Are Netbooks All That?

Here's how netbooks measure up to their notebook predecessors

By U.S. News Staff

April 28, 2009 RSS Feed Print

You've probably heard that netbooks (pint-size stripped-down notebooks) are all the rage right now--you may even be eyeing one. From Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 to Hewlett-Packard's Mini 2140 to Dell's Inspiron Mini 9, many manufacturers are packing the typically sub-$500 devices with features fit for entrepreneurs. Aside from a low price point and compact size, what's the appeal? Here's how netbooks measure up to their predecessors:

Pro: Keep in touch and connected. "My business requires I be in touch 24/7," says Beth Shaw, 41, founder and president of Yogafit Training Systems Worldwide in Torrance, California. She relies on her MSI Wind U100 for "e-mails and internet at a glance."

Con: For some, the messaging capabilities of a BlackBerry may suffice.

Pro: Stay productive on the road. From note-taking to loading presentations to Skyping, Pamela Gilchrist, 45, president and CEO of Cincinnati-based PR firm PR-Link, swears by her new Acer Aspire One: "It's much easier for business travel," she says. "[It's] quickly becoming my 'can't do without' item."

Con: Many netbooks come sans disc drives or the memory and speed needed to run certain programs.

Pro: Add a powerful tool to your arsenal. "Without it, I'm like a burlesque nightclub owner without a sexy dancer or a restaurateur without a fabulous steak frites," says Ivan Kane, 52, president of Ivan Kane Enterprise Inc., a Los Angeles restaurant management group. He loves his new Sony Vaio PCG-4L1L.

Con: There will always be a new must-have tech gadget; is the netbook it right now?

—By Lindsay Holloway.

Tags:: computers,; entrepreneurship

Reader Comments Read all comments (3)

Add Your Thoughts Comment Name State Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

I work on computers all day and need to check my email and do some light business when I am away from the office. I just purchased a small Sony netbook and it really is amazing. I was certainly able to run email, and do several other functions that I imagine other business would want to do as well. The beauty is that it is small and very lightweight.
Overall the overriding question I had before purchasing it was "Is it worth the $500?" My answer after 2 months is absolutely.
The keyboard is a little tight and the screen smaller but with scrolling and careful typing it really works out well. Am I sorry that I did not opt to spent $300 more for its bigger brother. Absolutely not. I am very pleased.

Gary E. Haffer of MA 12:11PM May 11, 2009

In the order of full disclosure - I own a Lenovo S10. My family recently took it along on vacation. Yes I could have had a regular laptop, but it is much heavier and larger. The netbook was used for remote sessions into the home machine to check email and other documents. In addition, we used it to watch movies on Netflix. I agree that some of these things can be done on a smartphone, but this solution provided another laptop to the family with the every familiar Windows setup without a commitment to monthly data charges.
Yes you can not edit movies and I would imagine there are business products that cannot be run on the netbook effectively. But as those who were interviewed in the article indicated each found there reason for why the unit worked for them.
Can't that be reason enough??????

Brian Dawson of IL 3:36PM April 28, 2009

I realy want one of these, but is it really worth $500 when I could get a regular sized notebook for just another $300?

Marie of MO 12:00PM April 28, 2009

Are Netbooks All That?

Here's how netbooks measure up to their notebook predecessors

Related News

Reader Comments Read all comments (3)

Most Connected Company

Latest Video

Subscribe

Editor's Picks