From our front-page news:
At one time, netbooks used to be known as small notebooks that offered just enough power to accomplish rather modest tasks throughout the day, such as e-mail, web surfing, listening to music, et cetera. Things have changed a lot since then, though, as recently, even ASUS has been releasing Eee PC models that in no way represent what we originally thought a netbook would be, primarily in size.
The cool thing about netbooks, though, is that because the prices for such machines are affordable, many people are now purchasing mobile PCs who might not have ever done so in the past. Also because of this, competition is fierce, especially to get into retail channels where regular Joe's will actually stumble on them.
About a month ago, both Acer and Gateway (Acer owns Gateway) released ~$400 netbooks, one that would see its life in Wal-Mart, the other in Best Buy. Both offer a varied combination of features and perks, and whichever is the better buy is really dependant on your needs. Our friends at The Tech Report took both new notebooks for a spin though, to see which was more worthy of your $400.
In the end, it was difficult for Scott to reach an ultimate winner, as both had their pros and cons, but overall, the Gateway machine looked to pull ahead, thanks to its nice blend of components and style. One hit is against the overall battery-life, but as is mentioned in the conclusion, if it had a second battery (or perhaps an even larger battery), it'd be almost perfect. Now that's a statement.
The Gateway LT3103 is the most successfully executed of the two systems, because its Athlon 64 processor and Radeon graphics give it the performance to match its larger screen and keyboard. The grown-up looks and finish of the Gateway set it apart from the Aspire One 751, as well. If you like to fret over the semantics of "netbook" versus "notebook," the LT3103 will positively put you into a tizzy of hair splitting and confusion—endless hours of fun.
Source: The Tech Report
The cool thing about netbooks, though, is that because the prices for such machines are affordable, many people are now purchasing mobile PCs who might not have ever done so in the past. Also because of this, competition is fierce, especially to get into retail channels where regular Joe's will actually stumble on them.
About a month ago, both Acer and Gateway (Acer owns Gateway) released ~$400 netbooks, one that would see its life in Wal-Mart, the other in Best Buy. Both offer a varied combination of features and perks, and whichever is the better buy is really dependant on your needs. Our friends at The Tech Report took both new notebooks for a spin though, to see which was more worthy of your $400.
In the end, it was difficult for Scott to reach an ultimate winner, as both had their pros and cons, but overall, the Gateway machine looked to pull ahead, thanks to its nice blend of components and style. One hit is against the overall battery-life, but as is mentioned in the conclusion, if it had a second battery (or perhaps an even larger battery), it'd be almost perfect. Now that's a statement.
The Gateway LT3103 is the most successfully executed of the two systems, because its Athlon 64 processor and Radeon graphics give it the performance to match its larger screen and keyboard. The grown-up looks and finish of the Gateway set it apart from the Aspire One 751, as well. If you like to fret over the semantics of "netbook" versus "notebook," the LT3103 will positively put you into a tizzy of hair splitting and confusion—endless hours of fun.
Source: The Tech Report
