Packard-Bell Dot U

Packard Bell Dot U review

The Packard Bell Dot U is being marketed by the company as its latest netbook, but while it definitely shares some features with those mini machines, some of the components used here place it more in the ultra-portable laptop category.Netbooks are currently being prodded from the spotlight by the influx of tablet devices anyway, but they still have a viable spot in the market. Their slim, light builds and extended battery life make them perfect for taking on the road. What's more, they have a physical keyboard, which currently makes them superior to tablets for typing out long documents and emails.Of course, the compromise between netbooks and full-sized laptops is performance. Run almost exclusively by low-voltage Intel Atom processors, netbooks are good for browsing the web, working on that mid-term essay and not a lot else. Anyone with more demanding needs who also requires a high degree of portability will be better off looking at ultra-portable laptops instead. To be classed as ultra-portable, a laptop must weigh 2kg or less, and the Packard Bell Dot U comes well under that, weighing just 1.3kg.