Netbook Fanboy

OK, I'm a Netbook Fanboy. I find them to be a useful relatively cheap device to access the web. Over the past year or so a number of Netbooks have  come across my desk. For various reasons most of them have been sold or disposed of in other ways. I've now settled on 2 Netbooks in my computer stable.

My primary Netbook is an HP Mini 311 . I use this netbook daily for my work. It runs the typical Atom N270 Netbook processor. It has the added advantage of running the Ion graphics chip for enhanced performance.  I've upgraded it to 3 gb of DDR3 ram and added a 32GB Patriot Solid State Drive. The 11 inch screen and usable keyboard makes it a good work horse netbook. I don't find the 32 GB Solid State Drive limiting as our company utilizes cloud computing and most files are stored in the cloud. I've installed Windows 7 home premium on it and it integrates well into my home network.

My secondary Netbook is used more for play than anything else despite being fully capable of doing productive work. It is an Asus EEE PC1000H. This is a quite typical netbook but it has a couple features I really like. 

I like having rear panel access to the hard drive. Very few of the modern netbooks have this. The idea of having to totally remove the keyboard and do a near total tear down of the netbook to upgrade the hard drive doesn't set well with me. Fortunately both of the above mentioned models have rear panel access to the hard drive. 

I also prefer a Mat finish screen on the Netbook. The Asus has the Mat finish and is usually my first choice when outdoors or on the road where I have to deal with bright sunlight. The HP Mini 311 has a beautiful display, but it's glossy screen is hard to see in the sunlight. I intend to order an anti-glare screen film to help it out.

Choosing a netbook is really a personal thing. It has to be comfortable for you to use. What you intend to use it for makes it a more critical decision than most  other computer choices.

Choosing a Netbook requires considerable research to determine what works best for you.