Mini Laptops and Netbooks

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Many people are now switching to Netbooks and mini laptops. In the short time that they’ve been available, there are many selections from almost every computer brand. Finding one that really suits your needs is just as challenging as purchasing a desktop or laptop computer.

If you are travelling a lot or a student who has limited space, these smaller portable computers will really serve you well. Who has the space to pull out a 17inch widescreen laptop on a plane? First, you have limited space in your seat. And second, you don’t want half an isle of people looking at what you’re doing on the screen. So to help you out a bit, I thought we would discuss some of the more popular mini laptops and netbooks available.

Dell Inspirion Mini 9 - Some of dells earlier models didn’t have half the features you need on a mini laptop, the battery didn’t last long enough to do anything useful, and they were a bit heavy for their size. But the Mini 10 has fixed most of these problems but the 9 still holds its own. You will be able to find them under $300 and they do offer quite a comprehensive set of features, including a decent battery.

Asus Eee PC - I think Asus really got the ball rolling with the Netbook craze. They had the first 10 inch device with an incredibly powered Intel Atom processor. Unfortunately they have fallen down the mini laptops charts because some of the other bigger brands have come out with extremely competitive devices. If you’re looking for something to read eBooks, dictionary, check emails or surf the web then Eee pc may be for you. Just don’t expect to be playing any games other than Free Cell.

HP Compaq Mini - This mini laptop has probably the best keyboard to date. They way it is designed makes it easy to use. Buying this in the open market is going to cost you under $500 but even less if you get it through a mobile phone contract depending on the country that you live in. I can say that this Netbook style laptop has basically everything a regular size laptop has. This makes it my second choice to consider.

Sony VAIO - Sony has a lifestyle line of mini laptops. These feature ultra small 8 inch screens but they are so vivid that there is no problem reading anything on the screen like tablet laptops. The device itself is only a couple of centimeters thick and has everything from wireless internet, GPS, Windows Vista and an incredible battery life (Up to about 8 hours). Even the SSD drive can handle up to 120GB of storage. At 640grams in weight, this takes the cake for me. It is a bit pricey, about $1200 on sale, but definitely worth it.

With all mini laptops there are accessories that you need and unfortunately they do add up. I recommend a screen protector, soft carry case, keyboard silicone, and a small cleaning kit to bring with you. Over all you should be looking at less than 3 pounds of weight. Not bad if I do say so myself!

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