Netbook For Kids
I confess that when my five-year-old asks me for his own computer, I usually screech at him, "Do you know how old I was when I got my first computer? I was 22!" (Still miss you, Mac Classic II). My little guy may be too young to have his own system, but older kids, particularly those in the "tween" demographic, are more than ready to handle their own system. And there is a growing niche of systems designed just for them, so-called tween netbooks, with kid-friendly designs and parental-control software. We tested the most recent generation to find out which ones really make the grade.Most netbooks have an 8-inch to 10-inch screen and some of the same features found in other laptop systems—a Webcam, USB ports, between 512MB and 1GB of memory, built-in Wi-Fi, a decent-sized hard drive, and a solid processor. Keyboards size usually ranges from 89 percent to 93 percent of full size—which is more cramped for adult hands, but perfect for smaller fingers. There is no optical drive in most netbooks—definitely none in those targeted to the tween market.When buying a netbook for the tween set, some of the same considerations apply as buying any laptop. Design plays a part in the purchase consideration, as does the feature set, usability, and battery life. Some manufacturers (such as Dell, with the Mini Nickelodeon Edition, and ASUS with the Disney Netpal take pains to create kid-friendly eye candy. Others, like M&A (with its Companion PC 10 and Companion Touch) and 2Go (with its Classmate PC E10 and Convertible Classmate PC) forsake eye-catching design for one that can take a licking from a youngster's use. These systems are basically custom variants of the Intel Classmate PC.
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