Netbook vs Laptop - which to buy? In this often discussed battle I've decided to share my thoughts on the differences between the two in an effort to help people better decide which option would be best for them. In fact, I receive emails from readers daily on this exact subject so when I looked back through my past posts I couldn't help but notice I never took the time to actually discuss netbooks vs laptops before so that's why I'm doing it today. These are some easy questions you can ask yourself to help determine whether a netbook or laptop is right for you. If you answer yes to more of these questions in one category than the other then you should have an answer as to which product will work best for you.

Netbook:

Is your budget less than $500?
Do you prefer your device be something small and light weight? (10 or 12 inch screen size? around 3 lbs or less)
Do you plan to use your device for MS office suite, Facebook, email, iTunes, Skype video chat
Do you plan to use your device to play intense games? If so, consider a netbook with Nvidia ION built in
Do you need a battery life that can last a full day without needing a charge?

If you answered yes to most of these questions you should buy a netbook. Every month I discuss the bestselling netbooks and on a semi regular basis I discuss netbook deals (look there as a starting point for which netbook to buy)

Laptop:

Is your budget over $500? Over $1,000? Over $1,500?
Do you prefer larger screens and don't mind the increase in weight? (13 inches up to 17 inches? 4 lbs to 7 lbs [sometimes more])
Do you plan to use your device for tasks that are considerably more processor intensive than using the MS office suite, Facebook, email, iTunes, Skype video chat? i.e. 1080P HD video editing, Highest possible graphic settings in a PC game
Do you need a battery life that can last a full day without needing a charge? (If so expect to spend more)

If you answered yes to most of these questions than you should buy a laptop. I also run Notebook Reviews which focuses more on laptop information. You can also simply check out Amazon's bestselling laptop list to get an idea of what is most popular with consumers.

Conclusion:

What this argument really comes down to is a few key points: what is your budget, what do you need the device to do and does the size and weight of the device matter. It's really that simple. I believe that most people only need a netbook and even if you can afford to buy a laptop why waste the money if all you plan to do is use the Microsoft Office Suite, Facebook, write emails, video chat on Skype and store music for iTunes? Besides I've already proved you can play some intense netbook games as long as you buy a netbook with Nvidia ION inside so why spend considerably over $500 when you don't need to?

Acer AO532h 8 Hours of Battery Life $298

Specs: Windows 7 Starter, Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1001P 11 Hours of Battery Life $299.99

Specs: Windows XP Home, Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-MU17-BK 11 Hours of Battery Life $320.36

Specs: Windows 7 Starter, Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive (see full specs)

If you'd prefer to try and save a little money or get a little more bang for your buck consider purchasing an older generation netbook. I've added more deals on these netbooks after the break

Acer AOD250-1689 9 Hours of Battery Life $275.31

Specs: Windows 7 Starter, Intel Atom N280 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

Dell Inspiron Mini 1011 8 Hours Battery Life $297.69

Specs: Windows 7 Starter, Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

Samsung NC10-13GB 6 Hours of Battery Life $284.99

Specs: Windows XP home, Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

If you need help deciding what netbook to buy be sure to read my netbook buyers guide. I'm also available to help personally via email. Finally you can read some past articles like this one on the new cheap netbooks, the best netbooks under $300 and if you're looking to get a deal on an older netbook be sure to read my article on the best netbooks of 2009.

Side note: Enjoy the Super Bowl! I just hope my Seahawks can get their act together next season...

Sony Vaio W Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor, 250 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, 802.11b/g/n and Verizon mobile broadband card built in, 1366 x 768 screen resolution (see full specs)

The demo unit I received is the Sony VAIO VPC-W215AX/L with 8 Hours of Battery Life. At first I thought it was blue then I thought it was black so it it's actually a pretty dark blue as you'll see in the video. The netbook is currently on pre-order for $599.99. The price was my only primary complaint, but remember the specs you'll get on this unit that most netbooks don't offer (3G access built in and 1366 x 768 screen resolution).

If you want to get a cheaper Sony netbook I would suggest you check out this model: Sony VAIO VPC-W121AX/W

The netbook maintains the higher screen resolution of 1366 x 768 but drops the 3G access. It also has a 250 GB hard drive and 1 GB of RAM (see full specs) for only $468.34.

Would you pay $599 for a netbook or would you prefer the less expensive model at $468?

Winners:

The first place winner was an application called "DeskSpace" which was created by Otaku Software. The image to above is an example of what it looks like while running on your netbook.

DeskSpace is a 3D virtual desktop that gives you more space for your windows and icons. You can eliminate desktop clutter by arranging your windows and icons across up to six desktops, all easily accessible via a revolutionary 3D desktop cube.

I could see myself using one side for casual browsing, another side for games and another side for work / blogging.

The rest of the winners can be seen here: Results Page

If you haven't downloaded the AppUp center for your netbook you should download it here. With the AppUp center you can download both free and paid apps specifically designed for use on your netbook.

Top 10 Best selling Netbooks of January:

1. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - Up to 14 Hours of Battery Life $368.59
2. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-MU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - Up to 11 Hours of Battery Life $319.99
3. Dell Inspiron Mini 1011 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook - Up to 8 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) $297.69
4. ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hour Battery Life $324.95
5. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201N-PU17-BK 12.1-Inch Black Netbook - 5 Hours of Battery Life $484.00
6. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook - 10.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) $329.99
7. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) $329.99
8. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook - Up to 14 Hours of Battery Life $368.59
9. ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-MU17-WT 10.1-Inch White Netbook - Up to 11 Hours of Battery Life $319.99
10. Toshiba Mini NB205-N230 (NB200 series) 10.1-Inch Black Onyx Netbook - 9 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) $322.84

This month showed one of the first times we've seen a near sweep by one manufacturer - ASUS. I was not surprised at all by the fact that new netbooks using Intel Atom's pinetrail processors led the charge. Priced at only $368.59 the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE has the new Intel Atom 450 Processor which helps to contribute to it's insane 14 hour battery life. The rest of the list is a mix of older generation netbooks and new netbooks in various colors. The Toshiba NB205 is also on the bestsellers list like it has been almost every single month - albeit this time in last place. Priced at $322.84 it's a great deal despite the fact that it's using the older generation Intel processors.

If you're looking for a deal on a next generation netbook, I put together a list of the new cheap netbooks under $300. These netbooks all include the Intel Atom N450 processor which offers improved battery life and a slight performance boost

This has been a Netbook Reviews Post

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1001P 11 Hours of Battery Life $299.99

Specs: Windows XP Home, Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

I had an opportunity to see this netbook at CES and although I don't have any video to show you some hands on impressions it's basically like the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA except there are no plastic flaps to hide the ports (some find that annoying anyway) and it's slightly taller / heavier. So if you like the style and design of the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA, but would prefer not to pay an extra $100 to get it this model is a nice compromise. You are buying a netbook with Windows XP though, so if you'd prefer to move onto Windows 7 check out this next netbook on the list. Pick it up for $299.99.

Acer AO532h 8 Hours of Battery Life $298

Specs: Windows 7 Starter, Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

Acer is known for being the bargain netbook company, but I don't use that word negatively. Instead, they make only a few different netbooks that skimp on the least important features so that they can offer netbooks at the lowest possible price. Customers are drawn to that and if you're looking to get into a netbook for as little as possible this option is perfect for you. The only way I would suggest the ASUS option above is if you would prefer a slightly better battery life and don't mind using Windows XP. If you want Windows 7, then pick up this netbook for $298.

HP Mini 210 4.25 Hours of Battery Life $299.99

Specs: Windows 7 Starter, Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

The HP Mini 210 is a fantastic netbook. I gave it an honorable mention in my post about the best netbook of CES and I think it's leaps and bounds better than the previous generation HP Mini 110. This model has Windows 7 and comparable specs to the Acer AO532h, but the only thing keeping me from recommending this netbook above all others is the small battery life of only 4.25 hours. Yes there are other versions with a higher battery life worth checking out (see them all here) but the problem is that the price jumps up about $30 or more. So the only way I suggest you buy this netbook over the others is if you have a rosy experience with HP products from the past and would prefer to stick to a brand you know and trust.

Wrap Up:

If I've missed any feel free to let me know and I'll update the post. Of these cheap netbooks I personally would probably go with the Acer netbook if my budget was limited to only $300 because I'd want to get Windows 7. But I know some people still prefer XP and if you get an extra 3 hours of battery life by going with the ASUS option then that's all the better. In any case, if you need any help deciding on a specific netbook to go with let me know by contacting me and I'd be happy to help. You should also download the free netbook buyers guide too.

Now that we know what the specs and pricing are on the iPad it's easy to see there is no need for Apple to create a netbook when they have a product relatively the same size and price as many netbooks on the market today:

* 9.7-inch IPS Display
* 1GHz Apple A4 Chips
* Capacitive multi-touch screen
* Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth
* 16GB to 64GB Flash storage

Pricing:

* $499 for the base 16GB Wi-Fi
* $599 for the 32GB model Wi-Fi
* $699 for the 64GB model Wi-Fi
* $629 for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G
* $729 for the 32GB Wi-Fi +3G
* $829 for the 64GB Wi-Fi +3G

The Apple iPad uses a virtual keyboard and is also around the same 10 inch screen size that most netbooks are proves the chance of an Apple netbook is all but dead now. The fact that they are also trying to take over the Kindle eReader market now with this device is further evidence that Apple is trying to have it's cake and eat it too (netbook and eReader in one).

What do you think? Now that the Apple iPad has been released will we ever see an Apple netbook?

Feel free to vote above, share your comments in the post via the link below or in the netbook forum.

I've done some videos of the Nvidia ION chipset in action where I showed the game Crysis being played and a before and after of Adobe Flash 10.1; however, I didn't have a chance to compare the performance between the Nvidia ION chipset and that of the only other competitor for HD video - the Broadcom HD Video Accelerator. The folks at Laptopmag did do some tests though and the results are listed above.

In all three file tests which include Avatar as a Quicktime MPEG4 file and Magic of Flight as WMV file the Nvidia ION powered Inspirion 10 outperformed the exact same netbook equipped with the Broadcom HD video accelerator instead of Nvidia ION. This is the best comparison test I've seen yet that shows the performance difference between the two, so if you're trying to decide between two netbooks for HD playback I would recommend going with Nvidia ION.

Here are a few netbooks that currently use Nvidia ION:

HP Mini 311 (named the best netbook for games last year)
Lenovo Ideapad S12 ION (See my review)
ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201N

Yugatech put together a list of the Windows Experience ratings for various netbook CPU's into a nice image listed above. The results are pretty much in line with what I expected with Intel Atom processors being the slowest performing and Intel CULV processors being among the highest performing processors; however, this does give you a good visual comparison between each chipset. I was under the impression that the new Intel Atom N450 processor at 1.66 GHz offered a slight performance increase over the Intel Atom N270 and N280; however, that doesn't seem to be the case as all three appear to share the same 2.3 score.

Almost everyone knows what is a netbook, and that's a portable computer with an intentionally weak (yet power efficient) processor designed to help improve battery life. So as a buyer I wouldn't be influenced to buy a machine with a CULV inside simply because it's faster. Instead, I'd need to see a battery life comparison chart as well for it to influence my decision (even then you still need to deal with the fact that machines powered by CULV's are more expensive).

What do you think? Does this change your mind about what you would prefer to buy?

Acer Best Pick: Acer AO532h-2223 in Silver $299

Quick Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

More new netbooks along with my best picks are continued after the break.

ASUS Best Pick: ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17-BU blue for $368.59 or in black

Quick Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM and 250 GB hard drive (see full specs)

They also make a less expensive slightly lighter version with a lower capacity 6 cell for 11 hours of battery life ASUS Eee PC 10005PE version in black or white)

The ASUS Eee PC 1008P in brown or pink is available, but currently out of stock. See my hands on CES report for more details)

HP Best Pick: HP Mini 210-1030NR $333.51

Quick Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM and 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

The HP Mini 210 is also available at HP.com in a few other configurations here or here for the HD screen option.

Lenovo Best Pick: Lenovo X100e $531.99

Quick Specs: 1.6 GHz AMD Mobile Athlon, 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (see full specs)

The X100e was my favorite from Lenovo, even though it's technically not a netbook. The other netbooks from Lenovo are not shipping yet. (See my hands on CES report for more info)

MSI Best Pick: MSI Wind U135-206US in Silver $336.09

Quick Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

The MSI Wind U135 is also available in blue, red, and black (see my hands on CES report for more on this new netbook)

Sony Best Pick: Sony VAIO VPC-W121AX/T in Brown $421.25

Quick Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

Sony Vaio W series netbooks are also available in White and Pink

Toshiba Best Pick: Toshiba Mini NB305

Quick Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive (see full specs)

I named the Toshiba NB305 the best netbook of CES. You can also see it in action via my hands on CES report for more details. If you want Windows 7 starter, you'll need to pay $50 more but it is available in 3 colors: white, blue and brown

I'll update this list as more new netbooks begin shipping. With that said, feel free to contact me directly if you aren't sure which netbook to buy.