Netbooks for a Home Based Business

A netbook is a small laptop computer, usually with a 10″ or so screen. And they usually carry less horsepower than standard laptop computers. Originally their price point was supposed to be their main value – selling for less than $400. But notebook computers have dropped significantly in the past few years and you can almost get a full notebook computer for little more than that price point. So that kind of stalled the netbook idea – until recently when the cellular service providers got involved.

Both AT&T and Verizon offer netbooks at sharp discounts with their wireless data service bundled in. However like cellular service, you have to buy their two year data plan for their wireless service. The plans run from $40 to $60 per month with some significant bandwidth limitations. Here is a link to the Verizon data plan page.

Is a netbook right for your home based business? It depends. It will depend on how your business values portability. These netbooks are about as portable as you can get outside smart phones. If your home business depends a lot on mobility and you need internet access as you go, this can be a good compliment to your home office computer.

However I don’t see them completely replacing your business computer for the simple reason they are too slow. I have also heard that their wireless access is slower than typical Wi-Fi on a notebook. Do you have any experience to share with a netbook? Post your comments here.