notebook versus netbook

sarnia

I am considering buying a notebook or netbook.I havent got a clue on differences but if I only want to access the internet,send emails,banking/shopping and storing photos,anyone advise me on which would be best also what would be the memory size on these???

RussJK

sarnia wrote: »

I am considering buying a notebook or netbook.I havent got a clue on differences but if I only want to access the internet,send emails,banking/shopping and storing photos,anyone advise me on which would be best also what would be the memory size on these???

Any netbook or laptop will do those things for you.

The decision lies in how how quickly you want it to work (CPU speed, graphics), what size screen and keyboard you want, & how portable you want it to be (weight & battery life). As long as it has 2gb memory, it'll be okay. It is up to you what hard drive size you need for storage. Build quality is also important, and warranty period.

There are classes of laptop which roughly describe the main combinations of the above: netbooks, ultraportable laptops, and desktop replacement laptops:

Netbooks are usually 10" and quite slow, and difficult for many to type on because of the small keyboard. Personally a 10" netbook is too small for me, so I grabbed a 12" model (which I'm typing on now) and it is a good size. After this you start getting the ultraportable laptops which are nearly as fast as full-sized laptops, but light with good battery life like a netbook. These can be 12", 13.3", 14", and vary greatly in speed. The main class of laptop are the desktop replacents, powerful and fast but not particularly portable due to weight and battery life. They spend most of their lives sitting on a desk, but taking up less room than a normal computer.

Best thing is to go into somewhere like Currys with a lot of display models, and try out the 10" netbooks, and compare them to the larger sized laptops.

10" netbooks
If you just want a simple 10" netbook, and have no great need for HD video support, then basically any of the top branded ones with decent battery life: Samsung, MSI, Dell, Toshiba, HP... probably in that order. They are all essentially the same specs, and only differ in build quality, external design, and battery life. All 'Atom' processors are roughly the same speed (except dual cores), so don't fret about the different numbers. I wouldn't pay more than £200 for a simple 10" netbook. Check out Argos' ebay outlet for any deals (they are usually just open box returns, and all have a 12 month warranty). Also this you could try saveonlaptops.co.uk, such as this MSI U130 with 8hr battery (2 batteries) £180. Also check out hotukdeals.co.uk. If you want a faster 10" netbook, then this Samsung with a dual core processor & 8 hours battery life is a good price at £230 delivered. It's a pretty good deal imo if you want a 10" screen, http://www.ebuyer.com/product/251966

12" netbooks / ultraportables
If you want a 12" model, then aim for <£250 and you can get a decent model. Personally I couldn't handle a 10" screen for long periods, and 12" was just right for a netbook imo. Best thing would be to go into somewhere like Currys, where you can find loads of display models to test.
A good deal is the 12" Dell Inspiron 11z, which has a faster processor than most netbooks and a great screen:
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Dell_Inspiron_11z_1003534.html


Ultraportable laptops 13.3"-14"
Lenovo Ideapad U450, 14" £260
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_IdeaPad_U450_1034192.html
Much faster than a netbook, decent price, slower than a bulky laptop. Good screen size.

Lenovo Ideapad U350, 13.3" £299 (good deal)
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_IdeaPad_U350_1034189.html
Again faster than a netbook, 13.3" is a decent trade off for screen size, 8hrs battery life.

Full sized, desktop replacement laptops
Check out the stickied thread regarding laptops

As I said, anything will do what you want - you just need to decide the context in which you'll be doing them. If at home, then you don't particularly need a great battery life. If you are just going to sit it at a desk, then the weight of the unit doesn't matter. On the other hand, if you want to take it out with you, then weight and battery life begin to be more important.

ukcarper

I’ve got a dell netbook and it is a bit slow but I find in ok for surfing and viewing my photos, I store my photos on it mainly as a backup to my desktop.

My dell has the buttons built into mouse pad and I find it quite annoying.

Also the screen resolution is 1024x600 and I have found that a lot of photo editing software will not support such a low resolution I did find a free one (serif) that is ok but obviously editing on the netbook is not very easy.

prowla

I've got a netbook and hardly use it becausee the screen is just plain small.
I have an older 12.1" notebook that is just about right. (I got it after the netbook!).

nicolax

got muy mum a 10in MSi netbook for christmas (her first computer/laptop) and she just has a dabble on the net - extremely light use!
she loves hers and its good for her, as didnt want to spend a fortune if she didnt use it much.

only other thing you need to think of is that the smaller netbooks (most 10", not sure about slightly bigger ones) dont have a disk drive. You can buy an external disc drive to use CD's with it but need to decide whether you'd actually use disc's in it and whether youd prefer it built into the machine

they are great little things though - soo light and portable compared to my old beast of a laptop!

free4440273

I have four netbooks/ my latest -- and best -- is the brilliant HP Mini 210 / I have the red yep, agree with Nicola, and great for browsing in bed with /

John_Gray

By "disk drive" Nicolax means "optical drive", like a DVD or CD drive.

About the only real advantages of netbooks is that they are small and light.
Many of the disadvantages is that they are small: small keyboard, small screen (with not enough pixels, and those quite tiny), and not enough room for a DVD drive.

It really beats me why people actually pay £toomuch to put up with having to type on tiny keyboards and squint at tiny letters on a tiny screen.

But don't get me started on the keyboards and screens of so-called "smart"-phones...