Think of them as a tiny, portable computer solution with the
bare necessities you need for tasks such as surfing the web, emailing, document
creating and chatting. For those of us
who live and die by the iPhone, Blackberry, or any other mobile phone which
offers internet capabilities, the netbook might not be that essential in our on-the-go computer diet. Why carry an additional mini PC when you
already have your handy-dandy-all-in-one super-mega-ultra phone? But for those of us who never seem to stick
around in the same place for long and
desire a bit of a bigger screen and don't want to lug around a full-sized laptop,
a netbook might offer that instant internet access and minimal computer gratification.
The PC industry also seems to be targeting more women with
mini notebooks, netbooks, lifestyle PCs, whatever their parent companies have labeled
them. HP has partnered with Vivienne Tam, fashion
design extraordinaire, to bring out a swanky fashionable version of the netbook
that may entice us girlie girls with its pink and red mix. The Sony P is not as blatantly catered
towards women, but hints at women with its multiple color options, and clutch-sized
feel perfect for a purse.
Each tiny PC varies in specs so it was hard to decide which
one ranks best. Pricewise, the Samsung
is clearly a winner, just because I cannot justify dropping $899 on the Sony one,
when I can get a regular sized full-featured notebook for the same price if not
less. But overall, the Sony P Series is
probably the best bet in terms of features – with a 60GB HDD, 1600 x 768 res screen and it looks as slim as a tin
mint-box weighing in at only 1.4lbs. Not
pictured, the Dell Mini 9 and the Asus EEE PC are other popular comparable mini
PCs.
Oh, by the way, if you ever want to customize your notebook
with a unique design, there are also companies that offer stickable skins, such
as http://www.skinit.com or a little more permanent pro color jobs like
http://www.colorware.com
As for me, I'll stick to my iPhone for now.