Netbook Buying Guide & FAQ

Note: We update our netbook blog with various netbook buying guide tips, advice and deals!

New! If you're just considering whether to buy a netbook or not, read our newest article about whether a netbook will satisfy your computing needs. Read it here.

How are we qualified to write a netbook buying guide?

Great question! It’s always better to know something about the writer of a buying guide to help establish trust in that buying guide. Afterall, if you don’t trust what we’re telling you then you won’t find our netbook buying guide useful.

We’ve been actively following the netbook growth and rise since the very early stages of netbooks coming to the market. We keep current on trends and news within the netbook industry on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. We don’t favour any one manufacturer over another and our goal is to be unbiased in our statements and articles.

Buy A Netbook? Will a netbook satisfy your needs?

When netbook computers launched in 2009 the concept of a small portable computer that featured a fully functional keyboard was new. A laptop looking computer that didn't have a Dvd optical drive? Such a strange concept at the time. Over the past six months the growth of the netbook market is large. I still think it's important to realize what you can and cannot do with your netbook.

The key points to why you want a netbook:

-lightest and thinnest computers with a keyboard.
-built in webcam.
-surf the internet and check email.
-work on documents and school work.

Point 1 - A netbook is a secondary computer.

A laptop or notebook is generally a fully functional and full use computer. It has the power to do what you want whether it's watch videos, play current video games, edit video or other CPU intensive tasks.

A netbook is not a primary computer for most people because it has some limitations. Higher end netbooks like the Asus 1201n and other 11 to 12 inch models offer a full size keyboard and generally come with Windows 7 premium edition. Most mid to low priced netbooks are the perfect companion to your home computer.

Point 2 - No optical drive

There may be some netbooks with dvd drives, but currently there are none. It's quite easy to be happy without one, and if you can't live without one, there are many low cost options out there for external or usb dvd optical drives.

Point 3 - Windows 7 starter edition

Currently, most netbooks that you plan on buying will have Windows 7 started edition. There are some key limitations which you need to know first. Before I get to those, of course it's very easy to upgrade to Windows 7 premium edition which is the full version. And yes, you can get this via download. No optical drive needed to upgrade from Windows 7 starter edition to the premium edition.

Point 4 - Are you a touch typist or do you type a lot?

Unlike full size computers or laptops, you need to choose wisely if you want the best keyboard. Trust me, many writers do terrific with their netbook and use it for their writing all day. A bit of homework will go a long way in you getting the best possible keyboard. If you are shopping for a 10 inch netbook, you need to look at the Asus for one of the best keyboards. Once you get into 11 inch and 12 inch netbooks, most come with a full size keyboard so you have less to worry about. Study screenshots and determine if the enter and shift key are suitable. That is where you will run into the most frustration. I will have a full list of the best keyboard netbooks soon.

Our Netbook Buying Guide

Updates to our netbook buying guide: What you want to look for is the new Atom N570 dual core processor. Not a huge step up, but that's the newest one out there and the netbook manufacturers are updating all their models to have it. If you're looking to buy a netbook in the near future, beware of the price fluxuations between the older and the newer. Older doesn't mean cheaper in most cases.

As with technology products, there is advancement and new players. Now if you are netbook buying, there are a few more options. AMD Fusion processors are out and will give you good battery life. It's not quite as good as Intel Atom processors because the AMD netbooks have better graphics processing which comes at a cost to battery life.

Our netbook buying guide should also inform you that a LOT of the netbooks on the market are getting to a cheap $300 or less price. There are a lot of netbooks, even the Toshiba netbook in the USA has been selling at just $279 if you can believe it! Great netbook deals out there and it's a great time to shop.

Netbook Buying Guide: Overview

Netbooks have in the past been rather generic. The separation between various models wasn’t drastic in most cases. This is all changing. Intel has been the main force behind the low power consumption and netbook market. Just recently we’ve seen dual core netbooks hitting store shelves. There is no better time than now to shop for a netbook.

Netbook Buying Guide: What are you going to use your netbook for?

The first and most important consideration before anything else in this netbook buying guide. Understand that a netbook is ultimately a secondary computer. If you are at home, your netbook should ultimately be sitting on the shelf somewhere. That is, unless you plan on buying a netbook for you children in which case, a netbook will suit them just fine as a primary computer in their early life. The reasoning behind netbooks being a secondary computer is not based on their power, but rather on their size. You normally wouldn’t want to use a 12 inch and under display in your home environment over extended periods of time. Sure it can be done, but you simply won’t find it as pleasant.

The reason you would want a netbook is to have a light and portable computer that can go anywhere you go and it won’t weigh you down or take up too much space on a table or desk.

A netbook can also be used for gaming, but we will get back to that later on. Just understand that what you would want is a netbook with the Nvidia ION graphics processing unit (GPU).

Netbook Buying Guide: Choosing what is the most important feature to have

You’ve heard the expression you can’t have your cake and eat it too. When it comes to netbooks it holds true to an extent. That may change with the new dual core Atom processors. However, I’m sure for most people the ultimate netbook gives 5+ hours of battery life, dual core processor and the ability to play HD videos of 720p or 1080p quality. You really need to ponder what is the most important feature above all else that you want.

If you want really extended battery life of 10 hours you can get it. You will likely have to sacrifice and not have Nvidia ION in the same netbook. If you want more than 10 hours it’s most likely better for you not to get the N550 dual core Atom processor. These just came to market, so let us get facts from testing the battery life on dual core vs. Single core Atom processors. The fact is, the single core Atom would most likely give you the most battery life possible. It just makes sense and we are making that assumption without hard data on the single core Atom vs. dual core Atom.

If gaming and video is something you will be doing, then you must look at a netbook with Nvidia ION. You will have to sacrifice battery life to get that power though. Is it worth it? Read on because we will detail for you how much battery life you will get with a dual core N550 netbook with Nvidia ION inside.

Netbook Buying Guide: What seperates the various netbooks from each other?

The Asus netbook comes in many flavours. So many in fact that it can be very confusing. You can get cheap netbooks or more expensive netbooks but the differences can be subtle. It can be frustrating knowing what the differences are between netbooks.

The common traits of netbooks will be the Windows 7 Starter Edition OS, 1 gig of ram, smallish hard drive, 2 or 3 usb ports, built-in webcam. In terms of the single core netbooks which are all released up until the fall of 2010, you won't see a big enough difference between the various Atom processors in terms of speed differences.

The big differences will be in the trackpad, the trackpad button/bar and of course the keyboard.

For example. You can buy a netbook that has b/g wifi or you can get a netbook that has b/g/n wifi. Obviously the 'n' is the fastest and best wifi but perhaps you aren't that reliant on long range wifi connections.

The other big difference in netbooks can be the battery. You really must check the specifications of the battery to know what you're getting and how it rates compared to other netbooks that you are considering buying.

Understanding Nebtook Batteries and Battery Life

Understanding the different batteries for netbooks is confusion. How can you understand this easier? 11hrs (6cells, 56W/h) battery life, 10hrs (6cells, 48W/h) battery life, 4.5hrs (3cells, 23W/h) battery life.

Who Makes Netbooks

These are the logos of the most popular and best selling netbook manufacturers.

Thoughts to Consider Before You Buy A Netbook

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Ready to buy netbook PC? If you are here then you have heard or seen a netbook PC firsthand. Perhaps that was at a local Starbucks or at a computer store. With the current influx of tablet computers, is a netbook still a great choice? When you consider price and functionality you will be hard pressed to find a better option for the price. Remember, netbooks are that secondary laptop. They are getting thinner, lighter and cheaper. That's a winning combo regardless of those many tablet pcs that are hitting the market currently.

I remember the day when I first used one. I was waiting in line at my local computer store. At that time, the netbook pc market was new and perhaps I was using one of the first ever netbook pc computers. Whatever the case, I had just bought a portable dvd player. I was proud of it until I used this netbook while in the lineup. It had Windows XP and brilliant crisp resolution. It was smaller than my portable dvd player! Then I thought about how many movies I could store on the netbook vs. my portable dvd player. Ug. Buyers remorse? You bet.

Fast forward to 2011 and 2012. Netbooks are going to replace laptops. Why? Size and price. Let's think back to the original Sony walkman. Big? You bet. Look at the first generation of Ipods. Big? You bet. Conclusion is simple. Electronics get smaller. That is their goal. Consumer electronics go smaller not bigger. Netbooks are just that. The future laptop as you know it. We will all look back at the laptop and wonder why we lugged a 5lb monster around with us. Sure there are some limitations currently with netbook pc computers, but have no fear. They are getting more and more additions. The differences in options on a netbook are closing rapidly against the laptop.

Here is something to think about. If you aren't going to buy netbook pc now, perhaps you will soon. Imagine yourself in a Starbucks pulling out your laptop and placing it on the table. Then imagine finding somewhere to place your beverage. Pretty tough isn't it? Now imagine a person sitting down beside you sitting down and placing their beverage and netbook on the table and having room to rest their elbows. If you listen to most people who have tried a netbook after being a laptop user, they all say the same thing. In fact, a friend of mine recently got a netbook pc and was a laptop fan. The conclusion was that the laptop was a pain to deal with after they take a netbook out of their home. It's called light and portable. Unfortunately, the idea of a laptop was portable. If you look at the pounds of pc, the obvious winner is the netbook pc. Under 3 pounds vs. 6+ pounds. When you have gone light, you can't go back to bulk.

What is the best selling netbook? The Asus EEE PC netbook line is the most popular brand out there. When you take one of these netbooks out in public, expect to have a lot of questions from strangers about it! © Asus. All Rights Reserved.

Would you feel a little bit embarrassed? I would. No different than when I brough in my Sony walkman to class. I put it on the desk for about .5 seconds before realizing how outdated I was. I quickly got it out of sight. Funny store but so true. This situation will occur in the near future when you decide to lug around your robust laptop and show it off. Sure you have a ferrari but you are stuck in a school zone. You have lots of power but nowhere to unleash the beast.

Are netbook pc computers the future? You bet they are. The netbook PC is seeing more computer manufacturers enter the netbook pc market. Recently Nokia announced their netbook named the Nokia Booklet pc. Apple entered the netbook category with their premium 11.6 MacBook Air in 2011. Expect big things to come in the near future with the ever improving Intel Atom processor which is the backbone of netbooks. Consider that netbook pcs to be the next generation of computers. They are getting faster and more feature packed with each passing month.

Click some of our netbook pc product links and read some reviews. Lots of netbooks to choose from means you are going to find the perfect fit for your budget!

Here is a beautiful netbook. A crowd pleaser for sure! This is the Acer Aspire One netbook. It is shiny and slick. Expect comments from strangers when you take this out in public! © Acer. All Rights Reserved.

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