There was a time when a personal computer meant a big tower and monitor in one area of your home that probably had a huge mess of tangled wires dangling from the back. This hasn’t changed that much in the past 25 years if you think about it. Sure monitors are thinner and towers are slim-lined but it’s still a pain to move that mess of wires around. A major breakthrough happened when the first laptop computers appeared on the market but they were pretty cost prohibitive for most people. Laptops are affordable now but many people don’t really have a need for what a typical laptop has to offer. Most laptops on the market are pretty large and come with accessories like DVD burners, accelerated graphics, and other features that not everyone needs. Business people and casual computer users don’t have a use for giant amounts of memory and processing power but instead want a personal device that combines the functionality of a laptop in a much smaller, more convenient unit. This is where the netbook shines.
A netbook is usually around ½ the size of your average laptop and weighs about ½ as much. Netbooks are amazing for business use and utilizing Internet applications which makes them the preferred choice for those who want the power of of a computer that can fit easily into their handbag or even glove compartment. Netbooks don’t have all the features of a laptop and usually will rely on a few USB ports to handle most of their data transfer. Let’s face it, CDs are going the way of the cassette tape anyway so by eliminating that extra hardware, netbooks can afford to be very small, cheaper, and not sacrifice any of their power.
Like other types of computer, netbooks come with a wide array of options available. A standard netbook will usually cost around $300 and have an 8.9 inch screen. They come in assorted colors which makes them appeal to both women and men who want something that not only functions well but looks great too. The cheaper models will typically have about 1GB of RAM and over 100GB of storage on their hard drive. More expensive models offer more power, bigger screens, and more storage space. The more features are added however, the less battery life you will have. A standard model will usually last about 5 hours before needing to be plugged in.