Totally clueless about laptops/netbooks

[happily single]

My dd12 has requested a laptop for X-mas. I have alloted $300 for this. But I have no idea whether I should get a laptop, netbook, etc. Mainly it will be used for internet, but I would like a word processing application as well. My only other critera would be a 12 inch screen or so.

Can anyone point me in the wrong direction? Do I want Gigabyte, MB, ET, AL, CT, (as you can see I am totally clueless and don't even know the lingo)

Thanks in advance

 

[lovesmurfs]

I'm not technical either, but I can help a little bit. For Christmas I purchased a laptop (notebook) for DS (almost 16) and a netbook for DD10.

The notebook has a CD/DVD drive and has a large hard drive, and will be good for him as he has projects for school, etc. It has a full laptop keyboard with a number keypad.

The netbook (an Amazon lightning deal I was able to get for $299) is mainly for web useage and email. It's super thin and has a smaller keyboard, no CD/DVD drive.

There's a netbook at Target for $289 that has Microsoft Works installed, which is good enough for my DD for now. The system I was able to get includes Office Personal 2007, which may be the full Word and Excel programs, but I haven't opened it to try it out.

DD didn't ask for a netbook -- she really wanted a DSi (but already has a DS) -- so I'm willing to exchange if she doesn't like it.

Good luck!

ETA: Most netbooks I've seen only have a 10" screen.

 

[solfan68]

As pp stated... most Netbooks come with a 10" screen these days. And they are great for basic functionality. A quick check at Amazon found several Asus Eee netbooks for right around $300. Also, be aware, that the majority of Netbooks don't have a CD/DVD included. This may not be a big deal if you can download the software you want(like iTunes) or have a way to transfer programs to a thumb drive to install.

By the way a free office suite can be downloaded. Its completely legal, and works with Microsoft documents. So if the kiddo is working on stuff at school and saving it to a thumb drive, they can bring it home and finish up... Re-save and its back to school, no worries. I think Netbooks are a great way to get kids into their own starter computer. Good luck !