How Netbooks Revolutionized Mobile Computing

They are small, light weight & affordable – Netbooks are an absolute business phenomenon, first introduced to the market in 2008 they have become immensely popular amongst a wide range of consumer types. ASUS was one of the first companies to introduce the concept with their EeePC netbook.

Netbook Success

Their success should be no mystery to anyone if you were to consider the advantages they offer, they can fit in any bag, meaning that they are very portable, and are very light, since netbooks don’t use expensive hardware they are also extremely low priced which makes them affordable for many consumers in the market for a mobile computing device. Typically netbooks will come with a small screen, 10” and have an energy saving, not that powerful processor which is still sufficient for everyday tasks such as browsing the Internet, reading your E-Mail, using a word processor or listening to music. They are also very quiet and most don’t make any noise, if passively cooled. There is no hard drive noise since most netbooks use flash memory. The only disadvantage with flash memory being that space is limited, but a netbook is not something you would use as a desktop replacement anyway, you would use it on the run, in the park, at the coffee place, in the train or plainly said other environments where it is not feasible to take a large notebook or even desktop PC.

When is a netbook the right choice for me?

If you are looking for a cheap way to perform everyday IT tasks and are after ultimate portability then a netbook is probably the right thing for you. You can browse the internet, check your mail, and use other office applications.  They are usually so light that you would never consider them as being an annoying thing to carry around. Netbooks vary though and one should compare models in order to find the one that fits your needs the best.

When is a netbook not the right choice for me?

If you want more functionality than written in the previous segment you should consider a real laptop, laptops are available with much more powerful processors, larger screens, more disk space, and better video performance, laptops have become so good that you could easily replace your desktop PC with them. However you will lose some of the extreme portability the netbooks offer as laptops come with larger screens, 15.4” or maybe even 17”. But perhaps you need a bigger screen due to the work you do, or you need a bigger keyboard, writing on a netbook can be a bit flimsy since the keyboard is not that large, this might be an issue if you have large hands. To sum up, if you are on the lookout for a powerful yet portable device, get yourself a proper laptop.

The third way

Perhaps you have heard of them, they are called Nettops, and are basically a small portable PC, they do not come with a screen, meaning you will require an extra monitor, keyboard and mouse in order to use them. One of the key features of these devices is that they as well as the netbooks use very little power and are therefore considered green or energy saving. They are about as portable as a netbook, but more powerful, they can be used to watch High Definition video content, something most netbooks will struggle with.

Future outlook

I am convinced that netbook technology will become even more powerful and advanced and thus become more usable for other applications that they don’t master just yet. It is exciting to observe the development in this rapidly growing market.