Mobile 3G Broadband

3G and Netbook PCs

Netbook PCs are becoming extremely popular with many models to choose from.

When coupled with a 3G Mobile Broadband connection, they are a very portable and convenient way to access the Internet and to check your email when away from the office or home - even when waiting for a train or having a coffee.

Netbooks, however vary greatly in specification, performance and battery life, as well as cost.  The cheaper models have very little storage - offer poor performance and worst of all, very poor battery life.  Read on to see our recommended Netbooks and why we choose them over the many dozens of alternative models on the market today.

Netbook Specification Considerations:
Battery Life

Many netbook PCs fail to make it clear that their battery like may only be 1.5 - 2 hours in real use.  While this might be OK for occasional use, many users expect to be able to use a netbook for at least 4 hours a day and this is our benchmark for netbook battery life.  2 hours use away from mains power is just not enough.

Windows vs. Linux

A Netbook needs to be familiar, quick and easy to use.  While most users have a Microsoft based PC on their desk and at home, their Netbook needs to be a familiar as possible.  Most people do not want to learn Linux just to have a Netbook - and crucially, many 3G data cards are not fully compatible with the numerous Linux varients.

Screen Size

Netbook systems vary in screen size from about 7" to 10" diagonally.  The keyboard size on systems with less than a 10" screen is compressed noticably on 9" systems and very small on 7" systems.  This has a great impact on the ease of use and ease of typing more than the briefest of notes or emails.

Storage - Solid State (SSD) or Hard Disk

The smaller netbook systems have no physical space for a real hard disk and use solid-state (SSD) disk drives instead.  These are of limited capacity in many low-end netbooks (between 2GB and 20GB) and severly restrict the applications and data that may be stored.  Windows XP is difficult to install and use on a system with less than 4GB disk storage.

Built-in 3G

Some newer netbook PCs may have a built-in 3G modem, removing the need to carry a 3G USB Dongle Modem.  This is usually an advantage - however do bear in mind that the 3G Dongle modems can be plugged into almost any PC, laptop or netbook to get internet access and this could be a benefit to some users.