If I was asked what electronic gadget I couldn’t live without, I’d have to say unequivocally, my mini laptop, or netbook as they may be more commonly known. I’m told I’m an early adopter and I suppose it’s true. Unfortunately the drawback is paying top price, which is exactly what I did when I purchased my Kindle and now the newer models are dirt cheap. Speaking of my very old Kindle which I got the very day Oprah sponsored it as one of her favorite things; it is on its last leg and I love the idea of the new Kindle Fire. However, I am rethinking the rush to purchase it when I can easily read from a netbook with the Kindle for PC software. My particular Acer netbook is very mobile and lightweight, making it super convenient for all my electronic needs and entertainment.
Assessing your needs is crucial before purchasing any gadget. Stop and ask yourself exactly what you want from a computer or other gadgets. I’ve been told I’m behind the times, electronically speaking, and yet I’m an early adopter. Go figure. Don’t fall for that ploy! The latest and greatest may not suit your needs. For example: I play games, use word processing, read email, browse the web and read for pleasure. To do these things I need to type fast, so I need a conventional keyboard and mouse. Touch screen will not work for me. Therefore, new gadgets like iPads and touch tablet computers, just don’t cut it. Granted, per my research, you can buy an external mouse and keyboard, though some are hard to configure depending on what you buy, however, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the convenience factor? You would only need an external mouse with a netbook, which is easier to carry around than a keyboard. I personally need an eternal mouse for the game types I play, however, some games can be played well enough with the touch pad on your netbook. So then for many, the netbook alone without an external keyboard and mouse would suffice.
When I first bought my mini, a competing salesman in the store tried to tell me that the netbook was just barely better than a smart phone. I am extremely glad I didn’t let him talk me out of it! When I got my netbook home I found out that it did everything my desktop could do. You might ask, but what about hard drive space? Mine has 160 GB. Newer netbooks probably have even more GB. Certainly it is not as much as a desktop, but your mini doesn’t need so much space since most people have it as a second computer anyway and can depend on their desktop for storage. Not to mention, if you’re smart you keep an external hard drive around for back up purposes anyway which is also convenient for storage.
The monitor of course is small, which at first I thought would be a deal breaker, but I find that it is quite sufficient for most things. Again, for things you want to view on a larger screen, you can always view from your desktop. Netbooks don’t come with CD/DVD drives because it would make them bigger but you can always use an external DVD player for downloading software to your netbook or watching movies. They are also handy to have around as is an external hard drive, so it’s not like you’d be spending unnecessary cash for these items.
For all intents and purposes, with a netbook, you have the convenience of portability, all around same functions as your desktop, and one ‘gadget’ fits all your needs. In my mind, it also beats a regular sized laptop due to the mini’s light weight. Did I mention how reasonably priced they are? Yep, you got that too! When I purchased mine, it was $299.00 and that was only because I chose a burgundy red color. Depending on where you buy, the black colored ones are significantly less.
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=Acer%208.9%20Aspire%20One%20Netbook&adid;=22222222220019601269&wmlspartner;=wmtlabs&wl0;=b&wl1;=g&wl2;=&wl3;=8276146587&wl4;=
http://www.cdw.com/shop/search/result.aspx?key=ACER+ASPIRE+ONE+NETBOOK&x;=0&y;=0&wclsscat;=&b;=&p;=&searchscope;=All&ctlgfilter;=&sr;=1&cm;_mmc=acquirgy-_-google-_-CDW+Notebook-_-ACER+ASPIRE+ONE+NETBOOK&AcquirgyID;=LbTOxCGY
Shop around. Less is more, fit’s the gadget buying scenario, not to mention the cash savings.
