So I mentioned that I started going to the NYPL on the regular. Awesome place to set up shop for a day and get some serious work done. Even better that Husband's office is close by, so we started have regular lunches together! What wasn't awesome were the red marks and bruises left behind on my shoulders from lugging around my (godforsakenstupidihateit) Dell laptop along with papers, notebooks, etc. Not to mention the Dell started to seriously crap out on me (killing every new battery I purchased for it). At first I thought about going the refurbished route for another laptop, but then discovered the wonderful world of netbooks.
A netbook is basically a mini-computer. In the 'old days' they were pretty basic and meant for little more then email and basic word processing. Nowadays, these little machines pack a big punch, and can run even statistical software (my main use for the machine). Asus and Acer seems to lead the netbook market, with machines that are priced well. HP and Sony make the 'sexy' machines marketed to trendier peeps. Basically, every computer brand can deliver a netbook to you. So, how to choose?
First, I researched the top-selling netbooks from the last few years. Asus, Acer, Samsung, and Toshiba seemed to lead the pack. Next, I visited my local Best Buy to handle the machines and get a feel for them. From there, I made my decision based on several features:
Windows 7 Starter vs. Windows XP
In was pretty comfortable with Windows XP, and after the whole Vista fiasco, was not jumping on the new Windows OS bandwagon. I found that computers with Windows XP were, in most cases, much cheaper then those with 7 Starter. I also read that Starter can be a memory drain on the computer. However, I was swayed towards Starter when I learned that Windows XP is being phased out by Microsoft...soon they won't even offer support or updates for it! Also, Windows 7 seemed to be relatively bug-free and smooth. I decided to take my chances on the newish operating system.
RAM
To ensure that my netbook would run smoothly on W7S, I knew that I wanted to upgrade the RAM. Most netbooks come with 1 GB RAM standard. This is the available memory that the computer uses to run applications. More RAM = programs starting up quickly and multiple programs running smoothly at the same time. A quick glance at netbook reviews show upgrades to be fairly common, even for the least tech savvy peeps. Memory is fairly cheap to buy (about $40 for new RAM through online sources like Tigerdirect.com, Crucial.com, or Amazon.com) and easy to install on most computers. Once I decided to do the upgrade myself, I searched for a netbook that had an easily accessed memory slot (on the back, as opposed to underneath the keyboard). You'll want to make sure that the RAM you intend to purchase is fully compatible with the computer (Crucial.com makes this easy to figure out, and their customer service is helpful and quick to respond).
Keyboard size
This is where is pays to read the countless netbook reviews available online. I discovered that on Asus and Acer netbooks, the keys on the keyboard are closer together, and typing tends to be difficult (this was reaffirmed when I saw the machines in-store). There will be always be a learning curve when first using a netbook as your muscle memory adjusts to a smaller, more compact keyboard, but I wanted a quick and easy transition. I discovered that some companies, like Samsung, offered machines with larger-then-average keyboards...newer models boasted full-size keyboards or keyboards greater than 90% the size of the standard. Based on this, I focused my searching on Samsung and Toshiba netbooks.
Screen appearance
Since I would be pretty mobile with my netbook, I decided to seek out a machine with a matte screen that could easily be read in all kinds of light, as opposed to glossy screens that are difficult to read in direct sunlight (similar to my Droid Incredible screen, which I could barely see all summer).
Now keep in mind, a netbook is pretty no-frills...only some ports for the power cord, modem, and USB. To install programs, you'd have to do it over the internet, or set up a network with an existing computer and install the program from there (fairly easy to do, or so Husband tells me). But if portability is the goal, then a netbook would be perfect. Up next...the machine I purchased and a review.
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