Netbook Comparison - Features, Options and Prices

My wife's current netbook. Except for lack of PgUp/PgDn key this is a great little netbook. Be prepared to uninstall a bunch of stuff you don't need.
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You can use your netbook for any purpose you like, but if you're trying to convince your parents or your boss, these points might come in handy.

Students - I wish I had these when I was in school. Taking notes is awesome when you can type them out, save and categorize your lectures, and work on projects on the fly (especially if you're programming, doing models, running simple simulations, and the like). Computer time in common areas can also be limited due to crowding and hours of operation. Need to write a paper and the commons are closed? You're out of luck. Since it takes up so little space, it's awesome when on your desk in the dorm or apartment, and it isn't cumbersome to carry to class. Mom and Dad: Spend the $300 that will help your kids more than any other supplies combined.

Writers - As a writer who often has reason to meet others to go over ideas, record concepts and bang out scripts, treatments and other content, it's indispensable when you're meeting someone and your slim netbook is ready to go to take notes or develop useful content. Takes up a lot less space than a standard laptop when you're traveling, at someone else's house or at your local coffeeshop (whether you're working or just posing).

Businesspeople - Particularly salespeople as I've said before, these little beauties are so valuable to a busy person who needs to turn a screen around anywhere and show a client or a coworker something important. 1-to-1 presentations work so well on a netbook and when you're done, you can open your order forms and close some deals. When traveling, they are convenient and easy to use in airports, on planes, or in trains and cars, in hotel rooms, out by the pool (remember to include your drinks on your expense report), and darn near anywhere. If your clients like what they see, give them info on a usb drive and you're good to go. Bosses - You're going to write them off as an expense anyway, get one for yourself, too.

In response to several requests, here are the netbooks listed on this page by weight. Although I consider them to be very similar, the variation is actually quite significant. You can get a Samsung N310 for about half the weight of the Gigabyte T1000P.

The vast majority of models listed here, weigh between a mere 2.7 and 3.2 pounds.

Netbook Model

Weight (lbs)

Asus 900HA

2.2

Dell IM12

2.7

Samsung N310

2.7

Acer AOD250

2.8

Samsung N10

2.8

Asus 1005HA

2.9

Dell IM10

2.9

Samsung N120

2.9

Toshiba NB205/305/505

2.9

Acer AO751

3.0

Acer AOD150

3.0

Lenovo S10e

3.1

Asus 1000HE

3.2

Gigabyte T1000P

5.0

Gigabyte T1028

7.0

The ASUS Eee PC mini-notebooks sort of created this particular niche, starting out to develop a less expensive computer and finding out that people really enjoyed the smaller, more agile netbooks.

As a result, they have several models to choose from, giving you the right balance of frugality and power.

Featured here is the ASUS 1005 HA, which boasts an amazing 10.5 hour battery life. Other models include the 1000 HE and discount model 900 HA.

ASUS has other models available, but we showcase a few here to give you some options.

Model

ScreenSize

BatteryLife

Processor

RAM

Hard Drive

Misc.

Price

ASUS1005

10.1 inch

10.5 hour

1.66GHZ

1GB(2GB)

170GB

Wi-Fi

$399.99

ASUS1000

10.1 inch

9.5 hour

1.66GHZ

1GB(2GB)

170GB

Wi-Fi

$389.99

ASUS900

8.9 inch

5 hour

1.6 GHZ

1GB

170GB

Wi-Fi

$349.99

Acer computers are part of the Acer Group which also owns PackardBell, eMachines and Gateway, giving them a lot of flexibility in development and has allowed them to produce some nice netbooks.

They offer products that are competitive in all features, including price.

Featured here is the Acer Aspire One model AO751h with its 11.6 inch screen. It actually runs the less powerful 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z520 Processor to help improve battery life. Other Acer models use the more standard N270 and N280 processor.

Acer has other models including economy models in 4 cool colors.

Model

ScreenSize

BatteryLife

Processor

RAM

Hard Drive

Misc.

Price

AO751

11.6 inch

8 hours

1.33 GHz

2GB

250GB

Wi-Fi

$389.99

AOD250

10.1 inch

7.5 hours

1.6 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$379.99

AOD150

10.1 inch

6.5 hours

1.6 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$349.99

One netbook line that's getting a major advertising blitz right now is Dell's line of Inspiron Minis. Featuring two models, the IM10 and IM12, Dell gives you a fully-functional netbook in a variety of designer colors. Both models feature the Intel Atom Z520 processor which is designed to trade processing power for longer battery life without decreasing performance.

Featured here is the IM12 which has the almost monstrously bigger 12.1 inch screen compared to the IM10's more common 10.1 inch screen. The IM12 displays at 1280 x 800 resolution.

The newest models have significantly increased battery life - 6-8 hours.

More info about Dell Inspiron models.

Model

ScreenSize

BatteryLife

Processor

RAM

Hard Drive

Misc.

Price

IM12

12.1 inch

8 hours

1.33 GHz

1GB

80GB

Wi-Fi

$499.99

IM10

10.1 inch

6 hours

1.33 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$399.99

Samsung has a wide range of laptop computers including fuller-sized models. We'll focus on their N-series which focuses more on usability at a smaller size and a lower price. Their reputation with phones and computers is well established and they make a good line of products.

Featured here is the N310 model which costs a little more, but is one of the lightest models on the market while still being powerful inside.

Amazingly, the best value is the N10 model which has a slightly bigger screen, similar battery life and a much lower price.

View other Samsung N Series netbooks and other notebooks.

Model

ScreenSize

BatteryLife

Processor

RAM

Hard Drive

Misc.

Price

N310

10.1 inch

9 hours

1.6 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$478.99

N120

10.1 inch

6 hours

1.6 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$439.99

N10

10.2 inch

8 hours

1.6 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$419.99

What Toshiba lacks in options, they make up for in quality and price. The Toshiba NB-205 comes in 5 colors (sable brown, posh pink, frost white and royal blue), and you get a discount if you seek out the sleek black onyx model.

Comparable to other models in price and features, it boasts a 9 hour battery life which is one of the top contenders for stamina.

The NB205 - Editors' Choice from Laptopmag.com and PCmag.com - 2009.

The NB 305 is out now, available in four colors: Black Onyx, Java Brown, Royal Blue and Frost White with similar specs but upgraded hard drive storage. It also boasts the Intel N450 Atom processor which processes faster and seems to improve battery life when you're running more applications.

Better pricing for the NB 305 can be had through Amazon, and the Black Onyx model is also cheaper.

Update:The NB505 is out now, and matches its predecessors' capabilities while bringing down the price about $100. It comes in 5 colors - brown, green, blue, orange and turquoise - the latter three you can get at an even greater discount on Amazon. Toshiba is going for the candy line of colors, so you can't get Onyx anymore, but the NB505 comes with Windows 7, and still includes the 3D impact sensor, which stops hard drive heads in the event of a fall and impact, better protecting your system. Everything you love from the NB305 at a reduced price.

Model

ScreenSize

BatteryLife

Processor

RAM

Hard Drive

Misc.

Price

NB205

10.1 inch

9 hours

1.66 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$399.99

NB205(Blk)

10.1 inch

9 hours

1.66 GHz

1GB

160GB

Wi-Fi

$349.99

NB305

10.1 inch

9 hours

1.66 GHz

1GB

250GB

Wi-Fi

$399.00

NB505

10.1 inch

9 hours

1.66 GHz

1GB

250GB

Wi-Fi

$299.00

Both models use the Intel Atom N270 processor and provide a good netbook platform albeit at a higher price. The draw seems to be from Mac users who have found the Lenovo as the next best thing, and have converted them for their purposes. The downside is that when running under OS X you will have to get a USB WIFI adapter to get a WIFI signal.

The upside is that you can plug in a FireWire adapter card for IEEE 1394 applications.

Both the S10 and S10e are discontinued and replaced with the S10-2 (which is not FireWire compatible). The S10 and S10e are both still available if you know where to look. The S10 is slightly bigger, has a smaller 3 cell battery costs more, and only comes in white or black. The S10e is a step up and a bargain with roughly the same size monitor, a 6 cell battery with longer life and $50 cheaper. It only comes in black.

Both units are otherwise identical.

Lenovo also offers a beefier netbook - the X100e. This beast features a 11.6" display and boasts an ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics card. Unlike its little brothers, the X100e uses an Athlon NEO MV-40 Processor and carries 2GB of RAM and a staggering 250GB hard drive. It's also loaded with Windows 7. It's not cheap compared to other netbooks, but you get a lot of value for a small cost increase. Reports are coming in that the battery is disappointing, scraping out between 3 and 5 hours of battery life.

For newer Lenovo netbooks that are not FireWire compatible, check out their website: Lenovo S-Series Netbooks.

Model

ScreenSize

BatteryLife

Processor

RAM

Hard Drive

Misc.

Price

S10

10.2

3 Hours

1.6GHz

1GB

160GB

WIFI*

$449

S10e

10.1

5 hours

1.6GHz

1GB

160GB

WIFI*

$399

X100e

11.6

3-5 hours

1.6GHz

2GB

250GB

WIFI*

$550

I got the message - there weren't any HP minis here. I still don't have time to add data for them but will update when I can.

Meanwhile, check out the HP Mini Website for more info.

Coming Soon - Comparison of HP DM1s

Out of Taiwan comes Gigabyte. These netbooks are really nice, at least from a distance, and have a lot more going for them than other netbooks.

For example the T1000P boasts an Intel N280 processor, apparently upgradable to the 1.83GHz N470, Windows 7, 1GB with Max 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, tons of slots, webcam and rotating, touchable 10.1 inch, 1366x768 with LED backlit screen. It sounds verruh nice.

It's also about $700, way out of the range for a typical netbook.

If you have to have the next new thing, this would be it, but you could by two perfectly good netbooks for one Gigabyte.

You can find more covers, cases and bags elsewhere on Squidoo, but I wanted to showcase this one.

Before we ever bought a netbook, we bought this case just to carry stuff while traveling (in lieu of a satchel or purse). It is just the right size for a 10.2 inch netbook and all the peripherals, but also handily fits a Nook or similar ebook reader, or an iPad.

It's fairly rugged and sturdy, but cradles your hardware gently, stows easily and makes for light traveling. Just as convenient in town as it is on long trips.

I can't say enough about the CityGear. It's not "Hip" looking, but it gets the job done, and doesn't look half bad. The price can't be beat for a sturdy, functional bag, either.

Although most netbooks come with Microsoft Windows XP, it doesn't necessarily come with MS Office and so you'll be missing the utilities you commonly use.

The solution? OpenOffice. OpenOffice's productivity suite includes features similar to what Microsoft Office offers, including word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, drawing and more. They have extensive templates, clip-art and all of the other features you'd get with MS Office. And, it's free.

Just go to OpenOffice.org and download OpenOffice.

For file storage, security and other features check out this link for more netbook programs.

This is covered in the above link for netbook programs, but one of the featured programs is AVG Anti-virus. This is great anti-virus software that you can download for free. It's customizable, vigilant and won't slow down your computer like some other anti-viruses.

Download it for free.

I recently discovered NetbookGamer.com which includes reviews and places to download games for your netbook computer. Everything from puzzle games to more complex strategy and action games are available.

Check them out for some fun games.

Both Laptopmag.com and PCmag.com named the Toshiba NB-205 as their editors' choice.

Laptopmag.com listed the following Pros and Cons:

Pros
* Unique design
* More than 9 hours of battery life
* Comfortable keyboard and large touchpad
* Hard drive protection
* USB port charges device when system is off

Cons
* Large display bezel
* Long boot time

Read their full review.

PCmag.com review.

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