Netbook round up
Netbooks, sub-notebooks, or mini-laptops – whatever one calls them, they are here to stay. These devices all generally come with USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, built-in stereo speakers and webcams – but it is wise to double check the features regardless. Powerful yet lightweight with good battery life is the order of the day with these devices.
Intel has dominated the netbook arena of late, but AMD is making a return with a few recently announced offerings. As a result, most popular netbooks come built on the Intel platform, with common features across the board with the final decision often coming down to individual taste in the aesthetics of the device.
Below, in no particular order, is a list of some of the most popular netbooks based on recent ‘best of’ lists from reputable hardware review sites such as PC World, Lifehacker and CNet. The selection of laptops was based on which models are easily available in South Africa. We take a look at core hardware features, and price ranges. The pricing range was gathered from PriceCheck.co.za.
Asus EEE PC 1005HA: R3,068 – R4,299
The 1005HA range comes sporting either the single core Intel Atom N270 or the N280, which both support Hyper-Threading. The N270 models, running at 1.6GHz and a 533MHz front side bus (FSB), are generally priced at around the R3,200 mark. The N280 models, running at 1.66GHz and a 667MHz FSB, come priced around R4,200.
The standard 1005HA with the N270 has a 10.1” LED backlit screen, 1GB RAM, a 160GB HDD, Windows XP Home, and gets around 4 hours of life from its 3-cell battery. The more costly N280 versions come with 2GB RAM, a 250GB HDD and Windows 7 Starter. It weighs in at 1.1kg with a 3-cell battery and 1.27kg with a 6-cell.
With a competitive pricing point of around R4,200, the N280 version offers attractive hardware features and is one of the first to offer Windows 7.
HP Mini 5101: R5,926 – R7,249
This device comes with the Intel N280, 2GB RAM, a 250GB HDD, LED backlit 10.1” screen and Windows Vista Business. It comes standard with a 4-cell battery, giving around 5 hours of life, and weighs 1.2kg. The more expensive end of the price range is due to the optional 6-cell battery. Whilst the feature set is good, the pricing point doesn’t compete with the similar 1005HA.
Dell Inspiron Mini 10: R4,312 – R6,607
This product comes with the Intel Z530 at 1.6GHz (which boasts low power consumption) on a 533MHz FSB, 1GB RAM, 120GB HDD, LED backlit 10.1” screen and Windows XP Home. Despite the power saving CPU, the standard 3-cell battery gives around 3 hours of life.
With the 3-cell option the weight is 1.2kg – a 6-cell battery is optional.
A 3G module is included, making this an affordable option for those looking for the connectivity. There are seven colours to choose from. The pricing differences are vendor driven, not hardware feature driven. With the average price being around R5,600, it pays to shop around if you are interested in this model.
Samsung N140: R3,627 – R3,865
This comes with an N270, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, LED backlit 10.1” screen and Windows XP Home. With a 6-cell battery as standard, running for around 8 hours, the device weighs 1.27kg. The pricing point is good and the 6-cell battery may be an attraction despite the slightly slower CPU.
MSI Wind U100 Plus: R3,744 – R3,761
Fitted with an N280, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, LED backlit 10.2” screen and Windows XP Home. With a 3-cell battery as standard around the 6 hours can be squeezed out of the machine, and the device weighs only 1kg. At this pricing point the U100 Plus looks attractive due to the slightly larger screen and fast CPU. The claimed 6 hours of battery life would make it a robust 3-cell option – there is also a 6-cell available.
Acer Aspire One AOA110: R3,387 – R4,514
This is one of the few netbooks with a screen below 10” that is clinging to popularity. The device features the N270, 1GB RAM, 8GB SSD and 8GB SD card, LED backlit 8.9” screen and Windows XP Home. The 3-cell battery should get around 4 hours of life, and brings the weight to 0.995kg. 6-cell and 9-cell upgrade options are available. This device is one of the lightest and smallest of the popular netbooks, but some may be put off by the limited storage.
Best netbooks – give your views
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