To Net-book or to Note-book – That is the Question?Now when the first mass-production Netbook is more than a year old and every producer has at least one series of the mini-laptops, its more adequate than ever to ask yourself – do you really need a netbook/mini-laptop/umpc, or a usual sized notebook will do it for you?
As the name suggests, a Netbook is designed mainly for web-browsing, but given the fact that they rely on a normal operating system (Windows or Linux) it is obvious that most of the everyday type software could be installed on a Netbook. The following table provides a brief description of the features of a Netbook compared to those of a notebook.
What I would suggest is that everyone makes his own decision grounded on their needs and type of work.
|
Characteristics |
Netbook |
Notebook |
Comment |
|
Display |
Less than 11” |
11” and above |
|
|
Resolution |
Most widespread 1024x600, but 800x600 and 1366x768 are also found |
Wide range from 1024x768 to 1600x1200 |
Both display size and resolution make the Netbook not so convenient for longer hours of work, but adorable for everyday travelers |
|
Keyboard |
From 80% the size of a usual keyboard, most often with the same layout |
Normally sized keyboard, some of them including numeric keyboard |
Notebook keyboard is much more convenient even than the keyboard of s 10” sized netbook |
|
Communication |
WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G more often than in notebooks, LAN (not in all cases) |
WiFi, Bluetooth, LAN, sometimes 3G, |
Same in most cases |
|
I/O ports |
VGA, 2xUSB, Cardreader |
HDMI, S-video out, VGA, 4xUSB, Cardreader |
As expected, the Notebook is equipped with more ports |
|
Battery life |
Usually above 2 hrs |
Above 2 hrs |
|
|
Operating System |
Windows XP or customized Linux distribution |
Windows XP, Vista, DOS |
Usually the lower price is achieved by not including the more expensive Windows license. |
|
Weight |
Up to 1.3 kg |
Above 1.3kg |
|
|
Price |
~300-500 USD |
Starting from 400 USD |
Of course there are exceptions – some Sony netbooks are above 1500 USD |