David M Williams
Wednesday, 26 November 2008 12:14
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
Give a gift of a netbook this year; I will be. These ultra-light computing devices are versatile, affordable and appealing. But which one to buy? Should you pay more for a laptop? What are the pros and cons between different models? Never fear, here's how to work your way through the morass and buy with confidence!
Just twelve months ago the diminutive 7” Asus Eee kicked off an unexpected new market – more portable than a sub-notebook, more affordable than many PDAs and existing in the realm between those two.
A new term was coined for just this type of device and the legion of alternative models spawned in the wake of the Eee’s sales success. They have been dubbed “netbooks” and as we approach the festive season in many parts of the world it’s worth considering a netbook as an appropriate Christmas gift for the student, the new computer users, the traveller, the gadget freak or the hard-to-buy-for in your life.
Here’s my roundup of what’s out there! This is the ultimate netbook list to help you focus in on what matters most to you or your recipient.
On page three I’ll give the specs for a whopping 39 models. But first, why would you choose a netbook? And why Linux?
Sales data shows netbooks have been highly compelling and desirable purchases. Within a month of its release the ASUS Eee was hard to obtain; it exceeded ASUS’ expectations and rapidly became their best-selling product line ever. Amazon.Com rated it as their bestselling notebook. Retail outlets ran out of stock.
The simplest and most logical explanation is price – it was on sale for less than any other notebook could possibly aspire to. Here was a super light and tiny computing device which would get you online, let you check e-mail, browse web sites, write documents and spreadsheets, play some games, listen to music and do other things with a big reduction in the usual cost.
Once purchased, smart people around the world figured out many other reasons why the unit was a must-have. People hacked their Eee’s to include touch screens and 3G modems; children found them durable and easy to operate, enhancing their educational experience; techies could use them for network diagnostics by plugging in at a site and gathering data which could be later analysed.
The ASUS Eee shipped with a modified form of Xandros Linux. Later netbooks by other vendors similarly used Linux variations to drive their devices. Models eventually shipped with Windows XP but this was not the case originally. There are good reasons for this.
Firstly, Linux has no licensing fee whatsoever. By bundling Linux these hardware vendors were able to keep the cost of the device to a minimum.
Secondly, Linux performs well on reduced hardware. You can have the latest Linux software on your netbook but there’s no chance Windows Vista will work. If you feel XP is a little dated you don’t have to abandon hope of having the latest and greatest.
Thirdly, a rich collection software for Linux is freely available and easily downloaded via the package management tools that come with the operating system. By contrast, software for Windows mostly requires a CD/DVD drive – which necessitates an additional purchase, because netbooks typically don’t have optical drives built-in.
This year, even more than last, a netbook is a terrific Christmas gift. With a Linux-based netbook you won’t go wrong, and you’ll have no shortage of applications.
Here’s our agenda:
Navigation: Page 1 – introduction |
Page 2 – terminology and shopping tips |
Page 3 – The big list, reader feedback
CONTINUED
