In-The-Know About Netbooks

Consumers are losing their hearts to netbooks, those inexpensive little laptops designed for net surfing, email, and working with web-based programs. You could drop a netbook into your briefcase almost unnoticed, or even into your purse - but chances are you wouldn't know how to use one, or even how to choose one. Don’t let that stop you, because Netbooks: The Missing Manual, quickly shows which netbook is perfect for you, plus how to set it up and use it for everything from spreadsheets to photo sharing.

In Netbooks: The Missing Manual, New York Times computer expert J.D. Biersdorfer presents five tips for selecting the netbook that was made just for you:

• Too little and cute might be painful if you have big fingers or poor eyesight. Try cute and not-quite-so-little – still lightweight, but more comfortable for some of us.
• You have a choice of operating systems, and it doesn’t have to be Windows!
• With no CD/DVD drive, having an external disc drive can make things easier – even though you can live without it.
• Help with deciding between a solid-state drive and an old fashioned-hard drive.
• Order max memory with your netbook, and all the things you can do with it (organizing photos, listening to music) will make you glad you did.