The year 2009 could probably be considered as the year the netbook went mainstream. Prior to 2009, only a handful of vendors got into the netbook market. Many just wanted to take a look and see at the fast growing market. Thus, previously, there wasn't really a need to classify the best mini netbook from among the few vendors.
Things are different in 2009. Today, there are way too many vendors spilling out many new models of their netbooks into the market. Choosing the best netbook is much more challenging. Especially to those who are not technically inclined.
As such, the following Best Mini Netbook listing should provide those in the market for a netbook some form of baseline when looking for the Best 12-Inch Netbook of 2009. Of course this list is limited to 12 inch netbooks available in July 2009 only.
Lenovo Ideapad S12: Best 12 inch Netbook From Lenovo
This 12-inch netbook is a truly making headlines in the netbook world. Lenovo is coming out with three models of their 12-inch offering. The three are powered with Intel Atom, VIA Nano and ION based. The ION based model has been slightly delayed to the end of the year, however.
As with any 12-inch netbook, the S12 provides a larger screen real estate. The 1280x800 resolution means lesser scrolling on the user part. The higher resolution also allows for a better movie viewing experience. High Definition perhaps?
Them extra inches makes way for a full sized keyboard too. No more compressed keys. You can now let your fingers do the talking for much longer period and lesser typos.
Of course, with a 6 cell battery, you will have a better and longer utilization period. Need to use the netbook for at least 5 hours without recharge? The 6 cell battery should just do the trick.
Samsung NC20: Best 12 Inch Netbook From Samsung
The Samsung NC20 is probably the first netbook in the 12-Inch line to be equipped with a non Atom based CPU. Thanks to Via for providing some competition to the Intel CPU family. A little competition sure is good in this new market space.
Samsung's NC20 runs on the new 1.3GHz Via Nano processor. Benchmarks of this new CPU shows that it is at par with Intel Atom. Of course, in reality, it is slower in some areas and faster in other areas. Overall, they perform just as good as the Intel Atoms.
The full sized keyboard, large trackpad and high resolution (1280x800) makes this 12-inch netbook a worthy buy indeed.
Acer AOD750: Best 12 Inch Netbook from Acer
This Acer 12-inch model is truly a designer piece. Built especially for those with intent to show off. Available in four colors. It will certainly be an attention catching model.
This Acer AOD750 unit runs on a slightly higher resolution than the other 12 inches. Sporting a 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, it is very suited for High Definition viewing. LED backlighting also helps in saving battery life.
The full sized keyboard while large enough to reduce typos will still need some getting used to. Although they are full sized, they are all flat. Flat keyboards, look nice to the eye but needs some familiarization time.
Acer, however, have decided to go with Intel's latest 1.33GHz Atom Z520 for the CPU. The Z520 is a lower clock CPU. As such, performance on this unit is slightly degraded. It's slugishnes is noticeable.
You should only get this unit if you are sure you can handle the lack in processing power.
12 inch Netbook have just hit the market. It will probably be the next standard in terms of size of netbooks. The previous 10 inches, while usable, was still lacking in terms of keyboard usability. Many people still have problems using small sized keyboards.
These 12 inches netbooks will certainly fit as the best mini netbook for a lot of people out there. These 12 inches truly bridge the gap between small handheld devices and full spec notebooks. They give you portability at affordable price.
Best Mini Netbook - 3 of The Best 12 Inch Netbooks of 2009Back in the early nineties, I was in college. Miami Hurricanes was the best football team in the NCAA. Dan Marino was still the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. Windows just came out. Students rarely require extensive use of a computer. Except those in the engineering and computer courses, of course. We had programming assignments that require constant use of computers. While there were ample terminals over at the computer lab, it was not conducive for me since I live off campus. Don't really want to stay too late in the computer lab.
Thus, I bought myself a 286 machine. Shared the cost with another student friend. Yes, we both didn't have to stay cooped up in the college computer room to complete our computer assignments. We did it all at home. Many of the other computer students also bought their own computers to enable them to complete their assignments at home. Basically, back then, students rely on computers at home. Notebooks? Yeah, it's the paper kind which we write on with pens and pencils.
Fast forward to the present day. The year 2008 saw the emergence of a new breed of notebook computers. ASUS was the first to bring about the Eee PC. A notebook which is small in many ways - price, size, weight, and features. It was the first sub USD0 notebook.
The other hardware vendors stayed away from the market. However, they kept a close look at it and paid attention to the market growth. Before you know it, many more hardware players joined in the bandwagon as the market for the sub USD0 machines boomed tremendously. Today, we see the big players like HP and Lenovo making their presence felt in this fast growing market segment better know now netbook. Low cost netbooks have made its way into the main stream and making headlines.
A student's life these days require that they are equipped with a computer. Assignments are now basically done on computers. No more passing of a handwritten documents. Everything needs to be neatly done in a word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation.
Today, we see students carrying laptops and notebooks everywhere in their college campus. How many of them can really afford a full fledge notebook? I'd say many can't afford one. To those parents who've sacrificed to get a notebook for their children in college, I absolutely bow my head to you. I know it's a big sacrifice, especially in Malaysia, where I live. The minimum cost of a basic low end notebook is about MYR2500. That's a lot of money for most parents over here in Malaysia.
This brings me to the first and probably the most important reason why the low cost netbooks make for the best lap tops for college students.
1. Low Cost
A basic netbook, currently costs around USD0. That translates to about MYR1300 in the Malaysian market. This means, parents and college students could save about MYR1000 if they get themselves one of these low cost netbooks instead of a regular notebook.
That's a huge savings. For parents who've got two children in college, they can basically get two netbooks for the same price of a single basic low end notebook. Thanks to these cheap netbooks, more students can now own a computer. If only they can somehow bring it even lower. How about below MYR1000? That would mean, a sub USD0. I do think it's possible. Maybe in a couple of years or so.
2. Light Weight
I am very familiar to the burden of having to carry a notebook around day in and day out. Yes, I am a notebook backpacker, and proud of it too. Every once in a while, I would have to like do some spring cleaning of my notebook backpack. Yes, after a few weeks, it'd be filled with papers and notes which I don't really refer to nor do I actually have a need for them. They are just there in the backpack, piling up after so many days at work.
The backpack alone, with the required paddings and what nots weighs handsomely. Add a notebook (3kg), a group of CDs and DVDs (0.5kg), and the above mentioned load of paperwork, I'd say I'm carrying around a good 5kg to 6kg of weight on my shoulder every single day.
At first, you don't really notice the heaviness of that 5kg. After a while, your shoulders and your back starts to ache and you begin to wonder why. Only then do you realize that it's probably caused by the sheer weight of that extra 5kg which you have to carry around daily.
The netbooks of today weighs in at about 1.5kg. Some would probably weigh more depending on the battery it's installed with. Not a lot more, however. A netbook with a 6 cell battery weighs in at about slightly less than 2kg. Still way better than a standard notebook.
College students, especially the ladies, would certainly benefit from the netbooks being light weight. Being as light as they are currently, college students can surely carry them around as they commute around the college campus from one class to another. No worries of a shoulder or back pain as the netbooks are very light indeed.
3. Small Footprint
When sitting in a lecture hall, there really is not much space for a college student to use. The seats are normally equipped with a small flexible table. Setting up a standard 14inch or 15inch notebook on these small table tops would be a hassle. There will not be any room left for anything other than the notebook.
Here lies the beauty of a netbook. Netbooks are size at a mere 10inch, some even smaller. They just fit in nicely for a lecture hall environment. Set one up on that small flexible table, and you probably would have a tiny bit of space left to put anything small. A small Post It Notes perhaps? An MP3 recorder perhaps?
The sheer small size also means that the netbook need not be carried in a notebook backpack. Ladies can probably just dump the tiny unit into their handbags. Of course, it's not going to fit if they use those tiny little handbags that really can't fit anything but their facial makeover items.
A standard (is there such a thing) coach handbag will certainly fit a 10inch netbook nicely. No one would even suspect that there is computer in the handbag.
4. Communication Features
Almost all netbooks currently are configured with a handsome lot of communication features. It's got speakers, cameras, wifi, and bluetooth for a start. These components are already good enough to allow users to communicate with ease over the internet.
Social networking? Chatting space? Skype? Yahoo Messenger? Google Chat? FaceBook? MySpace? Video conferencing? Just name it. Even the most basic low cost netbook is more than capable of allowing its' users to utilize all the above mentioned communication channel. That is why a netbook, even the most basic ones are already more than capable to allow college students to communicate with their peers from wherever they are.
5. Style
Have you seen these low cost netbooks? Don't they look awesome? One thing is for sure, the manufacturers are really putting in their effort to make these tiny units look exceptionally good. The finishing they've put on these netbooks are simply pleasing to the eyes. A true eye candy, I might say so myself. They come in multiple choice of colors. You name it, they come in orange, blue, red, yellow, gray, black, green, and many more.
Now wouldn't you agree that the low cost netbook makes for the best lap tops notebook computer for college students? I certainly think so. Why not? Well, of course, its not going to be suitable for all college assignments. As long as the student understands the limitation of the Atom CPU, it would be just dandy. Surely they can't expect the small netbook to be capable of rendering 3D motion graphics for them. It would also not be suitable to compile really complex engineering calculations and large programming compilation jobs.
I'd say that netbooks will be the must have gadget for college students pretty soon, if not already. You wouldn't be cool without one.
5 Reasons Why a Low Cost Netbook is the Best Lap Top Notebook Computer For College StudentsMini laptops or netbooks are the new category of laptops, they are designed as a secondary system that you can carry anywhere you go. Their size is a little bigger than a paperback book, they weigh less than 3 pounds and have battery-saving features. Mini laptop displays are about 7 to 10 inches together with about 512MB to 1GB of RAM and a traditional hard drive. Unlike other laptops, netbooks have slower energy saving processors, so games won't run as well.
If you are in the market for a netbook here are some things to look for and watch out for:
First you have to know what you want to use it for and what your budget it. If you are looking for a full featured laptop computer then don't buy a mini laptop or netbook. The processor of a netbook is less powerful than a common laptop, this is to provide longer battery life. Mini laptops are good for doing homework on a word processing program, surfing the internet, working on spreadsheets or other office work and presentations. Buy a netbook with a screen size of 8.9 inch or larger, because if your screen is small the disadvantage is you won't be able to read an entire web page. This is less of a problem if you have a larger screen. Get a 6 cell battery for it will offer you a whole lot more running time compared to the standard 3 cell batter. Aside from the additional cost you may find it a little heavier, but I think the trade-offs are worth it. Try out the keypad first, and see if you're comfortable with it. Also check the software that comes pre-installed. Is it everything you need? Shop around, list all the prices you find and compare them.
Do not load heavy applications on your mini laptop, since they are mini they do not have as much memory compared to normal laptops. It is also important for you to know which operating system is best for your mini laptop. Here is some information of the two most commonly used operating systems on mini laptops.
Linux: It considerably lessens the chance of a malware attack because of its smaller user base. The makers also designed its interface to be as easy as windows. There is just one disadvantage, you might have a hard time installing new programs and may need to do some tinkering in the command line. On the whole Linux is getting easier to use all the time, but I would still say only more computer savvy people should choose it for now.
Windows: This is mainly the most common operating system for mini laptops. This OS is compatible with almost every accessory or software program in the market. But because of their massive market share, they are targeted by malware attacks. So you have to have a strong security program.
Mini laptops are much cheaper compared to a normal laptops. So it is easier for you top find a cheap mini laptop deal online. Today there are lots of trustworthy sites online, and if you are not sure if they can be trusted you could always check reviews of them online.
How to Choose a Mini Laptop Or Netbook Computer
Be Stylish
Be Entertained
Rest Easy
 | Easily synchronize your files with another notebook without connecting to the internet. Simple software interface to manage file synchronization by category or individual files. Synchronize photos, music, videos, Internet Explorer bookmarks and emails. |
 | OneKey Rescue System for quick & easy data recovery with anti virus protection. With the touch of a button, users can restore the system and recover valuable data. The OneKey Rescue System interface allows the user to quickly diagnose where a system corruption occurs, ensuring that recovery is fast and effective. OneKey Rescue System consists of 3 modules which can be accessed before booting into the OS, or in the case of OneKey Recovery can also be accessed in Windows (with limited functionality): OneKey AntiVirus OneKey Recovery System Repair |
 | Get online in seconds with Quick Start 2.0 'instant on' function. Quick Start 2.0 allows you to access a range of applications, multimedia files and web browsing without booting to the desktop operating system. |
 | The Active Protection System (APS) protects your hard drive from knocks, falls and sudden shocks, ensuring greater reliability for your movies, music, photos & other documents. |
 | VeriFace face recognition - a fun way to log in your PC.
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