3 Netbooks (17K to 20K) Reviewed

Acer Aspire One D255

Aspire One D255 is one which had a close nudge to the winner of the segment, Asus Eee PC 1015.

The most exceptional feature comes in the form of Android OS co-existing besides the Windows OS. The netbook also features multi-gesture touch-pad which is unique in this segment, sleek design and matte-finished palm-rest space. Also, the upper lid opens at almost 180 degree to make browsing and reading convenient when the netbook is held at an upright position. The battery back-up close to 5 hours is amongst the best in the class.

Of the total 3 USB 2.0 ports, the two placed together on the left side profile of the netbook are far too close to insert 2 USB flash drives simultaneously. Also the glossy lid and screen make it prone to fingerprints and dust. Inspecting the rear of the netbook, there was absence of an upgradeable HDD/RAM panel as in ASUS Eee PC 1015.

Bottomline: A budget netbook with decent performance and commendable battery back-up.

Dell Inspiron Mini 1018

The first impression made Inspiron Mini 1018, a look alike of its predecessor, Mini 1012 included in our August shoot-out; but a closer inspection unfortunately revealed the newer model had more reductions than improvements in terms of features. 2 USB 2.0 ports, single speaker and 0.3 MP web-camera in Mini 1018 compared to 3 USB 2.0 ports, dual speakers and 1.3 MP web-camera of Mini 1012 distinguish the two models. On the brighter side, Mini 1018 comes with Intel Atom N455 processor supporting a 2GB DDR3 RAM and boasts a good 5 hour battery backup.

The keypad offers larger keys to make typing convenient but this reduces the touch-pad size and palm rest space which is the smallest in the category. Its glossy screen and upper lid continue to disappoint us. Also its availability in just the black color comes as a surprise from vogue-conscience brand like Dell.

Bottomline: The Mini is well packaged at given price but can improve on its feature aspects to compete better in the category.

Asus Eee PC 1015PEM

Eee PC 1015PEM is certainly the best netbook packaged with high-end performance, professional looks and the best features in the segment. The chiclet keyboard is classy and well separated 14 mm key size placements make typing a breeze. It carries some of its best traits from the Eee PC1215T such as a large touch-pad, Bluetooth 3.0, and privacy shutter on the 0.3 MP web-camera.

The notebook also boasts of a Gig-Ethernet port which is a unique feature in this category. The 10.1 inch matte-finished screen displayed sharper image quality as compared to its rival. It has the larger side heat vent as compared to the smaller one in Acer D255 and the Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 which does not have a heat vent at all.

Also, as per our Brown Gibson Evaluation, the Eee PC 1015 PEM emerged a winner in the netbook category with good balanced scores across performance, features and price criterias.

Bottomline: A high perfoming and feature enriched netbook. Well packaged in the 20K budget. Must buy!