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Christmas is right around the corner and it's time to start thinking of the perfect gifts for the ones you love. So when it comes to laptops, what do the models released in the year 2009 offer the computer enthusiast or professional on the go?

The hottest trend in laptops for 2009 is the introduction of the Netbook to the mass market. This sleek mini-laptop category is perfect for road warriors, college students, and anyone else looking for max portability to satisfy their mobile computing needs. Of course, some will argue that a Netbook is inferior to traditional bulky laptops offered in previous years, but the point is subjective. As processors continue to get faster and chips shrink in size, portability doesn't come at quite the cost it would have in years past.

The battery life of my Acer Netbook averages around 5 to 6 hours, a huge advancement compared to my full-sized laptop purchased just a few years prior. The 10.1 inch screen, while sometimes a bit awkward for some websites, works just fine. And the built-in webcam is fun to play around with and quite useful for communicating with people from remote locations.

The standard Netbook comes without an internal optical drive (CD, DVD, or Blue-Ray reader/burners) which helps reduce both the size and cost of the device. There are, however, some bundle deals where retailers and manufacturers are starting to offer external drives to sweeten the deal. For the casual computer user, these external drives are the perfect solution as they allow for specific functionality on an as needed basis. For the more advanced user, programs can be installed and files transferred with with the use of pen drives, making the lack of an optical drive nearly a mute point.

Obviously, Netbooks cater to a specific sector of the laptop market, and excel in portability while lacking in other areas such as gaming or high-end graphics rendering. For these tasks, a traditional laptop with all of the bells and whistles should be considered. While more expensive and less portable than Netbooks, these higher end laptops will include more processing power, larger screens, better graphics cards, and optical drives such as CD and DVD players/burners. The more advanced laptops will also include Blu-Ray players and High Definition video output.

Altogether, 2009 was a great year for laptops. With the recession looming over us, laptop manufacturers were pushed to provide lower priced machines to open the market to those unwilling to shell out the cash for the latest and greatest in portable computing, while cramming more attractive features into the standard market to convince the gamers and high-end enthusiasts to buy new hardware. So, whatever that special someone on your list needs, the market is right and the options are numerous.

Merry Christmas!

Learn more about this author, Brady Frost.
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