I am a serious computer user, but I haven’t owned a desktop computer for years. Since 2002, I’ve owned what are known as “desktop replacement” laptops—those with 17″+ displays that weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 to 10 pounds. They’re not lightweight, but they’re certainly portable when I’ve needed them to be. However, when netbooks hit the shelves in 2007 or so, I was immediately intrigued. An ultraportable computer with the power to run a typical suite of office applications and graphics software, plus connect via wired or wireless connections, plus have a long battery life and it didn’t cost a billion dollars? Sign me up!
In January 2008 I bought an Asus Eee PC 4G, and then in November of 2008 I bought an Acer Aspire One. The links in the preceding sentence are a little misleading, as in the last year both companies have shot past the specs of my now antiquated netbooks and you won’t find my netbook specs at those sites. Case in point, for the same amount of money as I spent last year on a netbook with an 8.9″ display, 1GB of RAM, and 160HDD, I can now get an 11.6″ display and full sized keyboard along with twice the RAM and 1.5x the storage space.
But geeky specifications talk aside, what do I do with my netbook? Everything.
It’s lightweight—less than 3 pounds—but with a long battery life (6+ hours), making it absolutely perfect for taking to meetings, conferences, and into the classroom. In fact, that’s exactly how I use my netbook. When I take it to conferences, it is like taking a puppy to the park—everyone wants to play with it. When I take it to meetings, the speakers can still see my face as I type my notes or read from them. In class, I use it to connect to the projectors, but also to look up information quickly or show students some things after class. Of course, you can perform those tasks with a standard-sized portable computer, but my netbook fits in both of my small bags with the rest of my books and materials, and my back and shoulders have never hurt when carrying it around. Buy a netbook truly is the best $350 I ever spend (even if I did spend it twice).
When considering if a netbook is the right purchase for you, first consider how you will be using it. If it is as your primary machine, and you spend of a lot of time working with that machine, ask yourself if you can live with an 11.6″ display. The keyboards on netbooks are no longer the issue they used to be, as the newer base models of netbooks use a full sized keyboard and not the 83%-sized keyboard featured in the models I’ve owned. But seriously, before you put down the money, put your hands on one. Go to a Best Buy, or Office Depot or Office Max, or other similar stores. Check out the keyboard, the display, find the sizes that work for you, and then go to Froogle and find a better price online.
Earlier in this post I mentioned the 11.6″ display and full-sized keyboard of the new Acer Aspire One models (AO751h). Is that really a netbook? It has a netbook price tag, at sub-$400. A recent CNN article, “Time to drop the Netbook label” speaks to this issue: there is little distinction between a netbook and an ultralight notebook.
When I think “netbook,” I think Acer, Asus, and MSI. I think affordable, lightweight, powerful devices that ship with Windows or Linux, that I can use to get online anywhere, that I can hold in the palm of my hand without getting a cramp.
If you’re thinking about buying a netbook, check out the following links:
- PCMag.com “How to Buy a Netbook”
- CNet Reviews the Best Netbooks
- NetbookReviews.com
- jkOnTheRun’s netbook category
- liliputing
Have a netbook? Tell us what you have and how you use it. Looking for a netbook and have specific questions? We’re here to help.
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25 Responses to On Netbooks, or the best $350 I ever spent
Alex Jarvis - August 28, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Absolutely agree. I have an Hp-mini 1000 series, running a custom Ubuntu image designed for it. It is a slick, pretty, and fast experience. It’s my go-to paper writing device now, and can easily slip into an already crowded bag.
Nels - August 28, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I absolutely love my netbook (the Asus). I’m a Mac user and know that Mac is releasing their flat-screen, touchscreen computer to compete with netbooks, but the $700 price tag I read about is daunting. And the entire reason I bought a netbook is because I wanted something I would not be afraid to have stolen or broken when I travel. My MacBook was starting to feel clumsy, and the netbook really has helped me out at conferences and archive trips this past year. And the netbook does have more memory and all that than my MacBook that I bought in 2006. I’ll always buy a Mac as my main computer, but I’ll also always have a netbook for travel. Until technologies change again, of course!
Candace Nast - August 28, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I’ve had an Asus Eeepc 1000 for a year, running Eeebuntu NBR. I love that I can toss it in my bag if I think I’m going to need it – and if I end up not using it I don’t mind having carried the extra weight.
Drew - August 28, 2009 at 6:26 pm
A lot of people argue they have decreased performance as some of them (or all of them?) lack CD Rom drives. However, most computer literati understand you can download almost anything.
I think coupling a netbook with a desktop would be a most effective arsenal.
Billie - August 28, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I have a netbook arriving next week, and I can’t wait to get it!
Jodi - August 28, 2009 at 8:05 pm
I have an Acer Aspire One, which I chose after a lot of research and paying close attention to Julie’s recommendations, and I love it to pieces. The light weight and long battery life make it absolutely fantastic for archive work, since I have about a 40-minute trip each way in the metro to get to any of the places I do research, and I was sooo tired of lugging the old laptop.
However: if you’re getting one of these for travel, it’s worth checking out the company’s international customer service. Mine fizzled out after just a few days of use (bad processor), and it turns out that the only customer service center in Spain was in Barcelona (I was in Madrid). I went through a full week of completely unproductive phone calls with them, at the end of which they were willing to take the thing to Barcelona for repairs, but they were doubtful that I’d have it back by the time I left the country – TWO MONTHS later. I borrowed another laptop for use while I was there, sent the Acer to the local repair center when I got back home, and had it fixed (under warranty) and back in my hands within a week.
So, advice to those who travel, regardless of which netbook you choose: check out the international service possibilities, and bring a copy of the sales receipt and warranty with you. (I could easily verify the warranty at Acer’s website with the serial number, but the Barcelona folks apparently couldn’t.)
Julie Meloni - August 28, 2009 at 8:37 pm
People do get hung up on the lack of a CD/DVD drive, but arguably that’s what makes them netbooks — removing those devices means they don’t need to be so big. And you’re right–I can’t think of the last time I purchased software and installed it from removable media, for my netbook or my big machine. I’ve just downloaded everything.
Julie Meloni - August 28, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Exactly. I just like knowing it’s there and can boot it up very quickly if need be. And if not? It’s a heck of a lot lighter than a lot of texts I carry around.
Thom Gillespie - August 28, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Ok, but Julie says: run a typical suite of office applications and graphics software …
What office apps, what os, what graphics programs?
Thanks.
Thom Gillespie - August 29, 2009 at 12:55 am
I never watch 8 hours of video just have it for delays on various ends of flights. Usually I’d find a socket somewhere.
How about Skype?
Julie Meloni - August 28, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Microsoft Office and OpenOffice would be the office suites, and Adobe Creative Suite or GiMP would be the graphics programs I had in mind specifically. Windows XP, Windows Vista, and a wide range of Linux distributions, from Xandros to Ubuntu and everything in between, on the OS side.
Thom Gillespie - August 28, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Ok, but ‘would bes’ and ‘had in mind’ is different than up and running? I’m curious if you can actually run this on the Netbooks with any sort of response? I’m guessing 2 layers in Photoshop and you can order lunch out before the refresh.
Also curious about full screen video in vlc? I never fly without 8 hours of video these day. The idea of a pocket video player fills me with joy. 8-)
Julie Meloni - August 28, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Yes, I have had all of these running perfectly fine on my XP netbook, because I wanted to see if I could. I can. But I’m not going to edit a lot of multimedia on a 9″ screen, and so I don’t waste the Adobe license. I use GiMP predominantly anyway. As for full-screen video, I don’t know – I don’t use my netbooks to watch videos. For that, I would say look to the specs of the particular machines; I don’t think any netbooks have the hardware for completely smooth full-screen video playback, and if they did, the long battery life of a netbook (approx 7 hours) would not be long enough for your 8 hours of video.
Julie Meloni - August 29, 2009 at 8:02 am
Yes, you can skype on a netbook; many of them began to include webcams in 2008.
Jane Jensen - August 30, 2009 at 7:21 am
I actually got my network for the mobile Skype possibilities while traveling to conferences and during longer trips to Europe. Worked great…I could check in with my fourth grader face to face from most hotel rooms (on my budget wifi is not always in the room).
Darrell - August 31, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Better take another look before you leap. I have yet to see a Netbook that will stream Video like NetFlix (Silverlight) or good Flash content.
Problem is the current Atom Processor is a single core 1.6 Gh at best. When the 2.0Gh Dual core Atoms haven’t yet moved to Netbooks yet. Takes a dual core processor to handle the more compressed Video Codecs nowadays. So I’m waiting. waiting.
Listen up Mr. Gates want I really want is a 5″ 760p screen on a Windows 7 4g Phone. with a 2.0 gz dual core atom processor with 80gb drive. and full zoomable video camera. Build that and we will come. And 48 hours battery life.
Julie Meloni - August 31, 2009 at 7:50 pm
The point of this post was to introduce people to the concept of the netbook not as a desktop replacement but as a viable low-cost device that would aid in making many people more productive for certain purposes. I’m sure we all want super fast lightweight machines with the processing power to take over the world. Since that’s not what netbooks aim to be, I’m not terribly distraught that they can’t assist me in that goal.
Nels - September 1, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I often wondered if netbooks rose as a response to the iPhone and other Smartphones (did you say that already, Julie?). I wonder if they were aimed at people like me who thought an iPhone would be cool but couldn’t justify that massive increase to the monthly cell phone bill. With my netbook, I’m connected much more than I feel I need to be as I’m out and about but don’t worry about having it stolen or broken or whatever. So, yes, they are not meant to be desktop replacements. They are meant for much simpler things, though I think they do way more than they need to do. For me, it could be a desktop replacement.
Julie Meloni - September 1, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Actually, I think netbooks came out of the One Laptop Per Child initiative, and the manufacturers realized “oh hey, we can really do a lot for just a little more.” I know that when my boss got her iPhone last year, a tool I still don’t own, I made myself feel better by saying “oh really? you see I have a WHOLE COMPUTER for just a little bit more, and no monthly fee.” :)
Susan - September 2, 2009 at 10:44 am
Nels, I just want to mention, since you brought up the IPhone and other smartphones that a cool thing about having both is that you can use one as a modem for the netbook. I use my blackberry storm as a modem for my Acer Aspire netbook via Tetherberry software that I learned about on Blackberry forems early this year. I pay Verizon for the data package for the phone, then use it for internet when I have no other options for my netbook. I say no other options because it is a slower connection and never my first choice. It connects via a USB cable that comes with the netbook, and the download for Tetherberry is a one time charge, I believe it was $39. There have been many times that I was so happy to have this as an option for internet connection.
Drew - September 2, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Susan, is the strength of your cell phone model strong enough to be practically useful? Or is it just something you do if there is no other option. I understand it is slow- but, is it painfully slow?
Susan - September 2, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Drew, no it is not painfully slow. Dial-up for me is painfully slow. Also, to correct something I said in my last post, the USB cable came with my BB storm, not the netbook, and has a special connector end that fits the BB and the USB end for the netbook. I had already planned on buying the datapack for my BB, and when I spoke to a Verizon employee about comparing costs for data packs, she did not tell me I could get by on just the one for the BB. She suggested two packs so I would have one for the netbook. I went into a forum for BB users and found that this is totally redundant if you use the tetherberry software. I’ve been using my BB as a modum for my netbook often since this past April, and love the freedom it gives me.
Thom Gillespie - September 2, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Maybe the next question is what smart phone has the best connectivity and ‘almost’ emulation of a weak Pc in being functional: iPhone, RIM, Android and/or Pre?
Any of these allow key board attachment so you can sorta type?
Thoughts on this running Skype?
http://androidcommunity.com/archos-android-based-internet-media-tablet-mid-coming-20090209/
Susan - September 2, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Thom, I can only address the latter part of your post: This past summer I had my desktop and my netbook book running, and my sons skyped me from Italy where they were on vacation. I had skype open on my Acer netbook so I used the built in webcam and chatted with them. It worked great!
Rose - September 21, 2009 at 9:01 am
I just recently purchased an Acer Aspire One, and I absolutely love it. I have a desktop, a full-size Acer laptop and a blackberry, and so far my netbook is the best of all worlds. I use it for everything including M.O. Word , Excel, and Picasa and Skype. The audio with Skype is great, however I found the video to be very choppy and my calls frequently drop. Is this common with netbooks? Is there anything that can be done to improve the quality of the video?