Laptops have always been built around mobility; in this day and age where nearly everything from clerical work to video editing can be done on a computer, the added ability to bring your personal laptop wherever you go can be a great boon to productivity. Larger, more powerful laptops aimed at gamers and people who work with media have been a mainstay of the market for a while now, but often become indifferent to the reason laptops have been invented in the first place: Mobility.
Netbooks, essentially cheaper mini-laptops with lesser hardware specifications than full laptops, have been making their mark in the world of computer technology only recently. Introduced to the masses by Asus’ EeePC, many manufacturers have been coming out with their own take of the mini laptop, more commonly referred to now as the netbook, in recent years.
What to Look For In These Mini Laptops
The netbook has only recently created a market for itself in recent years. It fills in a unique niche; while they have less features than a full size laptop, they make up for it in portability and the ability to still perform basic computing and internet functions just as well as their full sized counterparts.
Netbooks also serve as a reminder to what made the laptop so widespread in the first place: portability. Significantly smaller than a laptop, the netbook trades off a few features for size and mobility, what laptops are inherently supposed to be.
When looking for a netbook, it goes without saying that you should definitely be looking at it’s hardware specifications. Netbooks fill a unique niche in the laptop market and therefore should not be compared to a regular laptop; compare netbooks to other netbooks. The included operating system, processor speed and number of cores, hard disk space and RAM can be deal breaking factors between the models of netbooks you may be considering.
That said, netbooks typically utilize more anemic processors compared to their laptop or desktop counterparts, and lack optical drives for DVD or CD playback and data storage. Plan accordingly; buy a USB stick or hard drive to make transferring data easier for you and your netbook.
A computer with only the most basic functions may also be a good choice for the aged, but netbook screens are particularly small. Newer netbooks include higher contrast screens offering crisp displays of text and images, so before considering a refurbished laptop of a previous generation, look into some of this generation’s netbooks first.
The Cheapest Mini Laptops: Your Choices of Netbooks
As a concept first introduced by Asus, they are still going strong with a line of humble yet fully featured netbooks at great price points. In a recent study by SquareTrade, Asus also proved to be the most reliable manufacturer of laptops on the market, making an investment on an Asus machine a long term one in addition to being affordable.
Their long running line of Eee PC netbooks starts with the 1001PXD-MU17 model, coming in at a lightweight $250. The specs aren’t bad at all for such a low price, as you get a 1.27 kg powerhouse that lasts up to 8 hours on its stock battery. The meager 10.1 inch screen is powered by an Atom N455 1.66Ghz processor, with an onboard graphics card adequate enough to playback most movie files in watchable resolutions.
For an extra $30, you can step up to the dual core model of the Eee PC, the 1015PEM-MU17. While the model number won’t be easily remembered, the noteworthy features will be, especially given the price point: A dual core Intel N550 1.50 Ghz processor comes at an even lighter, longer-lasting package, with the 1.25 kg housing coming with a battery that lasts a whopping 10 hours of light use. This may be a good companion to have on a flight or long trip.
Asus isn’t the only heavyweight in the netbook market, however, as the luxurious Sony VAIO line has also created a machine to meet the netbook niche. The VAIO YB series starts at a relatively steep $550, but with features like 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive and the ability to play 1080p video, it may all be worth the price tag. This particular model comes at a relatively heavy 3.2 pound chassis, which may be still be negligable with the 500GB hard drive and dual core 1.60 Ghz Processor.
HP also has a sleek competitor in the netbook market with the Pavilion dm1z. Stylish as it is functional, the fashionable form factor houses an 11.6 inch screen powered by a 1.60 Ghz dual core processor. 3 GB of ram is standard on the $430 unit, as well as a sizable 320 GB hard drive and discrete HD 6310 graphics processor for great HD video playback. The machine may not be able to last the full 9.5 hours as advertised, but it will more than likely be enough to last a visit to the office and back.
The acclaimed ThinkPad series also make a foray into the world of netbooks with the X120e from Lenovo. Classically styled in the ever familiar ThinkPad form, the 1.5kg chassis houses an 11.6” screen, getting an additional boost in image consistency with an HD 6310 graphics processor. The dual core processor should power most applications from the 320 GB hard disk quite nicely, and with 4 GB of ram with a 6 hour battery life, your $480 will certainly be well spent on a tried and true design.