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I think it depends on what you need it for and how comfortable you are with the screen size.
I couldn’t use a 12″ screen as my primary laptop/PC at uni as I need to do programming, multi-document viewing etc… If all you are needing it for at uni is typing up documents in Word and browsing the internet then 12″ would probably be fine.
If you think that the 12″ is going to be too small and the 13.3″ is going to be better go for the 13.3″, it’s what you’re going to be looking at every day.
Personally I like having a very small laptop/netbook for carrying around and for use in lectures, but a much larger system for working on at home. If I could only have a single computer I would go for a 15.4″ laptop (Macbook Pro).
They tend to be reasonably portable, I tend to find weight is more of an issue rather than size.
The other option is to buy a small laptop and hook it up to a larger computer screen.
Or depending on what you want a small 720p TV screen hooked up to the laptop may be quite nice.In all honesty I think only you can answer this question. A 10″ NC10 is proving to be very usable for my day-to-day needs. I often only use my desktop for my professional work and gaming these days.
So potentially, yes, a 12″ screen might be great for you! If you are doing high end photo manipulation then probably not – but you’d already own a 20″+ screen if that were the case! Remember you can plug these devices into bigger screens, eg my new £150 20″ TV from Tesco has a VGA port so I hook my NC10 up to that when I want to go large! The NC10 (and I guess the NC20) can output at higher resolutions that its own screen.
I think you make a point I’ve been making and that’s the blurring of the lines between any portable laptops, whether net, note or lap – tops. Sooner or later you’ll be able to get any size you like with any spec you like. In one respect this is good for choice but in another it means people won’t know what to buy anymore! So just get an NC20 and then tell us all about it :D!
Not only does size need to be taken into account, but screen resolution too. You could see a 15.4″ laptop with a very low resolution screen and it might not be what you need, however, you could then see a 15.4″ laptop with a higher resolution screen that suits you ideally.
I’m sure you have a budget in mind, so check out the different laptops/netbooks that fit into what you’re looking for online first, make note of the screen resolution and then go into your local computer store to see them in real-life. 15.4†laptops are being reduced in weight and size, so I’m sure you can find a suitable and portable laptop that you like.
I find 12″ screens a great size! My GF has a 12″ and it is nice! I use my NC10 a lot more then my desktop now, a lot more but still use teh desktop for a few multi players games with my house mates! My desktop broke a few weeks back tho so I played on my NC10 connected to my 17″ screen and it was great! So this is an option if you want a larger screen and maintain portability! I guess yuo will want to make notes in lectures so battery must be a selling point for you!
I was looking in John Lewis and Currys last week and saw soem Samsung laptops with 12″ screens and Nvidia 9400 for between £500 and £600 which looked very nice indeed!
I would describe a 15.4inch laptop as a luggable, far to heavy to carry around day-to-day. Mine has never left the house, that’s why I bought the NC10.
I have a Dell XPS M1710 notebook with a 17″ screen which spends most of its time in the house, but travels with me when I have serious work to do.
I also have a desktop with a 24″ screen for photo editing (because of its awesome resolution) and which I love because I can have two A4 documents open side by side.
I would find a 12″ screen far too small for every day use. I I love the portability of my 10″ NC10. IMHO 12″ is neither fish nor fowl – bigger and heavier than I would prefer to carry around every day, but too small to do useful work.
Having said all that, it really depends on what you want your computer to do.
As always in life, it’s a compromise 😉
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