Netbook or Laptop?

esuhl

islandman wrote: »

My daughters laptop needs replacing (so she say's) due to it being slow,lethargic etc.

Obviously it would be a good idea to remove any "junk" applications that are running un-necessarily, and maybe reinstall the OS to see if you can get it to perform at an acceptable speed before shelling out for a new one.

As others have said, a netbook is great for portability, and maybe all you need if you just want to use it for taking notes in lectures, web browsing, email, typing letters, etc., but using one for more than maybe 30 minutes at a go or trying to use it for anything other than simple tasks will leave you wishing you had a faster laptop with a more comfortably-sized screen and keyboard.

islandman wrote: »

It seems were she to go along the path of a netbook or laptop, it seems they don't include things such as word/anti virus now, as there are so many free systems about and by leaving them off new products, can help to keep the price down. Is this so?

In general, antivirus software and office applications are rarely included when you buy a new PC - this has always been the case (for as long as I can remember). I recall buying MS Office for my 486 laptop on about 40 floppy disks...

If you're running a Windows OS, there are plenty of free anti-malware applications (I use AntiVir, Spybot, SpywareBlaster, MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware, and Comodo Firewall). If you're running a Linux/GNU-based OS then you probably only need an iptables firewall unless you're really paranoid!

islandman wrote: »

Were she to consider a netbook, with screen size small, are website pages in full, with micro size font, or normal size which would mean scrolling lf/rt?

My netbook has 1024 x 600 pixels on a 9" screen, so the pixels are very roughly half the size of those on my old 17" CRT monitor running at 1024 x 768. If the web pages are too big or too small, most web browsers allow you to zoom in/out, or at least increase/decrease the font size.

islandman wrote: »

Whatever the answer to that one, are ubisurfers a better deal than netbooks?

The latest Ubisurfers run an embedded operating system. This means that it will be hard to find any software to run on it, and you may even have problems viewing web pages with Flash content. If you're happy to browse the web on your mobile phone, the Ubisurfer might give you a similar experience, but I wouldn't use it as a replacement for a PC unless you have a very specific use for it.

esuhl

macman wrote: »

So who wants to watch TV on a 10 inch screen?

My Asus EEE 901 with a 9" screen is great for watching TV. I use it in the kitchen while I'm getting dinner and it's perfectly watchable.

free4440273

Different usages for both/ netbooks and laptops/ I love my four netbooks -- esp. useful when sitting up in bed i find / But yes, resolution (limited ) is always gonna be a problem. /