Pioneered by Asus with the EeePC 701, the netbook is now ubiquitous.
The internal spec rarely changes — an Atom 1.6GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM — although what storage options are given are often a point of differentiation. The screens vary from 8.9 to 12 inches in size, with the 10-inch laptops recommended as a happy compromise between small size and comfortable keyboard. Most come with 100Mb Ethernet and 802.11g wireless, although the occasional model comes along with gigabit and 802.11n, if you're willing to pay a premium.
The Atom platform is expected to get a speed bump soon to 1.8GHz, along with updated graphics.
As a result of being low power, low performance machines, battery life is often very long — but don't be fooled into thinking a netbook can fulfil everyone's needs. This is very much a bare minimum performance laptop designed for maximum portability, modest office work, or watching downloaded movies.
Sadly prices have been rising on netbooks to the point where the average price is between AU$799 and AU$899 — and at this point it's worth asking if a full-powered laptop, with a larger screen and significantly better performance, may be a better choice for a little bit of extra cash.
1%
2%
