Netbook Crunch » Top Netbooks

5 Killer Netbooks For School and Beyond

Netbook Guy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:22:34 +0000

Netbooks are not only great for getting some business done on the road, they are very handy for students too. Nobody likes carrying around a heavy laptop and netbooks are more than capable of handling tasks for students. Besides, they usually offer a better battery life than those large less energy efficient laptops. Let’s not forget that netbooks cost much less than regular laptops.

If you are looking to pick up a netbook for school, these 5 models may be what you need:

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PEG-MU17 Netbook: not only has an impressive set of features, it is 3G capable too. So you can use it to connect to the Internet on the go (with a plan). Comes with Kindle pre-installed.

Lenovo Ideapad S10-3 0647-2BU netbook: Lenovo laptops and netbooks are some of the best on the market. They are light-weight and very user friendly. This one has a 98% Full size keyboard which makes typing much easier. Weighs only only 2.76lbs.

MSI U230 Light-087 11.6-Inch Netbook: much closer to regular laptops than most netbooks. It takes advantage of an AMD processor and has a beautiful 11.6 Inch 1366×768 LCD panel.

Toshiba Mini NB305-N440RD netbook: a stylish netbook from Toshiba that has the latest ATOM processor and weighs only 2.6 lbs. It features a full size keyboard which is a plus.

Acer Aspire AO521-3530 10.1-Inch Netbook: a very decent netbook all around. It takes advantage of an AMD processor and has a very decent set of features. Its webcam is high quality too.

The above netbook models are powerful and mostly affordable, making them great options for students. As always, don’t forget to use our netbook ratings page to further compare netbooks and find the model that works for you the best.

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5 Netbooks with Best Battery Life

Netbook Guy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:44:41 +0000

Netbooks are popular as they are portable, compact, and let people get the job done on the road. But what’s most exciting about netbooks is their battery life. A lot of people have been complaining about getting only 2 or 3 hours of battery life with their Windows laptops. Netbook manufacturers have realized that those who are constantly on the go prefer not to charge their gizmo every 2 or 3 hours. That’s why having a long battery life is a must with netbooks. If you are getting anything below 5 hours of battery life with each charge with your netbook, you have gotten a bad deal. In my case, if I am getting anything less than 8 hours, I’d reconsider getting another netbook.

With that in mind, here are 5 netbook with best battery life:

MSI U160-007US Netbook: has the best battery life among the current crop of netbooks on the market. Features N450 processor, Windows 7, and 15 hours of battery life.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17: takes advantage of N450 CPU to provide more speed and energy efficiency for the go. It offers 14 hours of battery and is one of the best selling netbooks on the market toady.

Nokia – Booklet 3G Netbook: quite a unique netbook that is not cheap but packs a lot of punch. It can go for 12 hours. Comes with HDMI and GPS support and is super slim too. Takes advantage of Windows 7.

Toshiba Mini NB305-N310 Netbook: has been improved dramatically over its predecessor and can give you up to 11 hours of battery life per charge.

Acer AO532h-2067 10.1-Inch Matrix Silver Netbook: offers up to 10 hours of battery life and Windows XP. If you are not into Windows 7 starter, this netbook could be a nice alternative.

There you have it. All these netbooks are energy efficient and can get you hours of working time per charge. Now, it all really comes down to what you want to do with your netbooks and what you get on your netbook could defer from the above stats. At the same time, you won’t have to reach for your adapter every 3 hours. That I can promise you.

7 Best Netbook Tablets For a Mobile Life

Netbook Guy — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:42:26 +0000

Netbooks are a whole lot of fun. Those who have tried a good one already know that. They are easy to take with you on the road, and they let you get more done than you would on an iPhone. But you can get even more work done with a tablet netbook hybrid, especially if you are into design and things like that. If you have tried top tablets laptops on the market, you have probably realized some are too heavy to take with you all the time. Tablet netbooks let you get the same functionality with less weight. So you can travel with your gadget and do your design work wherever you are.

There aren’t many netbook-tablets around. But the ones available are decent enough for those who want to work on their design work or take handwritten notes. They are cheaper than their laptop counterparts as well. If you are looking to hit multiple targets with one shot and get both a netbook and a tablet in one package, here are 7 models you should try:

Asus Eee PC T101MT-EU17 Convertible Tablet: converts from a netbook to tablet easily. Has ATOM N450 processor and a touch-sensitive screen to give you options on the road. Offers 6 hours of battery.

Lenovo S10-3t 0651-37U 10.1-Inch Netbook: a multitouch netbook tablet fit all into one device. Comes equipped with N450 CPU and can give you up to 8 hours of battery on the go.

ASUS Eee PC Touch T91 8.9-Inch Black Tablet Netbook: a very innovative netbook by ASUS that is designed to target designers and business professionals. It’s light-weight and gives you the tablet features you will need to get your work done.

Viliv Promotion Pack S5 EXP P 4.8-Inch Net-Tablet PC: it’s a cool ultra mobile netbook that is a tablet as well. It comes with a smaller screen, so it’s more portable than other models. But it does come with a powerful CPU, so you are not getting a slow, small netbook.

ASUS Eee PC T91MT-PU17-WT Tablet: the new ASUS tablet netbook is better designed, provides you with longer battery life and is sleek as well.

GIGABYTE TouchNote T1028 Netbook: has got a 10.1″ screen and the most powerful CPU in this bunch (ATOM N280). It’s a touchscreen netbook, so you can tackle those design projects more effectively.

Mirus Educational Schoolmate Convertible 8.9″ Tablet Netbook: designed for students. It’s water resistant and come with the basic features your kid will need to get his/her school work done.

Which’s your favorite netbook tablet hybrid?

6 Large Screen Netbooks For Home & Business

Netbook Guy — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:48:51 +0000

Netbooks are among the most portable gadgets around. They generally weight less than 3.5 pounds, so as long as you aren’t going for a heavy netbook, you are going to have little trouble taking your netbook on the road. But what most folks complain about when it comes to netbooks is the screen size. Many netbook owners can’t stand 8″ and smaller screen netbooks. Those smaller netbooks are designed for people who have no trouble navigating their way through a smaller real estate on their laptop. The good news is, you don’t have to settle for those smaller laptops. There are plenty of netbooks that come with a decent size screen, and they don’t weigh too much either.

11-12 inch screen netbooks are slightly less portable than their smaller counterparts, but we are talking about a very small difference in size, so if you can’t stand those smaller netbooks, here are 6 large netbooks you should try:

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201N-PU17 Netbook: one of the few netbooks on the market that has a dual core processor. It has 750 GB of hybrid storage too.

Lenovo ThinkPad X100E 11.6-Inch Netbook: comes with a 11.6″ screen, 2 GB RAM, and ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics.

HP Mini 311-1000NR 11.6-Inch Netbook: has a 11.6 inch screen and takes advantage of NVIDIA ION to provide better performance on the road.

Samsung NC20-21GBK Netbook: one of the best Samsung netbooks on the market. It does use a Nano CPU, and it is a bit expensive, but it comes with a 12.1″ screen that is getting close to laptop territory.

Dell Inspiron Mini IM12-2868 Netbook: Dell’s 12 Inch netbook. It’s not clear for how long this item will be available for the market, but Dell has announced that it is not into large screen netbooks (just to keep things separate from laptops).

Acer Aspire One AO751h-1273 Netbook: this netbook comes with 2 GB of RAM and an energy efficient CPU. And who can forget about the 12.1″ screen.

There you have it. Having a 11-12 inch screen should allow most people to use their netbook on the go without getting frustrated with their gadget. Anything larger, and you are talking about a laptop. And those larger laptops are not that portable anyway. So if you are looking for a large screen netbook, the above netbooks are good options to consider.

4 Netbook Gift Ideas for Mother’s day and Beyond

Netbook Guy — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:20:19 +0000

There is no question that netbooks make great gifts. Not only they are very useful for most people, they do feel more expensive than they really are. Maybe it’s the cool factor or it could be because you are giving away a computer after all. You certainly want to make sure you do your research and give away netbooks that are painless to use and get the job done.

There are plenty of cool netbooks on the market. But if I were to give one away, I’d go with one that has something unique. It could be the design or a netbook that has a very long battery life. That way the gift looks and feels even more especial. These 4 netbooks fit the bill in that regard:

Lenovo ThinkPad X100E 11.6-Inch Netbook: has a decent AMD CPU, a larger screen and comes with Windows 7 professional. It’s very well designed too.

HP Mini 210-1099SE 10.1-Inch Vivienne Tam Edition Netbook: when it comes to style, this netbook is second to none. It’s not as cheap as some other netbooks on the market but a great gift for fashion fans.

Lenovo S10-3t 0651-37U 10.1-Inch Multitouch Netbook: a netbook tablet hybrid that gives you the best of both worlds and has a decent battery life as well.

MSI U160-006US 10-Inch Netbook: has the best battery life on the market. It can last you up to 15 hours per charge. It’s also very solid in CPU and other departments.

If you are looking to give the gift of netbooks to your friends or family members, the above netbooks should give you some options.

Netbook Buying Guide – March 2010

Netbook Guy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:14:49 +0000

N450 netbooks have finally made it to the market. The next generation ATOM processor is designed to handle graphics and resource intensive processes more effectively. While it’s not too much faster than its predecessors, it does improve performance on your netbook. The year is still young and many more netbooks are in the works. In fact, new CPUs are expected to make their debut in the next few months. What’s exciting about the current crop of netbooks is the increased battery life and energy efficiency of these models. Getting close to 10 hours of battery life on a netbook is not a dream anymore. And there aren’t just one of two netbooks that offer long battery life. So you have got options in that regard.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17 is one of the most popular netbooks on the market. It has with all the standard features you’d expect to see in a top netbook today. It also gives you 500 GB online storage to help you store your files online to never lose them again. HP Mini 210-1090NR Netbook is another top netbook by HP that not only gives you power and performance but longer battery life in comparison to other HP netbooks on the market. It is very light and portable as well. MSI U160-007US Netbook is a new exciting addition to the netbook family. It offers 15 hours of battery life and is the lightest in this list. It comes with plenty of connectivity features. It has a high quality web-cam as well. Netbooks are going to face stiff competition from Apple iPad and other similar devices. So you can expect them to only get better to have any chance to compete with those new devices. Netbooks may not be as popular as they used to be a year ago (though to the increase in the number of portable devices available to consumers) but they are here to stay for now. Just too early to write these devices off.

4 Niche Netbooks That Stand Out

Netbook Guy — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:11:58 +0000

If you go through the list of netbooks available on the market, you can get a feeling about the standard specifications of a netbook. Whether it’s the CPU, the look and feel, or netbook functionality, today’s netbooks are not drastically different from one another. It’s true that some perform better than the others, but you won’t find too many netbooks that fall way outside the standard specifications of an netbook. But if you are looking for a device that goes beyond what current models have to offer, here are 4 niche netbooks you should try:

ASUS Eee PC T91MT 8.9-Inch Black Tablet Netbook: it’s not only a decent netbook, but it allows you to use it as a tablet as well. So you can draw things and take notes on your netbook on the go. Something that is not currently possible on most netbooks.

litl webbook: it’s a unique entertainment device that doesn’t require too much maintenance but lets you get your work done and entartain yourself as well. You can even connect it to your HDTV through HDMI.

Viliv Promotion Pack X70EX EXP P 7-Inch Net-Tablet: not your everyday netbook. It’s more of a tablet, but it is very portable and does come with solid state drive and Windows XP.

eDGe: it’s an interesting gadget that is an ebook reader and a netbook all into one device. e-book readers are very hot these days, and this device gives you the best of both worlds.

Please feel free to add your own findings or experiences with the above devices below.

11 Best Broadband Wireless Netbook Bundles

Netbook Guy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:28:52 +0000

If you have been paying attention to the latest developments in the netbook market, you probably know that netbook manufacturers are coming up with subsidized wireless netbooks for folks who sign up for wireless contracts. It’s all very similar to what’s happening with iPhone. You get a couple of hundred dollars off in exchange for signing up for a wireless contract. These plans are not for everyone, but if you are looking for a subsidized Internet ready netbook, you are going to love these 11 wireless netbook bundles:

HP Mini 311-1037NR 11.6-Inch Mobile Broadband Netbook: a Windows 7 wireless netbook bundle that takes advantage of Verizon wireless network to provide you Internet access on the go.

1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 2 GB RAM, NVIDIA ION, 11.6″ HD display

Samsung Go 10.1-Inch Mobile Broadband Netbook with Windows 7: you get one of the best netbooks around with Windows 7 and AT&T service. Here are the specs:

1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM, 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), integrated webcam

Acer Aspire One 10.1-Inch Mobile Broadband Netbook with Windows 7: not the best Windows 7 netbook out there, but it does come with a decent set of features to have you covered on the road.

1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM, 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), Bluetooth, integrated webcam

Compaq Mini 110c-1048NR Wireless Netbook: HP Compaq’s wireless netbook bundle. It’s a decent laptop that comes with the standard feature you see in typical netbooks these days. It comes with a spacious keyboard and only weighs 2.6 pounds.

1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 80 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM, 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 3 USB Ports, standard VGA, split Headphone/Mic, 5-in-1

Lenovo Ideapad S10 Mobile Broadband 10-Inch Netbook: will cost you $99, but you get AT&T’s wireless network on the go. Lenovo Ideapad S10 is very solid and portable. It used to top the bestseller netbooks charts and is a good wireless netbook choice. Here are the specs:

1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB max), 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g)

HP Mini 1151NR Mobile Broadband 10.1-Inch Netbook: a wonderful netbook meets a good wireless provider. The netbook only weighs 2.45 lbs and is 3G capable. Here are the specs:

1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 16 GB solid state drive, 1 GB RAM, 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth, 3-Cell Lithium-Ion Polymer battery

Acer Aspire One 3G 10.1-Inch Netbook: Acer has some of the best netbooks on the market. This is another cool netbook that is not only lightweight but also powerful. It’s fairly energy efficient as well. Add AT&T service, and you have one heck of an Internet netbook on your hand:

1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB max), 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 10/100 Ethernet

HP Mini 1150NR Mobile Broadband Edition 10.1-Inch Netbook: another cool subsidized netbook by HP, though you get it with an AT&T contract. I am a big fan of these 10 inch netbooks. 1150 NR is not only light but powerful as well. It only weighs 2.45 lbs.

1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 80 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM, 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 10/100 Ethernet, 3-Cell Lithium-Ion Polymer battery

HP Mini 110-1046NR 10.1-Inch Mobile Broadband Netbook: a more affordable netbook for those who still want to get a HP netbook but not Windows 7 and other fancy features you see in top of the line netbooks. It weighs only 2.57 lbs which makes this netbook the perfect companion for your trips.

1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, webcam

Dell Inspirion Mini 10 Mobile Broadband 10.1-Inch Netbook: another decent size netbook, this time from Dell, that comes with AT&T service. You get $200 or so discount with a wireless plan. The laptop weighs only 2.6 lbs and the keyboard is 92% full size keyboard. Here is more:

1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor; 160 GB hard drive; 1 GB RAM; Wi-Fi (802.11b/g); HDMI video output; 1.3-megapixel web-cam

Acer Aspire One 3G 8.9-Inch Netbook: a compact, highly portable netbook that will cost you only $49.99 with an AT&T contract. It’s great for folks who are looking for a compact netbook to take with them at all times. Here are the specifications:

1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB max), 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 10/100 Ethernet

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Top Netbook Rankings – November 09 Edition

Netbook Guy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:28:21 +0000

The netbook market got a much needed boost in the October this year. As you may know, Windows 7 has finally made its long awaited debut. Windows Vista was quite a tough one to figure out. Microsoft promised a lot with Windows Vista but a lot of people felt left down with Vista’s glitches. Windows 7 is considered to be everything Vista promised to be and more. It’s faster, more flexible, and much easier to use.

Windows 7 netbooks have finally made it to the market. There were a lot of promotions going around on these new netbooks, and while most of them come with Windows 7 starter, it’s still better than playing with Vista. With that in mind, here are the top 3 netbooks for the month of October (find the complete netbook rankings here).

1. Toshiba Mini NB205-N330 Netbook: Toshiba Mini netbooks have been among the elite netbooks for months. The new model has more storage and comes with Windows 7 as well.

2. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17: a pretty solid netbook all around. You get 10.5 hours of battery life on your netbook. It has more storage as well as well as Windows 7.

3. ASUS Eee PC 1008HA-PU1 Netbook: the top netbook all around, though it’s a bit pricey. It comes with Windows 7 Home (instead of Windows 7 starter). You got to appreciate the 2 GB Ram that you get on this netbook as well. If I were to improve one thing, it’d be the battery life.

There you have it. 3 solid netbooks to get you started with your journey with Windows 7. They are fairly cheap but the prices will be even lower in the future. Great gadgets to buy for the holiday season (check the complete netbook rankings here).

7 Windows 7 Netbooks To Be Excited About

Netbook Guy — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:32:56 +0000

It was only a matter of time before Windows 7 netbooks made their debut. But they are now here to give netbook fans something to be excited about (shipping by October 22nd). If you resisted your temptation to buy a netbook before this week, you are going to love all the new (and upgrade) netbooks that are going to be available to you. There are plenty to choose from but here are some worth a mention:

Sony VAIO VPC-W121AX/T 10.1-Inch Netbook: Sony’s top netbook not only gets Windows 7 but also over 7 hours of battery life.

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA: looks familiar, doesn’t it? Except, it comes with Windows 7 and has a larger hard drive. One of the best netbooks on the market just got better.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008HA-PU17 netbook: 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB Ram, and Windows Home Premium are only a few big pluses for this netbook.

HP Mini 311-1000NR 11.6-Inch Netbook: large screen, and better battery life should give HP a better chance to succeed in the netbook market.

Toshiba Mini NB205-N330BL Netbooks: 9 hours of battery, a bigger hard drive (250 GB), and Windows 7 starter make this laptop one of the best available on the market today.

Lenovo S10-2 10.1-Inch Nature Netbook: a classic netbook that can still give others a run for their money. Now colorful too.

Gateway LT2030u 10.1-Inch Netbook: Gateway LT203ou also comes with a 250 GB hard drive, so you’ll have more space to take advantage of your Windows 7.

What’s your favorite Windows 7 netbook?

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