Samsung NB30 Pro Best Netbook

Best Netbooks - Samsung NB30 and NB30 Pro Netbooks

Samsung make some of the best netbooks around and if you are lookig for a netboook for heavy duty use, then you should consider the Samsung NB30 or NB30 Pro - but, although the two are very similar, the Pro version is a better choice as it runs Windows 7 Professional.

The NB30 weighs just 1.3kg but is surprisingly solid. Samsung designed it with a protective 'S' pattern over the entire outer case, thus creating a robust finish. The matte black finish is a relief from all those shiny black models and it is also spill-proof and doesn't scratch easily.

Samsung has fitted a drop-protected 160GB SATA hard drive with a free-fall sensor, which detects if it is falling and locks the drive and backs up your data at the same time, which is pretty neat ! Although it is only the hard drive that is drop protected.

Samsung has built the NB30 on a very small 10.1in chassis to make it extremely portable but unfortunately the battery sticks out and adds half an inch in height to the back of the netbook.

But at least you get a six-cell battery with up to 11 hours of power, a big bonus.

The keyboard is solid and makes typing quite a pleasant experience on such a small netbook.

The NB30 features Intel's 'Pine Trail' Atom N450 running at 1.66GHz, which is pretty good for everyday tasks but unfortunately only has 1GB of RAM, which can make it slow at times.

The 1,024 x 600 backlit LED display is excellent for such a small netbook and there are no nasty reflections to contend with !

The NB30 features 2 x 1.5W speakers at the bottom front of the unit, which do sound a bit tinny, but the headphone jack lets you take advantage of the high-definition audio playback.

All in all the NB30 is fine but don't expect high-end gaming from it.

It has three USB ports, a 3-in-1 card slot and VGA out, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and an embedded webcam.

Conclusion - The NB30 is one of the best netbooks available it is a solid netbook with long battery life; excellent display; good value for money, but there is only one memory slot and the battery sticks out.

For a better alternative to the NB30 take a look at the Samsung NB30 Pro

It looks the same as the NB30 but it has Windows 7 Professional instead of Windows Starter Pack and is fitted with up to 2GB of memory.

The rest of the specs are the same - a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 10.1 inch, intel GMA 3150 graphics, 160GB hard drive, 1024 x 600 pixel display, VGA webcam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and 6 cell battery.

The semi-rugged case design is the same as are the spill-resistant keyboard, and the hard drive sensor that parks the HDD spindle if you drop the computer. As the Samsung NB30 was designed for the business user looking for something better than an average netbook, makes sense to have Windows 7 Professional instead of Windows 7 Starter Edition.

The NB30 costs around $340 the NB30 Pro should be available soon for around $519.

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Best Netbooks MSI Wind12 U230

MSI Make Some of the Best Netbooks

People often want to know which is the best netbook available. Unfortunately that is not an easy question to answer, for one very good reason - they are changing all the time. What is the best netbook now will probably not be the best netbook in 3 months' time. Computers in general and netbooks in particular are constantly evolving and they quickly become out of date.

Back in November MSI announced the arrival of what is probably one of the best netbooks currently on the market - the Wind12 U230 series. There are two different models of the the MSI Wind12, the U230-033, and the U230-040.

Both have 2GB of DDR2, a 6 cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium as standard. The fact that they have Windows 7 Home Premium installed is a very good factor, as the Windows 7 Starter is really not good enough. They also have as standard an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card and a 1.3 megapixel webcam, HDMI port, and 3 USB 2.0 ports.

The U230-033 features an Athlon Neo MV-40 with a 250GB SATA drive, the U230-040 has an Athlon X2 L335 and a 320GB SATA drive. They both have a 12.1? LCD (at 1366×768) which is on the large side for a netbook, and the new EDS Keyboard with larger keys.

Both systems are now on sale with the U230-033 selling for $429.99, and the faster U230-040 selling for $479.99. MSI U230-040US 12.1-Inch Netbook - 4 Hour Battery Life

The Wind12 is not the cheapest netbook around but then it's not the most expensive either but it is much more powerful than a lot of them.

Pros:
+Dual core AMD CPU
+Lightweight and well made
+Larger keyboard
+Rather large touch pad
+Small, portable but powerful

Cons:
-Short battery life
-Glossy screen

In one survey the U230 easily beat the Asus 1201N in almost every single benchmark.

MSI Wind12 U230 ultra-thin laptop specifications :
•12.1-inch (1366×768) display
•2GB of RAM
•Athlon Neo MV-40 or Athlon X2 L335 processor
•250GB/320GB hard drive
•Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics
•1.3 megapixel webcam
•6-cell battery.
•4-in-1 card reader
•297 (L) x 190 (D) x 31 (H) mm
•Windows 7 Home Premium


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Related Post : Netbooks for kids

Best Samsung N150 4G Netbook Unboxed

Best Netbooks
Samsung N150 4G Netbook Computer

Samsung's N150 netbook is the latest offering by Samsung to netbook afficionados. Samsung claim that the N150 is the first 4G netbook computer in the world, and who are we to argue? What is 4G ? If you never really understood what 3G was, and if you are wondering whatever happened to 2G then don't worry, you are not alone.

4G will let you surf the web over your mobile phone signal but at broadband speeds. It's designed to let you watch videos and or download stuff to your netbook, wherever you are (which is why they all it ubiquitous).

This 4G Netbook will also be further defined as LTE (Long Term Evolution) - long-term in the computer world? Well, maybe. It will also be fitted with an LTE modem chipset designed by Samsung, bearing the name of Kalmia. The processor is a Intel Atom Processor N450. The graphics are processed using an integrated Intel GMA3150 chip.

Samsung claims a maximum download speed of 100Mbps and 50Mbps for uploads. The keyboard is a good size but the trackpad will take some getting used to.

The built-in mic and webcam will let you use Skype over 4G, sans a Wi-Fi connection. It also has an SD card reader and a three USB ports, plus a choice of 160GB or 250GB hard drives, a 10.1" anti-reflective LED energy-efficient backlit screen with 1,024x600-pixel resolution. The N150 also has a headphone-out connection for video-conferencing, live messaging and VoIP telephony. Battery life acording to Samsung is up to 8.5 hours.

No price or availability date has been released yet which will let us know when we can actually buy a Samsung N150 4G netbook, but check out this video of a guy in Germany who managed to get a N150 and unbox it. It's in German and you can fast forward 45 seconds if you are really the impatient type.


If what you were really looking for is one the best netbooks for kids - then you have the choice between two - click here for further details on the Disney Asus Netpal Netbook or the Dell Nickelodeon Slime Netbook

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Best Netbooks Asus Eee 1005P

Best Netbooks - Asus Eee PC 1005P or 1005PE Any Good?

Asus Eee PC 1005P and 1005PE

Looking for one of the best netbooks around ? Then take a close look at the Asus Eee PC 1005P or 1005PE. The P stands for Pinetrail, the latest Atom N450 processor and NM10 chipset code from Intel. And this netbook will be exactly what a lot of people are looking for from a netbook. Unfortunately I can't recommend it because of the fact that it ships with Windows 7 Starter Edition - you really need Windows 7 Home Premium if you don't want to run into problems - see here if you want to know why - Windows 7 Home Premium

Apart from the Windows misgivings, Asus has taken what was already one of the best netbooks available, the Asus 1005HA, and revamped it with the new generation Intel Atom 450 processor and added a few more extras too.

The 1005P has a seashell design which makes it look good too.

What do you get for your money ? Well, a 160GB hard drive (250GB for the 1005PE), a 10-inch, 1,024x600-pixel screen and 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3 USB ports and a D-Sub VGA output. You also get a pretty good keyboard.

The main plus though is the Intel Atom N450 CPU, which looks likely to replace the N270. The advantage with the N450 is that as designers have fond ways of cramming more stuff on chips, the N450 has the memory controller and the graphics processor on the CPU itself, thereby taking up less space and using around 40% less power, which mean sof course longer battery life.

Asus claim that the 1005P battery will run for 14 hours - but I think we all know what that means - 10 -11 hours seems more feasible.

Another drawback is the glossy screen. What is it with glossy screens ? Nobody likes them yet it's hard to find netbooks and laptops that don't have them these days. Who needs reflections of what's behind you ?

Asus Eee PC 1005PE Specifications
1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 Processor
250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) + 500GB Free Web Storage;
1GB DDR2 RAM, 1 SODIMM Slot, 2GB Max
0.3MP Webcam
Chiclet Keyboard;
10.1-Inch Color-Shine 1024X600 WSVGA LCD Display;
802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth Enabled
Windows 7 Starter Operating System; High Capacity 6 Cell Battery
Size : 10.31" x 7.01" x 1.44"
Weight: 2.8 pounds

For further details from Amazon click here - ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE

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See also : Acer Ferrari

Best Netbooks for Kids

Best Netbooks for Kids - Disney or Nickelodeon?

Christmas is fast approaching again and you may be looking for a netbook for your significant small ones and wondering which are the best netbooks for kids. You will be pleased to learn that not all netbooks are black.

If you are looking for netbooks designed specifically for kids you basically have a choice of two. The Asus Disney Netpal and the Dell Nickelodeon .

These netbooks look good (from a kids' point of view) and are designed to be practical and robust - taking into consideration things such as :

• Internet Security/parental controls, there are places after all that kids shouldn't be visiting;
• durability, netbooks for kids need to be tough; size, netbooks vary in size from 8" screens up to 12";
• price.

The Asus Disney Netpal has an 8.9" screen, Windows XP Home, a spill-proof keyboard and ShockShield data protection. It is available in either Magic Blue or Princess Pink

- price around $345 at Amazon. For further details see - Asus Disney Netpal Netbook

The Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition is marketed with the slogan "have the slime of your life". It has a 10.1" screen - slightly larger than the Asus Netpal. Internal 802.11b/g WiFi, a 1.3MP webcam, 3 USB ports, plus optional external DVD drive and a 160GB hard drive. The keyboard is spill-resistant. Price around $328. For further details see - Dell Nickeloden Inspiron Netbook

For further details from Amazon click here - Asus Disney Netpal

There are other netbooks that kids can use but as far as netbooks for kids are concerned these two seem to have the market to themselves at the moment.
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Best Netbooks Window 7 Home Premium

Best NetbooksAccording to Retrovo, 61% of netbook users do not like the new Windows 7 starter edition. So if you have gone out of your way to carefully choose one of the best netbooks around - don't put Windows 7 Starter Edition on it.

Best Netbooks - Windows 7 Any Good?

The reason being that there are limitations on Windows 7 starter edition that weren't there with Windows XP, which Microsoft has not tried to hide, but people don't seem to take any notice.

If you want Windows 7 on a netbook then you need to get the Windows 7 Home Premium version.

Windows makes its software to make money not to make people happy, but customers really should check things out before handing over their hard-earned cash. The message is clear, get Windows Home Premium for your netbook !

There are alternatives to Windows of course, one of which is Linux, and some reports are saying that Linux could get over 30% of the netbook market share this year alone. That's not good new for Microsoft of course, so if you don't like Microsoft, then check out Linux.

Microsoft say “For the most enhanced, full-functioning Windows experience on small notebook PCs, however, consumers will want to go with Windows 7 Home Premium, which lets you get the most out of your digital media and easily connect with other PCs.” You can't have it clearer than that. From what I can see from the forums netbook owners who are using Windows 7 Home Premium are quite happy with it.

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Related Posts : Best netbook with Windows 7 Home Premium Asus Eee PC 1201N Netbook

Asus Ferrari Netbook

Best Netbooks Asus 1005HA Netbook

Best Netbooks - Asus Netbook 1005HA PU1X

The Asus 1005HA netbook is one of the best netbooks on Amazon - it costs around $275 for the 6 cell and $330 for the 3 cell. It features the Intel Atom N280 1.66 GHz processor, i.e. the faster one.

The speakers are located closer to the front on the bottom so the quality is better than with previous Asus netbooks and other manufactures. It has 1 GB of pre-installed RAM like most other netbooks, this can be upgraded to 2 GB RAM but it is hardly worth the effort as the part that is more likely to cause a problem is the processor and graphics chipset (Intel GMA 950), although 2 GB RAM will make multitasking a bit easier. The Asus 1005HA is sold with an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera.

All in all if you are looking for a netbook that won't break the bank then the 1005HA does the job. If you what you need is something you can travel with then the 1005HA is ideal given its excellent battery life, they say ten hours but with everything on and working you will get around 8 hours. Re-charging will take between 2 and 3 hours. Asus continues to dominate the sales charts for a good reason !
Check out this excellent video review of the Asus 1005HA Netbook



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Asus Netbook Computer Eee PC 1101HA
Netbook or Notebook

Asus 1101HA New Netbook Computer

Best Netbooks - the Asus EEE PC 1101HA Netbook plus Video Review

The Asus 1101HA could be described as a top of the range netbook which features a bigger 11.6" high-resolution screen, an overclockable CPU and excellent battery life plus integrated webcam. If you want to see the video by the nice guy from Liliputing.com just scroll down to the video !

It is however slightly slower and a bit more expensive than other netbook computers.

The Asus Eee PC 1101HA's design and battery life is impressive, but a faster Intel Atom CPU would be an improvement.

Asus 1101HA Specs
Processor: Intel Atom
RAM 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard drive 160 GB
Chipset Intel US15W chipset
Operating System Windows XP
Weight 3.0 lbs
Dimensions (WD) 11.3 x 7.7 inches
Price $429 in the USA (which in the UK is around £260 - which means that they may finally have stopped their old trick of just replacing the $ by a £)

Asus is the company that inadvertently created the marketing phenomenon that is the Netbook - for a brief history of how and why netbook computers were invented and wy they are not notebooks - see What are Netbook Computers

Now of course it has to improve the netbooks it has created, which are not cut-down notebooks even though it may seem that they are.

The latest idea is to increase the display size to 11.6" (although Microsoft says it is limiting Windows 7 to a screen size of 10.2" for netbooks).

This larger screen size is bringing netbooks back up to the bottom-end notebook experience minus the drives.

The 1101HA has the same slimline styling as the 10" 1005HA, although the resolution has been upgraded to 1,366x768. It uses the Z520 version of the Atom processor, instead of the faster and more widely used N270 and N280 CPUs.

This means that the 1101HA is slower but Asus lets you overclock it via the BIOS to get a 30% improvement.

The slim design and excellent use of space means it is very similar to 19" netbooks in size whist at the same time having a larger keyboard, with flat-topped keys.

The touch pad is good and has tiny bumps for gooàd feedback to your fingers. It only has one rocker bar however and would be better off with two.

The 1,366x768 resolution means the screen is less cluttered and better for larger Web pages or long office documents.

Asus batteries have always been good and the 1101HA will operate for 8 hours 50 minutes (very good) in video battery drain tests, which is excellent news if you want to watch videos or carry out other tasks that require a lot of power.

You get a standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with all Asus laptops.

Asus Eee PC 1101HA Video Review