<p>Thanks to the combined diligence of thousands of grade conscious, AP snatching, CC'ers like yourself, wearied-eyed college admission officers across the nation are drenched in a record number of college applications inundated with meaningless activities like "Honors Society" and "Ping Pong Club" this holiday season. But now is not the time to simply lose yourself to the growing epidemic of senioritis just yet, because before you know it, you will all be moving on to post secondary institutions where you will be called upon to exhibit the level of resolve and wit requisite of future leaders of this remarkably complicated society. But such a task is illusory should you set out misinformed and ignorant of the tools necessary for 21st century college students like yourself to navigate through this increasingly technologically oriented and politically unstable world. In a few weeks, you will come face to face to an impasse like no other, an age-long question that has stumped thousands of students and sent countless parents into hysteria. You will be forced to ask yourself...dramatic cue... "What computer do I need to buy for college?" But fear not, because like you, I was in your same position just a year ago. I was a misguided and technologically inept incoming freshman just like you who prowled the internet for "expert" advice to no avail. But now, as a self-reflecting, intellectually refined, full-fledged rising sophomore, I have garnered the wisdom to fully answer that dismal question so you don't have to traverse through your first semester in college with a severe case of buyer's remorse.</p>
<p>It's quite hard to believe that just a year ago, the answer was crystal clear. Laptops were undisputedly the most sensible choice for college students. Lugging around a ten pound PC was downright ridiculous, and was an awful waste of dorm space. But in recent years, the emergence of atom processors gave birth to a new line of miniature laptops called "Netbooks". These computers took the PC industry by storm, and made relatively arcane computer manufacturers such as Asus and Lenovo overnight tech stars. Soon, thousands of these low-priced, newbie friendly Netbooks were being produced to meet skyrocketing demands. But in their infancy, their unattractive designs and deplorable processing capabilities allowed them to do little more than surf the web and create bite sized word documents; and despite their popularity, Applies chief operating officer Timothy D. Cook snubbed them as junky hardware with cramped keyboards that he wouldn't put the Mac brand on. But that was in April, and in the tech world, six months is more than enough for any piece of hardware to fall into obsolescence. Late this year, Asus and a number of other leading Netbook manufacturers introduced Netbooks with processing speeds that rival those of most laptops, and some were even priced nearly three times less than laptops. Thanks to the Moores law, these miniature computers have finally become viable substitutes to traditional notebook computers. In this guide, I will be pitting the laptop against the Netbook in four areas: horse power, stamina, mobility, and, of course, price, and which one is best suited for your needs.</p>
<p>Horsepower</p>
<p>If you plan on dawdling most of your college career in graphic intensive games like Crysis or Call of Duty, a Netbook may be a bit of a disappointment because they're not designed for high-end gaming, unfortunately. But for fans of Starcraft (the original) or a good ole game of minesweeper, you're in luck. The standard laptop in the market contains a duo-core processor, around 3 GB of ram, and an outdated video card that doesn't really make it a drastically better surrogate for running 3D games. But they're upgradable, and with a few extra dollars, they can be transformed into gaming powerhouses. These small upgrades on a regular laptop can make the job of aspiring graphics designers or engineering majors significantly easier, and is much more reliable than Netbooks despite their recent developments. There is, however, the Asus N10 gaming Netbook on the market, but it runs for over 800 dollars and only has a single core processor, which pretty much kills the deal. But if you plan on doing little more than word processing, internet surfing, and perhaps even some light gaming(solitaire), the Netbooks will be the perfect choice with more than enough processing speed to get the work done. The Netbooks in the market are highly standardized- most come with 1GB of RAM, but are upgradable to a maximum of two for an extra fifty dollars, which I highly recommend because the improvement in speed is palpable. But what the Netbooks seem to lack-or at least lacking the eyes of gaming fanatics-makes up for its extraordinarily long battery life. Some people are troubled by the fact that Netbooks do not have a DVD drive, but for most college students, the absence of a DVD drive on a Netbook is no cause for panic because it's scarcely used. External drives run for about fifty dollars, and may or may not be worth it depending on whether you'll be watching DVD's on the go. Although watching episodes of Lost in between classes probably isn't the best idea.</p>
<p>Stamina</p>
<p>The average laptop in the market come with a 6 cell battery that runs at most two to three hours on balanced power settings. Upgraded to a 12 cell battery, expect no more than 4-5 hours of minimal usage. Few laptops are able to go through two full length movies or a raid session in the World of Warcraft without running dry and sending you scrambling to find the nearest outlet. This can be a major turnoff for students who expect to be taking notes on their laptops in college- which has become the de facto standard for many students because handwritten notes are completely illegible. And for students who expect to complete their work outside the distractions of their dorm, having a laptop that requires a recharge every hour and an half can become quite a nuisance. I know this because I used an HP laptop throughout my first semester, and I can't tell you how much of a pain it is to let the location of the outlet- which is often hoarded by a group of uninformed laptop users like yourself and I- dictate where I'm going to do my work for the day. There's always that one person who is always plugged into the sole outlet at the local coffee shop- so trying to do a couple of hours of light surfing at a nearby star bucks is also out of the question. There are so many limitations, so what makes a Netbook so much better? Well, it isn't- at least not until companies like Samsung, Asus, and Acer began releasing battery powerhouses like the Aspire one, the 1000HA, and the N310 that packed 6 cell batteries promising to deliver over 7 hours of uninterrupted usage on balanced settings. These laptops can go a full day without charging, and that has made all the difference in my book for choosing between a Laptop and a Netbook. Gone are the worries of wandering to uncharted regions on campus where an outlet may not always be available, or not being able to sit next to that cute guy or gal because that battery signal on your laptop is flashing incessantly, weeping for food like a malnourished little baby.</p>
<p>Portability</p>
<p>You probably don't need me to tell you which ones more portable. Netbooks are less than 12 inches in width, and weight less than 3 pounds. But the typical laptop is over 14 inches, and can weigh as much as 5 pounds- which I find to be quite heavy on the lap, and has induced prolonged periods of numbness. Some net books are even as small as 7 inches, but I would advise against purchasing Netbooks that are smaller than 10.1 inches because your hands will be subject to frequent cramping. These gadgets weigh less than 3 pounds, and can even fit into some large coat pockets. Also, because they're so small and compact, they take up very little room and you will find them to be perfect for note taking on those small desks in lecture halls. But during these locust years, most families are probably less concerned with whether they can fit a computer into their pockets as opposed to how much money will be coming out of them, which brings us to our final category: price.</p>
<p>Price</p>
<p>Traditional laptops go for 5 to 7 hundred dollars in the market, but they're quite unappealing and dare I say, worthless, because not only are they incapable of running graphic intensive applications without a slight upgrade, but are priced in a range that is simply unreasonable for the average user. So, in comparison to Netbooks, most of which sell for under 400, this should be a no brainer. Most new Netbooks in the market now pack as much punch as supposedly bargain priced 15 inched notebooks, and are half the size and can run for twice as long.</p>
<p>So, in short, if you consider yourself to be the modern collegiate nomad, the Netbook will prove to be an indispensable sidekick. But if you're going to be an outlet-hugging dorm dweller who values quality and speed above all else, then a laptop just may be the perfect companion for you.</p>
<p>I Hope that helps!</p>
. As a testament to its capabilities, I run vista smoothly…