How to choose a netbook

How to choose a netbook

Netbook computers are relatively recent devices but have already settled permanently in many people’s everyday life. The modern netbooks attract consumers who want something more powerful and convenient to use than a smartphone, but more compact and lighter than a traditional laptop. They are portable, inexpensive and in most cases can replace your desktop computer.
If you are planning to buy a netbook then maybe this article will be useful before you make your choice. Here I will try to describe some of the most important features of the netbooks currently offered on the market. Of course it’s difficult to choose a netbook among the wide variety of models and therefore I think your choice should be based mostly on your intended usage.
1. Display size.
Everything starts from here, because the size of the screen determines the size of the keyboard as well as size of the whole device. Most manufacturers of netbooks divide their product lines, according to their screen size. As you know netbooks are a small portable computers, usually with a screen between 7 and 10 inches in size (compared to the 12-inch to 17-inch screens on most laptops). At the moment maybe the most practical choices are displays with screen sizes of 10 inches and some manufacturers are experimenting with smaller screens – 7 and 9 inches, but I think they are a slghtly uncomfortable especially for surfing the Internet. In contrast, 10-inch screen allows relatively good resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels.
2. Keyboard and touchpad size.
You should pay special attention to these devices not only because they are the most frequently used parts and should be reliable and comfortable, but because the requirements for a compact design and low price, sometimes make manufacturers to save money for their production. Look for keyboards with sizes, resembling a normal laptop keyboard. Remember – smaller size means small and  too close located keys that can be somewhat inconvenient for writing. I recommend you try to type something to determine if this is the right keyboard for you.
3. Operating system.
The two main options are Windows XP and Linux. Windows 7 isn’t recommended for netbooks because of its higher system requirements.Windows XP offers better communication with almost all kinds of peripherals and works like a desktop PC, but requires more system resources and isn’t equipped with an office suite or other useful software. Windows also allows you to run most available commercial software but is more vulnerable to viruses.Linux on the other hand does not requires an antivirus protection and requires less resources to run than Windows. Unlike Windows Linux requires additional settings for connecting certain peripheral devices which could be slightly inconvenient especially for inexperienced users.
4. Storage.
Another factor to consider when buying a netbook is the storage capacity. You can choose from 8 GB (in the first models) to 80 GB and more, but even if 80GB or 160GB is not enough, you can always connect an external hard drive to one of the available USB ports. I think more important here is the storage technology. You have two options – mechanical HDD or SSD (Solid State Drive). Mechanical hard drives offer higher storage capacity at lower price but consume more energy. Solid state drives (SSD) are silent, draw less power and produce less heat. With no mechanical parts, these drives provide higher data transfer speeds. Maybe the only disadvantages of this type of drives are their low capacity (compared to HDD) and higher price. In addition, I can say that if for you the storage space is more important than your mobility, you should choose mechanical HDD. Otherwise look for a netbook with SSD.
5. CPU and RAM.
There aren’t a lot of CPUs to choose from when it comes to netbooks, since most of them come with Intel Atom N or Z Series (1.6 GHz). When netbooks first appeared on the market they had an Intel Celeron processor running at 900 MHz, which I think is insufficient for the smooth functioning of Windows.
No matter what kind of computer you use, RAM is very important for its overal performance. Most netbooks usually come with 1GB of memory, but it is recommended to upgrade it to 2GB. In some cases, however this is not an easy task, as these devices are not intended for intensive processing tasks and some manufacturers doesn’t provide an option for RAM memory upgrade.
6. Battery.
Battery life is very important especially if you spend most of your time away from any electrical sources. There are 3, 4, and 6 cell batteries, that could last from 2 to 6 hours. Remember that more cells mean longer battery life but also more weight. However, battery life  depends mostly on what applications are run and what is the energy consumption of hardware components, so if you want to save energy, it is recommended to switch off devices (like Wi-Fi or bluetooth) that are not critical for your work. It is important when choosing battery to compare the capacity of the different batteries instead of how many cells they contain. The capacity is measured in milliampere-hours (mAh). For example: if a 6-cell battery has a capacity of 4500mAh and 4-cell battery has a capacity of 5200mAh, the second will last longer.
7. Other features.
There are some other features to consider when buying a netbook. As you probably know, all netbooks come with integrated wireless adapter since Wi-Fi is probably the most used method of communication between computers. Some of them also have Bluetooth which will allow you to share files between other Bluetooth mobile devices like mobile phones, PDA, or laptop computers. Another standard option in most netbooks are Web cams that are usually with resolution from 0.3 to 2 megapixel. Also make sure your netbook has more than one USB port. This is very important since most peripherals use this port to connect.