by Joan Inong

Created on: July 27, 2010

As technology becomes an increasing part in classrooms all around the world, high school students will feel that they need to have personal laptops now more than ever. Fortunately, parents and guardians have a less expensive alternative. Netbooks have recently become popular, and here are some reasons why they would be great for high school students.

1. Less expensive

The part that irks parents and guardians the most about laptops is paying for them. After all, a $1000 price tag on an item for a high school student is outrageous for most parents. At the same time, if having a laptop will make a difference in the student's academic life, then a netbook would still be a good choice. Many are priced just right for students, too, with prices ranging from $300-$500. Some companies will offer special prices and discounts during Back to School sales, too.

2. More portable

Some laptops are surprisingly heavy. Many lighter laptops actually cost more money. For students, portability is a big issue. They need to be able to carry their laptops to and from class. What better way than to have a netbook that weighs less than 5 lbs.? Many netbooks weigh, on average, 3 lbs. This is light enough for students to carry around on their school campus. Many laptops weigh more than 5 lbs., and not only is this inconvenient, but imagine that amount of damage that is done to your spine.

3. Similar specs

Not only are they, in general, less expensive and more portable than regular laptops, but many netbooks also have similar specs. For instance, a particular netbook has an HDMI port, a built-in webcam, wireless LAN, and 1.60 Ghz processor speed. The processor may not be as good as a regular laptop's, but it is still faster than most older, mass-produced desktops of the early 2000s. When you go to your local electronics store, you should write down a regular laptop's specs and compare it to a lesser-priced netbook. Most students will not need a very good graphics card or a very fast processor. If the netbook is going to be used primarily for schoolwork, then the specs that the netbook has (out of the factory) are good enough for a high school student.

In general, netbooks are a better choice for high school students who want greater portability and similar specs with a price tag that fits within their budget.

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