How to Choose A Netbook Computer

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:57:49 +0000

Netbook Computers are the current gadgets in vogue. What is a netbook by the way? A Netbook Computer is a small computer that is quite portable and also much more affordable than the bigger laptop computers. They are lighter in weight but still have most of the basic features of a regular computer. So, what should you look out for when choosing a netbook for your business?

Is the netbook computer affordable?

There are numerous brands with different price to choose from. The high brand netbook computers are naturally more expensive than those manufactured by unknown companies. You can get a netbook for as low as $250. The specification and the portability affects the price. How much you need to spend will actually depend on the business task you need to perform with the netbook. Web surfing, word-processing, and other simple tasks can be performed admirably by the inexpensive netbooks. However, if you need to run special software or do graphic stuff, you may need to spend more to get a better machine. Please note that sometimes, the expensive models don’t really justify their high prices in terms of added facilities. You need to be careful. You may actually need to study the models and do some sort of comparison before settling for any. Things to consider include, the size, weight, disk storage, memory, battery life, and warranty.

What Operating System runs the netbook?

You need to know the kind of operating system that runs the machine that you want to buy. Some of the netbook computers do not have the capacity to run robust operating system such as Windows Vista. Also, additional software needed to carry out your business tasks may not be bundled with the netbook. For example, if it is a netbook bundled with Microsoft Window XP, you may still need to purchase Microsoft Office Suite separately. Those software cost money when they are not bundled with the hardware as a package. The alternative is to go for netbooks that runs popular Linux operating system such as Ubuntu. However, you should be aware that specialised softwares built specifically for Microsoft Windows Operating System will not run on such machine. You may need to look for alternative Open Source Softwares to use. Netbooks bundled with Linux Operating System are much affordable, but then, if you’ve been a Microsoft Windows fan, then you will need to learn.

How long can the battery last?

For an entrepreneur, a netbook computer is meant for business task first and must be ready to work when needed. A machine sitting like a dead duck because of drained battery is undesirable. Therefore, you need to consider the battery life of the various netbook computers and choose the one that offers reasonable length of working time before requiring a recharge. Anything less than 2hours battery support is not ideal. You never can tell where you will need to use your netbook without having the luxury of plugin into the mains. At such time, a machine with good battery will serve you better.

Necessary Features of a Netbook Computer

Ensure that the netbook comes with necessary slots e.g. USB, IEE port etc. Having a wireless card is also necessary as many hotels now prefer offering internet connection within their premises as Wifi hotspot instead of the traditional cabled lan system. Other features such as webcam, bluetooth etc tends to make netbooks that have them quite expensive. Since you may not need those features, it is better to safe on the extra cost (if you eventually need them, you can buy add-on that uses USB ports).

Check Consumer Reviews on Netbook Computers

Once you’ve made up your mind on the type of netbook computer you wish to buy, the next step is to read online reviews written by consumers on such machine. Never base your buying decision on reviews posted on the website owned by manufacturers or stores. They tend to exaggerate on the features and performance of the equipments they display. You are better off checking the review of actuall users pasted on Blogs and personal websites. A good way to check this is to type something like this in a a search engine “netbook XYZ brand sucks” replace the XYZ with the brand name of the machine you are searching for.