The popularity of netbooks is spreading like wildfire. Over the past year, sales of these miniature laptop computers have been booming, with no signs of slowing down. The machines are lightweight, portable, inexpensive, and perfectly suitable for non-intensive web tasks, which explains their appeal to consumers. I purchased my own Dell Mini 9 back in January. Before that, my friend Paul showed me the first netbook that I’d ever seen in person, his ASUS Eee PC. Since that time, I have noticed that the netbook user experience is definitely a unique one. Please allow me to provide a few examples:

People will approach you – I maintain a humor blog, so my netbook comes in handy while writing updates on the go. I can just find a seat in any public place with a wifi connection and get things done. However, almost every time I do, people approach me and ask questions about my netbook. I’ve become the belle of the coffee shop ball for a brief fleeting moment or two. Usually it’s not much, but sometimes it makes me wish that I had a real-life equivalent to an FAQ page that I could show people when they linger around for too long. I might get a sign made that says “It costs between $250 and $400. It is good for basic tasks. It’s as fast as the speed of your internet connection. Yes, I like using it. Please refer all other questions to www.google.com.”

The keyboard takes some getting used to – I have adjusted to the keyboard and I have no problem typing at my usual rate of speed. The only difference that continues to haunt me sometimes is the Shift key placement. I would probably be used to it if that were the only computer I work from, but since it’s not, I have to remind myself from time to time that it’s not positioned the same as most keyboards.

Women usually think netbooks are cute – I would not advise anyone to purchase a netbook with hopes of instantly becoming appealing to the opposite sex. That would be impractical and quite silly. That said, if you have one, they can sometimes be a conversation starter when you least expect it because of their compact, streamlined design aesthetics.

Please avoid trying to do too much – These things are light on memory, so if you’re planning on editing your next feature film on one, you are in for a great deal of frustration.

As you see, the netbook user experience is not really the same as that of most laptops. As long as users are realistic about what they plan to do with their netbooks, I don’t think anyone will be disappointed. I love mine so far!

Other Netbook Resources:
http://www.blackweb20.com/2008/12/17/top-4-holiday-tech-gifts-for-2008/
http://lifehacker.com/5273096/five-best-netbooks