SPOTLIGHT: What Laptop Awards 2008 20/08/2008

What Laptop Mobile Computing Awards 2008 – Best Netbook/UMPC

The Netbook has been the success story of 2007-2008, emerging from nowhere and completely changing the laptop market. Traditionally, ultraportable machines cost several times more than their larger siblings, making large and heavy laptops the only choice for those on a tight budget.

These tiny machines have completely changed that, offering a truly portable system in a highly affordable package. Sure, you won’t find the full power of a desktop replacement machine, but these mobile wonders offer more than enough performance for word processing and emailing tasks. We’ve seen an explosion in the amount of Netbooks released in the past year, but four machines stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Acer Aspire One
One of the smaller Netbooks, the Aspire One represents excellent value for money, with a starting price of just £199 (inc. VAT). At this end of the market, you’ll still find the same Intel Atom N270 processor as the Advent 4211 and Asus Eee PC 901, but memory is limited to 512MB, and storage space is relatively small at 8GB.

In order to speed things up, Acer equips the Aspire One with the Linpus version of Linux. Although this leaves enough space on the 8GB flash drive for your files and applications, it’s not as intuitive as the Asus OS, and takes some getting used to. Build quality also lagged behind that of the other Netbooks, highlighting where costs have been cut.

Advent 4211
A re-branded but cheaper version of MSI’s excellent Wind Netbook, the Advent 4211 is one of the best Netbooks you can buy. The 10-inch screen affords it a large and comfortable keyboard, and the interface is excellent even for those with larger hands.

Performance also proved impressive, powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor at 1.6GHz, and 1024MB of memory. Running Windows XP Professional, it’s more than quick enough for daily use. It will also support 2048MB of memory for those wanting to multi-task more efficiently. At 1kg, it’s not the most portable choice in the Netbook market, but it’s more than mobile enough for most users.

Asus Eee PC 901
The Asus Eee PC 901 follows on from the success of the original Netbook, the Eee PC 701. It brings with it a host of changes, from a larger, redesigned chassis, to a higher resolution 8.9-inch screen, to Intel’s latest Atom N270 processor.

The changes make it a far more usable machine, and those with larger hands will appreciate the bigger keyboard and touchpad. The screen is also an improvement on the original Eee PC, offering enough space to run Windows comfortably. You’ll also be able to buy it with the intuitive Xandros Linux operating system, offering fast start-up times and lag-free responses.

HP Mini-Note 2133
While the other Netbooks have something of a toy-like feel about them, due to their small size and brightly coloured plastic finishes, the HP Mini-Note stunned us with its premium build quality. The brushed aluminium casing creates a high-end feel that wouldn’t be out of place on far more expensive machines.

The 8.9-inch glossy screen is bright and vivid, and usability is excellent due to the large keyboard – which is the best we’ve seen on a Netbook. The package is let down by the Via C7-M processor, however, which returned poor performance on our Windows Vista-equipped machine. Despite this, the HP remains a solid choice for those who place usability above outright performance.

Do you agree with our panel of judges choices? To vote for your favourite laptop in this year's WHAT LAPTOP MOBILE COMPUTING AWARDS, click HERE