Each time you hear the term 3G (or Third Generation), it refers to a data access standard through cellular networks.

This is how it works:

If you ever use a newer cellular phone, you probably see the small 3G symbol near the signal strength indicator whenever you browse the Web and check e-mail from your phone. It is also possible to use a 3G modem (USB modem) on your netbook when accessing the Net.  Unlike WLAN, where you have to be near a Wi-Fi access point, with a 3G network as long as you are within cellular network’s data coverage, you can access the Internet. Speed is sufficiently fast (especially if you are stationary), but isn’t as reliable as a WLAN connection.  A few netbooks come with integrated 3G modems. If your netbook does not have a 3G modem, you can still get 3G connectivity in several different ways.

• USB: It looks like a flash drive and plugs into a USB port.
• ExpressCard: some netbooks have ExpressCard expansion slot – it is a smaller model of a PC Card. A few manufacturers offer netbooks with ExpressCard 3G modems.

You can usually get a 3G modem through the cellular provider. USB modems prices range is between $80 and $180 depending on the model and features. But hold onto your hats as many providers are now offering discounted modems or 3G cellphones when you subscribe to a data plan and perhaps, in the near future carriers will start giving away no-frills, subsidized netbooks for data plan subscription.

Check with your carrier to get more details about its 3G service packages and compatibility with netbooks. Before you choose a 3G service, try to get some user feedbacks about how the service quality is in your area -it could be useful to visit forums such as http://cellphoneforums[dot]net or www[dot]howardforums[dot]com. Although your cellular carrier may claim wide coverage area, some places may have better and faster connectivity than others.

Window XP on Netbook

Because Netbooks first introduced at the end of 2007, you’d think the little notebooks would be running the cutting-edge, greatest, latest OS.  But guess what? The most favored Netbook operating system is the venerable Windows XP (especially Windows XP Home), which was first came out in October 2001.  In the past few years, Microsoft has tried its best to supplant the dated operating system, but has not had much success. Even though the company has ceased mainstream support for Windows XP, it will continue providing free security updates until 2014. Microsoft’s marketing problem is obvious, XP just works. It’s easy to use, predictable, reliable, supports all kinds of hardware programs and devices, and is as convenient as an old sweater. Six months after the release of Windows Vista, sixty-three percent of PCs connected to the web are still running Windows XP – compare that to a meager twenty-four percent for Windows Vista, with the remainder split up evenly between Mac and Linux. Windows 7 has a better chance to replace XP or even Vista, in the next few years. Aside from overall consumer popularity, Windows XP is well suited for underpowered Netbooks. Even a 1st generation Netbook with just 512 Kb of RAM and a 900 MHz CPU can run Windows XP and many Windows applications reasonably well. Netbooks with more RAM and a faster CPU are even better. Surely, aside from a dinkier screen, you should expect Windows XP to run on a Netbook just like it does on a normal desktop or laptop – and that means almost all the Windows programs work with acceptable stability.

At first, the fame of Linux in Netbooks took many by surprise – certainly, including Microsoft. When mini-laptops were first introduced, they exclusively ran lite flavors of Linux OS. Manufacturers provided instructions for putting in Windows XP if the user happened to own a spare copy, but a buyer could not purchase an off-the-shelf mini-laptop with the Microsoft OS installed.

Then all of a sudden, Windows XP Netbooks became available in many stores – for the equal price as Linux Netbooks. This was strange because Linux was free and did not need any manufacturer licensing fees, like Windows did. Some industry experts (and naturally, conspiracy theorists) thought Microsoft recognized a looming threat to its hegemony. The stories go that the Redmond executives started offering computer manufacturers some very attractive incentives and licensing deals if they sold Netbooks with Windows XP Home edition installed. And in just a few months, Windows XP Netbooks were outselling their Linux counterparts by a wide margin of 9 to 1. Some suggested Microsoft was only making about $15 from a Netbook that uses XP – just compare that to around $55 each time a notebook with Windows Vista is sold. Nobody knows what had happened, but even that’s true, it’s unlikely that Linux community will sue Microsoft.

Gaming in Netbooks

First of all, your netbook is not a gaming rig. Yes, it’s a normal computer and runs a fully-functioning Windows OS, so theoretically it can run popular Windows games. However there are a few things going against netbooks when it comes to running games. These limitations mostly apply to 3D, graphics-intensive multiplayer online or commercial games. A netbook will easily handle light games like Solitaire, Tetris, and other well-known time wasters.

• Screen resolution: A 10-inch (or less) display just doesn’t cut it with many games – either in terms of game requirements or usability; for instance, many games require at least 1024 x 768 resolution. Your only option is to hook up an external CRT/LCD monitor.
• Processor: The Intel Atom processors aren’t what you would call a rocket ship, and you will experience significant lag on newer games compared when using desktops or laptops equipped with faster processors.  The more your little processor has to work, the hotter your netbook gets.
• Graphics card: This is the most obvious stumbling block when playing modern graphics-intensive games. Many best selling Windows games require a cutting-edge VGA card that performs complex 3D computations to give you realistic animation. Currently, most netbooks have integrated graphics chipsets, more suitable for basic home or business computers, not for heavy-duty gaming – even so, a few netbook models are starting to feature dedicated graphic cards, like GeForce 9300M.
• RAM: The more RAM you have, the better, and although netbooks with 1 or 2 GB of RAM are still usable, more is always preferred – but we are stuck with Microsoft’s licensing stipulation that limits netbooks running Windows XP with maximum of 2 GB of RAM. That limitation will likely also apply with Windows 7.
• Optical drive: If there is no external DVD drive for game installation, you need to get around the obstacle with a small amount of trickery.  On a computer with a DVD drive, use a DVD backup program to make an ISO image of your entire game DVD. Transfer the ISO image to your netbook’s hard disk and then install Daemon Tools version 3.47 to emulate a DVD drive, and mount the ISO. Windows will think you have a physical optical drive and the game’s installation menu is run.

This might seem like bleak situation for netbook gaming. But, you really have to accept netbook’s feature limitations and you shouldn’t try to turn it into something that it’s not. Even so there are many exciting games that can run well on a netbook. For instance, if you have old games lying around the attic gathering dust like Red Alert 2, Starcraft, and Diablo 2, just give them a try. On typical netbooks (Atom processors and Intel GMA 950 graphic chipset), your oldie-but-goodie games will run just fine.

The text is remarkably clear even when smallest sizes are used. Actually the text that’s usually a blur on PC or Laptop was clear and legible on the iPhone.  On a downside, Safari that on your iPhone currently does not support Java or Flash, this means you will encounter some pages that have content you will not able to browse, instead there will be errors. Yet your iPhone comes with a built-in YouTube program it allows you to browse the YouTube content that’s coded in H.264 format, go to YouTube by using Safari and you try viewing a video which is available on Flash format only you will get errors which say that you using an “ old version of Macromedia`s Flash Player” installed. When reading the Web page, click on whatever Web link if you want to go immediately to that particular page.

You able to use the back and front buttons when navigating between the pages same as you do on any other browser. By tapping on the e-mail link it will open the new message on the iPhone`s Mail program, when you have many e-mail accounts then iPhone will use the default account to have the message send. Similarly, tapping the map link will open iPhones Maps program and all destination previously specified. By tapping on links that support audio files (MP3 or AAC up to 320 Kbps, Apple Lossless, Audible, AIFF, or WAV formats) video files (MPEG-4 or H.264 ), Safari plays the media immediately in the browser. Need to add any text on a field in the page, click on that field; Safari automatically zoom’s text field and brings up you on-screen keyboard, in the text-entry mode. Next and Previous buttons allows you to quickly jump in-between the text fields and without zooming out again. If you come across a list on the Web page or a scrolling box and if you composing any comment on the blog scrolling with only one finger are not going to work, instead you need to zoom in the box, use your two fingers to scroll through.

Wi-Fi and Netbooks

If the Wi-Fi hotspot uses public access (doesn’t need a password), Windows quickly connects to it, and voilà; you are on the Internet.  Wi-Fi routers cost between $30 and $120 (depending on the features and brands).  Because they’re easy to install and cheap, many people broadcast their DSL connection and set up a wireless home network. Just be sure to activate WPA security on your router. If you don’t, it is possible for someone to “steal” your wireless Internet access – and rack up a huge bandwidth bill if your internet connection is metered.
Windows is already configured to quickly connect to nearby, public access points. If your netbook doesn’t immediately connect, here’s what you should do:

1. Double-click the Wireless Network Connection icon in the Windows taskbar. Available Wireless Networks will be shown on the pop-up menu. You can left-click a connection icon to see more information on it.
2. To connect to a wireless network, just click the Connect button.  If you see a lock icon under the network name, it means the network is secured and uses encryption. You must enter a password to access it.

A signal strength indicator shows the connection quality. Often, more bars mean faster and more reliable connection.  Windows gives status information when it tries to connect a wireless network and it informs you when the connection is established. In a nutshell, connecting to a wireless network is relatively straightforward – you may need to check the netbook’s user manual for more information. You can switch off the wireless card to improve battery life. Also, you may need to turn off the wireless card during a flight where wireless signals might interfere with the aircraft’s avionics – or so they say.  If you have an 802.11b/g wireless card, it transmits and receives 2.4 GHz radio waves. Unfortunately, baby monitors, certain cordless telephones, microwave ovens and Bluetooth devices emit similar frequency. If means when you pop a pouch of corn kernels in the microwave, there is a possibility your Internet connection will go snap temporarily while the oven is turned on, depending on where your access point, microwave, and netbook are located.

The best screen size for netbook

• 7-inch: Early netbooks featured dinky 7″ displays. It’s a pain to browse the Web with these tiny screens because the entire page can’t be displayed horizontally – it may force you to scroll the pages quite a bit. Additionally, the common resolution of the 7″ screens is limited to only 800 x 480. Netbooks with these displays have simply gone the way of the mammoth and are only found in the discounted and used markets.

• 9-inch: Netbook manufacturers quickly wised up that 7″ screens simply didn’t cut the mustard. Generally, from an engineering standpoint, it is possible to shoehorn a 9″ screen into a 7″ netbook chassis or use a slightly larger chassis. As a matter of fact, many 7″ screen netbooks use a plastic bezel around the display, which when you calculate the bezel, the screen size is roughly equal to 9″. Many 9″ screens use 1024 x 600 resolution. If you are looking for high portability, choose a 9-inch-screen model. The drawback is; you may have to endure the small keyboard. You should be aware that many netbook manufacturers tend to abandon 9″ models in favor of larger and more usable 10″ screen.

• 10-inch and above: When you put a 10″ screen in your favorite netbook, its chassis needs to be enlarged. Larger chassis means that you can have a bigger keyboard and more powerful battery. Netbooks with 10″ screens are pretty much common these days, although each model may use different maximum resolution – generally, the larger the resolution, the better. In spite of what a netbook manufacturer may advertise, many people consider a netbook with screen larger than 10″ is not a real netbook. Models touting 11″ and 12″ screens are closer to small laptops than netbooks because they’re giving up the light weight, compact size, and affordable price tag.

Actually, most netbook screens marketed as 9″ are actually 8.9″, while, a 10″ screen can actually be 10” to 10.5″, based on manufacturer specifications. Many netbooks use glossy screens (reflective surface). Some models use matte screens, which don’t reflect light. A research suggests that high-gloss displays may cause ergonomic problems because users are forced to adopt awkward postures to avoid reflections and glare typically not present when using matte screens.

Some netbook manufacturers offer credit cards or preferred customer clubs that will give you the financing you need. Generally, the best way to capitalize on these manufacturer-sponsored financing options is by directly visiting their websites. It is crucial to remember that most of those offers do require buyers to go through some sort of an application process; it may take at least ten days for approval. For people who don’t mind the wait, and have adequate credit score to qualify, those offers may be a good way to find a low or no interest credit line.

Many people choose credit card for netbook financing. Though some may not think charging a product is a true financing, credit card can be the best route to obtain an affordable minimum monthly payment at low interest rate. It is appropriate for people who already have low interest credit cards. If a credit card is charging 15% or higher, finding other financing options is usually a better idea. Credit cards may be useful when buying a netbook that doesn’t come with a warranty. In a few cases, the credit card provider will cover major transaction for more than a year.
If you will be choosing your netbook from internet or through a big electronics retailer, it’s possible that the seller will agree to help you get the financing you need to make a quick purchase. Some manufacturer websites offer options for monthly payment plan. If a manufacturer is partnered with a short-term creditor, qualifying for financing can be as simple as providing a proof of employment.