To Netbook, or Not to Netbook

For those not following the computer scene closely, the “netbook” is the latest trend in computers.  They are small, lightweight, lower powered, and inexpensive mini notebooks.  They typically have screens 9” or smaller diagonally, only weigh a few pounds, and are small enough to tuck away inside a bag without really noticing that they are there.  And price tags generally are less than $500.  Sounds like a good deal!  The public certainly seems to think so, too, because they are the hottest computers out there, occupying 18 of the top 20 slots in Amazon’s best selling notebook computers.

A few months ago I bought one of Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 netbook computers.  I’m not sure what I thought it would be like, or what I would even do with it, but it was relatively inexpensive and you can never have too many computers, right?

The first thing you notice about them is just how small and light they are.  The pictures don’t do their size justice.  But the limitations become obvious pretty quickly as well.  I like the Mini for the most part, but I’d have to say after owning it for a while that I’m not sure I’d buy it again, and I definitely would not recommend one to anyone as their primary computer, or even their only portable, even if they own a desktop computer they’re happy with.  The manufacturers just have to make too many compromises in the design for these to be general purpose machines.

First off, I’d recommend totally avoid the models with a 7” screen.  That size of screen is just way too small, and the 9” models are now about the same price anyway.  But even the 9” models (like my Dell) suffer from some significant compromises to make them fit such a small frame.  The biggest irritant I’ve found is the keyboard; not only is it smaller than normal, but they generally have to move even frequently used keys to non-standard locations (in this case, the quotation key to the bottom row), or remove them altogether (in this case the F1-F12 keys), substituting complicated combinations of keys instead.  It makes typing anything other than web page addresses a frustrating experience, and no matter how much time I spend with the computer it just isn’t getting any easier.  It usually takes me much longer to type an email than it would if I were to go and find another computer somewhere else to use instead. 

The screens themselves are yet another problem.  The Dell I have is rated as having the best screen of any of the same-sized models available, yet it still has some issues.  There are no true blacks; everything is gray and washed out.  And if you look at the screen at any angle besides straight-on everything on screen gets washed out, and anything that is supposed to be black inverts and turns almost white. 

These computers also tend to be slow.  With slow processors, limited amounts of memory, and slow storage, they take noticeably longer to do basic tasks than we’re used to seeing on any other computer sold today.  Not that you’ll sit around waiting for a long time to get anything done, but nothing feels snappy; there is a significant lag to every mouse click, and even keyboard strokes sometimes.

So are netbooks ever appropriate?  They probably do have their place.  But I believe that in most situations where someone thinks they might need a netbook, a slightly more expensive real notebook would likely be more suitable to their real needs.  Decent notebook computers can be had for around $600-700 now, so they don’t cost that much more than their smaller cousins, yet they will have a significantly longer usable life due to the fact that they are much faster right out of the gate, making them more viable in the long term.  But if someone is considering a netbook, I’d strongly urge them to consider stepping up to one of the larger models, mostly for the more usable keyboard that comes on larger models.  Those with 10” screens seem to have found a happier medium than anything smaller.