Spring Break
Bigger isn't always better
Netbooks provide an inexpensive means for surfing the Web and word processing
Frank Pellegrino
Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: Money/Health
It's not the size that matters, it's how it's used.
Want something smaller than a laptop, with most of the capabilities needed for class, but so cheap there isn't any worrying about damage or theft?
Computer technicians have developed the solution - netbooks.
James Dierauer, owner of Computer Wizards, 2612 London Road, describes netbooks as a basic version of a laptop that can perform very simple tasks such as browsing the Internet and word processing.
Scott Taves, Lifestyle writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, thinks there is definitely a place for netbooks in the growing computer community.
"These inexpensive, no-frills, tiny computers are the Honda Fit of laptops," said Taves in a February Seattle Post-Intelligencer story about the pros and cons of netbooks.
Dierauer thinks there are many different types of people who could find use for netbooks.
"(It's best for) people who are on the move a lot and want something light to carry with them," Dierauer said. "We have a lot of people who use them for school and a lot of businessmen who carry them out in the field when taking notes."
Many people are snatching up netbooks in these hard economic times, and Taves is not surprised.
"A recent study by PriceGrabber.com showed that 48 percent of their top-selling laptops were netbooks," he said.
Senior Jason Thompson was surprised more people don't know about netbooks.
"I have seen them before, but I had no idea what they were," Thompson said. "They just looked like a mini-laptop that were only for people that are really into computers."
Dierauer said there is a range of sizes of netbooks, but all of them are still small in comparison to a laptop.
"They are meant to be small, so I think the smallest one is around seven inches, and I think the largest thing you could still consider a netbook is about 10 inches," Dierauer said.
Taves said, netbooks are lightweight as well. He said that weights range from an incredibly light 1.4 pounds for the Sony P Series to around 3 pounds for the HP Mini 2140. To put this in perspective, Taves explained his laptop has a 15.4-inch screen and weighs 6.5 pounds.
Want something smaller than a laptop, with most of the capabilities needed for class, but so cheap there isn't any worrying about damage or theft?
Computer technicians have developed the solution - netbooks.
James Dierauer, owner of Computer Wizards, 2612 London Road, describes netbooks as a basic version of a laptop that can perform very simple tasks such as browsing the Internet and word processing.
Scott Taves, Lifestyle writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, thinks there is definitely a place for netbooks in the growing computer community.
"These inexpensive, no-frills, tiny computers are the Honda Fit of laptops," said Taves in a February Seattle Post-Intelligencer story about the pros and cons of netbooks.
Dierauer thinks there are many different types of people who could find use for netbooks.
"(It's best for) people who are on the move a lot and want something light to carry with them," Dierauer said. "We have a lot of people who use them for school and a lot of businessmen who carry them out in the field when taking notes."
Many people are snatching up netbooks in these hard economic times, and Taves is not surprised.
"A recent study by PriceGrabber.com showed that 48 percent of their top-selling laptops were netbooks," he said.
Senior Jason Thompson was surprised more people don't know about netbooks.
"I have seen them before, but I had no idea what they were," Thompson said. "They just looked like a mini-laptop that were only for people that are really into computers."
Dierauer said there is a range of sizes of netbooks, but all of them are still small in comparison to a laptop.
"They are meant to be small, so I think the smallest one is around seven inches, and I think the largest thing you could still consider a netbook is about 10 inches," Dierauer said.
Taves said, netbooks are lightweight as well. He said that weights range from an incredibly light 1.4 pounds for the Sony P Series to around 3 pounds for the HP Mini 2140. To put this in perspective, Taves explained his laptop has a 15.4-inch screen and weighs 6.5 pounds.
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