Netbooks are the small, low cost version of the Laptop. But are they in fact the genius younger brother that is going to take over from the Laptop?
It seems that every computer manufacturer has launched their own version of a Netbook. This has immediately made it a tough decision on which one to pick. Luckily for you I’m here with the lowdown on some of the best in the market.
PACKARD BELL DOT SE/W-410
Cost: £190
Storage: 250GB Hard Drive
Battery Life: Up to 7.5 hours
Screen Size: 10.1”
First up we have Packard Bell’s offering. The first thing we noticed was how quickly the machine booted up. In just a minute I was able to browse the Internet. The keyboard is completely flat with barely any space in between the keys. This makes for a few initial spelling mistakes but after an hour or so of getting used to it, it’s fine to use even for larger hands. The battery life is the one huge bonus feature that the Packard Bell is packing. However, even with the 7-hour plus battery it is unfortunate that tasks cannot be completed easily due to the very poor multitasking abilities. Not so impressive was the super shiny screen, which isn’t far from being a mirror- and as much as I like to see myself, it isn’t ideal when watching a film with any sort of light in the room. The speakers are also poor which doesn’t make watching videos or playing music a very enjoyable experience. With all these negatives it seems as though I didn’t enjoy my time with the Dot SE but this is a charming little Netbook that has unfortunately been outdone by the more innovative and forward thinking adaptations. At just £190 this Netbook excels the expectations that come with the price!
DELL INSPIRON DUO
Cost: £430
Storage: 320GB Hard Drive
Battery Life: 4.5 hours
Screen Size: 10.1”
 The Dell Duo is a truly innovative piece of technology. A hybrid computer that can be used as ether a 10-inch netbook or as a tablet PC. It is the perfect device for portability. Easy to use as an e reader while on the train or for writing documents when you arrive at the office. The Duo packs more power than most other notebooks in this price range and is fully capable of handling a few tasks at once. It is also powerful enough to play HD movies and has good sound quality to go with it. The high-resolution screen also gives a chance to use the tablet form of the machine as a digital photo frame whilst not in use. There are some negatives of the tablet form. Windows 7 isn’t tailored for use in tablet mode so it becomes sluggish and is nowhere near as smooth as the iPad’s iOS or the Android powered systems. The screen also has to be at a perfect tilt otherwise the screen loses some of its otherwise impressive quality. Overall the Duo is a very intriguing piece of technology that Dell has created. Although it is not quite of the level of either a top end Netbook or a top end Tablet, it still gives the user a great 2 in 1 experience and would be ideal for many commuters.
APPLE MACBOOK AIR
Cost: £999
Storage: 128GB Flash Storage
Battery Life: 5 Hours
Screen Size: 11.6”
 The latest MacBook Air is a beautiful design which once again pushes the boundaries that Apple are continuously setting and re setting. The new upgraded insides have had no effect on the super sleek and durable casing. When opening the case the first noticeable feature is the backlit keyboard- this is a great feature that has me surprised no other manufacturers have followed suit. When I was able to peel my eyes away from the keyboard the screen looking back at me has an astounding quality. Any movie will look great on this display and it’ll also sound great with the high quality and loud built-in speakers. With Apple also releasing the infamous App Store for use on Mac powered devices it makes it all the more easy to download programs and games. With no disc drive this is actually one of the two options for installing programs- the other being to ‘share’ another computers disc drive. Also with the recent introduction of Apple’s iCloud service documents, photos, calendars and more will seamlessly and automatically transfer from one Apple device to another. The battery life on the MacBook is not quite as strong as the smaller powered Netbooks but this is to be expected and is still pretty strong at around 4 to 5 hours depending on what functions are being used. The MacBook Air is truly a fully powered laptop in the stunning silver casing of a Netbook. At such a high price for such a small computer I firmly believe it is worth the cost and will enable the user to enjoy using in conjunction with an iPad and an iPhone.
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