A MacBook Air is NOT a netbook!! A MacBook Air is NOT a netbook!! A MacBook Air is NOT a netbook!!
Why do people on Zdnet keep calling it that?
Back to School 2011: 'What to buy your kid for college' guide
by Zack Whittaker | July 31, 2011 3:41pm PDT | Image 1 of 20
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1: Netbook: Samsung NF210-A02
The Samsung NF210 (A02) could well be considered the ultimate non-MacBook student netbook. Unlike the MacBook Air, which features later in this deck, it has a matte screen so you get little glare or reflection, it sports a decent dual-core Atom processor and a smooth feeling keyboard which is a pleasure to type on.
Not only this, but it's relatively cheap compared to a fully-fledged laptop -- and definitely for the more frugal student who cannot afford a MacBook. It's light, runs for hours on the battery, and has a brilliant screen for viewing videos and text. Not only that, with wireless-n you can stream videos and download wirelessly at extremely fast speeds.
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Typical price: $350-$550
CNET rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
For more on this gallery, visit the iGeneration column. Also, check out ZDNet's Back to School 2011 special report.
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@doh123 Course it is! 
To be fair, I may be the only one here calling it a netbook.
To be fair, I may be the only one here calling it a netbook.
@zwhittaker
No it is not. It is a thin and light laptop. The term NetBook has a lot to do with the price bracket as well as the ultra low voltage processors that are used.
The MacBook air is over double that price bracket compared to the higher priced netbooks and uses standard mobile processors.
Just admit that you are wrong!
No it is not. It is a thin and light laptop. The term NetBook has a lot to do with the price bracket as well as the ultra low voltage processors that are used.
The MacBook air is over double that price bracket compared to the higher priced netbooks and uses standard mobile processors.
Just admit that you are wrong!
This is more of an "affordable technology" article than a back to school article. Students don't need half of this stuff really. It'd be quicker to say "Kid needs a cheap laptop and a desktop equipped with a printer, webcam and headset"
More than just an aid in the classroom. Carry one of these babies with you all the time, no matter who you are. Makes a great way to have a record of any law enforcement encounters. Just be sure to announce to the officer at the beginning that this conversation is being recorded for your mutual protection, and that any continuation of the encounter means that the officer is implied to have given his or her consent.
Also makes a great way to record information during a kidnapping and then drop the thing where your searchers can find it, and hopefully find you too!
Also makes a great way to record information during a kidnapping and then drop the thing where your searchers can find it, and hopefully find you too!
Couple of suggestions/corrections I'd make. For a laptop, I'm still sticking with a Windows one. By far the most widely supported with the most software. Granted a lot of college happens online these days but from my own experience the Mac users feel very out of the loop when it comes to support and troubleshooting (even among us IT students) and frankly they are.
Webcam. This is not essential but the LifeCam studio is easily one of the best ones out there.
Camera. Near-video speed? Why not just upgrade to a T1i for a few hundred and actually be able to record video? It's an all-around better camera and it supports the Canon remote whereas the XS does not. At the very least, get the XSi so you can use that remote.
E Reader. Well two thoughts on this. If you want one with a color screen, get a full fledged tablet. Sure you can get Android working fully on the Nook but it was never designed to be a tablet, and both Android and iOS support Nook Reader and Kindle. However if you're dedicated to having an E Reader I suggest one with an eInk display. Ridiculous battery life, plenty of storage, next to no glare, and you can read it in direct sunlight.
Webcam. This is not essential but the LifeCam studio is easily one of the best ones out there.
Camera. Near-video speed? Why not just upgrade to a T1i for a few hundred and actually be able to record video? It's an all-around better camera and it supports the Canon remote whereas the XS does not. At the very least, get the XSi so you can use that remote.
E Reader. Well two thoughts on this. If you want one with a color screen, get a full fledged tablet. Sure you can get Android working fully on the Nook but it was never designed to be a tablet, and both Android and iOS support Nook Reader and Kindle. However if you're dedicated to having an E Reader I suggest one with an eInk display. Ridiculous battery life, plenty of storage, next to no glare, and you can read it in direct sunlight.
My own college setup consists of a Toshiba P500 custom built laptop (as a software developer, I need the Windows platform with as much screen real estate as I can get), Canon T1i, Samsung Google Nexus S 4G phone, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (getting this semester), Amazon Kindle DX, Netflix streaming subscription (even works on my phone and my future tablet), Logitech G35 headset (3D sound, USB, and honestly a great mic), Zune for my music with a Zune 120 gig media player, and a Logitech Alto combination laptop stand, wireless keyboard, and USB hub. Mind I don't often use the laptop stand anymore, it was for my old and much smaller laptop. The P500 is an 18.4" which I use a wheeled laptop case for. Not because it's too heavy but because I'm lazy.
where is the ep121 for a paperless, fits every bill solution?
Is this, or is this not, a self affirming list of purchases that you have personally made, or are thinking of making?
I have an Echo Livescribe pen...I call it my "secret weapon" for becoming an honor student! It not only records my lectures, but I write only a fraction of the notes I used to (more like keywords), then the notes and the audio upload to my laptop and I can email the notes as pdf's (and the audio as .aas files) to other classmates. It saves a ton of time when searching for a particular subject: in the search bar, enter the word you are looking for and it can find it...I can't read my writing, but somehow my LiveScribe pen can! Whether you are clicking a mouse on the text or tapping the text with your pen, you will get crystal clear audio that you can use long after the ink is dry on your degree. I also work at our student newspaper and quotes and information have never been easier to record or access! Bonus...as if you needed more...DragonSpeak Naturally will take your audio files and translate them into printed text.
I definitely advise parents, friends, significant others, to go ahead and get one of these for your student. Or get one for yourself...
I definitely advise parents, friends, significant others, to go ahead and get one of these for your student. Or get one for yourself...
I'd take a Lenovo X220 over an Air, but maybe I"m rougher than the average student. Its tuff, fast and portable with an amazing battery life.
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