Netbooks for the Young Professional

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Permalink Reply by Nick Tabick on February 13, 2010 at 3:52pm

My first and best recommendation is to identify a few different electronics stores nearby that have in-store demos and try a few out. Netbooks are notorious for having cramped keyboards (which are perfectly fine for people with small hands to type on), but you might appreciate the fuller keyboard that a full-size laptop would give you for just a few dollars more. However, each one is different, which is why I suggest going to a retailer with a wide selection and giving each machine that fits your budget/criteria a test drive.

See if you think you can deal with the reduced power and less screen real-estate, or if they're only going to get in your way. For light use, you'll probably be alright with a netbook, but if you've ever wanted to edit video or do anything that required a little more oomph, you might be sorry you went the netbook route.

Also, compare the cost of upgrading components like RAM in the netbook to something a little more usable. For some people, 1 GB of RAM just won't cut it these days. If the price of a compatible upgrade (just the parts, even) is more than the difference between a netbook and the full-size laptop, you might want to reconsider whether it's worth the smaller device.

(For what it's worth, I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 and a Dell Mini 9 that I use in my day-to-day activities, so I'm familiar with both sides of the fence.)

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Permalink Reply by Minsmyname on February 14, 2010 at 4:44pm

Thanks for the advice! I decided to go with Toshiba N305-410, it comes with the bigger hard drive and Windows 7 Starter which I need for RDC in case it turns into a work toy. I have small hands so no worries on the reduced size keyboard :).

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Permalink Reply by Chase on February 14, 2010 at 5:56pm

I've had the Taiwan-made Acer AspireONE for the past year and a half and I've been nominally pleased with it. For what it's worth, it does all that it should.

For me, my Mac crashed and died (did I have applecare? of course not) and so I needed something to hold me over until I could revamp/save for another mac. Was it a worthy investment to live off of that for a year until I could justify a mac 2-3x the amount of the netbook? Absolutely.

My suggestion for you: Get an external hard drive, and keep everything you possibly can on it. My netbook has dramatically slowed down and it's my fault for not routinely cleaning it out & not being as militant to keep excess files (itunes library, photos from travel, etc) off of it.

Is it perfect to have around campus or work meetings or to use to transport between home and office? Absolutely. And even though i have my Mac now, I still reach for it when the occasion permits.

However, it serves better as an auxiliary/backup computer than your main device. If you find yourself on the go often, it's a great machine to be able to transport. And you'll get used to the keyboard with out much worry.

For everything else, See Nick's reply. He added some great advice.

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Permalink Reply by Minsmyname on February 15, 2010 at 3:11pm

Thanks for the feedback! It definitely will be functioning as a secondary computer. I have a 4 year old HP still going pretty strong, however I anticipate a bit more travel this year for both business and pleasure so I think a netbook would be perfect. I'd definitely opt for the 13" macbook if money was no option. Also the external hard drive is a great suggestion, I'll definitely be looking into one of those in the near future!

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Permalink Reply by Susie Q on February 28, 2010 at 9:06pm

I've got both a Toshiba Laptop (on it's way to die) and a brand new Samsung netbook. And I'm in love with my netbook. I can take it anywhere and everywhere and it does everything I need it to do.
Bad points?
Not enough RAM, a.k.a multi-app working just doesn't happen.
No video-editing
No watching DVD's or getting software in it due to.. tun tun tunnnnn... No CD/DVD drive

And that's about it. You get used to the smaller style keyboard and smaller mousepad as well as the smaller screen because in the end, they are small nuisances amongst a lot of positives.

A little hint though? Don't get one with Windows 7 starter. I'm downgrading onto XP pro because I've never had to CtrlAltDel so much in my LIFE! Basic programs use take up too much working capacity, it's slow and too simple in style - if you understand computers at all, you'll get annoyed with "yeah here's this and here's that" Okay, I want that. "are you sure you want that? Because there's this and then there's that". Erm. I want that. "Are you really sure? Because there's this as well." ARGH!!!

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Permalink Reply by Minsmyname on February 28, 2010 at 10:40pm

LOL I totally understand what you mean!!! I got the Toshiba netbook and it's GREAT, I absolutely love it! But the Windows 7 starter is getting to be pretty annoying with all the 'you can do this, or that, or this and that'! Thanks for the feedback, I'm definitely going to look into downgrading to Windows XP. How much does that usually cost?

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Permalink Reply by Susie Q on March 1, 2010 at 11:45pm

It's just a matter of buying the system. Here in UK you can get XP pro for £80 at its cheapest.

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Permalink Reply by Shayna on March 7, 2010 at 1:56pm

I got an HP Mini 110 as part of Verizon's promotion when I moved last year... Since it cost me about 20 dollars for shipping I didn't compare it too much to anything else out there. I will say that it fits my needs - small, light, easy to use, and I can turn it on without booting up windows if I need to access the internet quickly - great for waiting in airports!

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