Mini Laptop Computers

When it comes to mini laptop computers or netbooks there are only a few things to look for. All of them are pretty much the same when it comes to specs. Generally out of the box you're going to have 1GB of RAM; 160GB – 250GB of hard drive; an Intel Atom processor (these may vary); webcams; and generally a 10.1” screen. (Although there are models with screens up to 12 inches with a full sized keyboard.)

Which Should I Buy?

To end up with the best netbook, you have to take a look at your needs. Netbooks aren't just for surfing the web. They are excellent for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, photo editing from a camera. You can make them the ultimate multimedia machine with all your music and videos. Or even transcode videos to another format.

I would highly recommend this type of computer for college students,business professionals, and casual computer users. They're light, portable, inexpensive, and getting an accidental warranty won't break the bank on these either.

Performance

If you're a graphic designer, musical engineer, or a programmer of sorts, a netbook is not for you. The Intel Atom processors most of these things have just won't handle that. Although there are a few netbooks out there with dual-core processors and RAM expandable up to 8GB. Those will ad a nice premium and at that point you could just get a good laptop for less with the same or better performance.

A good mini laptop computer will come with a 6-cell battery causing battery life to range from 6-9 hours under real-world applications. Asus netbooks all come standard with a 6-cell battery.

For the price, getting a netbook with 1GB of RAM and an Intel Atom N450 or higher processor will do just fine. There are slight differences between the bunches but once you go for an all-powerful netbook, you'll be well over $500 and at that point it just makes sense to get a laptop.

Usual Features

Usual features found on the overall best netbooks for the price will be everything mentioned earlier; along with chiclet keyboards (for easy typing). Large mouse/touchpad. Also some models have an HDMI port. A great feature for easily streaming HD quality video from the netbook to an HDTV. Bluetooth is also another popular feature amongst newer netbooks. However, they tend to cost about an extra $100. You can get a good bluetooth adapter for all of 5 on Amazon.

Hard drive space shouldn't be a great issue considering you can grab a 500GB external hard drive for $50 - $70 as well. Processor, chiclet keyboard, look, and software compatibility should be your main focus.

Overall

Mini laptop computers or netbooks are a great buy for most people. Would I recommend it as your only computer? Probably not, unless you're a student. However, they will handle most things most people are going to throw at it. Web, e-mail, Word, music, videos, movies, even building websites. I'm using my Asus 1015PE to build this page!

But if you're looking to game, do technical things like make music, or be a DJ, use Illustrator and all of that. A netbook won't work for you.

Cool Things You Can Do

Most mini laptop computer or netbook users use windows 7 or variations of Linux. I currently am running Jolicloud on mine and have run Ubuntu Remix on it as well. I'd highly recommend Jolicloud for most beginners. It's easy to install and will work seemlessly with most netbooks. It didn't work with my Samsung N150 plus, but works flawlessly with my Asus 1015PE.

What To Expect To Pay

I wouldn't pay anymore than $350 for a netbook. That would have to be a great one. I have tested many of these mini laptop computers and have a hands down consensus of which I recommend to buy:


The Asus 1015PE is a great machine. Has 160GB of storage but comes with 1-year of 500GB Cloud Storage after the 1 year it's only $3 per month. You can order this netbook from Best Buy for only $259. A steal compared to other online prices of $349. Don't forget to pick up a 3-year accidental warranty from squaretrade for only $69. For less than the price of the netbook at other online stores you get the same computer plus 3 years of accidental warranty. Can't beat it!



Here is a recommended netbook. There are others you can buy, but they're more expensive and don't function as well.

Asus Eee PC Netbook / Intel Atom Processor / 101" Display / 1GB Memory - Black (Best Buy has the lowest price!)

It's always important to get an extended warranty on laptops. Visit SquareTrade for the best as well as cheapest warranties around. They're a fraction of the cost of a Best Buy warranty, and give faster hassle-free service.