Computer Geek Advice, Please: Laptop Edition.

[Chromatix]

The EeePC is just a brand of netbook from Asus. (The original netbook was the first Asus EeePC model.)

Netbooks in general have relatively slow hardware, as they aim for both cheapness and smallness, and you might have trouble with playing videos on many of them. There are some exceptions - a couple of EeePC models are based on the ION platform, which means they have a proper Nvidia graphics processor, which can decode the video without relying on the weak CPU. But you won't get as big a hard disk in a base netbook model as in a full laptop.

[Gravekeeper]

The EeePC is just a brand of netbook from Asus. (The original netbook was the first Asus EeePC model.)

Netbooks in general have relatively slow hardware, as they aim for both cheapness and smallness, and you might have trouble with playing videos on many of them.

Current gen netbooks are based on Intel Atom these days and most have ION as GPU. There's really no worry with video on a netbook unless you're trying to stream 720-1020p. Which you won't be as its sort of pointless on smaller laptop screens. If you were going to stick an external blu-ray on it sure, but if you're just going to be dicking around on Youtube and what not, no worries.

That said, I have an archaic eeePC 701 that's never had a problem streaming video unless I toggle a Youtube vid up to 1020p. And it's a fantastical 900mhz Celeron.

If you don't mind the size/weight of a full sized laptop, go for it. But netbooks have creeped so close to the border to full laptops at this point they're worth a look if you want something light and portable. I went from an eeePC 701 to a nice big spiffy 15.6" laptop. Turned out to be a pain in the ass. Wasn't worth the trouble of carrying the damn thing around, which sort of defeated the purpose. Got rid of it.

Still have the eeePC though. -.-

[Minneyar]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't worry too much about getting a ton of USB ports. I'd say 2 is a minimum, 4 is nice, more than that is overkill. If you don't actually need to use that many at once, more ports just means adding more weight and size to a laptop. If you find you actually need to have several devices plugged in at once, for $15 or $20 you can get a little four-port USB hub that will effectively let you plug up to four devices into a single USB port.

[Jester]

Computer illiterate question time: what the hell is the difference between a laptop and a netbook? Size? Power? I mean, is an 11" a netbook but a 15.6" is a laptop?

I know to a lot of you this question sounds stupid, but honestly, is there a big difference beyond just the size of the damn thing?

[Mytical]

Notebooks aren't as powerful as laptops, and lack the power for big, demanding programs as well as an optical disc drive - so no CDs or DVDs. None the less, connectivity is a central focus for netbooks.

Think of it like this. Its the same difference between a desktop and laptop..and the gap is closing just as fast also. Bigger = more powerful but less portable. With cloud computing and things like ONLIVE (for games) coming around the corner though..soon the only difference might be the price and weight.

[Gravekeeper]

Netbooks are, as the name implies, designed specifically around browsing ye old interwebs. As Mytical noted, they trim off the fixings ( having no optical drive, etc ) to reduce size and weight. They also lean towards low to mid-range parts power wise to keep the cost down. A laptop will have more power, but be bigger and less portable. A netbook will be less powerful, but easier to carry and can be whipped out practically anywhere. It'll likely also have a longer battery life as its built for effeciency. ( Some of the top models atm have 6-7 hour battery life. )

Netbooks top out around a 12.1 inch screen. But modern ones can easily handle 1020p HD video and many have video out capabilities ( If you have an HD display around, you can plug er in for instance ). Current gen Netbooks are actually more powerful then the 15.6 inch I had a year back or so. Basically if all you're doing is typing and surfing the Internet watching vids and what not, well, thats exactly what a Netbook was designed for.

Netbooks also tend to be rather standardized hardware wise as all manufacuterers will tend to use the same core parts. Competing only on actual machine design, extra features and trimmings. So less worry about wrapping your head around specs long as you learn what the current baseline is.

Still, my best advice would be to ask if you can pick up the display models at the store. My larger laptop looked awesome until they handed me the box and I felt the weight of it. Then I started to worry I might have a problem. Which indeed I did, as it was annoyingly heavy and awkward to have in my backpack going too and from work. Also awkward to have on my desk at work due to the size of its foot print.

With my eeePC I could throw it on my desk anywhere, and since it had video out like most netbooks, I could comandeer a monitor from a neighbouring desk for a full sized desktop screen. >.>