Five or six years ago, netbooks were predicted to have a great future. Low price, compact size, battery that lasts longer than laptops. The netbook was the perfect solution for those who are always on the go and value their time. Browsing websites, reading mail, social networks, viewing photos and videos, working with documents.
The proliferation of tablets and the development of other devices have seriously changed the market. Over the past couple of years, many of the leading manufacturers have ditched netbooks in favor of tablets and other devices. Ultrabooks entered the market. There are transformers, "2 in 1" devices - the keyboard can be unfastened from the screen, which becomes a full-fledged tablet.
However, purebred netbooks are still on sale. These devices are relatively inexpensive and suitable for simple tasks. How to choose a netbook? What is worth knowing, what to look for when buying.
Netbook screen
Screen sizes range from 9-12 inches diagonally. This is enough for comfortable work, watching movies and surfing the net. The bigger the screen, the better. The size of the screen affects the size of the keyboard, and this is the ease of use, especially with documents. It is worth remembering that not every bag will fit a large-screen netbook. The advice is simple - think about what you will wear the device weighing about a kilogram. Do not chase the size, but stop at a compact device.
Some models have a touch screen like tablets.
Netbook battery
Battery capacity is a key parameter when choosing. The longer the battery holds, the better. Official manufacturers claim 7-9 hours of battery life. In practice, the netbook works autonomously for 6-8 hours, if you limit yourself to working with mail, texts, social networks. Watching movies or listening to music will "gobble up" the battery in 3-4 hours.
If you are interested in long battery life, then check out the 6-cell batteries. The number of batteries affects the weight, so if you do not like to carry weights, then models with 3-4 cells are suitable.
Memory for netbook
RAM for netbooks - 1, 2 and 4 GB. Which one to choose depends on which operating system will be on the netbook and which set of applications you will be using. For example, 2 GB is recommended for the Windows operating system. Alternatively, buy a 1GB model with expandable memory. If not enough, then you have the opportunity to add.
External ports and netbook communication
What do you need to know in this regard? First, there are very few models with optical drives. Secondly, this is easily resolved since most netbooks have USB ports. There are several such ports and they support different standards, both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. So you can easily connect both a USB flash drive and an external hard drive. Some models have a built-in card reader that supports SD / SDHC cards.
WiFi is used to connect to the network, there are also models that support Bluetooth 4.0.
Hard drive for netbook
Netbooks use both traditional hard drives and flash drives - SSD. The latter has the following advantages: low power consumption, high speed of data access and less weight than HDDs. SSD drives are more reliable. They do not contain mechanical parts, which is critical for mobile devices that constantly shake in bags and backpacks. The disadvantages include their high cost compared to HDD.
The models that are now on sale are equipped with HDDs with a capacity of 250 to 500 GB. HDD capacity does not critically affect the cost of a netbook and therefore it is better to take a larger volume. Especially if you plan on watching movies or storing photos.
Operating system for netbook
Netbooks are sold with the operating system already installed.Basically, the operating system must match the hardware of the laptop. But it's not always the case. If the netbook slows down when working with any applications, then you should "change" to another "axis". For netbooks, there is a fairly wide selection of operating systems - Ubuntu Network, MeeGo, FreeDOS, Google Chrome OS. However, before installing them on your netbook, you should consult with experienced users. Windows remains the preferred choice. For her, many applications have been developed for all occasions.
Netbook cost
The cost of netbooks ranges from 4000-8000 hryvnia. It all depends on the configuration and functionality. This is comparable to the price of mid-range tablets.
