According to several reports over the past month, netbooks are on their way out. The LA Times and Digital Trends both quote a forecast by iSuppli that netbooks will no longer be shipped by 2015. Another interesting article comes from PC World talks about the end of Intel’s netbook specific Atom processors. In both cases tablets and smartphones are luring away buyers.

True, prices have dropped. One can get a refurbished netbook for ~$200 at TigerDirect or Walmart or a new one for $250. However many e-readers are available at a fraction of that cost. Many smartphones can take care of the browsing and social parts. However, thinking back to my travels, I wonder if perhaps we are missing something. I spent several months in Thailand using my Dell 700m for writing and traveled through Guatemala with a Aspire One. I’m not sure if I’d have been able to write as much as I did on those computers using a tablet nor would I have felt as comfortable lugging it around. However, there have been plenty of add-on keyboards for netbooks for over a year, just take a look at some of these keyboards in a Tech Hive overview from March 2012. For those interested, there’s a neat Popular Science article that takes you the other way: Turn Your Old Notebook Touchscreen Into A Tablet.

As the writer for a site dedicated to mini-laptops, I’m wondering if I should stick it out with news of new products and offerings or expand and add tablets and accessories which turn them into netbooks as well.

On the other hand, perhaps the end is not so near. Chromebooks are growing in popularity and I’m sure wireless printing issues will soon be a thing of the past. Ars Technica points out that in an interview with the WSJ, Asus’s CEO said he too was eager to join Acer, Lenovo, and HP in the chromebook market. Chromebooks start at about $200 and can sell for as much as $1450. In related news, Wired reports that Linux released its first kernel which includes code for running Chromebooks.

Perhaps netbooks aren’t on the line after all. Chromebooks are growing as are new gadgets, accessories, and technology that can transform phones and tablets into minilaptops when needed.

Tigerdirect has three Acer Aspire One netbooks for under $200. All come with 1.66 GHz processors, 1GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB HDD’s, and Windows 7 Starter. Refurbished.

The first is an Acer Aspire One LU.SG40D.015 with an Intel Atom N570 (dual core), the other two are models AOD257-13478 and RB-LU.SFV0D.119 with Intel Atom N455 processors.

See for yourself at TigerDirect (disclaimer: affiliate link)

Processor: Intel Atom 1.6 GHz Dual-Core N2600
Memory: 2GB DDR3 SDRAM
HDD: 320GB SATA hard drive
Networking: 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n
Screen Size: 10.1″ backlit LED
Convenience: 0.3 megapixel, 3-in-1 card reader
USB/Ports: 3 USB 2.0, headphone/mic, VGA, and HDMI
Battery: 6 cell lithium-ion, up to 11 hours.

Check it out for yourself at Walmart.

Get a new Acer Aspire One for under $200. The AOD255E-13429 model has a 250GB Hard Drive, 1GB RAM, 1.66 GHz Atom N455 processor, and Windows 7. Great deal from Tiger Direct.

Netbook Specifications:

See more product details, warranty information, and shipping options at Tiger Direct’s Acer Aspire One OAD255E-13429 Product Page

Disclaimer: I’m an affiliate, which means I may make a few dollars if you choose to buy this product. At the same time, this deal speaks for itself and as you can see I don’t post very often and only write about only truly worthwhile deals and products.

Samsung NC110-A02US Netbook – Blue     (image from TigerDirect)

This 10.1 inch netbook comes with a 250GB hard drive and Windows 7. It weighs under 3 pounds and boasts a 10.7 hour 6-cell battery!

What’s really amazing is that you can get such mini-laptop, from a strong brand like Samsung, for just $250. That’s $250 for a new, not refurbished, minilaptop. It comes with a one-year Samsung warranty too.

TigerDirect is already having a sale in these, but you can get an extra $30 off with coupon code: GAX34648.

Netbook Specifications

Visit the Samsung NC110-A02US Product Page for more details and warranty and shipping options.

ASUS Eee PC 1001PX-BBK301 Netbook – 10.1", 1.66Ghz Atom processor, 1GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, Windows XP – $239.99.

IBM Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t 9442 – Core 2 Duo 2Ghz, 14.1", XP Pro, DVD Player – $279.99

HP Mini 1103 XT981UT Netbook – Atom 1.66GHz processor, 1GB DDR3, 250GB HDD, 10.1", 6-Cell, Windows 7 – $299.99

Lite-On ETAU208-96 Slim External DVD Writer (Image from TigerDirect.com)

(Image from TigerDirect.com)

A Personal Story
I normally just post about netbooks, but this is a great deal on a good minilaptop accessory.

I’ll tell you a secret: I’m a books on tape addict. I grab a bunch at the library and steadily listen through them as I drive to and from work. The problem is most of the readers read way too slowly.

Luckily, there is a solution: VLC Media Player’s pitch control. I can play books at 1.5 to 2.2 x faster without any problems and I can control it with just a simple keyboard click (“[" and "]” are the shortcuts).

The only problem is netbooks don’t have cd drives or any other kind of optical drives. To get around this I ended up buying a generic USB-powered CD drive from eBay and couldn’t wait to get my efficiency booster into action (2x the speed = 2x the books).

Sadly, after a few trips, I ended up putting it away. Loading it was just too much for the road. As much as I want to listen to more books, safety and accident avoidance are higher priorities.

Now there’s a good solution available: a nice, sleek, top-loading DVD Writer (not just a CD player) and it’s only $29.99 at TigerDirect.

Whether you want a books on tape pitch control solution or are looking for a quality optical drive for your netbook, this is good deal.

Specifications
Here are the specs, just in case:
Lite-On ETAU208-96 Slim External DVD Writer
DVD+R / DVD-R 8X
DVD+R9 / DVD-R9 6X
DVD+RW 8X
DVD-RW 6X
CD-R 24X
Power-Saving Mode
Lightscribe Technology
Color: Black

For more details and warranty and shipping options, visit TigerDirect’s ETAU208-96 Product Page.

Disclaimer: I’m an affiliate, meaning I may make around dollar if you choose to buy this DVD writer or maybe a little more (a few dollars) if you choose to buy something more expensive. Please notice that I don’t post too often and only write about truly worthwhile deals and stories.

Some specs:
Model: 1005HA-EU2X-BK ASUS Eee PC
Screen: 10.1-inch
Processor: N270 1.60GHz
Memory: 1GB DDR2 RAM
Disk Space: 160 GB HDD
Keyboard: 92% size
Battery: Up to 4 hr

Disclaimer: I’m an affiliate, meaning I make a some money if people purchase some of the products I write about, including a couple dollars if someone buys an Asus Eee 1005HA. If you look at my previous posts and what I write about you’ll see that I’m quite selective with the reviews and deals that I post. Quality and trust are most important.

(Image from TigerDirect.com)

These classic 10 inch minilaptops were a great deal to start with, but the new models are even better, especially at a base price $299.99. They are available in blue, red, silver, and purple, and although the discount isn’t huge ($20), this is still a great deal for a quality netbook.

What makes the new version of the bestselling Aspire One different?
1. New processor (Intel Atom N450). It’s more efficient, letting your minilaptop battery last longer. Plus it’s a bit faster too (1.66 GHz vs 1.6 GHz in the last series).
2. LED-backlighting. You get great picture and your netbook saves a lot on power.
3. 6-cell battery that gives up to 8 hours of battery life (thanks to previous two features).
4. Beautiful redesigned touchpad! It’s textured, sturdy, multi-gesture-reading, not-side-buttoned, and seamless. A huge improvement over the last left/right version’s side-click ones.
5. Windows 7. I admit it, I’m slow to jump onto “new” operating systems, but after seeing Windows 7 in action for almost a year, I have to admit that it truly is an improvement over XP. The split screen and lock feature alone is a huge time-saver.

(Image from TigerDirect.com)

Other cool features: 1.3 megapixel webcam built in, 93 percent of full size keyboard (improved buttons as well), the improved batteries give a nice tilt to the netbook (which also helps keep air flowing and your netbook functioning better), it’s still got the three USB slots, 1GB RAM, and the 160GB HDD, and the 802.11 B/G wifi (the new models add 802.11 Draft-N to the mix).

There’s a great video walkthrough of this netbook’s features, along with all the specifications and order and warranty options at TigerDirect’s AO532H-2588 Page.

Disclaimer: I’m an affiliate, meaning I make a few dollars if people purchase some of the products I write about, including the AO532H. With that in mind, if you look through this post and previous ones, you’ll see that I only post about truly good deals and quality netbooks. There are many of other netbook review sites out there and I work hard to earn your trust.