by Kuan Hur Tan

Created on: June 23, 2009   Last Updated: July 21, 2009

A netbook is a small portable laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the internet.

- Wikipedia

The definition given by wikipedia is simple, short and accurate. However, netbook has evolved since. Manufacturers are able to explore the netbook market in various angles, targeting different consumers and doing what a laptop cannot do.

Netbook vs. Laptop

All the things that you can find in a netbook are in a laptop, but not vice versa. A laptop is a more powerful device, while a netbook is only capable of running day to day tasks. And that is the reason why a netbook is defined as a wireless communication and internet access device. Having said that, a laptop with the size of a netbook will have a huge price tag.

Price

Every piece of technology comes with a price and it is one of the most important factors on how the product will sell. A netbook has become so popular because it is cheaper than a laptop of similar size and because it can last for hours on a single charge. A netbook usually comes with a price range from $150 to $400.

Screen Size

As defined by Asus, the pioneer in developing netbooks, a netbook should not have a screen size of more than 10". However, a few manufacturers have introduced 12" netbooks in order to offer a wider range of products for consumers. Hence, netbook has screen sizes ranging from 7" to 12" at the moment.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Earlier netbooks have compact keyboards and some manufacturers have gone so far as to remove function keys from netbooks. However, the keyboard has become an important part of a netbook, since some manufacturers have introduced big and comfortable keyboards on small netbooks.

Sadly, the touchpad is still disappointing in almost all netbooks, due to the space available. All in all, it is either a good keyboard or a good touchpad.

Hard Disk

When netbooks were first introduced, they were on Solid State Disk (SSD) instead of normal hard disk drive. The benefit of SSD is that it could withstand shock as well as the smaller, quieter and lighter than normal hard disk drive. However, the largest capacity you could get was 32GB. Anything higher than that would increase the cost of a netbook substantially.

In addition, there are two types of SSD; one has a faster transfer rate than the other. Of course, a netbook is built with the slower transfer rate SSD, but is still comparable to a normal hard disk drive.

As more and more companies make netbooks of their own, a netbook with

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