Netbook or laptop?

LauraLou1982

Has anyone bought and used a netbook for university? Looking at prices they are so much cheaper than laptops (about £100 difference from what I can find) but wondered if anyone had trouble with writing essays as they are smaller?

Thanks in advance!

Lagoon

I used a netbook, and it took me just a couple of days to get used to it. For me, it was much better than a laptop.

Whilst a laptop is a 'portable' computer, carrying one around university isn't that easy. A netbook is much lighter, and can be slipped into almost any bag.

agrinnall

I think you'd find that the netbook would not be great for the sustained typing you need to do for assignments, I had both a netbook and a laptop when I was studying for my Masters and I very quickly ditched the netbook. If you can find the extra money I'd definitely go for a laptop, and if you can't I'd seriously consider a second hand or refurbished one rather than a netbook.

LauraLou1982

agrinnall, did you find that because of the small screen or because of the small keyboard? I have a screen I can plug into whilst at home (and this is where I envisage most of my essays etc being done) but wasnt sure if the keyboard is substantially smaller than a normal laptop?
Thanks Lagoon! Am really umming and aaaahing...being a single mum going to uni £100 is a lot of money for me lol!

agrinnall

Yes, for me it was really the keyboard that was the issue, fat fingers and small keys don't go well together! My suggestion would be to find a display model of the netbook you're interested in and try the keys (preferably alongside a laptop for instant comparison), if you have a more delicate touch than me it might be OK for you, especially with a bigger screen. Clearly Lagoon managed fine, so I guess it's a personal thing.

LauraLou1982

Thanks guys!

rochja

What about a bluetooth keyboard and a net or any of the netbooks that have a 93% or better keyboard? You would need to use cloud storage as you are not going to get the storage space on a netbook.

V_Chic_Chick

I have a 10.1" netbook. It's fine for day-to-day use such as writing up notes and the odd bit of essay stuff, and is very portable. However, when I'm doing any serious essay writing I plug it into my big monitor, which lives on my desk. I got used to the small keyboard quite quickly, but if I wanted to use it then I do have a USB keyboard that can be plugged into it if I wish.

agrinnall

rochja wrote: »

What about a bluetooth keyboard and a net or any of the netbooks that have a 93% or better keyboard? You would need to use cloud storage as you are not going to get the storage space on a netbook.

I'm not sure that storage will be an issue. I just checked how much space my 1 year Masters degree work took up, and including all of the Powerpoint lectures, additional notes, assignments, downloaded papers, and everything for my dissertation, has taken just under 1GB. Unless the OP's course is one that requires working with sound, images or video then I'd be surprised if more than the space available on a netbook would be required.