Netrostar Reviews takes a peek at Dual Core Netbooks

Most of the netbooks that have been manufactured and available on the market run on Intel Atom processors. These processor had a low power profile was small in size and provided a wide range of performance. The atom range of processors were based on system on a chip design and provided a broad range of functions including 3D graphics, video encode/decode, memory, wireless connectivity and low powered audio engines. Netrostar Reviews however went looking for dual core processor powered netbooks.

The new dual core netbook comes with an all new improved Intel Atom processor. These processors have the codename cedar view and have dual cores instead of one in the older generation of processors. A dual core processor is effectively two processors working within a single architecture. This means double the performance that was earlier provided by this range of processors. It can handle four threads at a time. While the old processors could handle just one thread these new processors can multi task and handle four different threads of instructions. Which means you could have 4 different programs running simultaneously and your computer would not lag in performance.

The atom dual core range of processors offer a clock rate of up to 2.13 GHz. They also feature 1 MB of level 2 cache. The power consumption is said to be around 6 watts and it also supports 64 bit operation.

With the old range of processors netbooks were highly under powered when it came to processor performance. It could not match the performance of processors on laptops and this was listed as one of the drawbacks of using a netbook instead of a laptop. It also lacked support for many programs which could not be run on netbooks.

Now with the launch of netbooks powered by Intel Atom dual core processors the performance gap has been bridged. The 2 GHz clock rate barrier has been breached and the processors can provide faster processing. The 64 bit support means you can run full versions of operating systems and also programs that could not be used earlier. The netbooks have reached a point where they can match the laptops in terms of performance. 

It is worth taking note that when laptops were launched they faced the same challenge of slower processors compared to desktops. But once the processing power caught up laptops went on to replace desktops as they were a logical choice. Netbooks powered by the new processor are capable of completing tasks that were not possible earlier.

How is a Netbook Different from a Laptop?

Laptops have been around for almost a decade now. The first concept of a laptop was envisioned by Alan McKay in the early 1980’s. It took a while for the laptop to be developed into a functional and practical mobile computer. Laptops have gone on to replace desktops in many areas ever since. 

However now we have a new kid on the block that is posing a challenge to the crown of mobile computing. The netbook which is a fairly new concept has taken the computer market by storm. It even smaller and lighter than a laptop.

Netrostar Reviews compares these head to head to find the difference between netbook and laptop.

Size – The conventional laptop comes in sizes from 14 to 20 inches and upwards. The netbook on the other hand is available in the 7 to 10 inches range. These make the netbook smaller than laptops. But this however is not necessarily and advantage as consumers have complained about texts and display on 7 inch screen to be too small.

Processor – Laptops have moved on to the faster and more efficient i3, i5 and i7 processors however netbooks come with a slower Intel Atom processor. But as a netbook is predominantly used to browse the internet the slower processor provides enough power. The smaller processor also consumes less energy.

Optical drive – Latest laptops come with an option for Blu-ray compatible optical drives each Blu-ray disc has a massive capacity to store data. Netbooks on the other hand do not have an optical drive at all. You would need to purchase an external optical drive if you wish to have one. But with the advent of cloud computing many users will save their data on cloud servers thus eliminating need for compact discs. 

The absence of an optical drive drastically reduces the weight of netbooks making them light weight.

Battery – Laptops generally come with 6 or 9 cell battery packs whereas netbook have a smaller 3 cell battery though some models offer a 6 cell pack. Smaller battery means less operating time when using the netbook on battery charge. This however reduces the weight of a netbook further.

Operating system – The latest laptops come with Windows 7 preinstalled which is the best operating system offered on the market these days. Netbooks also feature windows 7 but netbooks have an important feature which gives them an edge when browsing the internet.

You do not need to boot the operating system to browse the internet you can do so instantly as soon as you switch the netbook on.

These are the basic differences between a netbook and laptop.

Budget Netbooks under $ 150.

Finding a cheap netbook under 150 can really be a challenge if you expect to buy something that is brand new. If you check the line offered by computer manufacturers none of them offer a laptop that is priced that low. It would not be feasible for any of them to offer a netbook for such a low price point as the components itself that go into the laptops are worth much more than $ 150. 

Netrostar reviews has found some hope in the used and refurbished section however. There are many stores that offer refurbished laptops. You can find many netbooks under 150 on the internet if you search for them. Some manufacturers also offer refurbished netbooks for little more than 150 and come with a warranty too.

Netbooks are very effective and these days everybody needs a computer to connect to the internet. A netbook laptop comes in screen sizes ranging from 7 to 10 inches. They are also much lighter than laptops. A netbook laptop generally runs on Intel atom processors which were built for use in netbooks. The processing power of a netbook is not as high or fast as a laptop but is very close to it. 

Most netbook laptops have a standard keyboard, a small track pad, USB ports, Network connectors and headphone and microphone jacks. As they are meant for use on the move they have built in Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth. They have a 3 cell battery while some manufacturers also offer a 6 cell battery.

When considering a refurbished or used netbook make sure it is in working condition. Some sellers might try to hide issues they might be facing with same netbook and wish to get rid of it so they can have extra cash to buy a new one.

The advantage of buying it from a store is that you can use the netbook for a while and see if it works well. Boot the netbook so that you can see for yourself and take note of how long it takes to reach the desktop. Once the desktop is loaded try opening a few programs and see the response time and check if the netbook freezes.

Also check the screen for any dead pixels. Dead pixels would mean the screen is about to fail. Open a notepad or word document to check and see if all the keys on the keyboard work. After it runs for a while check the bottom of netbook to see if it overheats. If they have any of these flaws though minor you could bargain and bring the price down.

A refurbished netbook under $ 150 is a good deal at times like these when everything is expensive.

Things to remember when buying a computer.

We live in an age where we are surrounded by computers. We have desktops and laptops at work and in our homes. You have computer controlling traffic signals and helping run massive malls without a glitch. Even aircrafts are flying safe with the help of computers. There is some sort of computing power being deployed everywhere you look.

Other than helping us run things in order computers are also helping us communicate with people around the world. If it was not for internet and computers we would not be able to share our views or learn about what is happening around the world. Web 2.0 has made the internet interactive. We can socialize with people from across the globe, tweet, post on blogs and even video conference in real time.

Other than this the computer has turned into an entertainment hub. We can download and listen to music and watch funny videos and also movies anywhere and anytime you want. Not having a computer in this age can really make you feel like you missed the digital bus and are living in the Stone Age.

Laptops have replaced desktop as the preferred computers in most fields. A laptop can do everything a desktop does and at the same time offers mobility. You can carry a laptop anywhere you go and they are affordable too.

Netrostar reviews lists a  few points you can keep in mind before purchasing your first laptop:

Memory – A minimum of 2 GB of memory is what you would require to run the latest operating system. If you tend to multitask and play games then you need at least 4 GB of memory to seamlessly run the programs. Also if your laptop has a graphic card that shares physical memory then you would need 4 GB of memory.

Hard drive – Most new laptop computers come with at least 160 GB of hard drive space. A 320 GB hard drive would be enough to store all your data and music. You can opt to buy a hard drive of 1 terabyte or more. 

Battery – if offered the option opt for a 9 cell battery instead of a 6 cell one. A 9 cell battery has a higher standby and operating time than a 6 cell one. Which means you can use your laptop for long time without the need to charge the laptop.

Graphics – If you want your laptop to be an entertainment hub it would be best to purchase a laptop with a dedicated graphics card. If you have extra cash you can also opt for a Blu-Ray drive on the laptop.

So armed with this information you are ready for buying a computer.

How to buy Laptop Online

Computers have ushered in a new wave of E commerce where you can purchase everything online. If you can purchase anything you wish online then why not purchase your next laptop online. These days almost every computer manufacturers offers the entire range of laptop manufactured by them for sale online. Besides the manufacturers website there are websites dedicated to sale of laptops both new and refurbished. Some of them also allow you to bid for laptops through auctions.

There are a number of advantages to shopping online for a laptop Netrostar Reviews takes a look at few:

Reviews- Most online laptop stores have a review section where you can read views of customers who have purchased the particular laptop and know about their experience. If you feel that the posts could be biased you can search the internet for reviews on forums which do not intend to write reviews so that they can sell a particular product. You can also post your needs on a particular tech forum and the members of the community would guide you in choosing the best laptop all of this is for free. So you can gather information before you make the purchase. 

Time – you will save a lot of time which would otherwise be spent moving from one store to the other browsing the range available and trying to get the best price for your purchase you also save gas money that would have been spent in travelling to and fro from the store. The internet never closes so you can shop for your laptop any hour of the day. You need not worry about making it home from work on time before the stores close. You can browse the range from the comfort of your home.

Best deal – You can actually compare the different laptops side by side and make an informed choice. Once you have decided to buy laptop online you can search websites that offer the lowest price. As there is no overhead expenses to bear in from of running store, transportation and salary of salesman and commission they can offer the same laptop at lower price. And you will still receive a warranty on your laptop just like you would from a store. The laptop would be delivered to your doorstep from the warehouse. You can also expect to receive discounts and extra accessories for free with your laptop. 

Shopping for a laptop online is a good idea as you can get the best deal on the same brand of laptop as you would at a store.

13 inch Laptop Reviews

We all use laptops these days. We all depend on laptops to do our work and for entertainment. As these laptops are portable they can be carried around anywhere you go which means you can start work at office and carry laptops home to complete the job. You can access information, create and print files, upload pictures, tweet, update status and post on blogs. 

Laptops are available in a range of screen sizes ranging from 13 inch to 20 inch laptops. The 20 inch laptops are true behemoths they serve as entertainment centers with their large screen and detachable keyboards in some cases. But these laptops are just too big and heavy to carry around.

On the other end the 13 inch laptop is perfect for use on the go. The screen size is not too big or too small to read. It is the smallest laptop and yet not a netbook. Sales data has shown that this is one of the most popular screen sized laptops that are being sold. They are small enough to be carried along while at the same time can be used to play high graphic games and watch movies in high definition. Most of these laptops come with built in graphic cards which allows users to use programs and games that are graphic intensive.

One of the most popular 13 inch laptops is the Apple MacBook Air. Let’s take a look at the features of this laptop:

The MacBook air is the slimmest laptop available in the market, it is in fact slim enough to be put inside a manila envelope and carried around if you wish to. They run on the latest 2^nd generation Intel I5 and i7 processors. 

It also has the Intel HD graphics processor embedded to take care of the graphical needs of the user. 

When it comes to storage the laptop is revolutionary in terms that it uses an all flash storage. The flash storage costumes very little power and boasts of very fast access times. This means the laptop boots faster than any other laptop and also has standby time of almost a month.

The laptop has a full sized backlit keyboard which allows you to use keyboard even in low light conditions. The track pad is different from other computers too it supports multi touch and gesture control.

It also features speakers that cannot be seen on the outside and the smallest camera that provides high resolution images.

13 inch laptops are very popular with consumers who wish to purchase laptops.

Netrostar Reviews Ushers in Tab 4

Samsung’s Tab lineup has its own set of fan following. Some people think the Tab line up is the true competitor to the iPad. The Samsung Galaxy Tab which is now in its fourth generation is a tablet that also provides voice calling features. For many this has been the deal breaker when it comes to choice between iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. It is quite practical too because we do not want both our pockets loaded with devices. Why carry a phone when your tablet can provide a bigger screen experience and allow you to make calls? 

Netrostar Reviews takes a look at newly announced Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 and finds out what is magic behind this device which clearly makes it one of most popular android device. At first look the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 does not blow you away when you glance at the spec sheet. Samsung seems to have dialled down on the beat them with better hardware approach. Makes you wonder if they are cruising on store front while at same time working overtime in labs to create the next WOW device.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 is a 3G tablet which runs on Android Kitkat 4.4.2 which happens to be the latest version. The form factor of the new tablet seems to be inspired by Galaxy Note series. It weighs at a pound and can be bought in three different screen sizes. The screen did not impress us much with resolution of 1280 X 800 and pixel density of 149 pixels per inch.

When most phones today have 2GB RAM the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 has 1.5GB of RAM. You get an internal storage of 16GB which can be expanded up to 64GB using a microSD card slot. The tablet is powered by Quad core 1.2 Ghz processor with no GPU as far as we know. 

The front facing camera is 1.3 megapixels which the rear camera can take picture up to 3.15 megapixels. You have dual band WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0 and it supports 2G and 3G networks. There is honestly not much to write home about the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. The hardware which features on the device is already found on devices sold last year. Has Samsung dropped the ball? or are they using this configuration to offer devices at a lower price point? 

The price tag for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 has not yet been revealed however we at Netrostar Reviews believe that it needs to be lower than other tablets in the market to have a chance at clearing shelves at stores. All in all the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 is a fairly decent device for those who wish to own their first android tablet. For those looking for the latest specs you will have to just keep looking elsewhere.