A netbook is essentially a smaller laptop. Wired and wireless Internet access, working with texts with office applications - these are the range of tasks for this device. The main difference between netbooks is their light weight and small size.
Flaws
All netbook models do not have an optical drive. Another disadvantage is the presence of a PC card slot. Most netbooks do not have a Bluetooth transmitter.
Netbooks are equipped with Ethernet and Wi-Fi antennas. However, they do not have the ability to connect to the fast Ethernet option known as Gigabit Ethernet. In addition, instead of relatively new Wi-Fi transmitters version N, they are equipped with outdated version A.
Many users are willing to put up with these shortcomings, even though manufacturers are reluctant to include a telephone modem in their netbook design. For many people, Internet communication is the main purpose of buying a device, and there are many places in the world where the only means of accessing the Internet is a telephone.
The newest technology for Internet access is the 3G data network. Netbooks generally still do not support such networks. This will certainly change in the near future. Some of them will have the necessary hardware integrated into the enclosure. Others will be able to support ExpressCard modems. The rest will be content with a USB connection.
Differences between netbook models
One of the biggest differences between netbook models is the storage medium. Some are equipped with spinning hard drives. Others have solid state SSDs.
Linux netbooks often use solid-state drives, while Windows-based models come with a standard hard drive. This could be due to the disk space requirements of the system. For example, Windows XP requires more storage space for system data, and Linux SSDs are more expensive. And the Windows license itself is more expensive than Linux.
Another reason has to do with the speed of SSDs. Cheap models are very slow in writing and reading information. This disadvantage manifests itself when working with resource-intensive applications.
Another major difference between netbook models is battery life and battery power. The budget models have three-cell batteries, while the more expensive ones have six.
Looking ahead
Although netbooks are not powerful computers, they are extremely popular. Their small size allows you to carry your device with you almost anywhere. This quality and low cost will open up new application possibilities that can only be guessed at.
