Best netbook 2010 - reviews and comparisons » Deals

Cheap netbooks – best budget mini laptops and cheap notebooks

Mike — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:13:09 +0000

Budget, affordable, cheapest – those are words in our minds when trying to buy something these days. With the current economic situation, it’s always wise to try and save some money with everything you do. And with computers being something I can’t see myself living (and probably neither do you), each of us must have them. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get them cheap.

In this post I’m going to tell you a couple of things about cheap netbooks, what you should expect from them and what they usually lack when compared with the premium mini notebooks in their classes. I’m only going to speak about new cheap netbooks computers that you can get in stores. There are of course other options if on a tight budget, like buying refurbished netbooks or getting them used from different websites. I don’t really recommend that because warranty is important on electronics, as if something breaks, you will for sure end up paying more for repairs than you managed to save when buying them.

First, what to expect from a cheap laptop:

build quality is usually not the best as they tend to use a lot of poor quality plastic for their casings (but not all)
hardware is not top notch, although for cheap 10″ netbooks, that usually means they come with smaller storage space, everything else being pretty much the same
connectivity options will be poor: you’ll only get Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth or 3G/HSDPA
batteries will most of the time be smaller: usually 3 Cells, while better machines will have 6 Cell ones
you will probably not get a chiclet keyboard (but a standard flat one), sometimes won’t get a proper WebCam or card-reader (although these seem to be standard on latest machines)

Differences between cheap and mainstream/expensive laptops tend to grow with size, as base prices rise as well. With netbooks on the other hand, there aren’t so many things different from the cheap bellow 300 bucks versions and the mainstream above $350 ones.

Ok, now that you know what to expect, let’s see what are right now the best cheap mini netbooks in a couple of different categories. Listings are based on my experience with all these devices, but also reviews from trustworthy online magazines and regular buyers like us.

— Important: Notice that prices might change in time, as well as availability. I’m trying my bet to keep these posts always up to date, but for always accurate info, see the links on each product. Will take you on a page where you will be able to read more reviews from buyers, see details and photos and also buy them (for what I believe are the best prices available in the States), if you want to. —

Cheap 10 inch netbooks

In this class, I consider cheap (but yet good) devices under $300 . And there are a couple of good options:

Toshiba Mini NB255 – $299 $269 /w Free Shipping - this one is the cheaper version of the Toshiba NB305, one of the best netbooks on the market, combing the hardware inside that one with the looks of my old Toshiba NB205. You get the standard hardware and OS (N455 processor, 1 GB of memory and 160 GB HDD, Windows 7 Starter), standard display (10.1 inch glossy) and a sturdy matte casing (only available in black). There’s also a proper battery (capable of 8 hours of life on a single charge), so there’s not much to miss, but the great chiclet keyboard available on the bigger brother and Bluetooh. Still, for its price, this Toshiba NB255 is right now unbeatable if you want the best budget netbook.

Toshiba Mini NB255

HP Mini 210 – $452 $299 /w Free Shipping – when compared with the Toshiba above, this HP Mini 210 is pretty much the same in terms of specs. However, it looks better, as it is a higher class laptop with a huge discount these days. You get a bigger 10 hours battery, chiclet keyboard and a couple of different color schemes to choose from, all for around 300 bucks. Sounds good ay? Oh, and since this discount, my experience tells me HP is trying to get rid of stocks, so I doubt this offer will be available for too long. Thus better grab fast it if you find it interesting.

HP Mini 210

matte Samsung N150 – $349 $279 /w Free Shipping – Samsung netbooks aren’t that popular in US, however they top bestselling lists in Europe. so they are very very good. This one has the advantage of being completely matte, that includes a non glare screen as well as a smooth matte casing. It is only available in Black for this price, with a nice red strap (see pic). Specs are pretty much similar to the ones of the other devices in this class and you do get a chiclet keyboard for this Samsung as well. So if you look for a light budget netbook great for outdoors (because of that display), this is it right now.

All matte Samsung N150

Acer AO532h – $299 $279 /w Free Shipping – last but not least, there’s this Acer 10 incher. Available with a nice price and in a couple of different colors, this one is completely glossy. So will be your pick if you’re a fan of these sparkly finishes, I for one ain’t. Everything else is standard, from specs to features. You only get a flat keyboard (with a special design Acer uses), 8 hours battery and no Bluetooth.

Acer Aspire One 532h

For more options, also see this post on the best 10 inch netbooks of the moment.

Cheap 11.6 -12 inch mini notebooks

In this class, computers tend to get more powerful, get better hardware, bigger and more ergonomic keyboards and become overall more than just travel companions. Still, with these changes prices increase, with the top devices jumping over the $500 border. The cheaper ones selected here come with prices around $400, can still provide better performances than regular netbooks, while offering decent weight and battery life.

Acer Aspire Ao721 – $429 $423 /w Free Shipping – this is one of the thinnest (1 inch) 11.6 inch notebooks on the market right now. Packs a single core AMD processor with ATI graphics, 1 GB of memory and 250 GB hard-drive. That hardware is capable of running the OS snappy and face HD content (Flash or self stored), plus some older games. Battery life is only around 5 hours and while the device is reasonably well built, that plastic used for the casing ain’t that great looking. Still, for a budget mini notebook, this is one of your best picks. Reviews from experts and regulars users stand as proof as well.

Acer Aspire One 721

Toshiba Satellite T115D – $499 $415 /w Free Shipping - for this kind of money you will get the single -core AMD powered version. Specs are pretty much the same as on the Acer above, although graphics are somewhat poorer and there’s more memory installed by default (2 GB). You do get slightly better looks and a better keyboard (chiclet), while battery life remains around the 5 hours margin on a single charge. Plus, you get 64 bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium preinstalled, while the Acer above came with Starter. Still, this one is quite heavy for an 11.6 incher, weighing around 3.5 pounds.

Toshiba Satellite T115D

Dell Inspiron i11z – $449 $379 /w Free Shipping – unlike the devices above, this Dell comes wit Intel inside, so it is slightly faster in everyday tasks. It’s still a single core processor, packed along with 2 GB of memory, 250 GB hard-drive and Windows 7 Home Premium. The device is also more compact and lighter (weighs around 3 pounds), but because of that only comes with a 95% Full-Size keyboard (slightly smaller than a regular one) and smaller battery (capable of only 4 hours of life). It is 50 bucks cheaper than all the other options in here though, so if on a budget, that should matter a lot too.

Dell Inspiron i11z

Asus EEE PC 1201PN – $499 $429 /w Free Shipping - unlike the devices above, this EEE PC is slightly bigger, with a 12 inch display. It is also better built and better looking, available in a couple of different colors. Inside you get an Atom N450 processor usually found on smaller 10 inch devices, but there’s also the Nvidia ION2+Optimus for graphics (so it will run HD content, including 10180p, plus some games). However, since there’s that single core processor on board, don’t expect too much from the little fellow. Still, it is affordable, comes with a very nice Full-Size chiclet Keyboard and Bluetooth (which other devices in this price range lack) and because it packs Optimus, battery life can get up to 7 hours of light use.

Asus 1201PN EEE PC

For more options see the posts on best 11.6 inch netbooks and best 12 inch mini laptops also here on this site.

Best budget mini laptops (13.3 inch+)

As we’re still looking at mini laptops, we’re not going to mention mainstream laptops with 15+ inch displays, but only the smaller ones (13.3 and 14 inchers). These tend to pack good hardware for all kind of everyday activities. However, finding something cheap in here ain’t that easy, as these classes are designed to pack the power of the bigger laptops in a compact body, and that always comes with a price. Still, I’ve selected a couple of good mini laptops that should fit a tighter budget.

Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810TZ – $629 $519 + Shipping – this is an ultra thin (1.1 inch) and light (3.5 pounds) 13.3 incher and is quite a nice machine to have. Packs a single core Intel SU4100 processor, 4 GB of memory, 320 GB hard-drive and Windows 7 Home Premium. There’s also a nice island keyboard and a 6 Cell battery capable of 8 hours of life. So pretty good, considering you can get it discounted these days. See the link for more details.

Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810TZ

Toshiba Satellite T235D – $599 /w Free Shipping – this is a new generation 13.3″ mini laptop from Toshiba, boosting the new design and the chicket keyboard/trackpad combo (perhaps the best in its class) . You get a dual-core AMD processor with ATI graphics, so it’s better than the Acer above in terms of performances, but battery life has to suffer (only around 6 hours on a charge). So quite a machine if you’re on a budget, as proven by the great reviews scored with buyers.

Toshiba Satellite T235D

Toshiba Satellite L645D – $679 $519 /w Free Shipping – This is the bigger Toshiba, the 14 incher. It packs a triple core AMD processor for even more power and a DVD-writer, but it is quite bulky and heavy when compared to all the other machines in this post, weighing nearly 5 pounds. So not that portable, but fast and with a great price. These qualities in fact make it one of the most popular laptops of all in the States right now and the best sold in its class (14 inch).

Toshiba Satellite T235D

You’ve probably seen regular 15.6 inch laptops a lot cheaper than these. Yeap, there are quite a bunch, but bear in mind that those are bulkier and a lot heavier. Plus, those available on sales these days pack older generation hardware and are in fact poorer than these ones on terms of performances.

Conclusions

As you saw, there are a bunch of different options for cheap netbooks and budget notebooks on the market. It’s up to you to choose, all of the ones listed above are worthy in their class. You should know that they do get more powerful with size increase, while getting heavier, more expensive and less portable. Also, the best prices are available for 10 inch mini machines, but for me, as an owner of a 10 incher, 11.6 incher and 13.3 incher, the perfect balance is with that middle class.

Also, consider that it’s not always the wisest decision to go for cheap computers. After all, you’re not buying them everyday and I for one would rather pay 10-20% more in order to get all the functions I would need than regret not having them later. Still, if you’re on a budget and have no other options, cheap mini laptops will do their job. Also check the netbook deals section on the site for periodical updates on top offers (and usually only available for a limited amount of time).

That’s about it with this post on budget netbooks. If you have any questions or just something to say, don’t hesitate to leave a comment, I’ll try my best to give you a helping hand if possible.

Related posts you might also like:

Best selling netbooks and mini laptops for the beginning of the summer

Mike — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:46:37 +0000

Time for another reminder on the best selling netbooks on the US market. This time, that’s how things look right now, at the beginning of July.

I know most of you have better things to do right now than look for netbooks, but that’s exactly why you could find good deals on popular products these weeks. And also early back to school offers. Anyway, the top of bestsellers did not change much in the last weeks. 10 inchers like the ASUS 1005PE, Toshiba NB305 or Dell Mini 10 have been on top of the lists for some time and they still are, although there are some new products in there too.

So, let’s have a look on what are the most popular netbooks in the US right now (based on tops from Amazon.com):

Toshiba Mini NB305 – around $340 with Free Shipping – the best you can get right now in this class and my favorite 10 incher of all, mostly because of its overall solid quality, reliability and ergonomics. See the review for this Toshiba here. Or more details about the available version via these links, in Blue, White or Brown.
Black matte Asus EEE PC 1005PE-PU27-BK – $349 + Free shipping – this is right now one of my favorites, as it offers the best Asus brings in the 10 inch class (good hardware and connectivity, solid construction, ergonomic chiclet keyboard, 14 hour battery life), but with a matte casing, way better when dealing with scratches and fingerprints.
Lenovo S10-3t tablet – $439 + Free Shipping – more than a standard netbook, this Lenovo is a tablet with a convertible capacitive display, making it able to be used as an ordinary laptop, but also as a touch tablet. Not the only one on the market, but one of the most appreciated (based on reviews) and affordable.

Of course, there’s also a new toy, the Apple iPad tablet, a gadget so well received by fans all over the world. And, although I for one am not a fan of tablets, mainly because they lack the features needed for productivity, the iPad is indeed a device I for one wouldn’t mind having. There are a couple of different versions available, the most popular being the cheaper one, with 16 GB of storage space and Wi-Fi.

And, like I’ve said in the beginning, there are some devices available with reduced prices and that made them very very popular in the last days. Check them out below and be aware that these offers won’t last forever, so if you see something you like and consider worth buying, you’d better act fast.

Blue Acer AO532h – only $249 + Shipping – one of the best 10 incher Acer has right now is now available with a huge discount. It comes with decent hardware (N450 CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard-drive, Wi-Fi N) and good battery life (up to 8 hours). However, only the Blue version is available with this discounted price, other color options are more expensive.
HP Mini 210 – $279 and Free Shipping ($150 discount) – similar to the device above, but more solid built and overall better look it, plus with a better battery (up to 10 hours), this HP is definitelly a very good pick. In fact, it only misses Bluetooth and ultra-fast Wi-Fi N (comes with wireless 802.11 b/g), but for $279, you can live without.
Asus 1005HA EEE PC – $269 and Free Shipping ($130 price cut) – this was for many months the most popular netbook in the world. However, that happened last year, when the previous generation of Atom hardware was king. Still, since the new one only brings improvements in battery life and not in terms of performance. Thus, the 1005HA is definitely a device you should get if you want a solid 10 incher with great looks and you’re on a budget.

That’s about it for now. Quite a bunch of good devices are listed here, so no wonder they are the best sold in the States right now.

For the next 1-2 months, i doubt much will change. New limited time deals might pop up and I’ll try to cover them here on the site in the deals section, so be sure to keep en eye on that one.

Related posts you might also like:

Father’s Day netbooks – best deals and gift ideas for Father’s Day

Mike — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:51:21 +0000

Each year, on the third Sunday in June, we celebrate our fathers and grandfathers during a holiday named “Father’s Day”. Tradition says that the entire family should gather together during this particular day and have fun. Also, there’s a tradition for the guys in your family to receive gifts from their kids and wife.

We believe netbooks could be great presents ideas, especially since there are lots of Father’s Day netbook deals available these days, so they will be pretty cheap. Below you will find some of the best offers i spotted, all on reliable devices and with good reviews from previous buyers.

So, here are the netbooks recommended for this year’s Father’s Day, on June 20, 2010, Click each one’s name for more details, pictures, reviews from previous buyers or the option to buy them:

Toshiba Mini NB305 – $399 $330 + Free Shipping . This is my favorite 10 inch mini laptop right now, like I’ve also said in the review i wrote for the NB305 Toshiba Mini series. Why? Because it is the most ergonomic and solid built product, for a good price. Inside this Toshiba you will get the standard netbook hardware, plus a big battery capable of around 10 hours of life. It’s also very good looking, with a nice matte casing, and comes with the best chiclet keyboard and trackpad available right now on a netbook. And now with this discounted price, is definitely a great deal.
Asus EEE PC 1005PE-PU-27BK – $374 + Free Shipping . This Asus is not cheap, although it comes with a 5% discount. But it is good, very good though. As you know, the EEE PCs are the best in their class, with very nice design and good build quality. They also pack the latest in terms of hardware and connectivity and on this particular version, you will get a 14 hours battery life. And, unlike most Asus netbooks that come with a glossy casing, this one is matte, so you won’t have problems with fingerprints and scratches.

Toshiba NB305 Blue and Asus EEE PC 1005PE matte - the premium netbooks

Dell Inspiron iM1012 – $309 (40 bucks discount) + Free Shipping . The good part with Dell computers is that they are accepted in most public institutions and schools. Plus, in the US they benefit from Dell’s very good service and distribution system. This netbook is overall a good machine, while not impressing in any particular area. Comes with standard features, good looks (it is glossy), 8 hours battery life and solid reviews from users. So definitely an offer worth checking out.
Samsung N150 – $349 $279 + Free Shipping . Samsung make some reliable netbooks, that’s for sure, Their devices have always been popular in the States. Now, the N150 comes with a new slimmer body and reduced weight. Hardware and features are pretty much standard, although there’s no Bluetooth connectivity. The even better part is the fact that this Samsung is available with an all-matte finish in black and blue and there’s a non-glare display also. These and very good price make this Samsung an excellent pick for Father’s Day 2010.

Versatile Dell iM1012 and all matte Samsung N150 Black

HP Mini 210 – $449 $279 + Free Shipping . An HP mini laptop couldn’t have missed from this list so here’s the HP Mini 210. A solid netbook with nice looks, now available with a huge discount. Features are standard, although connectivity options are not the best on this HP. All in all though the device is a good buy and i particularly like the matte display on this one, making it suitable for using outside.
Gateway LT2023u – $239 + Free Shipping . Last but not least, there’s this Gateway with an amazing price. It offers all the features you would need and comes with decent construction and Windows 7 Starter as the OS. However, there’s only a 3 Cell battery on this one which should be enough for 3-4 hours of life. But, considering how good the price for this device is, the minor inconveniences can be overlooked.

HP Mini 210 and Gateway LT2023u - both affordable options

It’s important to know that prices and availability for these products might change fast, because these deals are very hot right now. So, if you want to profit from them, you’d better act fast.

Of course, if you don’t really want to buy a netbook as a present for your fathers and granddads, you can choose some others from this huge list of products on Amazon, all available with good discounts and Free 2-Day Shipping if you order in time for Father’s Day 2010 . As other gifts ideas, I would suggest a nice watch, a Swiss knife, an electric tool useful around the house, a digital photo frame or a nice leather wallet.

The important thing about a Father’s Day gift is to give it from the heart. No matter if it’s a poem, a card or an expensive gift, what matters is for it to show you fathers and grandfathers how much you really care about them.

Related posts you might also like:

$239 netbook deal – Gateway LT2023u – limited time

Mike — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:34:45 +0000

Although netbooks are getting cheaper and cheaper these days, you an almost never find a latest generation product for less than $250, unless it is a refurbished netbook. This Gateway LT2023u however is new and is only going for $239, with Free Shipping included, from Amazon.

So, let’s see what you get for these money:

Intel Atom N270 processor + GMA 950 graphics
1 GB of memory + 160 GB hard-drive
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
3x USB ports, webcam, card-reader
Windows 7 Starter
3 Cell battery

So, this is an older generation 10 inch netbook with the previous Atom hardware. But, since the new PineTrail generation only offers better autonomy, this one should be as good in terms of performance. However, with only a 3 Cell 2200 mAh battery, an autonomy of 3 hours tops should be the best you can get out of it.

However, for this price, it was obvious the netbook could not bring the best features and latest generation technology. And this one is new and comes with 1 year warranty.

For more info on this Gateway , reviews, pics and the option to profit from this offer, click this link here. The product is sold by Amazon so you get 30 days money back guarantee with it.

Gateway LT2023u - great deal for the money

However, if you’re looking for something better, also check the list of top 10 inch netbooks available these days.

Related posts you might also like:

Best selling netbooks in April 2010

Mike — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:16:57 +0000

Back with another list of best selling netbooks, this time for the month of April 2010. Once again, the top is based on Amazon’s bestsellers list and is valid for the US market.

I’m only going to enumerate the first 5 positions and tell you a couple of words on each of them , based on my experience with those devices:

Black Toshiba NB305-300 – $289 + Free shipping - in my review of the NB305, i was mentioning this poorer version of the series that used to sell for 50 bucks less than the others, but lacked some features (chiclet keyboard, Bluetooth, has smaller storage space and comes with XP). This version now sells for only $289 though, with a 70 bucks discoutn from the original list price, and although i would still choose one of the best equipped Toshiba’s, it budget is the one thing you have in mind, this a now a very good pick. No wonder it’s the best sold netbook in the US last month on Amazon.
Black Asus EEE PC 1005PE-MU17-BK – $309 + Free shipping – the cheapest of the Asus EEE PCs from the 1005PE line, the Ms are very popular, as they offer a great balance between price (which is not discounted) and features.
Black glossy Asus EEE PC 1005PE-PU17-BK – $360 + Free shipping – the top of the 1005PE line, the P version has all you would need, including big storage, 14 hours battery, Bluetooth, etc. Used to be the best sold in the last months and is still very popular. But this version is glossy, so I for one would go for the matte one (you’ll find it below).
Blue Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL – $359 + Free shipping – like i said in my review of this line, this is overall the most comfortable 10 incher on the market, with a great matte casing, excellent keyboard and trackpad and good features. It doesn’t offer the battery life of the Asus devices (can go for 8 hours in real life tests though) and does come with poorer speakers and webcam, but besides that, it’s just the perfect travel companion.
Black matte Asus EEE PC 1005PE-PU27-BK – $354 + Free shipping – this is right now one of my favorites, and although recently launched at the start of April, it quickly managed to climb the tops, as it offers top features, plus a matte exterior case. And it’s even cheaper than the glossy version.

Best Selling netbooks in April 2010

It shouldn’t amaze you that Asus and Toshiba manage to so clearly dominate this bestsellers list. They managed to outbeat the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo and even Acer, mainly because their products are better. It’s that simple.

In fact, the first Acer comes on 17th with the $299 $532g version, the first HP is on 12th with the Mini 210, while the first Samsung is the new N150 on 10th.

All in all, while bestseller lists are a way to see which devices are really good and popular, there are actually more faces to the coin when buying such a mini computer. In my post with the best 10 inch netbooks I’ve tried to explain which devices are really worth buying and why. Also, you can see the reviews in the dedicated section for more details on some of the mini computers I managed to get my hands on.

As you’ll see there, my critic side is fairly developed, so if i like some gadget, it must be really good At least that’s what my friends say.

Related posts you might also like:

Deals of the Week – March 2010 (week 3)

Mike — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:21:34 +0000

Once again we’re back with the weekly collection of deals, and quite a collection that is in fact.

This week we saw price dropping on most popular new netbooks and also on some of the good devices with older generation hardware from Asus, Toshiba or HP.

Check out the deals for this week in this list below:

So here are the new and popular products:

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-M – $329 + Free Shipping – new product, 10 inch display, 11 hours battery life, very good price, nice features, chiclet keyboard) – available in black and white and currently one of the most popular new netbook in the US.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 – $299 + Free Shipping -very good product, comes with Z530 1.6 GHz processor and GMA 500 graphics, thus it can play HD content, self stored or Flash, offers an integrated TV-Tuner, up to 6.5 hours of life, great build quality.

Asus EEE PC 1005PE-P – $357 + Free Shipping – the best in terms of battery, a powerful netbook with great features and good looks. COmes with up to 14 hours autonomy, Wi-Fi N/Bluetooth, a very good chiclet keyboard and is part of the Seashell line. Too bad it’s glossy though. Comes in blue and black and is now discounted.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1001P – $282 + Free Shipping – new product, new generation with improved hardware, 10 inch display, Windows 7, matte body, 11 hours battery life) – this price is available for the black version; white and pink versions are just around this tag also.

Gateway LT2108u – $288 + Free Shipping – 10 inch display, high quality device with standard Pinetrail hardware, over 8 hours of battery life, Windows 7, great price and good reviews from buyers) – this price is available for the red version, the white/black ones cost $299.

Lenovo S10-3t touch netbook – $479 + Free Shipping – 10 inch device with an excellent capacitive multitouch screen, solid built and reliable, powerful hardware (1 GB of RAM, 250 GB storage, Windows 7 Home, Wi-Fi N/Bluetooth, good keyboard, 8 Cell battery. Overall a great touch tablet, but performance is somewhat sluggish. Read the reviews for more details.

Plus some nettops, accessories and older mini laptops

Toshiba Mini NB205 – $279 + Shipping - 10 inch display, Windows 7, 9 hours battery life, matte body, very good reviews from users, available in a couple of different colors) – this price is for the Sable brown version only.

HP Mini 311 with Nvidia ION – $378 + Free Shipping – 11.6 inch HD display, single core ATOM processor and Nvidia ION graphics, decent battery life for such a powerful netbooks, good reviews and marks from previous buyers.

Asus Eee PC 900SD – $219+ Free Shipping - 8.9 inch mini laptop, Intel Celeron processor, 512 MB of RAM, 8 GB SSD drive and Wi-Fi connectivity. The product is new and comes with warranty for an excellent price.

Zotac nettop with the new ION – $299+ Free Shipping - compact mini desktop, dual core Atom processor and 2 GB of RAM, Nvidia ION graphics, good marks and reviews, great price, VESA compatible.

Acer AspireRevo AR1600 with ION – $209+ Shipping - best sold and most popular mini PC on the market, comes with dual core Atom processor, Windows XP and wireless mouse/keyboard. Benefits from great reviews and marks from buyers (click the link to check them out) and is perfect for a small computer for light everyday use, for kids or as a compact HTPC .

That’s it for today. We’ll probably have more deals in the next days, so keep an eye on our best netbook deals section. Or check out these nice netbook deals from our friend Michael.

Also, remember that prices and availability for some of the devices listed in here might change in time. Thus, if you want to benefit from the deals in here, better try to get them as soon as possible. And always click the links for up-to-date prices and info.

Related posts you might also like:

Deals of the week – March 2010 (week 2)

Mike — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:33:20 +0000

Back with the weekly collection of deals ( R34TXJSQWRKH ). Missed the first edition for this month as i couldn’t quite spot anything that good, but right now there are some interesting bargains for quite a couple of different netbooks, nettops and accessories for them. Check them out below:

So here are the new and popular products:

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-M – $328 + Free Shipping (new product, 10 inch display, 11 hours battery life, very good price, nice features, chiclet keyboard) – available in black and white and currently the most popular new netbook in the US

Toshiba Mini NB305 – $376 + Free Shipping (new product,11 hours battery life, matte case, available in different colors, best keyboard and touchpad in the class, very good construction quality, top features ) – currently my favorite 10 inch netbook, read the full review for more details .

Asus UL20A ULV laptop – $538 ($60 discount) (One of the most powerful 12.1 inch laptops out there, with dual-core ULV processor and 2 GB of memory; comes with Windows 7 and still offers good battery life; has a brushed aluminum case and is now discounted )

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1001P – $289 + Free Shipping (new product, new generation with improved hardware, 10 inch display, Windows 7, matte body, 11 hours battery life) – this price is only available for the pink version, the white/black ones run for $10 more

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201N – $477 + Free Shipping (12 inch display, Dual Core ATOM processor, Nvidia ION inside, very good performances: can run games and 1080p movies)

HP Mini 311 with Nvidia ION – $379 + Free Shipping (11.6 inch HD display, single core ATOM processor and Nvidia ION graphics, decent battery life for such a powerful netbooks, good reviews and marks from previous buyers )

Plus some nettops, accessories and older mini laptops

Asus 1005HA-EU – $271 + Free Shipping (10 inch display, Windows XP, very good reviews from users, comes with only a 3 Cell battery)

Toshiba Mini NB205 – $299 + Shipping (10 inch display, Windows 7, 9 hours battery life, matte body, very good reviews from users, available in a couple of different colors)

Refurbished HP Mini 110 – $227 ($270 discount) + Shipping (10 inch display, Windows XP, decent hardware, 3 Cell battery) – available in black only

Zotac nettop with ION – $285+ Free Shipping (compact mini desktop, dual core Atom processor and 2 GB of RAM, Nvidia ION graphics, good marks and reviews, great price, VESA compatible)

That’s it for today, but we’ll probably have more deals in the next days, so keep an eye on our best netbook deals section.

Also, remember that prices might change in time, as long as availability for the certain products listed in here. Thus, if you want to benefit from the deals in here, better try to get them as soon as possible.

Related posts you might also like:

Best selling netbooks in February 2010

Mike — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:11:54 +0000

Back again with our monthly follow-up on the best selling mini laptops in the US, with out credible source being once again Amazon. Not much has changes since last month, with Asus netbooks still dominating the upper part of the top.

However, some new devices emerged towards the upper positions, with the most interesting being the Toshiba NB305 (i reviewed it and still consider it the most overall comfortable to use 10 inch netbook at the moment) and the newly announced MSI Wind U160, a device that promises up to 15 hours of battery life, but for now is only available for preorder.

Still, let’s get back to the subject of this post, the list of the 5 best selling netbooks in February 2010:

Black ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-M – $339 $329 + Free Shipping – perhaps the best device out there in terms of price/features, offers a 11 hours battery, good hardware and Windows 7 as the OS. Comes in Black or White.

Blue ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-P – $399 $369 + Free Shipping – if battery life and top notch features are the things you’re looking for in a netbook, you definitely have to go for one of these devices, with 14 hours autonomy and excelent connectivity (Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 2.1, etc). They are a little bit more expensive, but are definitely worth the extra money.

ASUS Eee PC 1201N with Nvidia ION – $499 $484 + Free Shipping – a powerful 12 inch netbook capable of playing HD movies and 3D games, with dual-core Atom inside and very good hardware features. It managed to reach the top selling list despite it’s bigger price, all thanks to the qualities it offers over the standard netbooks, qualities that earned it top reviews and marks (nearly 4.7 our of 5) from previous buyers.

White ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-M – $339 $328 + Free Shipping – the same as the one on the first spot, but this time in White (besides the better looks, getting this device in white will make the glossy finish less inconvenient, as scratches and fingerprints are not so easy to spot on white)

Toshiba Mini NB305-N310 – $349 + Free Shipping – the black version of the new Toshiba NB305, with a matte case and some fancy features

Barely making it into the top are the new Acer AO532h that you can read about in this review and the pink version of the Asus 1001P with a matte case, a netbook i reviewed here.

That’s it for this month. Like you saw, Asus clearly leads selling charts in the US right now, but things might change in the following weeks, as other producers struggle to offer competitive mini laptops also. So stay tuned for next month edition of best selling netbooks, and in the meantime, check out our list of great deals and bargains or maybe this post on the best 10 inch netbooks available on the market right now.

Related posts you might also like:

Great deal on Toshiba Mini NB205 – only $309/$299 – won’t last for long

Mike — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:56:28 +0000

In my late night wondering on Amazon.com i spotted this very good deal on the Toshiba NB205. You can get it for only $309 (or even $299 for some versions) and I’m very sure the offer won’t last for more than a couple of days tops (if not hours), as the regular retail price for the device is $399.

It is true, this is the older generation Toshiba Mini, but still a very good netbook. In fact, i too have one of these for more than a year now and it has not yet failed me in anyway. I’m not going to get into details, but here are the main things you should know about the device:

The good ones:

it’s very solid built and looks decently good (still, there are better looking ones on the market)
comes with a matte case
has good hardware: Intel N280 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard-drive (can be easily upgraded with an extra 1 GB of memory)
has Windows 7 Starter as the OS
has a not that glossy 10 inch display that can be used outside (although not in direct sun light)
has a 6 Cell battery capable of up to 9 hours of life on paper, more like 6-7 in practice
comes with a metallic chiclet keyboard and good touch-pad
is very reliable (i have mine for a year and there are no remarkable usage “scars”, the paint has not run off the palm rest on keyboard and the device still works as it did in the first day)

The bad ones:

there’s only Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and not the faster N version and there’s no Bluetooth
the speaker is mono so sound quality is pretty poor
it’s not the latest generation model

Toshiba NB205 available on sale -a deal i won't miss

And no, it’s not, but there’s not really that much of a difference between the two. The new NB305 has PineTrail hardware which provides no increase in performances, but slightly better battery life. Also has better connectivity options but costs 90/100 bucks more. You can read my review of the Toshiba NB305 series right here, i really like the device and is worth the $399 it costs right now, but i’m more than convinced that the NB205 won’t disappoint you, especially for this price.

So hurry up, you can get it from Amazon for only $309/$299 from here. Only the Brown version is available for $309, while the Pink, White and Blue ones are even cheaper, $299 . But don’t forget this deal won’t last for long, this is clearly a sale offer and will only be available as long as the products are in stock.

Related posts you might also like:

Some unbelievable early spring deals – limited time offers

Mike — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:30:13 +0000

Surfing online stores earlier today I noticed a couple of big rebates on some products. And since these deals were not included in my last weekly round-up, here i am back with another post. We don’t have many products, only a few, but all with some unbelievably good prices.

And you’ll notice that most of these devices are suitable for spring-start presents, as they are offered in white, pink and other girly colors.

One more thing: prices won’t stay that low for long, so hurry up if you want to profit from them.

So, here we go with the deals:

Pink Asus 1001P – only $290 + Free Shipping (comes with PineTrail hardware, matte case, Windows 7, 6 Cell battery – 11 hours autonomy, good connectivity) – also benefits from great reviews and can be bought with matching pink accessories (you can read my full review on the 1001P series here)

White Toshiba NB205 – just $329 + Free Shipping ($70 discount) - one of the best 10 inch netbooks ever made, with very good hardware (although based on the older generation Atoms), ergonomic chiclet keyboard and touchpad, Windows 7 as an OS and a battery capable of around 8-9 hours of life in real life tests. I too have one of these (for more than an year now, but in black) and I’m completely satisfied with its overall reliability.

Refurbished HP Mini 110 – $265 + Free Shipping ($125 discount) – factory refurbished netbook with good hardware, Windows XP as the OS and 6 Cell battery. Very good and reliable 10 inch netbook for a great price, although it comes with the older generation hardware.

That’s it for now. If you want more info, you can check our other deals or our post on the best netbooks available on the market right now. And don’t forget to subscribe to keep in touch with the next available bargains.

Also, check out John’s site on mini laptops if you’re looking to get the most out of your Netbook .

Related posts you might also like: