Forget laptops and notebooks: today, ultra-portable computing lies in the form of the netbook. Our buying guide will explain what they are and which one is right for you.

Netbooks explained

A netbook is an ultra-compact laptop designed for basic day-to-day functions such as emailing and surfing the web. Because of their basic functionality, netbooks are smaller, more portable and cheaper than full-sized laptops and notebooks. They can even be used for working from home if you use a lot of web-based applications in your daily work. However, if you tend to use a lot of software programs and applications that need to be installed on your actual computer, you will most likely find that a netbook isn’t the right portable computer for you.

Which netbook?

When it comes to purchasing a netbook, there isn’t a whole lot to get your head around – the difference between models aren’t that great. Most run off an Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics, so it’s up to you to decide what screen size you need, what type of storage and battery size.

Netbook storage

When it comes to storage, you can either get a netbook with a hard drive or SSD. Hard drive-based netbooks have much higher storage capacity, so this is desirable if you’re going to be storing a lot of larger files (video and music, for example). These netbooks are also easier to upgrade or replace.

Meanwhile, flash memory-based SSD netbooks offer less on-board storage, but are generally more shock-proof than their hard drive-counterparts and often have a better battery life.

Netbook battery life

Battery life can come into play, depending on how you intend to use the device. Netbooks come with either a 3-cell, 4-cell or 6-cell battery. A 3-cell battery will probably only keep you going for a couple of hours, while you could get up to six hours of use from a 6-cell battery.

Best netbooks

When it comes to netbook manufacturers, you’ll see the same names popping up that you would expect with standard-sized laptops and notebooks. One of the best known is the ASUS netbook – particularly the ASUS Eee PC netbook series (the Eee PC 1000 is pictured here). The HP Mini netbook series is also considered to be fairly reliable, as is the Dell Mini range of netbooks.

Buy a cheap netbook on sale

Guide originally published June 3, 2009; updated July 1, 2010.

By Caroline Warnes

At $699, the new MSI Wind12 U230 is a decently priced ultraportable notebook computer.

Given its ultraportable and compact form factor, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the U230 for a netbook at first glance. However this isn’t the case – the 12.1-inch display gives it away, as does the slightly superior performance to what you’d expect from a netbook. Thankfully, the price is competitive with some higher-end netbooks.

Take a closer look at the hardware specs and once again, you’ll see that the U230 offers more grunt than your typical netbook. MSI has equipped it with an AMD Neo X2 Dual-Core 1.6GHz processor with 2GB of RAM, as well as an ATI Radeon HD3200 card for graphics. Connectivity is also slightly more comprehensive and includes ports for VGA, HDMI, gigabit Ethernet and three USB ports (2.0). It also comes with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Buy a cheap notebook or laptop on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes