to the users’ need of constant movement and portability. The netbook followed several years ago and further enriched the computer market with its portability. What exactly is a netbook, though, some of you might ask, considering that sometimes there is a very thin line between a notebooks’ and a netbooks’ characteristics.
In the following article we will try to define the meaning of the word ‘’netbook’’, as well as find out the basic specs and properties a device should feature in order to be called a netbook computer. Furthermore, we will try to find the most important differences between netbooks and laptops and towards the end of the post we will recommend some of the best devices of this kind you can get on the market right now.
We have to state from the beginning that we have no intention of offering some sort of scientific definition or analysis of netbooks, but rather give you a kind of useful guide for finding out what exactly is a netbook and why you should or should not buy a device of this kind.
What are netbooks?
According to the Wikipedia definition of the word, ‘’netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers’’. According to the online Urban Dictionary, a netbook is ‘’ an extremely small, highly portable laptop used primarily for surfing the Internet’’ or ‘’ a small notebook computer designed to be ultra-portable, extremely lightweight, power friendly, and also very affordable’’.
A netbook is smaller, lighter and more portable than a notebook
Starting from these definitions, we could say that a netbook should be at the same time:
- small
- lightweight
- portable
- cheap
- power-friendly
- easy to use for Internet purposes
If we are to go a little bit deeper though and talk about the exact characteristics of a netbook, we should state the following:
- In theory, at least, a netbook should have a screen size of no more than 12 inches and should weigh a maximum of three pounds. Ideally, a netbook weighs about two and a half pounds nowadays or even below that, if we look at 10-inch or 9-inch models, but there are also models that weigh 3.3 or even 3.4 pounds.
- In terms of hardware, most netbooks feature Intel Atom or AMD Fusion processors and 1 or 2 GB of RAM. The internal storage space differs, but in most cases is of 160 or 250 GB.
- The battery life is very important on a netbook and most devices of this kind right now offer an autonomy of at least five hours with the Wi-Fi turned on.
- You can run most of the basic applications of a notebook or personal computer on a netbook, but when it comes to movies or video clips, for example, the quality is not the greatest.
- A netbook has no internal disc drive in most cases, but usually features USB slots, LAN Ethernet slots, card readers, VGA ports and webcams.
- As far as pricing is concerned, the most competitive netbooks on the market right now will cost you something in the range of 300-400 dollars. However, there are models more affordable, as well as more expensive netbooks.
Differences between a netbook and a notebook
Having determined what is a netbook computer, the next purpose of our article is to quickly understand what is the difference between a netbook and a laptop. We will not insist on this, however, giving that you can extract the differences from the things mentioned above, but also giving the fact that we have a dedicated article on the matter in store for you in the near future.
Therefore, we could very quickly state that netbooks are smaller, lighter, more portable and more compact than notebooks, offer a higher battery life, as well as a more affordable price. In terms of features and technical specifications, there are also differences, from the absence of CD or DVD drives in netbooks to the more powerful processors featured by larger notebooks.
Netbooks should feature most of the things featured on a notebook, with a few exception
What is the best netbook to buy?
We have covered the definition of a netbook, we have talked about the differences between a netbook and a laptop and we have quickly looked at what can a netbook do. Now we are going to try to find the best netbooks on the market, in terms of performance, but also in terms of pricing.
The Samsung NF310 is a very popular choice right now, coming with a very beautiful design and pretty nice technical specs and selling for 362.54 dollars at Amazon. The Asus 1015PN is another great 10-inch netbook, offering a great quality-price ratio.
You can also go for the Toshiba NB305, whic sells for 329.88 dollars and is probably the nicest looking, comfortable and reliable netbook right now.
If you want to find out more about these three top netbooks, but also if you want to check out other highly competitive netbooks on the market right now, you can take a look at this list of best 10 inch netbooks or at this article, which presents some of the best 12-inch netbooks on the market right now.
Conclusion
While we could talk for hours about netbooks, the differences between them and notebooks, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of buying such a device, it’s time to wrap up. To conclude, netbooks are, or at least should be, portable, light, cheap computer devices capable enough of running basic applications.
They provide most of the features you will find on a PC or a notebook while being more of a secondary computer, good for traveling.
Related posts:
- Best netbook tablet PCs – top picks on convertible netbooks
- Best 12 inch mini laptops – top picks of the moment
- Best cheap netbooks under $300 – your top picks right now
- Best Chrome netbooks – what is a ChromeBook and top picks on such devices
- Want a Netbook with DVD drive? Here are some tips and best picks
Last updated: April 18, 2012 | Tags: 12 inch netbooks, best netbook, expensive netbooks
