[access-uk] What netbook to Buy
- From: "Tony Sweeney" <tonysweeney@xxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:58:43 -0000
Hi All,
Ccame across this on another list and thought that it would be of interest at
least to some.
See below.
Tony,
Netbooks are a great invention primarily due to their portability. I own an
Asus EEEPC myself and find it excellent. The model is the 901, it runs
Windows XP, has a 12 GB hard drive (solid state), 1 GB ram and an 8.9inch
screen. It came loaded with Adobe Acrobat, Skype, Microsoft Works, and Star
Office. I have installed Jaws, Microsoft Office and AVG myself and all seems
to run happily together. The battery is a 6-cell, and lasts about 5 hours
(with bluetooth and wireless networking enabled). I mainly use it for
browsing the web, catching up on emails, and reading / writing word
documents. It's really handy when travelling.
The main things to watch out for when buying one of these PCs in my opinion
are:
1) The size and usability of the keyboard;
2) The over all size and weight of the machine;
3) The amount of RAM included (1 GB is normal, however some models come with
512 MB which may not be enough);
4) The type of hard-drive - either solid state or magnetic (solid state is
similar to a flash card and so are more robust than the traditional magnetic
ones);
5) The capacity of the battery (as a rule of thumb 1 cell will get you about
50 minutes to one hours worth of power);
6) The operating system (most netbooks are sold with either Linux or Windows
XP, although Vista is starting to appear in the newer models);
7) The presence of integrated support for Bluetooth and / or mobile
broadband;
8) The quality of the built-in webcam;
9) The number of USB ports;
There are quite a number of netbooks on the market these days, some having
screens as small as 7inches which makes the over all size of the machines
tiny in comparison to a traditional 14inch laptop. The Advent 4211 is good,
the Acer Aspire One also, and getting a little more expensive the Samsung
NC10. The Dells tend to be a little on the pricey side too, plus I have
heard reports that the keyboard layout is quite strange on them. Quirky
keyboard layout is a common feature of netbooks, so I would strongly advise
you to physically examine a number of your preferred machines before
purchasing.
For the most competitive pricing, I would recommend that you take a look at
http://www.elara.ie
Cheers,
Ciaran
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