Mini laptops, or netbooks, as the technology has come to be called, are laptops that are reduced in size, lightened to promote portability, and have their battery lives lengthened as much as possible so that their users can use the netbook almost all day before having to charge the battery.
Advantages of Netbook Computers
Public transportation commuters, travelers, and students who constantly need to move around but still have their computer handy, are the target market for these devices. Most netbooks are small enough to fit inside a purse or small bag, with rounded corners and an ergonomic design to help prevent snagging. They also have an exceptionally long battery life, often over eight hours, perfect for using the laptop all day without having to find an electrical outlet to plug it in.
Netbooks provide the greatest use to people who only need the Internet and certain core software programs, like Microsoft Word and Excel. Most other program will run, but the netbook's limited processing power won't be able to work at top speed when resource-intensive programs are open.
For a full computer experience, netbooks are remarkably affordable, mostly due to less than top of the line specs that are still completely functional. The price on computer peripherals drops dramatically after a couple months on the market, and by using hardware that is only a year or so old, netbook makers can easily push their prices to the sub-0 sweet spot.
Drawbacks of Netbooks
However, in order to maximize their efficiency, netbook makers necessarily had to eliminate or pare down on some key features to get the lightweight, versatile, and convenient, ultra-portable mini laptop they needed.
To get the weight under a few pounds (usually less than three to four), most netbooks lack a CD or DVD drive, and have less RAM, older video cards that aren't designed to run games or visual applications like desktop publishing tools. Depending on the user, these reduced features can make them inadequate as a replacement for a traditional laptop. Many computer aficionados, however, already know this, and use the netbook for travel and a higher-end laptop or desktop PC for gaming or for running more involved software programs.
Depending on their exact screen and keyboard size, netbooks can feel very cramped during usage. Screens that are smaller than ten inches often require horizontal scrolling when viewing websites, which is annoying, and some netbook keyboards are so tiny they are difficult to type accurately on, with non-responsive keys in addition.
Overall Recommendation
If you're only going to own one type of computer, I would go with a multi-purpose laptop, so you can get portability while still be able to run all modern software programs. However, if you already have a computer and are looking for a more convenient option when on-the-go, netbooks perform admirably for niche functions like Internet browsing and word processing.