If You Plan to Buy A Netbook or Mini-Laptop

Netbooks, especially launched this year, have identical hardware specs. The netbook is powered by an Intel Atom N450 1.66-GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, Intel's GMA 3150 graphics card, a 10.1-inch screen, three USB ports, connector for an external monitor, networking, audio, a flash card reader, and a webcam.

But if you want to buy a netbook, the things you should take into consideration are:

• The size of the keyboard and touchpad - the larger, the more comfortable.
• The battery, 3-cell or 6-cell for longer life.
• The sharpness and brightness of the screen.
• Mobile broadband connectivity; it would be more flexible if you choose USB mobile broadband modem.
• Bluetooth; this feature is important if you have some Bluetooth devices (headset, cellular phone, etc.).

The latest netbooks also come with Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition. With the version of Windows 7 you can’t share an Internet connection, connect to a domain or use any of the machines as a network bridge. You can’t change your desktop image, and it doesn’t support multiple monitors. It also doesn’t come with Windows Media Center for watching TV with an external tuner. But with the operating system you will be able to finish your work using your netbook.