If you are like me, you won’t like the 1024×600 resolution found in most netbooks. While the 10″ netbooks are a great compromise when compared to last year’s 9 inch counterparts, they still are a little unfriendly while using applications designed for a slightly higher vertical resolution. Here are some choices if you are looking for an alternative.
Dell Mini 10
DELL Mini 10
You may not be aware that the Dell Mini 1o is available in 1366×768 resolution! Visit the DELL site and you can customize the screen size to 1366×768 which only costs an additional $35. As the screen size is only 10 inch, this may not be a very good choice if your eye sight is not that great.
HP Mini 110
HP Mini 110
Similar to the Dell Mini, the HP Mini can also be ordered with a 10″ panel of 1366×768 resolution for an additional $30. While you are at it, you can also order the netbook to include the Broadcom HD Video accelerator, which will offload HD video decoding from the CPU, turning your netbook into a multimedia powerhouse. Beware of the awkward touchpad.
Acer Aspire One 751
Acer Aspire One 751
Acer Aspire One 751 is a netbook based on the Intel GMA 500 (Poulsbo) chipset, same as the one found on many Sony Vaio P models. The 751 comes with a 11.6 inch screen which is ideal for the enhanced 1366×768 resolution. Interestingly, the Atom processor found on 751 runs only at 1.2 GHz, so you may not like the performance. The poulsbo chipset is also not supported well in Linux. Many users report that this 11.6″ netbook works very well with Windows 7 and the latest set of GMA 500 drivers. Note that the GMA 500 has built in HD decoding, so you will get smoother 720p playback on this device with the right set of drivers. This netbook also looks great with the chiclet keyboard and a thin bezel.
Samsung NC20
Samsung NC20
The Samsung NC20 is a 12″ netbook sporting 1280×800 resolution. It is one of the few other netbooks that does not use the Intel Atom processor. Running at 1.3GHz speed, the VIA Nano processor is known to give similar processing power as the 1.6 GHz Atom. The NC20 is not small and looks more like a traditional laptop. As of today, it is not yet widely available in the US of A. Comes with a full size keyboard.
HP DV2z
HP Pavilion dv2
This is my favorite ultra portable model. While not as cheap as others, the HP DV2z sports a 12″ screen with 1280×800 resolution, an AMD Neo 64 processor running at 1.6GHz, 4GB RAM, 320 GB hard disk and a discrete ATI graphics processor. Other bells and whistles include a HDMI port and a full size keyboard. When compared to the Atom, the AMD Neo is known to be a better performer in terms of every day chores. The proof is that this tiny beast runs Windows Vista 64 bit!
Sony Viao W series
Sony Vaio W Series
Sony’s second fray into the netbook market with the W series makes a lot more sense than the amazingly useless P series. With a chiclet keyboard (Was not as comfortable as the Toshiba NB205 when I tried) and a 10″ 1366×768 display, the Sony Vaio looks like a winner. Available also in pink, if you are interested. Being a Sony, it is expensive at $500 for an Atom based netbook. Wish it included a HD accelerator for this price.
Gateway LT3103u
Gateway LT3103u
Gateway’s new netbook sports an AMD Athlon 64 bit processor running at 1.2GHz. While sharing some components like the screen and the excellent keyboard from Acer Aspire One 751, this netbook is the best compromise in terms of price, screen size and processing power. The AMD processor performs as well as an 1.6 Atom. The netbook also comes with a discrete ATI X1200 discrete graphics card. There is no HD acceleration though. You cannot go wrong at $379 – available at a best buy near you.
Summary
Those are some of the options you have if you are looking at a netbook or a cheap ultra portable with a better resolution than the default 1024×600. My current recommendation is the Gateway LT3103u, as it is much cheaper and arguably more powerful than some of the other netbooks. Also, it comes with Vista Basic, which runs very well on this computer.
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