Netbook Scoop

While I fell in love with my first netbook (and my second…), I realize that netbooks are not ideal for everyone.

Some need an internal CD/DVD drive.  Sure you can use a external drive.  But if you need it frequently, it is a pain to haul around.

Others need more power.  If you are doing sophisticated spreadsheets or editing videos or performing some other CPU intensive tasks, then a netbook is simply too slow.

Of course, those editing photos or graphics may need a larger screen with higher resolution.

For these the light weight and small size of the netbooks is attractive, but won’t meet their needs.

Ultralight Notebooks, also known as ultraportables, are the solution for these users.  However, the price of ultraportables was skyhigh… until recently.  Now, we are beginning to see low-cost ultraportables.

We think our visitors may also be interested in these.  So, beginning today, we are going to begin covering low-cost ultraportables.

The first is one we have added to our Price Comparison section is the MSI VR220.

MSI Meron VR220 250GB 8-Cell Vista P
	12.1" Display (1280x800), 2.16 GHz Intel T3200 Dual-Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW, 802.11n, Bluetooth, 8 Cell Battery, Microsoft Windows Vista Premium
	Comes in: Black (VR220-004US) Blue (VR220-012US or VR220-033US) - from $754.95 Green (VR220-017US or VR220-005US) - from $676.99 Pink (VR220-030US)	More Info

The VR220′s 12.1″ screen features a resolution of 1280×800, which is certainly an improvement over the 1024×600 resolution that most netbooks offer.

The Intel dual-core T3200/3400 processor offers a substantial performance improvement over the Atom N270 processor that powers most netbooks.

And the internal DVD-RW drive eliminates the need to haul and external drive.

But the most impressive feature is that all of this fits into an attractive case and still weighs less than four pounds.