Netbook Questions - Your suggestions?

[Fennec]

Hi guys,

I'm looking into buying a netbook or possibly a notebook that's as small as a netbook.

-Preferably a screen no bigger than 12" (I want it to be light and very portable.)
-$600 pre-taxes is my limit
-Primarily using it for internet/e-mail/chat programs/downloads/movies.
-Above average battery life. (8 hours would be nice.)

So my questions are these:

1.) Are the high-end models of netbook capable of playing Blu Ray quality and streaming it to a TV via HDMI without any choppiness or skipping? (Biggest concern.)
I see that they now have faster processors and also have NVIDIA/ATI graphics cards in them so I imagine they should be able to do this without any problem? I don't care about gaming on one, but I care about the quality of movie playback.

2.) Do any of them have USB 3.0 yet?

3.) A friend of mine was saying that the AMD processor is faster than the Intel processor.

Any tips would be welcome, as I am new to this technology.

Here's a link to a netbook that I was thinking about...

I want something of this caliber or higher..

Is Asus the best brand for netbooks?

http://www.frontierpc.com/computers.../eee-pc-1215b-pu17-bk-netbook-1019410021.html

Also where's the best place to buy one of these? I live in Canada, but we get ripped off up here as far as prices go....So I wouldn't have a problem ordering online, but I would want some sort of warranty if it happens to be defective in any way.

Thanks a bunch!

Also the netbooks typically come pre-installed with some version of Windows 7.... What do I do when I need to reformat? Do I need to buy my own copy of Win7 to reformat it?

 

[Master_Key]

Hi guys,

I'm looking into buying a netbook or possibly a notebook that's as small as a netbook.

-Preferably a screen no bigger than 12" (I want it to be light and very portable.)
-$600 pre-taxes is my limit
-Primarily using it for internet/e-mail/chat programs/downloads/movies.
-Above average battery life. (8 hours would be nice.)

So my questions are these:

1.) Are the high-end models of netbook capable of playing Blu Ray quality and streaming it to a TV via HDMI without any choppiness or skipping? (Biggest concern.)
I see that they now have faster processors and also have NVIDIA/ATI graphics cards in them so I imagine they should be able to do this without any problem? I don't care about gaming on one, but I care about the quality of movie playback.

2.) Do any of them have USB 3.0 yet?

3.) A friend of mine was saying that the AMD processor is faster than the Intel processor.

Any tips would be welcome, as I am new to this technology.

Here's a link to a netbook that I was thinking about...

I want something of this caliber or higher..

Is Asus the best brand for netbooks?

Buy Asus Eee PC 1215B-PU17-BK 12.1" LED Netbook - Fusion E-350 1.60 GHz - Black - 1215B-PU17-BK at FrontierPC.com in Canada

Also where's the best place to buy one of these? I live in Canada, but we get ripped off up here as far as prices go....So I wouldn't have a problem ordering online, but I would want some sort of warranty if it happens to be defective in any way.

Thanks a bunch!

Also the netbooks typically come pre-installed with some version of Windows 7.... What do I do when I need to reformat? Do I need to buy my own copy of Win7 to reformat it?

I am using ASUS netbook and they work fine. I don't think any would have USB 3.0. Battery power degrades easily while watching videos or playing games.

 

[Rmp5s]

I am an ASUS netbook and they work fine. I don't think any would have USB 3.0. Battery power degrades easily while watching videos or playing games.

You are a netbook? SWEET! lol!

 

[Master_Key]

You are a netbook? SWEET! lol!

Sorry, a typing error.

 

[Indigo]

HP Pavilion dm1 and dm1z series | HP® Official Store

^ that's the only game in town that I would consider for a netbook right now.