Ever since I started reviewing software and hardware, I needed a sort of rating system. I came up with a set of three review awards – Gold(en), Silver, and Bronze. I made the original awards back when I wrote my first few reviews, and although they served me well, they didn’t quite hit the level of professionalism I was looking for. So I’ve taken the liberty to rebuild them from the ground up, and my, are they beautiful (well, that’s what I think).
Did you know netbooks actually make great portable media players? Granted, their speakers may be less than satisfactory, but the audio quality from the audio jack is of decent quality. Throw on your favorite tunes and using whatever media player you wish, close the lid and rock out (provided you tell your netbook not to sleep when the lid is shut). But all good media players need good headphones, and today we’ll be reviewing the JVC HA-FX 67 headphones – budget headphones, really. However, you’d be surprised when it comes to how good they really are.
A standard computer mouse can trump a netbook trackpad any day: more precision, comfort, and less fingerprint goo to clean up when you’re done. The biggest issue, though, is that computer mice are too large and bulky to carry around. Netbooks were designed for portability in mind, and to bring even a wireless mouse around hinders that luxury. Microsoft’s Arc Touch Mouse aims to bring a mouse experience without hindering portability. By literally transforming into pack-or-use form, the Arc Touch Mouse is an elegant trackpad replacement, specifically designed for netbooks and laptops. We’ve got out full review, right after the break.
Slapping on a dedicated graphics card onto a netbook isn’t exactly a good idea – sure, you’ll get a massive boost in performance over Intel graphics, but your battery life would be close to nothing. Both Nvidia and AMD have unveiled their solutions to provide decent graphics performance for netbooks/ultraportables, dubbed Optimus and Fusion, respectively. As an owner of an Eee 1215N, I’ve had some quality time with Nvidia’s Optimus Technology – which turns on and off the dedicated GPU automatically, so you’ll only use it when you need it, therefore extending battery life. Peek after the break for the full review.
Netbooks are small and cheap, and don’t exactly come with gigantic hard drives. Standard netbooks usually come with 160 GB of storage, and newer, higher end netbooks generally come with 250 GB of storage. For some users this may be enough, for others, you’ll want a lot more. My older netbook only had 160 GB of storage, and I needed a place to back up my files. Unfortunately, the only external hard drive I had laying around at the time was 80 GB, just enough for one backup. So I got myself a larger external hard drive – you guessed it, a Verbatim CLON Portable Hard Drive at 250 GB of storage. It was relatively cheap at $50 for an external hard drive with 250 GB, which are usually around $70. It may be cheap, but is it reliable? Read the full review to find out.
Previously reviewed on Netbook Network was the Belkin Laptop Cooling Pad, a product that worked quite well, but was a bit expensive. This review covers the ArtDio Laptop Cooling Fan CF-100, a much cheaper gadget at a mere $10. So how well does this cheaper alternative as a cooling fan stack up? Read the full and in-depth review on the product to find out.
Since netbooks are small, there’s not much space for air circulation and fans. It’s a large issue on my Eee 1005HA, where the fan continuously spins, and it’s very annoying because it’s extremely loud. So I decided to get a cooling pad for my netbook, and got a Belkin Laptop Cooling Pad for $25. I’ve looked online and some people get results, and some people don’t. Does the Belkin Laptop Cooling Pad work on a netbook? Read the review to find out!
