The design changes are subtle, but still effective. [...]]]> Today, Toshiba unveiled seven additions to its consumer-friendly Satellite line, as well as three SKUs for its small business-friendly L300 line. The notebooks, which range in price from $549 to $849 and have screen sizes from 14 to 18.4 inches, boast a tweaked design and, obviously, budget price tags.

The design changes are subtle, but still effective. For instance, the keyboard now has a matte finish, which means the keys should feel soft, but not slippery (not to mention pick up fewer fingerprints). Toshiba also brought its higher-end, glossy Fusion finish down to the entry-level– and extended it to the palm rest as well.

Other flourishes that Toshiba is offering on select models include: seamless, edge-to-edge glass displays; illuminated backlit- keyboards; slot-loading DVD ports; 3D accelerometers to protect the hard drive; 16:9 displays, some with native 720p resolution; and multi-touch trackpads (on all models except entry-level and netbooks, which were announced previously).

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I know, I know. Technically, netbooks are just little notebooks. But the truth of the matter is that there are a number of things that most full sized notebooks can do that are tougher to do on a netbook. For one thing, most full sized laptops have optical disc drives for installing software, listening [...]]]>

I know, I know. Technically, netbooks are just little notebooks. But the truth of the matter is that there are a number of things that most full sized notebooks can do that are tougher to do on a netbook. For one thing, most full sized laptops have optical disc drives for installing software, listening to CDs, or watching or burning DVDs. Netbooks also typically have slower processors and lower resolution displays than most laptops which makes them less than ideal for watching 1080p video, playing some games, or performing other CPU-intensive activities.

On the other hand, netbooks are good enough for 90% of the tasks that most people perform on a day to day basis. They can handle web browsing, office document editing, and other duties with ease. Heck, you can edit video on them if you really want to. It’ll just take a lot longer than on a system with a Core 2 Duo CPU.

But I’m probably preaching to the choir here. Most of you already know these things. But according to an NPD study, it appears the general public might not have gotten the message yet. NPD reports that “60 percent of consumers who purchased a netbook instead of a notebook though their netbooks would have the same functionality as notebooks.” Among those who chose a netbook instead of a notebook, only 58% said they were “very satisfied,” while 70% of those who had planned to get a netbook all along were satisfied with the purchase.

Shocking, no? It turns out that there’s a better chance you’ll be happy with your purchase if you know what you’re looking for before forking over the money. Who knew?

Anyway, there’s one statistic in the study that’s even stranger. While the main appeal of netbooks is their light weight, small size, and general portability, 60% of netbook buyers report that they never take the little laptops out of the house. I suppose it could just be aspirational thinking: You buy a netbook because you think you’ll carry it with you everywhere you go, only to realize you never go anywhere that you need a computer. But maybe the idea of a cheap, light weight computer for use around the house just appeals to people who don’t really ever expect to become road warriors.

What do you think? Do you regularly use your netbook around the house, on the go, or both?

Via liliputing