Netbook No

Ever get the feeling you are not supposed to buy something...? I'm feeling that way about a netbook.

I had decided that if I found a good deal on a netbook, I would splurge on it. My budget was less than $250, and with the sales I did not think this was gonna be that hard.

First was the NewEgg deal on Black Friday. They had an Acer Aspire AOD250 for $190. Unfortunately, everyone else tried to get it, and they probably had like 3. NewEgg's servers crashed, and while the item was in my cart, the sale got canceled. Hey, not everything works out.

Undaunted, a few days later, I found a Compaq at Best Buy. This time it was going for $180, but it was a 3 cell. Still, at that price I couldn't pass, but it had to be picked up at a local store. The next day, all 5 Best Buys in my area were out of them. Ok, I figure I will keep looking online.

This last week, I found an Asus 1005HA refurb at B&H Photo. It was going for $260 with the shipping and tax, but I figured I needed to expand the budget a little bit. Besides, it was blue. I am not sure, why, but I would like a blue netbook, and this one met that requirement. I ordered it, and I have not dealt with B&H before, but I figured they have been around. Two days later, I am checking on my order to track the package, and literally simultaneously, they are calling me. They tell me that while the item was on the site, they have nothing to ship me. They offer me free shipping on something else, but I doubt anyone will remember by the time I would order anything. Somehow, I wasn't shocked by this phone call.

At this point, I can purchase the netbook, but it was cost closer to $300. At that price point, I will just wait for CES. The N450 Atom chip promises a smidge more performance, and even lower overall power consumption. And who knows if Tegra is coming out for real this time in a smartbook.

At any rate, when these same retailers complain that sales are down, perhaps they should look at their own practices and not wonder why...

Jonas