The debut of portable computers was not a pretty one – they were essentially lower-than-average laptop computers with tiny screens, tinier keyboards, nameless software, and cheap prices (starting price of $300). All this was only two years ago.
Despite these faults, netbooks have been experiencing good business, they are being bought by the millions. It is predicted (Research Firm Display Search) that 20 percent of the laptop market will be dominated by netbooks this coming year, which is double the percentage of last year. However, the truth is that netbook consumers are for the most part not happy with the product. A survey conducted by the NPD Group shows that only 58 percent of consumers are satisfied with their netbooks. This is a notable contrast to the 70 percent of satisfied, standard laptop owners.
It is obvious that consumers were not happy with the low-quality specifications of early netbooks, as demonstrated by the statistics. Many would ask: Why is it so difficult to type? Why is the screen SO tiny? Why can’t I use it on the airplane for media purposes?
It is the same on other side – laptop makers aren’t into netbooks either. The profit margins are very low. The makers would be glad to revise the netbook models to have better processors, bigger screens, less-cramped keyboards, and longer lasting batteries, but the truth is that a higher price would follow such revisions. Now, laptop makers are looking to a new genre of “ultra-portable” laptops that would fall between the status of netbooks and standard laptops.
I had a chance to sample two of Hewlett-Packard’s netbooks: the HP Mini 110 netbook and the HP Pavilion DV2 ultra-portable. The starting price for the Mini 110 for the base model is $329 at the HP online store, while the DV2 sells for $569. However, the Mini 110 that I had was equipped with a number of upgrades that upped the price to $600 and the DV2’s price to $900.
Although they are both high quality products, I would most definitely choose the Mini 110 for traveling purposes. The reason is simply because the Mini 110 is a lot lighter. It is about half the weight of the Pavilion, at only two pounds. Those two pounds made all the difference while I was traveling. Additionally, the battery life of the two models was also quite different. For the Mini 110, I was given a six-cell rechargeable battery, which is actually an option that runs for $40. It provided a lot of power with little weight, which was exactly what I was looking for. Battery life was tested by running high quality videos (two episodes of “Battlestar Galactica”). After 96 minutes of streaming, the battery of the Mini 110 was still charged up to 40 percent, whereas the Pavilion six-cell battery had only 18 percent left.
This is most likely due to the fact that the Pavilion is simply a more powerful computer. The upgraded Pavilion that I received contained a dual-core processor from Advanced Micro Devices ($75 option), which has the power to deal with more demanding tasks compared to the Mini 110’s basic Intel Corp. Atom chip. Also, the Pavilion comes with extra memory and a separate video processor. In terms of the quality of the video, the Pavilion was smoother and sharper, while the Mini 110 displayed stuttered images every once and a while. The Pavilion also has a bigger screen at 12.1 inches, which is a substantial difference to the Mini 110’s 10.1 inches.
The early netbooks ran on a free Linux operating system that was clearly not user-friendly. It was originally used to keep the prices low, but it soon became obvious that consumers could not handle it. The Linux version of the Mini 110 is currently $279, but with only an extra $50, you can get Microsoft’s Window’s XP version of the Mini 110, which has a format familiar to many. However, if you want a Windows Vista version, you should just forget about buying the Mini or any other netbook. The reality is that no netbook has the horsepower to handle such software. Still, all Pavilions come equipped with the Vista.
When netbooks debuted, their use of flash memory versus the typical hard drive system brought about their popularity. Because flash memory is not affected by shock or vibration, it can function substantially faster than standard mechanical drives. The downside is that flash memory is a lot more expensive – it costs more per gigabyte and thus has very little storage. A Mini 110 has only 16 gigabytes of storage, but an extra $30 can purchase a hard drive that offers 160 gigabytes, ten times more storage.
The most common netbook flaw of tiny, awkward keyboards cannot be found on HP’s Mini 110. Its keyboard is basically the same size as its counterpart, the Pavilion. Although the actual keys on both models are a bit too flat, they are at least large enough for one to type comfortably. The Mini 100’s mouse is not as comfortable. The mouse buttons are situated on either side of the touchpad, rather that under it. It does save space, but truthfully, it’s quite annoying.
Both models do not offer a built-in optical drive, which makes it difficult to download music/movies, or to install new programs. However, there are other options available. For the Pavilion, you can purchase an external drive as an option or even an external Blu-ray movie player. Also, you can connect your netbook to another computer that has an optical drive if you want to copy files over the internet. I don’t think a missing optical drive is all that important, it’s just useless weight anyway.
Then again, the original netbooks were also noted for their needless standard laptop qualities – comfortably sized keyboards, big screens, and Microsoft’s Window’s software. The netbook industry has surely learned its lesson and these mini-laptops are evidence of it.