Nothing But Net

The latest mobile computers, a.k.a. NETBOOKS, allow you to email, browse the Internet and use word processing without the expense or weight of a traditional laptop.

DELL INSPIRON MINI 9 (Pictured above)

$349, DELL.COM

The Mini 9 has a glossy 8.9-inch LED screen—a fairly standard size among netbooks that may seem small, but the Intel graphics-powered monitor has a resolution of 1024x600. This makes it more than adequate for checking Facebook, updating your blog and completing word-processing tasks. The LED screen also saves huge amounts of power compared to regular laptop screens—the battery lasts a true four hours.

UBUNTU LINUX is offered along with Windows (XP) on the Mini 9. Several netbooks utilize this operating system because they lack the storage and processing power of bigger laptops. Cheap and lightweight open-source operating systems like Ubuntu are fully customizable to provide the user with all the apps they need—and none of the crap they don’t.

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY drives the netbook category. These machines lack substantial storage capability, so netbooks are wi-fi-and Bluetooth-enabled to get you to online files. The Mini 9 also comes equipped with mobile broadband so you can surf the Web anywhere you get a cellphone signal if there is no wi-fi hookup.

A SOLID STATE DRIVE (SSD), or flash memory, allows the Mini 9 to conserve much more power than bigger laptops, keeps the number of moving parts to a minimum, and makes the device less prone to breaking when thrown in a backpack. Like most netbooks, the Mini 9 uses Intel’s power-sipping Atom processor, which keeps power usage down.

TRÉS PETITE

Three netbooks we recommend.

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