$300: Netbook or Notebook?
So you've got $300 in the budget for a new portable PC. You're probably thinking a netbook is the most you can get, but hold on: Best Buy and Walmart are each selling full-blown laptops for under $300! Now what?
Start by reading PC Magazine's hands-on look at the $299 Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955, which is available at Best Buy.
The verdict: It's only slightly faster than a netbook (blame the Celeron processor), and it's definitely a lot heavier -- but it also provides a full-size keyboard and comparatively mammoth screen (15 inches).
The same is undoubtedly true of Walmart's $298 Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM (available only in stores -- and selling out rapidly, as discussed in Wal-Mart Runs into Good Trouble with Laptop Promotion), which has even more RAM than the Toshiba and a slightly larger screen.
I'd add two considerations to the mix. First, unlike netbooks, these laptops have optical drives, meaning you can watch DVDs on the go and install certain software with much greater ease.
Second, the Compaq and Toshiba each come with Vista Home Basic -- not exactly the most business-savvy version of Windows. If you want Windows 7 come October, you'll have to buy the upgrade yourself.
Needless to say, any $300 computer is going to require some compromises. The main question is whether you prize portability over comfort, battery life, and DVDs. It's surprising how many users do.
Check out some of our other recent netbook posts: