Should I choose Netbook or ultraportable laptop for work?

Increasingly, mini-laptops look more like ultra-portable laptops, whereas, on the contrary, some ultraportables also start to come close to netbooks.

From theory .

In the context of such a tight economy, it is impossible not to raise a question: You should save money by buying a popular netbook, or spending a few hundred dollars to own a super laptop. Lightweight full feature?

Emerging from the end of 2007, netbooks are a concept for ultra-compact computer designs, often with 7-10 inch screens, instead of the usual 12-17 inch sizes of traditional laptops.

In terms of size, the netbook is only slightly smaller than the hard cover book and is of course much smaller than a laptop. Netbook keyboards are usually only 92% of standard laptop keyboards.

But you shouldn't ask too much of a netbook, as you expect from a laptop. First, netbooks use weaker chips, slower speeds, no optical drives to listen to CDs or watch DVDs. Next, it is only designed to serve basic needs such as surfing the Web, browsing mail, processing and editing office documents.

Most netbooks now run on Windows XP, although some models also try to install Linux. In general, the price of netbooks ranges from 250-500 USD, while most of the cheapest laptops must be over 500 USD. The most expensive ultraportable laptop is Dell Adamo, which costs over $ 2700.

The theory is that, but sometimes the reality is not so clear. For example, Sony's ultra-small Vaio P-Series Lifestyle (which can fit into a pocket) has a price tag of up to $ 800. Sony calls this a netbook, but many experts argue because the price is too high. They put P-Series in the category of "cheap ultraportable laptops".

. To reality

Source: Engadget Similarly, the case of the HP Pavilion dv2 also raises the question: Is this ultraportable or netbook?

It can be said that this is the most "unsteady" design on the boundary that distinguishes the two hottest items on the current PC market. With $ 749, the manufacturer claims you'll have a 3.8-pound (1.7 kg) ultraportable laptop, equipped with a 12.1-inch screen.

The internal configuration includes a 320GB "massive" hard drive, 4GB of RAM and ATI's Radeon HD 3410 graphics processor. Compared to the high-end HP Mini 2140 netbook, Pavilion DV2 is only $ 120 more expensive, but its features are much more powerful and "quality".

With a 12.1-inch screen, the Samsung NC20 netbook model outperforms all current netbook designs. Its keyboard is almost the same as a standard laptop keyboard, plus a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, a 1.3 GHz VIA Nano U2250 processor and an integrated S3 VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics chip.

Its price is about 550 USD, slightly higher than the average netbook, but still cheap if compared to laptop. The most attractive point in the NC20, obviously the large screen (compared to the netbook).

Another noteworthy new product is Acer's Aspire Timeline ultraportable line of computers. The smallest Timeline model will own a 13.3-inch screen and weighs 3 pounds. What this means: Although the weight is only equivalent to a netbook, you have the opportunity to enjoy a much larger screen.

And yet, although Timeline's configuration is being classified as a super-mobile group with Apple MacBook Air or Dell Adamo, its expected price is around $ 699, very close to the top netbook.

If you're looking for a top-notch netbook, Acer Timeline is a worthwhile choice, besides the undeniable style of Sony Vaio P-Series.

Which direction do you choose?

These are just three of the many examples that show that netbooks and ultraportables are close to each other's territory. The problem is which direction you choose, netbook or ultraportable for your work?

If you want a truly ultra portable device (lighter than 1.35 kg), you won't need a super-high powered machine with power and features. Or if you can't spend more than $ 400, netbooks are obviously the most affordable choice.

With that money, you can choose the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, the top netbook model of PCWorld's Top 10 Netbooks. (The price of this machine in the US is about 380 USD, but the price listed in Vietnam is about 490 USD).

Second in the list above is Acer Aspire One AOD150 for sale online from $ 230-322.

What if your budget is more generous? Or do you need to do more than check the mailbox, surf the Net or use a text file / Excel? In other words, does your demand for mobile computing exceed the capacity of most current netbooks? If the answer to all of these questions is "True", invest in a super-portable laptop. It will be a more wise and valuable choice in the long run.

For example, netbooks cannot be upgraded like laptops. If Aspire Timeline has 4GB of RAM and can expand it to 8GB, the Aspire One APD150's memory has hit the ceiling at 2GB.

So if the netbook you bought today proved to be a bit weak on computing power, imagine how miserable and uncomfortable you'll feel in a year, when the laptop configuration outperforms the current one. .

Moreover, finding a standard laptop for $ 500 is not difficult. Of course, it can't be as compact as a netbook, but in return, it's more powerful and upgraded.