Notebooks or Netbooks; What’s The Difference

With the technology changing so much from one day to the next where computers are concerned, the choices can be many. With the introduction of the Netbook, now we are asking ourselves “Netbooks or Notebooks”. I wanted to know what was the difference between the two.

Trying to find out the difference between them was a good place to start. I know that their size is one thing that makes them attractive to some people. But what type of computing can you actually do from these compact Netbooks?

Today’s Notebooks are running on Window’s Vista. The Netbooks however come with Window’s XP. While some of the newer Netbooks are coming with Window 7 installed, I know a few people who are using Windows Vista and they are not too terribly happy with it.

I found that the fist thing that grabbed the attention for the Netbooks was their compact size. Carrying around a heavy notebook gets cumbersome if you are mobile throughout your busy day. If you can access your documents and the web while mobile and do not mind the smaller hard drive space; what’s not to like about the Netbook?

LCD screen’s on the Netbooks are anywhere from 5.5″ to 10.5 or 11″. This is much smaller than today’s Notebooks. While this works for some, many business executives are finding this to be a problem.

Screen color and size is important for some but if that is not something that’s important to you, this should not be an issue with the Netbooks. How about a DVD/CD drive for movies or uploading software? While the Netbooks are not equipped with a DVD/CD drive, most do come with internal cameras and microphones for using applications like Skype.

Without a CD/DVD driver, you might have the added expense of purchasing an external hard drive for storing data. That cost will need to be added to the lower price Netbook which will increase the money spent. A standard Notebook might cost the same when you add these costs together, right?

If you depend on your laptop to be productive in the field, then a Netbook should probably not be your choice. Hauling a portable device like a CD/DVD drive everywhere does not make much sense. We have cell phones; laptops and whatever else needed for our busy workday, why drag unnecessary items around if you don’t need to?

Laptops come in all shapes and sizes and the market pricing varies considerably. Making a decision about which one will work for you is a personal choice. Just be sure to weigh the options of both choices and remember that there are a lot of refurbished resellers like Sony, Dell and Panasonic so check those out as well.

Looking to learn more about Panasonic Toughbooks? Check out this great site about Panasonic Toughbooks, Laptops Computers for Sale. This site has everything you need to learn more about Toughbooks and Panasonic Toughbook U1 Rugged Handheld.

Technorati Tags: computers, construction, electronics, Hardware, Laptops, laptops and notebooks, law enforcement, military, mobile computing, panasonic, panasonic toughbooks, rugged hardware, technology, toughbooks