The strength and popularity of the mini-notebook (re: netbook) craze still impresses me. I thought that once these things started showing up in user’s hands that interest would start waning as it does with most tech phenomena. Of course I would never have believed that folks would still be lining up for iPhone 3Gs weeks after its release, either. There is no question that smaller, lighter, cheaper notebooks are a big draw for folks who are looking to add mobility to their lifestyle. Notebooks are a known entity unlike handheld UMPCs without greatly usable keyboards so the interest level is high. If you are thinking about working while mobile netbooks are a natural avenue to consider.
Most of these cheaper notebooks are built around compromises from their larger siblings, full notebooks. These compromises are in a number of key areas that can affect the utility of the devices in question. Smaller screens have lower display resolutions, smaller keyboards can border on not providing a good typing experience, and slower processors can restrict some types of activities that larger notebooks can tackle with ease. We always say to use the right tool for the job at hand so these compromises might not be factors in the work for most people and that’s good. The important thing is to analyze your intended uses for a netbook and make sure that you won’t be adversely affected by these compromises.
There is no question that netbooks are the most mobile solution for the price point. You won’t find small and light devices for a few hundred dollars in any other category. But if money is no object for you there are some high dollar options from Sony, Lenovo and Apple that are just as mobile without the compromises I’ve mentioned. Of course most of us are not willing nor able to spend a few thousand dollars on them so netbooks are the perfect compromise. We just have to remember that they are not as fully capable in comparison so we must make sure they will do what we need them to do. Most of them will work fine for most of us and that’s why they are such a hot topic. But some people I hear from have some tasks that I don’t think these netbooks will do a good job performing, and those folks better steer clear. Those of us who can get by with them are lucky indeed as they are the most cost effective mobile computers ever produced. And that’s music to a geek’s ears.
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