5 Netbooks to Bring the Internet Along on Vacation

The summer travel season is nearly upon us and it is time to start thinking about how to stay connected while out on the road. If you are off to summer camp, on Caribbean cruises, or visiting places like Disney Land, you need a portable solution to keep everyone posted on your favorite social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Buzz. You also may need to take a little bit of work along with you, so you will need a device that has some computing ability.

There are a myriad of handheld devices that can help you stay connected to the Internet, from iPhones, iPads, laptops, notebooks, androids, and cell phones. If you need to get a little work done on vacation, then a laptop or notebook option may work best for you. For the ultimate in usability, productivity and portability, you may want take a netbook along on your summer vacation.

Netbook Price
When considering a netbook purchase for travel you should take price into account. Plan on your shiny new netbook getting dings and scratches on your trip. You may even lose it or it could get stolen, so you may not want to invest too much on the front end. It may be best to look for a model that has been on the market for a while, since they are lower in price of the new models with the latest bells and whistles.

Netbook Processors
Processor upgrades like the Atom N470 are on the horizon, and it may be a good time to take advantage of the expected drop in N450 netbooks once this new processor hits the streets as the summer months approach. If you want good battery life, then you may look to the Intel Z530 processor. It is a little more expensive than the N470, but runs much cooler. This allows the netbook to run without a fan and that brings the extended battery life.

Best Netbook Battery Life
If an airline flight, or a long road trip is in your plans, you will want a netbook that has good battery life. Cheaper netbooks come with a three cell battery, which if probably not suited for an extended stay away from the power adapter. Your best bet will be to get a netbook with at least a six cell battery. Some newer and more expensive models have a nine cell battery. A six cell battery will get you about six hours of time between recharges. Some higher priced models will be even more efficient in power usage.

Best Netbook Size
Another factor to consider is size. The 10 inch models offer nearly full size keyboards, while anything smaller can be difficult to type on. If you go for an 11 or 12 inch model you will get a little larger viewing area and a full size keyboard. But with these large models you get added size and weight.

Best Netbook Performance
Most 10 inch netbooks pack Intel Atom N450 processor and 1024x600 graphics. They all have about the same performance. You will pay extra for disk space, peripherals, and style. Models that have chicklet style keyboards will cost a few bucks extra. If you want to watch HD video, then you may want to wait to see if the Intel N470 processor hits the streets. This will cost you a few extra dollars.

Five netbooks that would make great travel companion this summer.

Acer Aspire One 532H
These come with a semi-chicklet keyboard and there are various makes and models. Acer Aspire One have either a three or six cell battery and either 160GB or 250 GB of disk storage. A good model choice for this line would be the Acer Aspire One 532H-2326. It is midnight blue in color, and a little bit of a finger print magnet, but is reasonably priced.

Asus 1001P
The Asus 1001P offers another semi chicklet style keyboard and reasonably for its model for its six cell battery. It also comes in a variety of colors. With the Asus 1001P you get a PC with extra long battery life. Prices of this line of Asus netbooks are now hovering around the $300 mark.

MSI Wind U110
Most MSI netbooks can be found at a cheaper price when compared to all other brands. The MSI Wind U110comes in with decent specs and keyboard. MSI notebooks generally cost less then most other netbooks on the market when you compare their specifications side by side. The U110 come in well under $300 and it sports up to14 hours of battery life on a toned down Intel Z530 CPU. If you are looking for nothing more than a temporary computer, without making much of an investment, then the MSI U110 may be the one to buy. These also come in a variety of colors. One little quirk about MSI netbook is that the Function and CTRL keys are reversed from the standard keyboard layout.

Samsung N150
Moving up on the price ladder we come the Samsung line of netbooks. There are several to choose from, but the N150 stands out as a value netbook with decent battery life. In addition, you get a decent layout for the keyboard. Other Samsung models like the new GO N315 come in at a much higher price. While they are more stylish looking, the N150 performs the same task as these more expensive Samsung models.

Toshiba NB305
If you want to want to make a statement with your computer, then look no further than the Toshiba NB305. This sleek line of notebooks will likely get an upgrade to N470 processors shortly, and look for the capable model with N450 processors to drop in price. In fact, as of the writing of this article, the NB305 has dropped on price from $20 to $40 on New Egg depending on which color you get in recent weeks.

The Toshiba NB305 offers a nice chicklet keyboard, standard 250 GB hard drive and are easily upgradeable to 2 GB RAM. The white model looks similar to a white Mac Book. Of the 5 netbooks reviewed here, the Toshiba NB305 is the most expensive model, running in the mid to upper $300 range.

There are many netbooks on the market, and prices should remain cheap. Look for prices on current models to fall even more as new and faster processors hit the market.

Source: Specifications and pricing from NewEgg and Amazon.com as of 4/1/2010. Performance review based on personal experience.