Consumer Questions: Should I Purchase a Laptop or a Netbook?

Whether you're in the market to buy a mobile computer for yourself or as a gift, one option you might want to consider is whether you want to buy a laptop or a netbook. The first task is to figure out the essential differences of the two.

Laptop computers are more robust, more applicative, and subsequently more pricey. Numerous different types of programs may be installed on nearly all contemporary models of laptops, and you can have them being used all at the same time. Laptop computers in most cases provide much more storage space.

Netbook computers (aka netbooks), at the other end of the spectrum, can't do much more than basic internet surfing. However, they're remarkably light compared to laptops and commonly provide extended battery lives. Netbooks are also substantially less expensive. You can get cheap netbooks new in some cases for under a couple hundred dollars.

In a nutshell: If basic internet surfing is the primary goal, a netbook is perfect for you or whoever it might be that you are doing the consumer research for. But if you call for more flexibility, you might want to buy a laptop.

You should also consider the fact that although the chief purpose of netbooks is to browse the internet, they're also really great for streaming audio and video files. Although, the vast majority of netbooks don't support DVD media.

Although you will likely pay a tad bit higher of a price for a laptop computer vs a netbook, you'll be grateful to hear that laptop computer prices have been declining substantially lately. At present you can buy a perfectly good, cutting edge, brand name laptop computer for less than a thousand. More Low-priced ones go for as little as three hundred dollars, in some cases. Laptop prices were pretty much non-existant not that long ago.

Regardless of which type of portable computer you decide to buy, keep your eyes on the lookout for bargains on the internet. At the velocity prices are dropping, you're in a great position to find a sweet deal if you are continually looking around the internet. Ebay may be a smart place to start your search.