how to choose your netbook

I have been scouting for a laptop for the past few months. My first consideration was something light and handy since the laptop I'm using is bulky and carrying it when I travel is not much of a comfort. So, I decided to consider buying a netbook.

Netbooks are small, lightweight, inexpensive, and are designed for mobility, wired and wireless online access, word processing, and general office applications. It usually weighs a little more than one kilograms and features LCD screens between six to ten inches. It is fit for people who want to work and be connected on the go.

In comparison to notebooks, netbooks has some trade-offs features such as optical drives have been omitted. It has smaller screens, keyboards, and trackpads. Its computing power has also been reduced. However, aside from being cheaper and lighter in weight, it now has longer battery life (with netbooks running on Intel Atom processors).

Choosing the netbook I wanted to purchase took me a lot of time in research. I wanted to make sure that I won't regret my decision after. I read product specifications, tech reviews, and user reviews. It is important that before purchase you know the unit's pros and cons.

These are some of what I considered (aside from budget):

• brand (i.e. Lenovo, MSI, HP, Acer, etc.) 
• what brand am I comfortable with? or what brand would give me my money's worth? what brand is trusted by most users? 
• processor (i.e. Intel Atom N455, 470, 475, or 550?) 
• would I be comfortable with a single core CPU at 1.87 GHz or dual core at 1.5 GHz? (if you are not familiar with its significance, google it) 
• RAM [random access memory] (i.e. 1GB or 2GB) 
• for a faster netbook, it's better to get it to 2GB but if you are patient enough and have budget constraints then you can always settle for 1GB
• HD [hard disk] (i.e. 160GB, 250GB, 320 GB) 
• how big would you want it? when you want to store pictures, movies, etc. you want this to be bigger or else you need to purchase an external HD 
• thickness (slim & light or any) 
• this is a good consideration when you want to travel light 
• other features (i.e. tablet) 
• if you want the latest in technology and you feel that this latest innovation will address your wants and needs, then, why not? 

These were my considerations aside from how much I can shell out for a netbook. Reviewers say that a netbook usually is at its best condition up to five years. After that, consider buying another one (well, you need to since by that time, your unit is obsolete).