Sub-notebooks: Small but versatile travel partners

Gadget News - Wednesday December 12, 2007

Sub-notebooks: Small but versatile travel partners

By Verena Wolff, dpa

Eschborn, Germany - Small, light and handy - those are the prime criteria for sub-notebooks. Anything with less than a 14-inch diagonal on the monitor is considered a sub-notebook. The most common formats are 12- and 13-inchers.

Weight is another primary factor in the classification of sub- notebooks: To count as a sub-notebook, the portable computer has to weigh between one and one-and-a-half kilogrammes.

Optimal devices are often connected externally to save weight and slim down the devices, explains Sebastian Wissmann, product manager for mobile computing for hardware maker Samsung. That means that the DVD drive is connected to the machine when needed using a USB port.

Business people are the primary users of these mini-computers. They are often looking to have their computer always on hand, yet also want it to fit into a briefcase.

"The couple of kilogrammes that you save over a full-sized laptop may not look like much on paper, but it makes a world of difference for actual day-to-day use," says Joerg Wirtgen the from Hanover-based c't magazine.

Sub-notebooks are often equipped similar to their bigger brothers in the 15, 17 or 19 inch lines.

"They have everything you'd expect from a modern computer," says Arnt Kugler from PC portal Chip Online in Munich. That includes a good display - albeit with lower resolution - a burner, large hard drive and WLAN. Graphics cards and processors tend to come in slimmed-down versions.

There are practical reasons for this as well. "Users don't need high-end applications; they need their Office suite and internet access," Kugler explains. Those applications don't require top-shelf processor and graphics performance. In exchange, the small computers often feature exceptionally long battery lives.

Almost all laptops and sub-notebooks are now offered in the 16:10 widescreen format.

"There are very few 4:3 ratio screens still on the market," Kugler says.

The width of the screen provides space for a proper keyboard. That means that all of the keys are on hand, even if not always in the standard layout found on desktop machines.

One area where sub-notebooks make sacrifices is in the number of ports. The most important ones are USB ports, and in many cases there are only two built in. Plug in an external optical drive and a mouse and those spaces are full in a hurry.

Smaller laptops tend to be more affordable. While prices typically hovered between 3,000 and 4,000 dollars (2,000 to 2,700 euros) just a few years ago, sub-laptops can now be had for around 1,000 dollars. Professional-grade devices with particularly high end components and long service lives will still cost upwards of 2,000 dollars.

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