subject: Accessorizing and Expanding [print this page] After you purchase a netbook, if you're like most users you'll also eventually buy some additional hardware or accessories to go with it.
The first purchase is usually something to carry the netbook around with. I really encourage you to have some type of padding to protect your netbook from the inevitable bumps and bruises when toting it around town.
Because of its compact size, you have all sorts of carrying options available, including cases and sleeves (padding with no carrying straps) designed specifically for a specific model, cases originally designed for something (portable DVD players work great), and cheap do-it-yourself carriers. If you're going to be using your netbook for trans-Pacific or Atlantic flights (or anytime you're away from a power source for an extended period), you'll probably want to consider carrying a spare battery. Battery life can vary dramatically between netbook models, ranging from a few hours to five hours plus I just tested a netbook that achieved an amazing eight hours of run time. This has to do with the size of the battery (the more cells, the longer the life); the type of processor (some are more energy efficient than others); the screen brightness; whether the wireless card is turned on; and what you're doing (for example, watching a movie drains the battery faster than working on a spreadsheet).
Go to google tocharge up your brain cells with everything you need to know about batteries including third-party and universal batteries. I also discuss different ways to maximize battery life.
Netbooks typically don't have as much hardware as comes with a full-size laptop (no DVD drive, dialup modem, mouse, and so on). However, most netbooks have at least two USB ports that you can use with all sorts of external USB devices. That includes flash memory drives, external hard drives, and DVD/CD-ROM drives.
Unlike laptops, most netbooks don't have PC card slots a few models are coming with newer and smaller ExpressCard slots though. For adding hardware, always think USB or SD memory card. (Most netbooks feature an SD card reader slot.)
In addition to storage devices, you can also connect mice, keyboards, modems, Bluetooth cards, and so on, to your netbook. And don't forget that most netbooks feature a VGA port that allows you to connect an external monitor or multimedia projector a netbook, PowerPoint, and a projector makes a killer presentation system.
Technically Speaking
Technically speaking, a netbook is no different than a conventional laptop or desktop PC. Although some of the hardware components may be a little different, what works with Windows should work with your Windows netbook. You should be aware of a few technical details, though.
