I have been using a 9” Acer aspire one for a while now. I use it for almost everything – from browsing the web to Skype video calling and occasionally for word processing too. The netbooks are wonderful for certain tasks and a pain in the back for many other. If you are planning to buy a netbook, please keep the following in mind – you will be glad that you read this post.
Its not your primary computer
This is the most important thing to remember. A netbook with its puny processing power can never replace a fully powered desktop or laptop. You will feel this very often. If you are a college student, banish the thought of using the netbook as a primary computer. Keep an iMac at your dorm and then carry a netbook to class. The netbook excels if you are using it only for emails and web browsing. When you use it for anything other than this, it shows its shortcomings. Typical netbooks have a resolution of 1280×600 which is incompatible with many websites, so you will have a lot of trouble with webmail sites. Yahoo’s new interface is downright unusable and the gmail’s mail composer keeps jumping up and down. Text entry is associated with lot of vertical scrolling. Be prepared for this. On the other hand, Office 2007 works brilliantly even though the ribbon occupies a significant amount of screen real estate. If you are a Gmail user with a low resolution netbook, configure Gmail on Outlook or Thunderbird.
The sweet spot for a netbook screen size is 10”. Don’t buy anything less than that. Also check for the screen resolution. Many 10” netbooks still come with 1280×600 resolution – stay away from them. Make sure that it has atleast 1280×720 pixels. My dream netbook will have a 12” screen. (Hint: A best netbook to consider in this regard is the new Lenovo IdeaPad S12.)
Multimedia sucks
Plain and simple. Keep all the media files except perhaps your MP3 files away from the netbook. Don’t even think of HD on a netbook with Intel graphics.
But hold on a second. A big relief are the new batch of netbooks that are coming with NVIDIA Ion chipsets. They are capable of smooth 1080p HD playback and can play any type of media files with ease. You will have no regrets in the media department if you get a netbook with Ion. Most graphics work is offloaded to the GPU, so your Atom processor is free to do your main tasks.
The Keyboards are a Pain
Yes, this is another major pain area of the netbooks. It is not possible to incorporate a full size keyboard in netbooks because of obvious reasons, so don’t carry them to a typing competition. A 12” netbook can be a savior if you plan to churn out plenty of docs from your tiny laptop.
Battery Life Rocks
This is where netbooks excel. Though last year’s models are not known to be so good in terms of battery life, the new ones come with clever battery design which helps in incorporating a bigger battery and correspondingly a much longer battery life – 7 hours is common on many new ultra portables.
Get one with at least a 6 cell battery and you will have juice for all day without searching for a power point.
Get Windows XP or Windows 7
I am sorry to say this – but please stay away from Linux on your netbook. You can dual boot with Linux if you need it, but don’t try to save that 50 dollars. You need Windows XP on your netbook. Period. (Hint: To save money, get a Linux laptop and then install Windows 7 RC on that. It just rocks and you can use it for a while before you need to get the final copy off the shelf. Stay away from Vista. It just doesn’t run so well on a netbook)
Nerds please excuse the above tip. I have a special post coming for you on the best Linux distros for netbooks. (Hint: A certain African distribution still rocks)
In summary
Get a netbook with:
- Resolution of 1280×720 or above
- 11 to 12 inch screen size
- NVIDIA Ion if you want good media capabilities
- 6 Cell battery or more
- Windows XP (or 7)
Get one which satisfies the above requirements and you should be happy for the next 2 years and 15 days.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Another thing to mention is the touchpad, especially the buttons. The Acer Aspire One has buttons that are pretty loud with a fair bit of movement before you’ve clicked. A mini-mouse might be useful, or you may want to learn some keyboard shortcuts.
Screen size depends very much on how long you want to use it for. 9″ is great for me, and I’ve had no issues with websites being incompatible. If you customize your browser and get rid of all the unnecessary toolbars (very easy in Firefox) and move your taskbar to the left or right side of the screen you’ll get more room without forking out for a 12″ screen.
Thanks for the guide. It’s helpful.
Being a Linux enthusiast, i can’t help but getting the Linux version of the netbook. it saved me the trouble of having to reformat the Windows partition to install Linux.