Is There a Mini Notebook PC In Your Future?
By topper99
There are Mini Notebook PC Alternatives Too
The mini notebook PC has become mighty popuar but if you're thinking about getting one there are some things you should know about them so you can make a smart decision.
5 things to look out for on mini notebook PCs are: a smaller screen, no CD-ROM, operating systems other than WIndows, fixed memory instead of conventional hard drives and much smaller keyboards. Because of these differences you may want to consider a mini notebook PC alternative. I'll explain later.
CD-ROM
it doesn't have a conventional CD-ROM drive as there is in full size notebooks but a portable External CD-ROM Drive can usually be purchased as an option.
Screen
The screen sizes that are available in mini notebooks are the 9-inch and 10-inch. Unless you are interested in a small mini notebook PC it is much easier to type on the 10-inch keyboard.
Operating System
in a mini notebook PC, instead of the Windows operating system, you may get one with a version of Linux installed. Of course with Linux the biggest advantages are that it's open source and above all - free! But if you don't want to have to learn a new operating system you might want to stay with a mini notebook PC that has Windows.
Keyboard / Track Pad
They keyboards on a mini notebook PC aredifferent then the ones you will find on a full size notebook. The track pad buttons will probably be in a different place because the keyboard has to fit in a smaller case.
Hard Drive
Mini notebook PCs have drives that are something like a flash drive that fits in your USB port, but they have a much larger capacity. They cost a little more but they use less power and less space.
Alternatives
By now you must realize that a mini notebook PC is not a bonafide laptop. You might be just as happy with a media player with WIFI capability or merely a smartphone. Lets look at both,
Acer Aspire One
Like most popular mini notebook PCs, The Acer Aspire One mini notebook PC (or netbook as they're called) is a compact design that you can take just about anywhere. Features include:
- Large 10.1-inch screen
- Windows 7
- 1.6 GHz processor
- 8 hours battery
- 250 GB memory drive
- 1 GB RAM
- Webcam
- WiFI
- Stereo speakers
- Dolby headphone audio
- Microsoft Office software
Asus eee PC
Yet another popular mini notebook PC is the Asus eee PC. One of the Asus eee PC biggest advantages is its long battery life. Its main features include:
- Windows 7
- Large 10.1-inch display
- Intel processor
- WLAN & Bluetooth
- 1GB RAM
- 250GB HDD and 500GB ASUS WebStorage**
- Camera
- Stereo Speakers
- Built-in microphone
- Storage Card slot
Archos 605
The Archos 605 is a perfect netbook alternative. You can compare the features of an Archos 605 with that of a new mini notebook PC.
Many plug-ins and accessories are available for the Archos 605. You can do Web surfing, send video to your friends, record movies amd TV shows, and share photos.
Content can be downloaded wirelessly to the Achos 605 with WiFi thru the Archos partners online stores. The Archos will also stream movies and TV shows as well as music stored on your computer. You can even surf the Web with the optional web browser plug-in.
HTC Droid Eris Smartphone
The HTC Droid is a smartphone with 3.2-inch touchscreen and easy access to your Favorite contacts, YouTube and Facebook. You can access a wealth of Google mobile services including Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions, Gmail, Google Talk, Calendar and more. It is also GPS-enabled for location services and it has Wi-Fi networking with Up to 3.5 hours of talk time and up to 373 hours of standby time.
As you can see, maybe a mini notebook PC isn't in in your future because there are more suitable alternatives.
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