Smart Tech
The Great Debate: netbooks vs. notebooks
Netbooks are one of my favorite gadgets and as their popularity continues to grow a lot of people are wondering which is better: netbooks or notebooks? In reality one isn’t necessarily better than the other because they have different functions. A netbook is a companion device that is great for keeping your bag nice and light while you travel but still allow most of the functionality of a regular laptop (among other things), while notebooks have more storage space and are nice for more complex tasks like gaming and creating large documents.
Intel Insider Frank Gruber’s (somewhatfrank.com) recently took on the netbook vs. notebook debate. Check out the video below to hear more about what Frank thinks each device does best and his take on the netbook vs. notebook debate:
You can learn more about what Frank thought about the Dell devices he tried out at www.somewhatfrank.com
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Kiesha,
this review is great. I have been thinking about buying a netbook for a few weeks now. There is too many to chose from…
Jaime
which netbook do you recommend? I heard the Asus has an awesome keyboard. Any thoughts?
Hi JR, as Jaime mentioned above there are a ton of choices out there! My personal favorite is Lenovo IdeaPad S10, I think the keyboard size is perfect, built in webcam and it’s really sleek looking. The Asus and the Dell mini (featured in Frank’s video) are awesome as well. I think the best way to pick which one is right for you is to go to a store that offers a variety of netbooks and play around!
This might be the most uninformative thing I have seen in a while. So the netbook has a smaller screen and less processing power than the full size laptop? wow. Thats about all I got from this.
They say get the MSI Wind series if you’re into dual-booting a Microsoft OS and a MAC OS. MSI Wind and Dell Mini9 are the most compatible for a MAC OS installation.
This guy obviously has no clue as to what he’s talking about in a technological sense. Intel 2 centrino 2 processor…one has more processing power “in his opinion”.
Guess what? Your opinion means jack. The fact is a netbook is a lightweight unit for doing lightweight tasks, and thats about it. You want to do work, get a real notebook. Say the lenovo x200. Just as light with all the power.
A fluff piece to promote Intel. Imagine my surprise that the Via processor doesn’t even warrant a mention – despite the fact that it’s generally reckoned to be superior!!
I have the acer one and have it hooked up to a 19 inch monitor with a wireless keyboard and mouse and it works GREAT!
“Aug 19 | Keith said:
This might be the most uninformative thing I have seen in a while. So the netbook has a smaller screen and less processing power than the full size laptop? wow. Thats about all I got from this. ”
Keith, you do miss the point of the netbook. It is NOT supposed to compare to a full sized laptop. A netbook requires less power, less space and is much more portable than a regular laptop. Regular laptops nowadays are capable of keeping reasonably in step with typical desktop configurations… but sacrifices had to be made to continue to keep them mobile. The engineering that goes into laptops and the cost of the parts make them a hesitant companion for many of us… not wanting to carry something that gets heavy rather quickly, but also not wanting to lug around something that is quite expensive and would be a devastating problem if it were to become damaged in its use. Laptops have gotten much more complicated than they used to be and aren’t quite so portable… especially for desktop replacement type models.
I have a netbook so I can throw something in my bag, do quick tasks when I’m away from my home system and be able to use something that satisfies most of my needs. My home laptop draws 90 Watts right off the brick and lasts for 2 hours on a brand new battery. A netbook will draw about 20 to 30 Watts off AC and can run from 4 to 9 hours on a battery pack. (A 9 cell battery pack on my Aspire one is smaller than the standard battery pack on my notebook and gives me 10 hours of use.)
Ultra portability, sufficient horsepower for basic tasks are reasons to have a Netbook. For many other folks, price is a factor. We no longer have to pay $2000+ for a Sony style Picturebook (which was roughly the same form factor as a netbook) and with the reduced cost of these netbooks… comes with the peace of mind that you won’t be paying through the nose should anything happen to it.
After doing some testing, it would appear that the Atom CPU at 1.6Ghz is -roughly- equivalent of a P4 2.0-2.5Ghz CPU… While underperforming compared to the latest and greatest, it’s more than good enough for on the go use. (It even plays back 720p H264 based video just fine from a thumbdrive)
Netbooks are great for many things, but I find that those who question why anyone would ever want one… those who don’t “get it”, are the ones least likely to use one anyway. I like using mine because I don’t have to carry my 6+lb laptop around and it won’t cost me $2000 to replace it if it were to be stolen or broken.
I’ve owned a netbook all of 2 hours. My Dell 11z (arguably a netbook but anyways…) is nothing short of awesome. I just said to my wife “I’m in love with this thing.” I highly recommend any netbook. Their size and convenience is second to none.
Netbooks are NOT toys nor gadgets. They are powerful enough to run most business software packages, from microsoft office to quickbook to PDF converter. As an accountant, I find it capable of doing all my daily tasks from filing income tax returns to book keeping to research government budgets on the internet and on the go, for clients such as the coffee shop or corner store owners right on the spot. BUT, if I am going to spend several hours on a pile of invoices or a pile of tax slips, I still prefer punching in accounting data on a full size desk top machine.
Acer Aspire One all the way. I have a white D150. Nice 10.1 inch screen. Looks really nice and works perfectly for college and internet browsing. If you are not a full on gamer you will love it. Definitely would recommend this netbook. Make sure to pick a nice color though!
All NetBooks are doing is getting people to buy in a download market. Outside of email and mild web surfing, the experience sucks.
Netbooks are one of my favorite gadgets right now hands down too. That’s definitely true about netbooks and notebooks serving their own purpose in the computing world. As a secondary machine netbooks are absolutely fabulous.
waste of time. seriously? seems like common knowledge.
I was just thinking of buying the mini dell because it’s very convenient to carry when you’re traveling.
I picked up a Lenovo S10 a while ago, and after upgrading to 2GB of memory, it has become my primary computer. Even though all of the corporate talk mentions no cannibalization, the Netbook has replaced 2 desktops and a laptop in my home.
The Netbook I think is the latest ‘killer app’ in the hardware world.
Frank is correct in that it would be perfect with a 3G/4G hookup (which Verizon is now doing I think), but otherwise it is fantastic!
One error I noticed, you mentioned it not being usable to power a full TV. I personally use it to play my downloads/netflix live on my HDTV with absolutely no problems! No slow downs or anything, the thing is fantastic at the job, and easy enough to unplug and take on the go.
Short disclaimer for those reading this: I am an Intel employee, however I am posting this entirely on my own accord. I purchased the S10 with my own money, and use it exclusively at home.
I love Netbooks, though I can’t wait for a little diversity. It seems that all you choose is the screen/kbd size (and a few minor options). Beyond that, everything is a 1.6GHz N270/N280 Atom and a 160GB HDD.
I happen to own an Asus EEEpc 701 model that has a 4GB SSD and 2GB of RAM. I use it primarily for college and troubleshooting other people’s PC’s. I have had no problems with it so far. It runs Ubuntu.
lmao this guy had no idea what he was talking about did he… as he so carelessly fumbles around with the two computers he complains about the monitor being too small, so it cramps the keys… and an ‘lcd’ to connect to a screen, to which he comments that you probably wouldn’t want to because of the low processing power? wow. just wow.
Why don’t netbooks have DVD players? I think that would be one of the main things you would want.
Dbax, netbooks are meant to get on the internet and do basic tasks, not watch disk based movies. I, for one, have all my DVD’s/blu-rays ripped and ready to go on any of my portable devices, none of which have disk drives. Remember the days of CD’s? Then remember the boom of media players (to call them MP3 players is absurd)? No one complained about the media players not having a cd drive. This is how mobile computing is evolving, leaving optical drives for digital distribution/backups.
No DVD/CD drive = better battery life + smaller form factors.
Jimbo,
(It even plays back 720p H264 based video just fine from a thumbdrive)?
Which netbook do you have??? This is my problem with netbooks; I heard they cant playback h264 or do well with HD streaming videos. Does anyone know if they can playback Bluray on USB????
Bottom line – i want netbook for portability, i agree with jimbo, BUT with more and more HDTV , i have been looking for HDMI + netbook + Quality HD playback; and so far only Dell makes that with nvidia card – but its like 600 bucks.
i rather buy refurbished Sony laptop/ sacrifice about 1lb to get hdmi + blu ray + great hd playback…
it is all about value; technology’s purpose is to make life easier- replace my entertainment center with a netbook + vpn iphone remote is my goal
Paco says: I love Netbooks, though I can’t wait for a little diversity.
Paco, just wait for a ION based netbook. It’s a variety that charges up the N280/N330 Atoms
Oh… now I know the difference between a netbook and a notebook. Thanks for this great write up and video!
netbooks are poor man’s ultra portable notebook. it is that simple. it give you 30% of the functionality and quality of a ultra portable for 20% of price.
Netbook can play 720p normal video file, however it cannot handle “hd” flash at all. If you edit video or play newer game, netbook is not for you, however if you are just using netbook for surfing the web, typing office document, and using general program netbook fit your every need.
The term “netbook” is more or less a marketing term to prevent people from picking it over a normal laptop. It is limit by Microsoft and Intel on the spec what manufactor can be the netbook.
Time has change in that people don’t look for computer that cost allot and more power than they really need, people are looking for computer that they could bring around with them.
In conclusion netbook are good for general computing, however people might have perfernce for large screen or better keyboard, but in term of computing power netbook is perfect for gerneral use. I would recommend it to anyone who don’t edit video or play recent games, it is light, small, extremely good battery life.
I’ve been using a netbook (asus 1000h) for the better part of a year now. Honestly i got it because all i do is type school papers and check my email. no disks, no games. the occasional forum or youtube video but thats it. in that respect there is nothing this
wow, you younguns r really smart. technology is moving too fast for my brain to catchup to it, but thanks to people like you, at least it makes some things more understandable for me. one thing though, i kind of already knew some of the stuff, but i can’t remember exactly, but there was something that i didn’t like about the netbooks when i went to BestBuy and asked one of those guys about it.
I think they said that netbooks were good for like emailing an stuff, but not if you want to use it to help in business.
Point is, I am trying to set up web pages to make money, is a netbook, in your opinion, strong enough to handle all the BIG RESPONSES i will get once i can figure out how to make a web page that will make me money?
I’m not kidding, I know I’m not the smartest bulb on the block, but like they say, “no question is a stupid qustion”.
Thanks E/Notorious of course,but not for being smart, however for being wise, I’m an og wisegirl who knows a lot, and i want to talk about my adventures. Some of them are very interesting, funny, sad, but most of all, if anyone had the time to read some of my stuff, you would learn something follow the .”prrnk”.
This is a good introduction. I still am unsure what a notebook is? A laptop? A netbook? A small laptop? Liked your video and you’re style.
My dell mini 9 rocks. Put OS X on it, it’s great as a lightweight emailing, internet surfing, movie watching machine. It’s a great complement to a real mac, and is great on trips. Most places have wifi, so you can get internet anywhere. I would get the dell mini 10v over the dell mini 9, as it has a real layout keyboard. other than that they are the same.