Netbook Buyers Guide

-Size: Netbooks are much, much smaller compared to Laptops.

-Portability: Netbooks, due to their smaller size, are much more portable. Most are only about 10" wide.

-Simplicity: Netbooks have streamlined operating systems that allow you to do only what you want to do: surf the internet, listen to music, watch movies. All the other stuff on laptops that you'd never use are not included.

-Price: Netbooks are much cheaper than notebooks. If you know that all you are going to use your computer for is surfing the internet, listen to music, and watch some movies, then save your money and go with a netbook!

-Bare Bones: Netbook computers are set up for limited computer operations. They are used mainly for surfing the web, listening to music, and watching movies. If you are interested in playing video games or doing any photo or video editing, you should be looking at notebooks and personal computers.

-No Optical Drive (CD/DVD/BlueRay): Netbooks are so small that their cases cannot fit an optical drive in them. If you want to load any programs onto your netbook, you would need to either download the program online or use a portable CD/DVD drive connected by USB.

-Limited Memory (RAM): Most netbooks only have 1 or 2 GB of RAM, meaning that you are not able to run multiple programs at once. If you like to listen to music while surfing multiple websites at once, you should be looking at the more powerful notebooks.

-Basic Operating Systems (O/S): The majority of netbooks come with Windows 7 Basic, rather than Windows 7 Home Premium. This means that you have limited functionality. One example is that you are unable to change your desktop background. The Windows Basic operating system works, but is much more basic compared to the Home Premium version.

Windows Operating System: Be cognizant of what operating system your netbook will come with. Most are equipped with either Windows XP or Windows 7 Basic, which is the newest operating system from Microsoft, but with reduced functionality. Some do have the full version of Windows 7 Home Premium.

Processor: Most will have Intel Atom Processors in the 1 to 2 GHz range (usually 1.6 GHz). This should be more than enough for general computer needs like surfing the web and listening to music.

RAM: Most netbooks currently come with 1 or 2 GB of RAM, which will deliver enough performance for everything you need to accomplish.

Hard Drive Storage Space: Most netbooks will come with at least 160 GB of storage, which should be more than enough for basic computing needs like surfing the internet and playing music on your computer. If you need more, think about getting an extra external hard drive for additional storage.

Battery Life: Know the life of your battery. Some will only last a few hours... others can last close to 10 hours!

Accessories: What do you need to go along with your netbook? An extra hard drive could be used to add extra storage. An optical drive could be used to play CDs and DVDs on your netbook. What about extra batteries or a car charger? Don't forget to pick up a case to carry your netbook around in!