Monthly Archives: April 2010

What To Consider When Looking At A Mini Notebook Computer

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Mini notebook computers are popular due to their portability, convenience and affordability. Also known as netbooks or laptop notebooks, they are fantastic for computer users who travel a lot, or whose job requires them to have computer access no matter where they are. Freelancers and students are common users of these gadgets. However they are not intended to be your sole computer, as they are not designed to be used for several hours at a stretch, so you have to be aware of this when considering what model to invest in. It is recommended that you have a home or office based computer or standard laptop and a mini version to supplement this.

The primary use of mini notebook computers is simple Internet searches, email correspondence, basic word processing and spreadsheet work. The battery life tends to be only a few hours, depending on what applications or programs you are using.

So, what do you need to think about when choosing a mini notebook computer? The first consideration is the size and weight of the model. At 2-3 lbs, the Tablet PC is the lightest on the market and is great if you are planning to be carrying it for any significant length of time. The Ultra Portable weighs under 4 lbs and the Thin and Light weighs 5 to 7 lbs. Bear in mind that the lighter the model, the fewer features it will have (generally speaking). Think about what your netbook’s purpose will be and this should help you decide which size and weight to go for.

Another size issue is the size of the hard drive. What are you going to be using your computer for and how large a hard drive do you need? Models vary and you need to make sure the one you pick has sufficient storage space for you.

The processor determines the speed of the machine – the higher the processor number, the quicker it will be. This may be an important factor if the primary use is going to be work-related.

The RAM (memory) of the computer is another important consideration as this is used to keep all applications and data going. For work involving graphics, or gaming, this is a top priority.

Portable and connectivity may also be concerns if you are going to be travelling to many different places.

The battery is another issue; if you need to have a long battery life you will need to go for the largest battery you can get.

For most people, budget is high on their list of factors. Do your research and look at reviews of different products. It can be useful to benefit from the experience of others (and to avoid their mistakes!) Also, check what technical support services are offered, in case something goes wrong with your product. Similarly, make sure you know the details of the warranty it comes with.

To help you get started, here a few of the mini notebook computers available which generally fare well in consumer tests and reviews:

A good value model is the Dell Inspiron. Their Mini 10 10.1-Inch Netbook comes in Obsidian black and has an Integrated TV Tuner, retailing at $303.84 at Amazon. It has up to 6 hours of battery life, 1.6GHz Intel Z530 Atom processor, 1GB of memory and a 160GB 5400RPM hard drive. Really compact and easy to carry around yet of sturdy build, it is a great starter model for someone who is looking for a basic netbook at a reasonable price.

The Toshiba Mini 300 Series NB305-N310 10.1-Inch Netbook in Black Onyx is available at Amazon for $328.54 with free shipping and one year warranty with limited international warranty coverage. It has a full size keyboard and a full size touchpad and is a great model in the mid price range. It has a 1.66GHz Intel N450 Atom Processor, a 10.1″ LED and up to 11 hours of battery life (an impressive claim that many consumer reviews agree it very nearly lives up to).

At a higher price point, the Fujitsu LifeBook U820 Mini-Notebook retails at $891.99 on Amazon and has an impressive technical specification (including an Intel Atom Z530 1.6 GHz processor, 512 KB L2 cache, 1024 MB DDR2 (PC2-4200) RAM and a 60 GB (4200RPM) PATA hard drive. Reviews praise it for its fantastic, clear images, good battery life and great connectivity.

There are so many models on the market, the biggest problem might be choosing just one of them! With a bit of research you should be able to narrow it down to a few options. Visit your local computer store and ask for a free demonstration of the models that you like to help you make your mind up. If you remember the purpose of the notebook computer and the reasons you want to buy one, you will be able to find a model that suits you.

Mini Notebook Computer Reviews

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Mini Notebook Computers – Which are the Best to Buy?

Mini Notebook computers are rapidly replacing the larger laptops. Mini laptop computers, also known as notebook computers, are smaller and lighter and easier to travel with and they can do just as much, if not more, than regular laptops. Given their advantages, it is not hard to see why they are becoming increasingly popular.

There are many different brand names of laptop notebooks that it may be a bit hard to know which one is a good buy. The first thing you are going to have to determine is what exactly you need from your mini laptop. Some laptop notebooks are very cheap – anywhere in the range of $250 – $275 for a brand name one such as Acer, HP or Dell. However, they do not have a very large memory or RAM space – usually about 1 GB RAM and from 120 – 160 GB Hard drive. Some of these also have Windows XP already installed, which is very convenient and makes it easy to start using the laptop right away. However, they also do not have webcam, so if that is something that you absolutely must have you will have to spend a bit over $400.

If you are interested in the very smallest and lightest model that is on the market, Acer makes one that is only 8.9″; a cheap one that has the above mentioned memory and ram costs around $250 and it is very light and easy to travel with.

You would need to be prepared to spend a bit more money if you need a laptop with more memory and RAM speed. While you can spend nearly $1,000 on certain notebook computers, this is not entirely necessary. You can buy a good quality name brand mini laptop computer for much less; even if you need higher memory and other amenities that the very cheapest ones do not offer, you can get what you need in the range of $400 – $500.

If you are undecided about which brand name to buy, then checking out a few online reviews of different computer brands can be helpful. In fact, if you are considering purchasing a particular model, you can type in the name into a search engine and see what reviewers have to say about it. Sometimes they can point out things regarding a certain brand name model that would be helpful to know before buying it; some brand names are better than others and some models are better made and last for longer than others. It helps to do a bit of research before buying a mini laptop, as it is an investment of a fair bit of money. You should also check to see what kind of warranty it has. While a good quality laptop should last for a good amount of time, sometimes things can unexpectedly break or malfunction and that is where having a good warranty is very helpful as it could save you a lot of money.

You can buy a mini notebook at a computer store; there are quite a few and often there will be special deals and sales; check out a few different stores to find which one offers the best deal. Another option is to buy your laptop online from an online retailer. There are a good number of shops that will sell you the laptop of your choice online and then ship it to you; some will even ship for free if you live in an area that is close to them. Of course, while buying online has some advantages such as being able to compare prices quickly and easily, it also has some disadvantages. This is particularly true if you have to pay for the shipping yourself, and you should consider the fact that you cannot have a closer look at the laptop you are considering buying. You must settle for seeing a photo and the description of it. You may find, in fact, that it is cheaper and easier to buy your mini computer at the store, even if it costs more, than to buy it online and have to pay for the shipping.

Another thing you can consider doing if your budget is limited is buying a mini laptop secondhand. It is possible to find secondhand laptops on eBay; in fact, you may end up with a very good deal if you are able to buy a higher end brand name or model at a much cheaper price. Of course, with this you also take the risk of buying something that is not still under warranty and then having part of it stop working or the computer crash. This is a risk you take when buying something second hand and while it may be cheaper, it also pays to consider the fact that it might end up costing more in the long run.

Pros and Cons of Mini Notebook Computers

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Mini notebook computers are a little different from the standard laptop. In fact, from almost the moment they hit the market in earnest three or four years ago, reviewers and users alike found themselves in a somewhat ambivalent relationship with these devices.

Perhaps this was evoked best by the PC World reviewer who made a comparative list of why mini notebook computers were and were not worth considering by the average computer user in 2008. This reviewer liked the minis’ easy portability, features easily comparable to full-size desktop computers and laptop notebooks, and preponderant inexpensiveness. However, he disliked their limited usefulness (stop-and-go playback of video or interactive media sites, impossibility of watching DVD videos due to the lack of optical drives, and too-small keyboards for large-fingered users. He further did not care for the tiny, eye-tiring screens, extremely short battery charge lives (3.5 hours maximum), and stronger compatibility to Linux operating systems that not everyone has the technical skill to tweak and hack.

As if to say that was then and this is now, however, mini notebooks have made improvements enough that they now garner good to excellent reviews from far more users and professionals alike. IntelliReviews, for example, makes note of mostly five-star ratings Amazon users have given the ASUS EPC1005HA mini notebook for comfort, size, weight, outstanding battery life (8.5 hours), and ease of use as well as its full-size-comparable features, though here, too, the caution is made that this kind of laptop is not recommended as a primary computer. However, if you want a mini for a secondary computer the price is more than reasonable at $324.

Acer’s AOD250-1584 mini—10.1 inches around, just like the ASUS—has a slightly longer battery life and a Windows 7 starter both of which have received solid positive reviews at Amazon and other consumer sites. Many of those reviewers also expressed themselves enthusiastically about this mini’s speed and lightweight portability, not to mention its comparatively larger and brighter screen, improving tremendously on the early problems with mini laptop screens. At $299.97, this Acer seems to have become a favorite on the mini market.

Toshiba’s Mini NB205 also receives strong reviews, calling it a solid performer with likewise long battery life, though there are those who frown on problems with certain routers and others who thought it slightly underpowered for what it is. Most reviewers, however, said the NB205 seemed to be the choice after much comparison shopping, though most of those also recommended a memory upgrade even though the mini’s standard 1GB RAM is considered to be adequate memory for this machine. On the other hand, it may be one of the more expensive of these minis at $399.99.

One of the absolute smallest or thinnest of the minis is Sony’s Vaio X505, considered razor-thin in the words of one reviewer. The best part is that it has a 10.5 inch screen and weighs less than two pounds. The problem is, the X505 has a 1.5 hour battery life and limited enough memory that you cannot run many major applications on it. The major selling point of the X505 seems to have been its novelty and the kind of technological smarts that went into its making, according to most reviews of the machine.

Hewlett-Packard’s recently minted Pavilion Mini 210-1010NR is getting very positive reviews for features almost irrelevant to its size. This machine is getting praised for running Windows 7 as a starter and Intel’s Atom as a processor, and for including 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, wireless Ethernet and Wi-Fi, a 10.1 inch screen, and 256MB of graphics memory. Not to mention that it comes with generous 60-day trial versions of Microsoft Office and Symantec’s Norton Internet Security. It also comes with an appealing price tag: $290.54 if you buy one at Wal-Mart. The few complaints about the Mini 210-1010NR so far seem to revolve around a modest (though not impossibly short) battery life and an oversensitive mouse pad (one reviewer complained that the viewing screen image enlarges involuntarily when running a fingertip over the pad).

If you are interested in a mini notebook computer rental before or instead of buying one, your options include RentAComputer.com, which offers Windows XP and Windows Vista rentals featuring Intel Core 2 processing and notebooks made by Hewlett Packard, Dell, Apple, IBM Lenovo, and Sony.

The advantages include that you can try out a particular mini notebook for a short period and a small amount of money before you invest all the way into a permanent model. Because of airline travel restrictions, if you need a laptop while traveling on business for important, must-file-immediately work, you can rent ahead in your destination city and use it for the duration of your trip before turning it back in the same city and thus avoid the airport security problems and restrictions.

Buy Laptop Notebook

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Mini notebook computers are, generally speaking, a better buy than the larger laptops. Not only are they often cheaper but also they can do just as much and in some cases even more than the normal, larger laptops. They are lighter and easier to carry around, which is one of the main reasons why they are becoming so popular nowadays, as people can take their mini notebook computer with them no matter where they go.

It can be hard to choose which mini computer to buy. There are many different brand names and models and if you are not familiar with computer terminology, it can all seem a bit overwhelming. It can be helpful, if you are a bit unsure of which brand name or model is a good choice, to check out some notebook computer reviews online. It will give you a better idea of what the pros and cons are to the different mini notebook computers and which ones may be a better buy than others, and why. Sometimes it is helpful to first look at different computer models and choose a few that catch your interest and then check out those particular models by name. The reason for this is that sometimes a particular brand name will make some very good models while others of their models have certain glitches. While getting a brand name computer is a wise idea if you want a high quality machine, it is also important to realize that quality may vary depending on the model and not just the brand name.

You should also know what you are looking for and what you need your computer to have. You can buy a simple and yet good quality laptop notebook for as little as $250. In fact, there are a number of brand names that make small and affordable laptop computers that are 10″ and cost from $250 – $300. Dell, HP, and Acer all make laptops like this and while some of the particulars vary according to brand and make, generally speaking they have 1 GB RAM, 120-160 GB Hard Drive. Some have Windows XP already installed and others do not. Some of them are Pentium 3s; most are not.

If having a mini laptop with a webcam is important, or having a mini laptop with more RAM or hard drive space is a must for your line of work, then you will need to be willing to spend a bit more. Having said that, it is important to be aware of the fact that you do not have to buy the most expensive notebook computer on the market to have what you need. While you can spend up to $900 on one of HP’s mini laptop models, you can also spend in the range of $400 – $500 and get something that has amenities such as webcam and larger RAM and hard drive space. And while color is not actually all that important when it comes to choosing a laptop, it is quite nice that nowadays you can get a bit more variety in color choice and do not have to necessarily choose between black, white, and gray.

All computer stores now will offer mini laptops and they should have a good selection to choose from. If your budget is limited then you could consider visiting a number of stores and seeing if they have special sales or discounts. You could also consider buying your laptop online, from an online retailer. There are a number of mini computer online retailers and it is easy to compare prices and see if you are getting a good deal, however, you will also need to factor the cost of shipping into the equation, unless the online shop you are buying from offers free shipping in your area.

Some people have also found that they can get a very good deal buying a notebook computer secondhand, through sites such as eBay. While it is possible to get a good deal if you find a high end brand name or model in good condition at a bargain price, there are a few risks in getting a computer second hand. The main one is that the computer will most likely not be under warranty and therefore, if anything breaks on it, or if the computer crashes, you will have to foot the bill for repairing it, or in the worst case scenario, buy another mini computer.

When buying a computer it is important to get something that you know is good quality, something that will last a long time and will not unexpectedly crash. Even if it is under warranty, the information and work you have stored on your mini laptop is not and it can sometimes be difficult or even impossible to recuperate it if your laptop starts having serious problems. Consider your options carefully and make sure that you choose something that will last you a long time.