’tis the season for new netbooks from Samsung, ASUS

Am a newbie to netbooks. But when my beloved Mac underwent major repairs recently (all free courtesy of the AppleCare warranty), I had to get a standby, supplementary laptop. My choice is the pretty & dainty HP Mini by Studio Tord Boontje. Never mind if it’s not the newest model in the market. I like its all-white, feminine form, the tactile keyboard, Windows 7 Starter pack and amazing six-cell battery life. It’s a reliable baby, and I’ve learned the meaning of carrying your lappy for mobility’s sake. It’s so light at 1.06 kilos 😀

However, I’ve also attended a few events recently introducing new netbooks which leads me to believe that it must be hard for consumers to make a choice these days. For example, if I didn’t have my Mini, I’d surely choose the new Samsung N220 and N150 line of netbooks for two reasons: 1) the brand is reliable and 2) the prices, ranging from 22 to 25K (in pesos) is reasonable, considering its features.

Both models promise from 8-12 hours battery life, anti-reflective screen, scratch-free casing and the latest Intel Atom N450 processor. Add-ons like the YouCam puts special effects to your video chats and recorded videos. Of course, wi-fi is a given 😉

If I remember right, ASUS Eee is one of the pioneers when it comes to netbooks in the Philippines. Now, they’ve come up with their fashion-oriented range, the Eee PC Seashell Karim Rashid collection. Almost the same specs as the Samsung models. Express Gate operating system boots up in seconds and allows users to make Skype calls, surf the web, browse photos, play online games, engage in instant messaging, and more.The line-up is available only in two colors, matte brown and hot pink. Of course, we prefer the latter. It’s certainly attractive, don’t you think?