A netbook computer is a weird little beast, like a 250cc sportbike or an electronic dartboard. It gets the job done, sort of, but there are compromises to be made. They’re all basically the same but with a few minor tweaks to keep in mind.
How big is the keyboard?
Netbook keyboards are usually anywhere from 80% to 93% the size of a normal keyboard and the difference can make or break your experience. If you can’t really type on the thing, you’ll never bring it with you anywhere and you’ll just be another dude reading the Times on your iPhone at the coffee house. Look for a bigger keyboard like the on the Samsung NC10 .
How much hard disk space is enough?
It pretty much depends on what you need to do. If you’re like me and you want a netbook to watch movies on a long flight to an exotic country where you’re going to shoot a million super high resolution pictures, the biggest hard drive you can get is the right one. You’ll need space for the movies and for the photos you’re shooting. In this case, your best bet is something with a 250 gb hard drive like an Acer Aspire One.
What about battery life?
Easy — the more battery “cells” the better. A big 6-cell battery, like the one available on the Toshiba Mini, should last 8+ hours on a full charge. Super long battery life is one of those things you never need until you REALLY need it. Do yourself a favor and pony up for a big battery and learn to live with a slightly heavier computer.
