The popularity of NetBook computers has taken both hardware and software makers by surprise. What was considered a niche market has become the new growth area for computer hardware. But will your NetBook run Microsoft Office or Outlook?

Operating system

Not all NetBooks use Windows, the cheaper ones reach that lower price by skipping the cost of Windows and using a version of Linux instead.

There's nothing wrong with Linux especially since you can download OpenOffice v3 for free to run on it. OpenOffice v3 can read but not write to the Office 2007 document formats. But you might decide to pay a bit more for the familiarity of Windows. After a slow start, Microsoft has sharpened their pricing on Windows XP for NetBook makers.

NetBooks have a slower processor and less memory than most laptops/desktops so Windows XP is preferred over Vista (there's little to commend Vista on a NetBook in our view). Make very sure that the NetBook has Windows supplied. We've seen some machines which aren't clear about the operating system and invariably that means there's a non-Windows OS involved..

Memory

With the slower Atom processor and slower hard drive, memory becomes an important factor. More memory means software can run more efficiently and hard drive use is cached better.

Generally speaking, the video memory is shared with standard RAM. For example a 512MB NetBook could actually running in only 448MB because 64MB is reserved for video.

We believe that 1GB of RAM is the least amount for anyone using Microsoft Office on a NetBook. If the extra cost isn't too much, jump to 1.5GB or 2GB. If you want to run that eternal resource hog, Microsoft Outlook, get as much memory as you can.

Keep in mind that installing memory into an existing portable computer can be expensive and cumbersome We suggest that you buy the NetBook with the hardware you need now and for the foreseeable future.

Hard Drive

Hard drives are generally around 80GB, though 160GB is possible.

Solid State Drives (SSD) will raise the price promising power savings and higher speed (though these claims are disputed). SSD drives are also smaller sizes with 4GB, 16GB or 32GB the most common. The sizes of SSD are increasing fast and in the next year you can expect to see 128 and even 256GB drives becoming available, for a price.

We like the idea and promise of SSD but are wary of the new technology. There are limitations and questions around the medium and long term write stability of SSD. We're inclined to hold off on SSD until the price comes down and Microsoft tweaks Windows to work efficiently with SSD (at present Windows assumes it's dealing with a standard hard drive).

A 4GB SSD is totally impractical for regular use with Windows with 16GB being the practical but still absolute minimum in our view.

Much depends on how much disk space you think you might need then add some because most people underestimate their disk space needs. If you're travelling you'll need space for your photos and maybe videos as well as any music and videos you bring from home for entertainment. Office users will need space for all necessary documents.

Windows always needs some free hard drive space to work with - about 512MB or a 1GB. Under that level Windows can start acting strangely.

On balance we're inclined to go for the 80GB hard drive option or larger. If you want to try SSD, go for the largest one available, probably 64GB.

USB ports

The MacBook Air, among many limitations comes with a single USB socket which is really insufficient for regular use. A single socket means you have to carry around a USB hub to use more than one device.

USB sockets can be used for external keyboard, mouse, external storage, memory card sockets and charging smaller devices like mobile phones/MP3 players (the latter two important for travelers).

Your NetBook should have at least two, preferably three USB sockets.

Battery

The Apple Mac book Air and now the Mac book Pro 17" have in-built non-replaceable batteries which we think is a thinly veiled piece of deliberate obsolescence. We're continually amazed at reviewers saying that the fixed battery isn't a problem because people replace their portable computer before the battery expires. Only people who get a regular re-supply of their hardware could say that.

In the real world, where people pay for their own computer, a laptop can last for years except that the battery loses ability to hold a charge over time. Eventually it only works with the AC power attached, which rather defeats the purpose of a portable computer.

The simple fix is to buy a replacement battery. With a new battery your NetBook can last a few more years quite easily.

Bottom line: make sure the NetBook has a replaceable battery.

Screen Size

NetBook screens are smaller than laptops around 9 or 10 inch screen dimension.

In terms of screen resolution you usually get a standard width but a shorter height than a laptop or desktop screen. For example a NetBook might have a 1024x576 or 1024x600 resolution instead of 1024x768 on a laptop.

The shorter screen is an issue when using MS Office. Most software has been designed with ever larger screens in mind - not smaller ones. Office suite software has the problem of making plenty of workspace available (ie document or worksheet view) while also showing enough features and status information. We'll talk about that some more later in this article.

Most NetBooks have glossy screens which look nice in the showroom but aren't so good in practice. The glossy screen is harder to see in brighter/sunny conditions. Your reflection in the screen can be distracting. We prefer the non-glare / matt screen which is readable in lighter conditions plus Peter doesn't have to look at his aging visage as he types.

An external VGA port is a good idea, it lets you plug the NetBook into a larger screen when you're at home and use it as a second computer. Many hotels now have video input sockets on the in-room TV's to let you move from a tiny screen to a really big one.

Keyboard

The keyboard is necessarily smaller than usual. That's OK for occasional use and web browsing but if you're likely to be typing a lot then you might find your fingers rebelling against you.

Try out the keyboard properly yourself before buying to make sure you're comfortable with it. Just a few key presses isn't enough - type a few paragraphs.

The multiple USB sockets we suggested above let you plug in an external keyboard and mouse for longer jobs.

A small wireless notebook mouse is a useful extra buy.

So will your NetBook run Office or Outlook – maybe – if you have time for the pain. I wouldn’t do it.

However, if you insist:

Office 2003

(This section applies to Office 2003 and most of it works with earlier versions of Office as well.)

The main toolbars in Office 2003 applications are on one or two rows.

See the controls for menu and toolbar display by right-mouse clicking on the toolbar or menu and choosing the Customize menu at the bottom (or Tools | Customize from the menu). There are three tabs, Toolbars, Commands and Options.

Word 2003 - Tools - Customize dialog

Under options, uncheck the box Standard and Formatting toolbars on two rows. This will put both toolbars side-by-side. Unfortunately, it also means you won't be able to see all the toolbar buttons as they'll disappear off the right of screen. For that reason you might decide to stick with two rows of toolbars.

You could remove toolbars entirely by unchecking them from the long list under the Toolbars tab - then you can work with remembered shortcuts and the menus alone.

An advanced option is to make your own custom toolbar with the icons you want from Standard and Formatting toolbars. You can do that by going to Tools | Customize | Toolbars, clicking New then copying icons from the supplied toolbars to the new one.

Leave off Options | Large Icons - they take up too much room.

Normally we suggest turning on the 'Always show full menus' option so you can see all menu items immediately. However, on a NetBook screen the menus can scroll off the bottom of the shorter screen so you might prefer to turn on 'Show full menus after a short delay'. Office 2003 will initially show common menu items plus those you've used in the past.

While Office 2003 can use less screen height than Office 2007 (because of the single or dual toolbars) the Ribbon minimization trick in Office 2007 lets you see all the ribbon features when needed and get them out of the way as you type.

Screen Views

To see text while typing (plus your choice of toolbars and menu) choose View | Normal. This removes margins etc and puts only text editing area on the screen.

You can switch to View | Page Layout at any time to see the overall look of the page. Even then you can see more text on the page by choosing View | Zoom | Text Width.

View | Full screen will get rid of toolbars, menus and status bars (again it works best if you start from Normal view). Move your mouse to the top of the screen and the Office menu will drop down. The 'Close Full Screen' button is there to help people who switch to this view and can't work out how to get back to the standard display - all you have to do is press Escape.

Reclaiming screen space

The status bar at the bottom of the screen is controlled from Tools | Options | View | Show | Status bar

In Print View the 'white' space between pages (it's the dark grey area on the screen) can go away by clicking in that area (a hide/show white space tip will appear) or from Tools | Options | View | Print and Web layout options | White space between pages.

The vertical ruler on the left in Print view is controlled from Tools | Options | View | Print and Web layout options | Vertical Ruler.

The horizontal ruler can be toggled on/off from View | Ruler.

Office 2007

The much maligned ribbon interface in Office 2007 has several features which make it ideal for smaller screens - though that's certainly not what the smarties at Microsoft envisaged when developing the ribbon.

The ribbon is a fixed height which the same height as Office 2003 with three toolbars.

Office 2003 - 2007 height comparison