Wednesday, August 4, 2010

4 reasons to seriously consider buying a netbook



4 reasons to seriously
consider buying
a netbook





Netbooks are the latest craze. They're small, they're portable and they're totally affordable.

People are often sceptical of small, underpowered devices, so here are a few things to consider that might change your mind about the performance of netbooks.

1. Netbooks don't have to be your primary computer

Most people won’t buy a netbook to use as their primary system.

Netbooks appear to be filling a niche for secondary portable computers with the bare minimum of computing hardware.

You can check in at work and do some light-weight computing at meetings, with a platform that offers more flexibility than a smart phone and less overhead than a traditional laptop.


2. They're not underpowered for what they really do

You need to consider netbooks in the light of the activities that people use them for:

1. Sending e-mail

2. Browsing the net

3. Enjoying multimedia

4. Chatting on the go

5. Access, View and Edit Documents

In each of these domains, the netbook handles its job with ease, offering a significant improvement over any smartphone.


3. You can dock

As with any other laptop, netbooks are easily connected to peripherals thanks to standard USB and Ethernet connectivity.

You can bring your netbook home, dock it, and treat it as a secondary system.

If the screen is too small, use a bigger screen.
If you don't like the size and feel of the built-in keyboard, you can use it with a full-sized external USB keyboard and mouse.

You can also network to your primary computer and share its disk resources, scanners, and printers, as well.


4.The price and size appeal is real

While you can argue that the price of regular laptops has plunged over the last few years, the netbook price point remains extremely appealing.

For a few thousand Rand you can walk away with a portable computer that adds to, rather than replaces, your existing computing setup. Should that system fail, it's a lot less expensive to replace.

You don't have to buy special carrying luggage either, nor haul around lots of accessories the way most people do with laptops.

Netbooks can be used more casually and practically tucks into briefcases, handbags, and backpacks with less worry and overhead.