Netbooks taking portability to a new level

As the PC world updates its software with Windows 7, another hardware change is evident.

The desktop is no longer the main home of computing, as more and more students move to laptops and other mobile technologies in order to stay connected, keep up on classes and entertain themselves.

Netbooks are laptops scaled down in almost every way imaginable. Instead of 13- to 17-inch screens, they usually range from eight to 10 inches. They rarely have disc drives, more than one or two USB ports or powerful processors and graphics.

So what is the appeal of these welterweights? True portability.

The idea behind a netbook is a laptop is still too bulky to be taken everywhere, and the wide array of applications and services available online allows any computer with a wireless Internet connection and a Web browser to be useful.

“I have one, my daughter has one, my son has one,” said professor of business information systems Jim Scott.

He said most modern computers have more power than the average consumer uses.

The smaller screen and less intensive components often allow them to have battery lives approaching ten hours.

“(My netbook) runs 24 hours and it weighs about 3 and 1/2 pounds,” Scott said.

The smaller screen and less intensive components often allow them to have battery lives approaching 10 hours even with smaller batteries.

While Windows XP was a popular operating system choice for many netbooks because of its light system requirements, Windows 7’s modest requirements will make it a useful and realistic choice for many users.

They also are noticeably less expensive. While an average laptop price range would be somewhere between $600 and $1,400, netbooks rarely cost more than $500.

But to Farmington Hills sophomore Alex Vanderstuyf, the benefits just don’t outweigh the inherent compromises.

“I see them as somewhat stupid,” Vanderstuyf said. “I’m not a fan of the bad battery life (or the) tiny keyboard.”

Tablets

Tablets are portable computers that resemble a laptop’s screen, but often do not have a keyboard attached.

They are operated entirely with touch-controlled input from the user through a stylus or fingertips.

Touchscreen support has been natively programmed into Windows 7 in order to accommodate this type of interface, which is touted as a more intuitive interface for everything from note-taking to gameplay.

One example is the HP TouchSmart TX2, which combines a laptop with a tablet allowing the user to fold the touchscreen over its keyboard. It retails for $1,187.

Many have been discussing the possibility of an Apple Tablet as well.

But the future of tablets may have been cut short by the rise of netbooks.

“I think netbooks have kind of overcome tablets in new trends,” said Highland senior and IT Help Desk Analyst Tim Johnson.

Tablet computing’s chance for future relevance may rest with Apple’s heavily rumored contribution of a tablet running the iPhone’s OS.

“I think the future of tablet PCs is ultra-portable,” Scott said.