The new netbooks are taking the world by storm! In the world of computer technology bigger isn’t always better and the appearance of the light and versatile netbooks has been proving this more and more in the last few months.

Netbooks offer the ability for light computing and internet surfing from anyplace where there is an internet connection. Their size and format make for a longer battery life which giver more computing time per battery charge and their size makes them much more portable than a laptop computer.

Several companies have jumped on the netbook bandwagon and they have all scaled the size of their netbooks to fit into the average tote bag or small briefcase. Their physical size is only part of their charm.

While their screen size is about that of the average portable DVD player, it’s what is inside that counts. All netbooks come with wireless internet capability making them ideal for internet surfing on the go. They are also well designed for writing and other simple computing tasks.

Netbooks have been designed to be smaller than a laptop computer. Laptop computers now boast all of the capabilities of desktop computers. Netbooks by design lack the advanced graphics necessary for gaming and usually lack the computer applications necessary for serious computing.

While netbooks don’t often have the storage capacity of a larger computer, they do offer USB ports making it possible to use removable storage drives. These USB ports also help to make the netbook the ideal computer to take on vacation. You can check your email, write notes home, surf the internet and upload photos from a digital camera. You can even use netbooks as a great source for transferring music to an MP3 player.

Because of the small and light footprint of netbooks, they are ideal for classroom use. Many students use netbooks for note taking and internet information searching while in classrooms and libraries. Where a full-sized laptop might be heavy and overly cumbersome for classroom and library use, the netbook fits perfectly. The small size of the netbook helps it to fit easily into a backpack or tote bag for easy carrying.

Netbooks have become so popular so fast that both jackets and purses are being designed for their portability. Special interior pockets on jackets have been designed just so the netbook can be carried easily. Purses are being designed with interior netbook sleeves.

Another factor in the popularity of netbooks is their cost. Netbooks sell for between one half and one third the cost of a basic laptop computer. This cost means that rather than share a netbook everyone in the family can have one of their own. It also means that schools can afford to purchase more of them for teaching applications as well as classroom work.

Netbooks have taken global computing by storm. They are small, lightweight and can perform the most used functions of a full size computer. Netbooks are not going to replace laptops but they serve an essential computing purpose for a fraction of the cost of a laptop. This is a positive trend that will continue for years to come.