Which is the right one for student - a Netbook or a notebook/laptop computer?

Netbook has gained popularity in the past 12 months as a replacement computer for many computer users because it is small, light and cost about half of a regular notebook computer at about $300 to $500 per unit. Netbook is well suited for general computing, accessing web-based applications and other Internet applications such as video. Netbook typically are powered by Intel's Atom CPU with Windows XP or Linux.

Netbook powered by Windows XP can be loaded with Microsoft Office Suite but you need an external CD/DVD drive usually purchased separately as they do not come with any built-in optical disk drive.  Alternatively, you can also use OpenOffice which is available for many platforms from Windows to Mac to Linux.

Netbook display is generally between 7" to 10" compared to an average of 15" to 16" found on regular notebook. Most high end Netbook allows you to connect to external monitor and adding an external keyboard and mouse is done simply plugging into the USB port. Network connectivity is simple, most are equipped with Wi-Fi and regular wire network connection. For mobile connection, some Netbook offers built-in cellular data connection or you can simply add the USB Internet stick from Rogers, Bell or Telus.

With storage capacity ranging from 80GB to 160GB in solid state hard drive format found in most Netbook, it is sufficient to store your day to day school assignements. RAM on the other hand is less powerful and most topped out at 1GB. Webcam and bluetooth are also common features found on Netbook. For the typical usage such as web surfing, Word processing and spreadsheet usage the computer power offered by Netbook is sufficient. Students who require heavy computing power with more memory and speed for application used in engineering, software development, or graphic design, Netbook is not the right choice.

The popular brand of Netbook includes HP, Acer, Asus and Lenovo. According to a recent survey, Asus is rated as the most reliable PC. Asus is the manufacture for many Apple's products.

Do I need extended warranty?

Standard warranty period is 1 year and extended warranty easily cost around $100 to $200 to cover 2nd and/or 3rd year. When purchasing a Netbook or a Notebook, some retailers such as Costco Canada or manufacture online order do provide the second year warranty free as incentive.

These extended warranties, unless is offered directly from the manufacture, are called 3rd party or after market warranties and will differ from manufacture warranties. Therefore, before buying any extended warranty, review and check the fine print and understand what is being provided as some warranty provides a complete replacement if they cannot fix it which includes replacing with the replacement model in the event, which is very likely, the model you have is no longer being made while other extended warranties just cover the repair labour cost excluding any hardware cost or give you a refurbished unit instead of a brand new replacement.