Netbook vs. Laptop: Which is Best For Me?

I’m an on-the-go kind of person. I love jumping on a plane for an adventure with nothing but a small carry-on bag and my purse. I am also embarrassingly dependent on my computer; whether at home or lounging around on vacation, you’ll usually find a laptop across my knees. I was recently in the market for a new computer, but instead of paying full price for a new laptop, I opted instead to spend only $300 on a 10 inch ASUS cobalt-blue netbook. The low price was enticing, but what really sold me was the size. Small enough to be carried from room to room balanced easily on the palm of one hand, the tiny netbook was the perfect companion for my always-moving lifestyle.

A friend cautioned me that I might not be satisfied with my purchase. “They don’t have much computing power,” he warned. “No DVD drive, and not a lot of memory. The small screen can also get annoying.” My response in defense of the netbook: “but it fits in my purse!” "Lives in my purse" may have been a more apt description, as I frequently take it with me to coffee shops, board meetings, or even the other side of the United States. It only weighs a few pounds and the battery lasts for 8 hours. Laptops are convenient, but the portability of the netbook is almost unmatched.

netbooks (Photo credit: osde8info)

However, my friend’s cautions against the netbook were not unfounded. My relationship with my netbook, though rosy in the beginning, has had its rough patches. The lack of an optical drive means I can’t easily install software, watch DVDs, or play CDs. Netbooks are not as powerful as laptops unless you spend a considerable amount, so I have been frequently frustrated with slowness, and sometimes non-responsiveness, when I have too many programs running at the same time. The small screen also makes watching YouTube videos less visually exciting than on my old laptop.

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If you love a large screen, want a fast computing experience, and can’t live without extras like a DVD drive, (and have the $500 to $1500 to spend), you are probably better off sticking with a laptop. If portability is your main goal and you mostly use your computer for basics like word processing and the internet, then you will be perfectly happy with a netbook. I still have my old laptop, which lives at my home while my netbook travels around with me. Since the two serve such different functions, you may even be happiest like I am--with one of each!

Austin computer shop in Western Australia offer great prices on all things computers. Checkout their laptop sale to save money on a new high performance laptop computer. Rest assured in the knowledge that every Austin store also has an in-store service center and offer free lifetime phone support on purchases.

Unique Gift Ideas this Christmas Season

Until now, the meaning of Christmas about the “giving and not receiving” concept is still true and people are still doing these kinds of stuffs. However, you can erase the fact that you are still expecting some goodies during the Christmas season. One of the traditional ways of people to share to wealth and blessing during the Christmas season is through stocking fillers.

Actually, this is already a traditional way of giving gifts. But, people decided to modernize this traditional way without removing the true essence of giving stocking fillers, Surprises. It is made to surprise the person whom you wanted to give the gift. Before you decide to surprise them with stocking fillers, here are some great Christmas gift ideas to help fill those stockings.

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The most basic goodies that you can add are chocolates. You do not have to worry about calories or fats. Besides, Christmas only occur once every year so it will not be a bad idea to sometimes give others a little treat of sweetness from chocolates. It may look a bit traditional but you can personalize the sweets to make it more unique. If you have the time to make chocolates, you can simply make them and send them as gifts. The best thing about this is that you can add anything you want on the chocolates to make it more unique. You can do it your own way.

Another idea will be accessories, such as top quality Asus laptops, as an alternative to mainstream tablet pcs like the ipad 2. The current era will not be completed without the occurrence of modern accessories. You can find different types of accessories that can suit the taste of your friends and family members. Actually, you can also make them if you prefer. You can personalize accessories and make them more unique for your friends and love ones. You can create bracelets, rings, earrings, key chains and other accessories for the stocking fillers.

Actually, you can make any kind of gifts more surprising if you know how to personalize them. Chocolates and accessories are only some of the basics and the ideas for stocking fillers are endless. You can personalize everything based on your preference and send them as gifts. You can consider some mini collections, foods, gadgets and others as stocking fillers.

Any gift that you provide can be appreciated especially if you do it yourself or you personalized them. The person feels more special if they received personalized gifts. You can surprise them by making these gifts as stocking fillers.

What unique gift are you hoping for this Christmas?