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Welcome, we publish positive opinions and user reviews and offer information about cheap netbooks people like and love. There was a span of several years during which the mini laptop computer would have difficulty deciding what it wanted to be when it grew up. These PCs are designed for portability, not only in size but also in weight. If you wish to submit a review please email: submit (AT) cheapnetbookreviews.com - Thanks!

Photographer's Apprentice? - The Dell Inspiron 1018

I work as a professional electronics technician on a variety of flight-critical aircraft components. Tracking information is a serious part of the job, and being able to retrieve that information quickly makes the task of maintaining aircraft computers easier.

Most of the time, I use spreadsheets and word processing programs, comparatively simple jobs for this computer.

Works Well With Ubuntu Linux - Acer Aspire D260

The future of notebooks seems to be headed in the direction of more expensive "ultrabooks", which are slim but pricey. As such, budget netbooks are still a worthwhile purchase for those looking to get a functional model without breaking the bank.

One in particular that I've found to be a tremendous value is the Acer Aspire One D260.

Skype on Our Netbook - The Samsung N145

As a writer by profession I choose a traditional laptop for greater power, word processing ability and web browsing speed.

I decided upon a smaller, more portable Samsung N145 Plus for my wife however and we haven't regretted the choice. We went with this Samsung instead of a full size laptop for the following reasons:

Samsung NF310 Helps Lighten Students Burden

After months of lugging around my full-sized Macbook Pro laptop, I finally broke down and bought a Samsung NF310 A01 netbook. As a student, I wanted the convenience of being able to easily transport my computer to class, the library, coffee shops and campus events.

After using the Samsung notebook for the past two months, I am happy I made the switch and could not imagine life without my netbook now.

Casual Web Surfing on the Acer Aspire One

I decided to purchase my Acer Aspire One in black, even though a friend told me she would only ever choose pink not black. Ignoring her advice :), I decided I wanted something I could carry around for school without worrying about it taking up too much space in my backpack.

I also didn’t want a full-size laptop since they’re heavier and textbooks take up enough space as it is. It only weighs 2.65 pounds, which is about half that of a full-size laptop so it isn’t straining on the back.

Introduction to Netbooks

The first companies to manufacture netbooks at any significant level, Asus and Acer, also strove to keep prices well below the lowest – end laptop computers. Dell, Lenovo, HP and others eventually joined the party as well. A lot of growth in the PC industry in 2009 was attributable to netbook sales.

These cute PCs vary in size and weight across manufacturers and across individual manufacturers’ product lines. It looks like a small laptop in that it opens the same way, and it has a physical keyboard and a display screen. Both netbooks and laptops can store and retrieve information. Both can access the Internet when a connection is available. Both can use a variety of operating systems, and both can use standard software packages such as Microsoft Office or even run Linux.

What distinguishes the netbook from the laptop is it has no DVD drive. The small display screen is convenient for portability, but it makes the netbook impractical for heavy all – day use. The small keyboard also can make typing difficult for some people. Though the keyboard is adequate for getting a point across on Facebook, it is less helpful for creating long reports or school papers.

The primary assumption associated with theses machines is that they will be used primarily for online tasks. I have used mine to email my web developer in Edinburgh, book a holiday flight online, check football results on the BBC Website, edit this blog using notepad, read and research about argentum, and create simple graphics and music using programs like Photofiltre and Audacity. The user can have a full Microsoft Office® package on a netbook, but in the absence of a DVD drive, the software must be downloaded from some online source. One view of the netbook is that it provides a midrange tool that is larger than a smart phone and smaller than a laptop.

Unlike many laptops they are highly portable. Indeed, some of the smallest fit easily into a purse. Because they have no extraneous hardware inside them – such as that missing DVD drive – they remain extremely lightweight. Size and weight are two advantages that most laptops have not been able to challenge, particularly as laptops have grown more complex and increasingly weighty over the past several years.

Industry Changes

Until recently, the netbook was secure in a niche that could not be filled with any other existing product. Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs was adamant that Apple would not participate in the netbook industry. Rather, Apple created a totally new product in the iPad that eventually would offer real competition.

Most netbooks can use local Wi-Fi networks with ease, but some are moving to including 3G networks as well. There is a measure of convergence occurring between the netbook and tablet segments of the PC industry, but the netbook still stands apart with advantages – lower price, greater durability, physical keyboard, more familiar operating procedures – that tablets do not have. The iPad may get more attention for a time, but it does appear that the netbook will probably be a part of the PC industry for many years to come.