Battle of the $300 Netbooks
It's a price worth fighting for!
(Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment)You say you want value in your mobile computer? You say you want something super cheap? Not one year ago, we visited a very similar subject and found most Netbooks averaging $499. Now Netbooks are available for $299 or less, thanks to incredibly affordable new offerings from Acer--the just-reviewed Aspire One AOD250--and Dell's Mini 10v. A line has been drawn in the sand, and now we answer the question: what can $300 get me in a new Netbook?
The Dell Mini 10v was the first mainstream Netbook to come out of the starting gate at this sub-$300 price, followed by the new Acer Aspire One AOD250 and the HP Mini 1115NR. Below, check out our chart comparing the features each will give you in terms of CPU, hard drive, RAM, screen size, and other basic specs.
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|
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CPU |
Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) |
Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) |
Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) |
|
Hard drive |
120GB (5600rpm) |
160GB (5600rpm) |
80GB (4200rpm) |
|
RAM |
1GB |
1GB |
1GB |
|
OS |
Windows XP |
Windows XP |
Windows XP |
|
Screen |
10.1 inch |
10.1 inch |
10.1 inch |
|
Battery |
3-cell (not tested) |
110 (minutes) |
150 (minutes) |
|
Network |
802.11 b/g, Bluetooth |
802.11 b/g |
802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, Verizon 3G broadband modem |
|
Price |
$299 |
$298 |
$199 (with a 2-year Verizon mobile broadband contract) |
First off, you might notice a lot of similarities between devices. Might we say nearly identical specs? For $300 you can expect:
- An Intel Atom N270 processor running at 1.6GHz
- 1GB of DDR2 RAM
- A couple of USB 2.0 ports (up to three)
- 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
- a 10.1-inch screen
- Windows XP Home SP3
Hard-drive space varies: Acer's AOD250 leads with 160GB, while the HP Mini 1115NR has half that at 80 (and at a slower 4200rpm speed, instead of the more common 5400rpm). Something else that differentiates: Bluetooth. Acer lacks it, Dell and HP have it--if you like to connect wireless peripherals or use smartphone tethering, it's a must-have. While almost all Netbooks have b/g Wi-Fi, some have faster 802.11n, like the HP.
Note also the universal inclusion of Windows XP--for the least expensive first- and second-generation Netbooks, many PC makers saved the XP licensing fee and opted for a Linux-based OS. And the Intel Atom N270 has been the Netbook chip of choice for some time--while not a speed demon by any means, it handles basic tasks, browsing, and even media playback perfectly well.
The differences largely lie in the design and look and feel of Netbooks, and there are some differences here. The Aspire One has a thin plastic chassis, with a tiny touchpad and a keyboard that's responsive but cramped. The HP Mini 1115NR, on the other hand, has a larger keyboard that runs edge to edge, but a thicker case. The Dell Mini 10v also has larger flat keys.
The price of the Dell and Acer Netbooks are the same (minus $1 MSRP), but the HP costs $100 less--up front, that is. It also requires the purchase of a two-year Verizon wireless broadband contract, since it's subsidized by Verizon to be at that price in the first place. However, it also comes with 3G wireless out of the box, while the Dell and Acer models don't. This means surfing without hunting for a hot spot, provided you don't mind paying a monthly access price (either $39 or $59 per month, depending on your plan).
Compared with when Dan Ackerman compiled his Ideal Netbook spec sheet last August, have our dreams been answered?
- Atom N270: It was the processor of Netbooks then, and it's the processor of Netbooks now, although that's going to change this fall when Intel's new Atom line debuts.
- SSD: Most likely because of price-cutting concerns, SSDs are almost completely absent from most basic Netbooks. They're still an upgrade option. As costs eventually drop on SSDs, they will hopefully be adopted...but platter hard drives are so cheap, it's hard for most manufacturers to say good-bye.
- Battery: Six-cells and three-cells are the order of the day for Netbooks. Each has issues: three-cells are cheaper and slimmer but last only a couple of hours, while six-cells are still bulky. We're still waiting for a revolution.
- Cost: We said we'd be happy with $499, and now Netbooks are available for $299. That's great progress in less than a year.
- Screen: 10.1 inches is the new 9 inch, and they're affordable, too.
- RAM: We wanted a minimum of 1GB, and that's what they all are now. It's ideal for XP.
- OS: Windows XP has spread across all Netbooks, and with apologies to Ubuntu, we're better off for it.
What do we want in our cheap Netbooks next? Well, we can dream of a $100 Netbook (if it worked for OLPC, why not us?), but if there's something else you'd like in your Netbook of tomorrow, let us know. Is $299 cheap enough for you? And does it offer enough?
What must it take for us to be satisfied?
Scott Stein, a New York Jets fan and CNET senior associate editor, has written about tech, entertainment, video games, and viral culture for outlets including Laptop, Maxim, Esquire, and Men's Journal. He also appears on the Digital City podcast. Follow him on Twitter. 
I truly hope I am not the only one taking offense with this. Not only Is any version of Windows less safe, slower and less functional, it is also more expensive. For the M$ shills, who argue that Micro$oft's margin on netbooks is very small: If you think that the cost of any pc ends with the OS, you haven't done your homework! Another advantage of non-Micro$oft OS: Other operating systems can be trimmed to boot in seconds, an area where Windows doesn't even have an entry line.
I say, get rid of Windows and put Linux onto those things! The fact that no other OS appears in the OS line shows Micro$oft's strangle-hold on the OEM pc manufacturers, preventing them to make optional offers available.
It is time for the public AND government institutions to wake up and forbid this sinister MONOPOLY.
Arthur
Secondly insulting potential users of Linux doesn't sell your OS.
Thirdly Microsoft isn't stopping anyone from offering Linux Dell,Hp,Etc have been doing it for years. Linux has no advertising doesn't mean the competition should do it for them.
And fourthly I rather not use a OS like Linux that wants me to type a programs file name to install it thats so 90's
Linux *has* been offered on netbooks- and the OEM's stopped offering it due to lack of customer demand and sales.
Remember, just because you want Linux on a netbook doesn't mean that others do, and in this case, the OEM's are going to go where the money is and offer what customers want and will buy- and that wasn't linux. Just the way it is.
For non-technical people, selling PCs with Ubuntu is like selling a car which uses a joystick instead of gas/brake pedals and a steering wheel. It's just too different for non-technical users to adopt.
Non-technical users know specific key presses and specific menu layouts. When these change, many of these users get confused and need retraining to be productive again. Also, keep in mind, probably 90% of PC users are like this.
So, what happened was the OEMs initially did offer Ubuntu linux, and I think Dell still offers it if you wish. But, when 95% of comsumers didn't want the Ubuntu netbooks, the OEMs decided to stock XP-based netbooks, instead.
Basically, OS and technology wars are irrelevant for John Q. Public. To him, a computer is a tool, nothing more and nothing less. So, yes, the OEMs are listening carefully to the consumers. If the Linux-based netbooks sold like hotcakes while the XP-based ones languished, every netbook manufacturer would be on that bandwagon.
If I was a manufacturer why the heck would I spend resources building and selling something that won't make nearly as much profit as product B that caters to a much bigger audience? What kind of dumb business plan is that?
Oh, and Linux...
"Oh, and Linux..."
If that is the case, based upon your previous comments and those of other Linux supporters, that means the laptop should cost around $100 since Linux is so much cheaper / free than other alternatives, right?
Why is the netbook still as expensive as the Windows offerings then?
1. 802.11n/g/b standard. If you've got a low-powered CPU because the net is supposed to do the work for you, you'd better have the bandwidth to LET the net do the work for you.
2. Touchscreeen. Yes, I know this breaks it out of the realm of reality into dreamland, but I want a cheap netbook with a touchscreen that I can "write" on, ideally with any stylus or even my finger, and have it work. Keep the keyboard, make it optionally fold out of the way, and add the touchscreen.
3. No cell contract. I love the price of the HP, but there's no way I'm signing up for a cell contract for this thing. See item 1.
4. VPU support, so low-end accelerated video is possible. I want to hit youtube and hulu. I think nvidia is building a VPU for this space, that is supposed to dramatically increase the Atom's capabilities without dramatically draining battery power.
As for Windows? Seriously? On a Netbook? Windows is engineered for "big" computers (well something with more than a 9" display anyway). And these puppies won't do games, or serious Wordprocessing...
I can't see the point in Windows on these. Personally I think you want an email client, a browser, something to look at photos, and a lightweight wordprocessor (you're not really wanting to type much on it are you?)
And no, I don't want to run Mac OS X on it either...
1GB of RAM and 1.6ghz processors these were what we were using to run XP not to long ago.
A similar approach could be used on smartbooks, with Ubuntu instead of Windows (since Windows does not run on ARM). This would be awesome! You would run Android most of the time, but if you need OpenOffice, or any other Ubuntu-supported app (developers could even run Linux dev tools!), you could launch them.
My vote is for this Android dual-boot configuration to be standard on all netbooks...perhaps with Windows/Ubuntu as optional add-ons.
Have been using for work (medical) and have been very happy. No problems typing.
I was going to install Windows 7 RC but XP has worked so well I'm going to stay with XP. Networking, printing, Citrix client have all worked well.
I too believed the "technorati" that XP wasn't usable on a netbook, until I used it on a netbook.
Personally, if I wanted a phone with a keyboard, I'd get a phone with a keyboard -- oh, wait, I have one.
I want a netbook to run desktop apps when I want to and have my choice of the best web browsers out there without having them be "Lite" versions or a couple of versions behind. If I feel like it, I want to be able to bring up my word processor of choice, a command line, my favorite text editor, even Photoshop or Gimp.
Right now, that means x86 running Windows or Linux. Mac OS counts too, if Apple ever releases a netbook.
Meanwhile the price of the current crop should drop to $200 and would represent a bargain while supplies last.
Well it's not @ $300 but, it's available at FRYs for $329.
The point is Lenovo beats all three you mentioned hands down in Performance.
1 - Laptop grade machine, 10.1 inches screen though
2 - Fastest FSB
3 - Fastest RAM
Sleek finish. Doesn't look made up of CHEAP plastic ..like an Acer one.
cause thats when the performance increase will actually mean anything !
the bottleneck right now is that crappy intel graphics chips !
Conversely, if you count the volume of IPhones/Pres, etc., being sold, you kind of wonder if a non-Windows OS will basically dominate this category of "intelligent portable devices."
Laptops in essence grew up to run Windows (or Mac OS or for a small but vocal few, Linux). Everything from input to processors were optimized for that. Conversely, the MacOS and Pre's OS and the ARM processor are evolving for a different form factor and price. Maybe they will simply prevail. Yes, I know an IPhone and netbook aren't "the same", but in two years?
So far, these are all close to 3 lbs, and at that weight I have the MacAir with SSD and a 13" screen and full size keyboard. OK, the price is high, but I bought it because of the weight/thin spec. I'm hoping for the titanium case and SSD to get us down to 2.2lbs without losing rigidity.
- by ordinet June 30, 2009 4:15 PM PDT
- I also am concerned about weight. The whole point of a netbook is its portability - they were never intended to be a primary, full-service computer. I have a desktop, a laptop - both have very different purposes - I want a small, lightweight computer/appliance to toss into my purse to take traveling, to take to the grocery store with recipes in it (or to surf for a recipe for an unusual ingredient), to send a quick email - to check my email - and no, I don't want to do this with a tiny phone screen. I want a little computer. As demand grows for heavier, bulkier machines (inevitable with more features), this function becomes lost. I am less and less interested in having one.
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