Top 5 Features of the Perfect Netbook
There is an abundance of netbook choices in the market today and with so many to choose from, many buyers could be confused about which one to get. Many are supplied with particular selling points that others don’t have and vice versa.
One starts to realise that maybe the game is all about compromise. Making do with one thing while watching out for when another release that is closer to the configuration that you want appears.
So for those who are still looking out for their netbook purchase, or just interested in matching up specifications to their already purchased netbook, here is a near perfect configuration for a netbook in five simple points.
The Netbook Screen
First is the screen. The Asus Eee PC 701 came with a 7 inch screen, the 901 came with the 8.9 inch screen and sequential releases came with bigger and bigger screens. Now a bigger screen is all well and good, but with great screens come great power drains on the battery. So the near perfect screen would be one that provides adequate screen real estate, is not a huge drain on the battery and is ultra clear with high contrast.
This then demands something in the 9 inch range unless a 10 inch screen comes with good power management. The 9 inch screen offers better and more screen area than a 7 inch netbook, but not too much that it starts to be a battery hog and shortens the life of the netbook between battery charges.
Netbook Storage
Second is storage. Standard laptop drives such as a SATA or PATA drives are used right now. Moving parts are a battery drain. The SSD or Solid State Drives are perfect. They offer great lifespan, have a much, much lower drain on the battery and can take a knock or drop or two and be just fine. They are fast enough to accomplish everything you might want to do on a netbook and are much smaller than their laptop counterparts.
The downside of SSD drives is a higher price – however, as the technology evolves and prices are more reasonable SSDs will take their deserved place as the ideal storage technology for netbooks.
Battery Life
Third is battery life. What is the point of an ultra portable ‘take anywhere use anywhere’ netbook if it drains quickly on what is considered normal use and quickly renders itself useless?
Laptops boast on average 2-4 hours battery life, depending on model. A netbook should be able to sustain 4 hours under stress, and from 5 to 8 hours under normal small task use (usually with screen brightness down, wireless facilities turned off, webcam off and low hard drive activity). Anything less than that should be considered irritating and unacceptable. You need to know you can take those longer plane trips or bus rides and that your little travel companion will see you through it when you want to work and play.
Netbook Keyboard
Fourth is the keyboard. The keyboard could be considered as equally important as the screen. Without a usable keyboard, the netbook is nothing. The keyboard with the Asus Eee PC 701 brought with it much debate and users had a love/hate relationship with it or sometimes even replaced it with an alternative. Laptop keyboards were nearly always much more sensitive, quiet and ultra responsive than their general desktop counterpart. Netbook keyboards should be the same if not better, and packed into a smaller area. Some users are fussy about the size and placement of the right shift key, so this should be taken into consideration at time of purchase if you feel its important.
Netbook Operating System
Fifth is Linux. This would probably bring with it much debate, but to do the very thing that the netbook was designed for, Linux is perfect. It is free, which certainly helps keep the hardware cost down, and is fast. It contains all the standard features that the netbook was marketed for.
Sure, have the option and capability to load another operating system for the power users who want to tinker, but when it comes to a fast, free and featured system which makes good and efficient use of the limited resources expected in a netbook, Linux is hard to beat. It is also the default operating system on most of the original Asus Eee PC netbooks.
Closing Thoughts
At the moment this near perfect configuration and combination of features does not exist. The Asus Eee PC 901 comes awful close, as well as one or two others. It is best to check out some reviews and message boards regarding each model to check out any problems and short comings.
There are many users who may want and need less than the above, of which there are many options available.
On the other hand, there are some users who need even more, perhaps a blur between laptops and netbooks. Those demands are also met by many available options today.
So check out the existing netbook options and see what you think. A netbook purchase should be something to consider for medium to long term use, so make sure it is the right one. Enjoy.
Related posts:
- What would be your perfect netbook?
- Dell Mini 10 Netbook – Dell’s 10 inch 720p Screen netbook
- Samsung NC10 Netbook Review – Samsung 10″ Netbook
- OCZ Neutrino Netbook – OCZ’s Customizable, Upgradeable Neutrino Netbooks
- Netbooks are not going to die out.
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