Group test: what's the best netbook?

Comments

Best Laptops 2012 said: I Have the Eee PC 1001HA. It has 1GB of Ram and a 160GB HDD Hard drive. In terms of style, performance and sheer ability, the Eee PC is untouchable. Possibly the best on the market.

Matt Egan said: Not a vibrant category, is it? Netbooks are good at being cheap and light laptops. But they have never been good performers. I must confess that mine sits on my desk unused most of the time, and when I travel I use my tablet. But for those who need a hardware keyboard a good netbook is not to be sniffed at.

Andy_uk said: if these are the best five what are the worst?!

Matt Egan said: An interesting point, well made. I think it's fair to say that a combination of Microsoft's locking down of the spec, and the rapid rise of mobile and tablet computing, has rather taken the wind out of netbook sails (and sales!). Netbooks aren't *bad*, but they're not good at anything but being cheap. If you need something small and connected, a smartphone will tend to be better. And a cheap 13in laptop is often better value. I dare say that on some occasions a netbook is still best, but I must confess it's been a while since I've wielded mine in anger.

Dylan said: How are these the "best" five when the review slates all 5 machines reviewed? Does this mean that there are no good netbooks out there at all?

Datasman said: AlexThe answer is yes, you can.

Alex said: Hi, does anyone know if you can use Microsoft office on a netbook please?

mike said: how is this a review of the best available in march 2011 as claimed when it is an old review of old machines, the only thing with any relevance to march 2011 is the claimed date

Erica Smith said: Hmmmm not sure about the Dell inclusion. Mine was pretty good until the power cable slot virtually stopped connecting with the power cable! Not an uncommon fault from what I can gather. Hope it's improved. Otherwise, helpful review.

David Staples said: "Price inflation is a common factor this month, with the Dell going up by more than £30."Surely DEflation is what's keeping Fed chairman Ben Bernanke awake at night? How can inflation exist in our "low inflation environment"?

Pete Johnson said: What about Acer Aspire One 533 with N550 processor? £329 with 2yr warranty at John Lewis.

Peter said: The best netbook is i would say LG x300 or x 120. They are the best ever! I have both of them.

poor article, guys said: I found this article really bad.How can you not have included the Toshiba NB305-N410?¿?I mean it's about the best in the market right now! And price is great too!

Datasman said: As I said earlier - some people are confusing 'best' with 'newest'.I can read reviews of the latest products in a number of places, but what matters most is objective judgements from reviewers I trust. I repeat - I found the article helpful, and have since bought one of the machines mentioned.

Matt Egan - PC Advisor said: Oh, and for the record: this article and our Top 5 Netbooks chart has been updated twice since Louise's comments.

Matt Egan - PC Advisor said: Okay, we really have no intention to mislead. On the contrary, we're trying to give the best buying advice (which doesn't always mean giving prominence to the newest products). What should we change our subhead to?

VINBAR said: Sorry guys, but Louise does have a point. The article is entitled "The best net books you can buy"- so as a new buyer I expected to be given bang up to date information, including latest model reviews. If this was about "cheapest/bargain net books" then that would be a different article: but that's not what the reader was told. I'm now left still looking for a best buy review that includes the latest models.

Datasman said: Louise obviously has trouble distinguishing between the words 'best' and 'newest', and probably wasted more of her time taking a cheap crack at the article than she did reading it.I thought the piece was well-researched and well written - just the kind of thing a potential buyer like me needs. Many thanks for an informative read.

PC Advisor said: Wow. No-one could accuse you of not caring, Louise. For the record: not putting a product in the Top 5 does not mean that we haven't heard of it. PC Advisor chooses which products to recommend on the basis of performance *and* price: in the case of netbooks this means that (in our view) the most recent/expensive model is not necessarily the best. We are, of course, aware of the Samsung N220 et al, but if you should around you will find the N110 for much less than its RRP. Given the relatively small spec differential, we think that makes it a better deal. Sorry you think you wasted your time, you may not agree with our editorial judgment, but be assured it is not 'poor research', or lack of care.

Louise Martens said: Thanks for such a poorly researched article; there are much newer models available for most of the netbooks mentioned here - especially Toshiba and Samsung: why not mention the Samsung N150, or even the latest models, Samsung N210 and N220, which have been on the market since earlier this year, or the Toshiba NB305, which has also been on the market for months now. Nice to know that you bother with your content... not nice to know that I wasted my time reading some of your piece.