Laptops have evolved rapidly and they can match the performance of a normal desktop computer. Maybe not as good as quad core processing but they are capable of gaming. In terms of portability, however, I feel that they are not portable enough considering you have to carry at least 3kg of weight on your shoulder. 3kg is the normal weight of a laptop excluding the bag and cables. Well, unless you are willing to spend around a thousand pounds or more to have a highly portable and good performance laptop.
To spend a thousand pounds on a laptop, I would rather divide that money and purchase a high performance desktop computer and an ultra portable netbook.
Processor
The current netbooks’ market offers limited selections in terms of performance. The most significant factor is the processor. As far as one can see, Intel Atom processor dominates the netbooks’ market. VIA has failed when HP chooses to use Intel Atom in its future netbook models.
However, the latest Samsung NC20 will use VIA Nano processor. AMD and ARM have similar interest in netbook market. Intel Celeron Mobile was used in early models of Asus EEE PC but now Asus is using Intel Atom processor in its future netbook models.
As the matter of fact, you only have the choice of 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor which can be found in most netbooks and 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor in Dell Mini Inspiron 12 which was recently launched.
Intel Atom Z530 is meant for Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and can only handle a maximum of 1GB of RAM. However, it consumes less power; thus, you get longer stamina from you netbook. Intel Atom N270 is created for netbooks and it accepts 2GB of RAM happily. Based on the fact about Intel Atom N270, I believe that it will be wise to choose a netbook with Intel Atom N270.
Dual-core Intel Atom seems to be far from the netbooks’ market currently as Intel has no plan about it. Well, nothing can be certain and sooner or later, netbooks will evolve. Is it worth the wait? Not really unless you can wait and w………………..a…………………….i…………………..t.
Hard Drive
Hard drive affects the performance of a netbook. There are three types of hard disk drive to choose from; Solid State Drive (SSD), PATA and SATA. Currently, you only get a maximum of 32GB if you choose to have a netbook with SSD. As the name suggests, the Solid State Drive is solid and durable than normal hard disk drive. Netbooks with SSD are said to produce less noise and heat and they are lighter as well as providing better shock proofing than conventional hard disk drive.
On the other hand, the SSDs found in netbooks are not the high performance type which indicates that there is no increase in performance. In fact, 20GB is more than enough for a netbook. Surely, you do not produce a 1GB word document in a night, not even a year. However, not all netbooks offer SSD as an option.
SATA is the technology that replaces PATA and it is definitely faster. Most netbooks are equipped with SATA drives except Dell Mini Inspiron 12 which I assume that it is due to the restriction of the processor’s capability.
Weight and Dimensions
After reading a bunch of professional reviews, weight and dimensions are quite in the same frame for all netbooks, as with the price. Thinner and lighter netbooks ultimately cost more but I do not quite see the point by forking out a hundred pounds or more to get a thinner or lighter by 100 – 200 grams netbooks. The netbooks specifications will still be the same anyway.
Screen
Netbooks’ market focuses on 9-inch and 10-inch at the moment except Dell Mini Inspiron 12, Samsung NC20 and Lenovo Ideapad S12 which have a 12-inch screen. A 10-inch screen netbook has a screen resolution of 1024 X 600 while a 12-inch screen has a screen resolution of 1024 X 800. Well, in my opinion, the larger the screen, the better. I have hands-on experience with Asus EEE PC901 and was very impressed with the overall quality. However, I reckon that a 10-inch screen will make the whole experience better.
Connectivity
Bluetooth, WiFi, webcam, card reader, USB ports, VGA-out, microphone and speaker jacks and LAN port. What’s more do you want? HSPDA comes with a price and some netbooks offer a space for HSPDA card. Lenovo Ideapad S10 has an express card slot which other netbooks do not provide.
Well, it is kind of tough decision here but both HSPDA and express card slot will cost you more than you have to pay for a normal netbook. I am not quite sure what I can do with the express card slot if I have one since a netbook provides everything that I need. As for HSPDA, I can use either Nokia E61 or Sony Ericsson P990i as a modem to my netbook. It may be troublesome but it will save me quite an amount of money.
Battery
Most netbooks come with a 6-cell battery except Lenovo Ideapad S10 and Dell Mini Inspiron 12 that I know. Lenovo Ideapad S10 has an express card slot which other netbooks do not have and a 3-cell battery will make the price look competitive. Dell Mini Inspiron 12 is priced at £429. Imagine the price if it comes with a 6-cell battery.
Even though most netbooks have 6-cell batteries, their capacities are different. Samsung NC10 has 5,200mAh, MSI Wind has 4,400mAh and Asus EEE PC1000H has 6,600mAh. The higher amount indicates the longer the battery life but also increases the weight.
Verdict
Other things that you might want to consider are the heat and noise emitted from the netbook. You probably get lesser noise if you opt for a netbook with SSD. Most likely, you would also like to place your netbook on your lap. A hot netbook means that the air flow will not properly conducted and that means it is probably not wise to use the netbook on your lap.
At a price of £300, plus and minus £30, you get the same package for all brands of netbooks. Extra money for HSPDA, screen size and express card slot. Even though Lenovo Ideapad S10 costs about £320 with an express card slot, but you only get 512MB of RAM and 3-cell battery. Tests results also show that Lenovo Ideapad S10 is hot.
I have chosen Samsung NC10 in the end because of the battery life and the anti-bacterial keyboard. The latest review from TrustedReview has also proven that Samsung NC10 runs coolly under all operations. I could have chosen Asus EEE PC1000H if Samsung NC10 never exists. Fortunately, Samsung NC10 does exist and it certainly looks better than other netbooks out there.
Performance, hard disk type, connectivity, screen and battery do not matter much because all netbooks seem to have the same specifications. Thus, sometimes you choose a netbook based on its look. Reviews may be praising Samsung NC10 from head to toe but I do not think that everyone likes the look of Samsung NC10. After all, a netbook is about portability and compact. With almost the same price, you could get a 15-inch Intel Core 2 Duo laptop. But would you carry a bulky laptop or tiny netbook while on the move?
