Netbook Processor
This little chip, commonly known as the CPU does all the calculations required to run software or browse the web. The processor acts as the brains of your netbook rig, telling the other components when to fire up and what order they work in. The better the processor, the quicker your netbook will run – but unlike laptops and desktop machines which can run high-end dual core processors – most netbooks on the market come with a single core processor due to their small size and the requirement to keep heat levels down.,.

Hard Drive
A hard drive is what is used to store your computers data whether it be software programmes or your media library. Every time you open a photo or start-up a piece of software the netbook is accessing the information from the hard drive. As with RAM (see below) a hard drive’s capacity is measured in Gigabytes (often abbreviated to GB) – the more GB you have the more files you can store on your netbook.

Solid State Drive
Some netbooks come with a solid state drive as an alternative to a hard drive. Solid state drives perform the same job as a hard drive (storing data) but have no moving parts – making them smaller and lighter than a hard drive – making them ideal for netbooks. Solid state netbooks also have the advantage of being very quick to startup when you turn them on offering almost instantaneous access to your files and software. As a rule of thumb solid state netbooks tend to be more expensive than their hard drive cousins and have less storage capacity.

Memory
Commonly known as RAM (which stands for Random Access Memory) deals with everything that you are doing on your netbook when it is switched on. The memory accesses data from the hard drive and then stores it so it can be accessed by the processor – because memory uses circuits to store the info rather than the mechanical components of the hard disk – it makes accessing and using information much quicker. Memory is measured in both GB and MB (megabytes). Often you will see netbooks advertised as having 1024MB – which is the same as 1GB. As with most things in life the more RAM you have the better your machine will run.

Graphics Card
Previously the preserve of hardcore gamers with souped up desktop PCs designed for playing the latest first-person-shooters – the graphics card creates and outputs the images you see on your netbooks screen. Graphics card come in two varieties – the onboard or “chipset” integrated variety and the more high end dedicated graphics card. The later option is what you need if you want to play 3D games on you netbook – and while previously most netbooks were limited to integrated graphics cards – the market has moved on and we are now starting to see netbooks with dedicated graphics cards like the Samsung n510

1) Acer 751
This is a sweet netbook for the price. A great 11.6 inch widescreen and a decent battery life make this a good buy.
Compare prices for the Acer 751

$model = 'Aspire One AO751';
include ($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/best-price.php');
?>

2) Acer D250
This D250 netbook is a solid netbook that’s light as a feather and cheap as chips.
Compare prices for the Acer D250

$model = 'Aspire One D250';
include ($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/best-price.php');
?>

3) Samsung N140
The standout feature of this netbook is the amazing battery life. You’ll get a full workday out of this puppy before the battery dies.
Compare prices for the Samsung 140

$model = 'N140';
include ($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/best-price.php');
?>

O2 currently have a PAYG mobile broadband deal where you get a dongle for £20 and only page £2 a day (or £7.50 a week, £15 a month) to surf the net wherever you happen to be.

Because it’s pay as you go, there’s very little risk in checking it out – so go right ahead.

1. A light slimline case to protect the netbook from knocks and scrapes
2. A 3G dongle or 3G phone to all you to surf the web abso-lutely-any-where
3. Some stickers to customise your netbook and express your individuality

We’ve rounded up a few examples to show you what we mean:

• They have a screen under 12 inches in size
• They usually weigh around 1 kg
• Netbooks use low power mobile CPUs like Intel’s Atom processor
• Because of the small screen size and mobile processors, netbooks usually have a long battery life
• The don’t have built-in CD ROM or DVD drives
• Netbook keyboards are typically 90% of full size

All the above make netbooks great little laptops to take out and about. They are great for typing up emails or small documents in starbucks. What they’re not really built for is photo or video editing.

This blog post was written on an Acer Aspire One in a pub. We think netbooks are great for just this sort of thing – accessing internet based applications over free wi-fi. This netbook is so small and light, and was relatively cheap – so I take it anywhere I think I might need to browse the web (read check facebook) or fire of an email.

Simon ]]> http://top-netbooks.co.uk/news/netbook-guides/what-is-a-netbook/48/feed 0 http://top-netbooks.co.uk/news/netbook-guides/installing-programs-on-your-cddvd-rom-less-netbook/4 http://top-netbooks.co.uk/news/netbook-guides/installing-programs-on-your-cddvd-rom-less-netbook/4#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:01:34 +0000 Simon http://top-netbooks.co.uk/news/?p=4 Continue reading →]]> Netbooks are called netbooks because they are primarily designed to access the Internet and either use web-based applications (like Google docs) or download programs straight from the hard drive.

This is okay for most people but what do you do if you have already bought applications that you want to install on your PC? Well – you have 3 options:

1. 1) Buy an external USB CD/DVD drive
2. 2) Use another computer to copy the CD to a USB pen drive
3. 3) Use another computer to copy the CD, upload it to an online storage website then download it to your netbook

The first option is the easiest. External DVD drives can be bought for as little as £30 from Maplin.