Notebooks and Netbooks have almost flooded the world PC markets and due to its portability edge over the desktops, these are getting immense popularity among the masses. However, there exists a misperception even in the minds of experienced computer operators think that a Netbook is a small Notebook. No, it’s not.

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It is extremely important to understand that a Netbook is not a substitute of a notebook and is far less smaller than a desktop computer. Netbooks and notebooks are totally different devices and which one you should purchase will depend on what actually is your requirement. It is therefore of utmost importance to understand them and be able to differentiate between the two. Below are listed some salient differences between the two:

First – netbooks are a lot smaller. A netbook screen goes from 7 to 10 inches – a notebook screen starts at 12.1 inches and can go as high as 21 inches.

Second – netbooks have less storage space, generally 4GB or up to 64GB – notebooks go from 80GB to 320 GB

Third – netbooks are not portable computers you can use for watching movies or videos or for playing games or using photoshop, Word or Excel – netbooks are designed for netcentric computing – i.e. stuff you do on the net that doesn’t require much power, surfing, reading and checking your email

Fourth – the processor in a netbook is generally an Intel Atom that runs at 1.6 GHz, it is not fast but it does the basics

Fifth – netbooks do not have DVD drives or CD drives, notebooks do.

Sixth – price, netbooks cost around $300 – $500, laptops start at around $600

Seventh – batteries, netbook batteries last longer i.e. 6 – 10 hours on 1 charge due to their ultralow voltage processors and everything being efficient, a netbook runs cool so it doesn’t need large fans. Batteries on notebooks only last on average between 2 and 4 hours

So it is upto you now to decide. if you want a proper computer go for a notebook, but if you want something small, light and highly portable to let you check your email, twitter and chat while you are on the move, without the need for a recharger in your pocket, then go for a netbook !