Netbooks anyone?

[Gehanna]

In 2008, ATP made a post about Netbooks:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110129&highlight=Netbooks

I have been considering the possibility of purchasing a netbook and I have a few questions for anyone who has one. My questions are:

What brand do you have? Is it an Acer, HP, Asus, etc.
What do you primarily use your netbook for?
What is your opinion of it?Sincerely,
Gehanna

[leahzero]

I'm posting this from my ASUS EeePC 1000HE, which I purchased one month ago. I primarily use it for web browsing, note-taking/research/novel planning (MS OneNote), and writing (MS Word).

My opinion of the 1000HE is: I adore it. What I was looking for was a light, cheap (less than $400) netbook, with great battery life (6 hours or more), a reasonably large screen for its size (10", 1024x600 resolution), and a comfortable, nearly full-sized keyboard that would both feel satisfying to type on, and be tolerable for lengthy writing sessions.

Thus far I have been completely impressed with this little machine. Its battery life is phenomenal (regularly 6-8 hours with multiple programs in use and screen brightness at medium), its screen is adequate and not as crippling as I'd worried it might be, and the "chiclet-style" keyboard (e.g., Macbook keyboard) is wonderful.

I upgraded my unit to 2G of RAM, and I'm running Windows 7 RC1 on it along with Microsoft Office 2007, and can even use Adobe Creative Suite 4 for non-intensive image editing. Where the machine shows its limits is when watching video in a web browser (embedded Flash). YouTube SD is watchable, but anything more intensive than that will choke. This is more of a problem with Flash than with the machine, though, as Flash is notoriously CPU-intensive.

Just beware of this limitation, which applies to all netbooks based on Intel Atom processors, and have realistic expectations in mind: as a web browser, word processor, music player, etc., netbooks are excellent.

I have two quibbles with the 1000HE. First, its keyboard: although the keys are large for a netbook (93% of standard laptop-sized keys) and have good tactile response, these units do have a tendency to randomly repeat keystrokes. There are some keyboard settings you can turn on in various OSes to deal with this, but ultimately nothing seems to solve the problem. It's not annoying enough to be obtrusive for me while writing, but I'm a fast touch-typist and don't mind having to correct occasional typos. Others may find it too irritating to bear, however.

My only real complaint with the 1000HE is its over-sensitive trackpad. While it has some nice iPhone-like finger gestures for scrolling and zooming, the pad is way too sensitive and sometimes registers movement while you're carefully typing, making the cursor leap to somewhere else on the page--and you'll suddenly notice you're typing in the middle of a paragraph. Frustrating. There are some user-created tweaking programs to deal with this, but the solution involves disabling the trackpad completely, which I don't want to do while I'm mobile. This problem typically isn't obtrusive enough to interfere with my writing more than a couple times over an hours-long session, but when it does happen, the results can be disastrous. Just a warning.

Overall, this criticism aside, I'm incredibly pleased with my purchase and am finding that the portability and battery life, along with the satisfying keyboard, are conducive to me taking the netbook with me nearly everywhere and writing on the go--which is more than I could have hoped for. It's also fantastic for carrying around the house and browsing while doing various domestic tasks, or just relaxing on the couch.

I've had several people at work notice my little netbook that's now always by my main workstation, and they've all been impressed with the price, battery life, and size. Netbooks definitely seem to hit a previously unrealized need for an extremely portable machine that can browse/email and do light productivity and media tasks.

Finally, personal anecdote: I bought an iPhone a few months ago, because I needed a portable internet device that I could take with me at all times. While I love the iPhone, I've found it too slow and cumbersome (both hardware-wise and AT&T network-wise) for doing anything but the most cursory web searches. I haven't ended up using it as much as I'd expected, or in as casual a way as I'd expected. The netbook, however, completely dominates my web browsing at home--and I have a powerful quad-core desktop with an enormous 30" LCD. It's just so much more convenient and cozy to use the netbook, rather than sit at my monolithic desktop and Browse the Web (capital letters).

Hope this verbose response contains something of use to you. Bottom line: get to an electronics store and try out as many netbooks as you can before deciding on one. They're such a personal type of device that it behooves you to find one you're truly comfortable with.

[Kitty Pryde]

I got an Asus EEE PC. Something was wrong with it right out of the box, and it wouldn't save documents (it would revert them to blank docs). Reinstalling OpenOffice failed, and reinstalling the OS failed. Eventually I sent it to my dad who fixes electronical doodads for a living--he was able to breathe life into it again. A big problem with the Asus EEE is that it runs Linux so if anything goes wrong, and you're not a computer genius, you're mostly outta luck as far as fixing it.

Now I have an Acer Aspire One. I love it! It's tiny and adorable, it has a very long battery life, slots for memory cards and lots of USB ports. I have smallish hands, but if i had bigger hands it would be hard to type on. As is I do a lot of typing on it. There's a builtin webcam that works well too. I use the computer for web surfing, keeping photos, and writing/typing/editing mostly.

The only bad thing I can say about the Aspire is the fan is a little bit louder than on other laptops. But it's white noise and it doesn't really distract me.

[SFNative]

A big problem with the Asus EEE is that it runs Linux so if anything goes wrong, and you're not a computer genius, you're mostly outta luck as far as fixing it.

Just a couple of minor quibbles there.

You don't need to be a computer genius to know how to deal with Linux. It's all about what you already know. If you didn't know how to deal with Windows, you wouldn't be able to do that either. Once you learn how to use an operating system, you can use it.

In any event, the EEE is available with either Windows or Linux.

[Kitty Pryde]

Just a couple of minor quibbles there.

You don't need to be a computer genius to know how to deal with Linux. It's all about what you already know. If you didn't know how to deal with Windows, you wouldn't be able to do that either. Once you learn how to use an operating system, you can use it.

In any event, the EEE is available with either Windows or Linux.

That's true. But Windows (as much as it is pleasurable to rag on it) has a lot of things Linux doesn't, like reliable and accurate documentation, and support. My EEE PC came with two disks to reinstall the OS if needed: one said Reinstallation Disk (or something like that), and the other had a label all in Spanish. It turned out that, in order to reinstall, one had to FIRST use the disk with the Spanish label, and THEN the disk labeled 'Reinstallation'. There was no note of this ridiculous scheme in the manual, either hard copy or online. Documentation I found was all either wrong, outdated, dodgy, or nonexistent.

I don't want to have a windows vs linux throwdown or anything, as both have pros and cons, but dealing with Linux problems can be a huge tribulation if one isn't a unix-loving computer fanatic.

One problem I had with the EEE that runs windows is that it costs as much as a nicer netbook does (I found it cost significantly more for a windows machine vs. a linux machine because of the price of the windows os).

[sassandgroove]

want.

[scarletpeaches]

What she said.

[ATP]

I had also considered the purchase (2nd hand) of a laptop to do just these sorts of tasks, and enable me to get out of the apartment, and avoid creeping 'cabin fever'. However, I could never justify the cost of a laptop for "low intensity" work done outside of my home office.

Recently, because I had to move from my previous apartment, and had not been able to reconnect to the internet for 6 weeks, I had been forced to review the idea, and netbooks & nettops seem to answer the laptop problems of expense and weight. Still, as I possess relatively thick fingers, the keyboard and key size of the netbook/nettop is a concern.

[David McAfee]

I'm posting this from my ASUS EeePC 1000HE, which I purchased one month ago. I primarily use it for web browsing, note-taking/research/novel planning (MS OneNote), and writing (MS Word).

My opinion of the 1000HE is: I adore it. What I was looking for was a light, cheap (less than $400) netbook, with great battery life (6 hours or more), a reasonably large screen for its size (10", 1024x600 resolution), and a comfortable, nearly full-sized keyboard that would both feel satisfying to type on, and be tolerable for lengthy writing sessions.

Thus far I have been completely impressed with this little machine. Its battery life is phenomenal (regularly 6-8 hours with multiple programs in use and screen brightness at medium), its screen is adequate and not as crippling as I'd worried it might be, and the "chiclet-style" keyboard (e.g., Macbook keyboard) is wonderful.

I upgraded my unit to 2G of RAM, and I'm running Windows 7 RC1 on it along with Microsoft Office 2007, and can even use Adobe Creative Suite 4 for non-intensive image editing. Where the machine shows its limits is when watching video in a web browser (embedded Flash). YouTube SD is watchable, but anything more intensive than that will choke. This is more of a problem with Flash than with the machine, though, as Flash is notoriously CPU-intensive.

Just beware of this limitation, which applies to all netbooks based on Intel Atom processors, and have realistic expectations in mind: as a web browser, word processor, music player, etc., netbooks are excellent.

I have two quibbles with the 1000HE. First, its keyboard: although the keys are large for a netbook (93% of standard laptop-sized keys) and have good tactile response, these units do have a tendency to randomly repeat keystrokes. There are some keyboard settings you can turn on in various OSes to deal with this, but ultimately nothing seems to solve the problem. It's not annoying enough to be obtrusive for me while writing, but I'm a fast touch-typist and don't mind having to correct occasional typos. Others may find it too irritating to bear, however.

My only real complaint with the 1000HE is its over-sensitive trackpad. While it has some nice iPhone-like finger gestures for scrolling and zooming, the pad is way too sensitive and sometimes registers movement while you're carefully typing, making the cursor leap to somewhere else on the page--and you'll suddenly notice you're typing in the middle of a paragraph. Frustrating. There are some user-created tweaking programs to deal with this, but the solution involves disabling the trackpad completely, which I don't want to do while I'm mobile. This problem typically isn't obtrusive enough to interfere with my writing more than a couple times over an hours-long session, but when it does happen, the results can be disastrous. Just a warning.

Overall, this criticism aside, I'm incredibly pleased with my purchase and am finding that the portability and battery life, along with the satisfying keyboard, are conducive to me taking the netbook with me nearly everywhere and writing on the go--which is more than I could have hoped for. It's also fantastic for carrying around the house and browsing while doing various domestic tasks, or just relaxing on the couch.

I've had several people at work notice my little netbook that's now always by my main workstation, and they've all been impressed with the price, battery life, and size. Netbooks definitely seem to hit a previously unrealized need for an extremely portable machine that can browse/email and do light productivity and media tasks.

Finally, personal anecdote: I bought an iPhone a few months ago, because I needed a portable internet device that I could take with me at all times. While I love the iPhone, I've found it too slow and cumbersome (both hardware-wise and AT&T network-wise) for doing anything but the most cursory web searches. I haven't ended up using it as much as I'd expected, or in as casual a way as I'd expected. The netbook, however, completely dominates my web browsing at home--and I have a powerful quad-core desktop with an enormous 30" LCD. It's just so much more convenient and cozy to use the netbook, rather than sit at my monolithic desktop and Browse the Web (capital letters).

Hope this verbose response contains something of use to you. Bottom line: get to an electronics store and try out as many netbooks as you can before deciding on one. They're such a personal type of device that it behooves you to find one you're truly comfortable with.

I have this exact same machine and I have not noticed the double-letter issue. As for the touchpad, I use a wireless mouse, and I've never had this happen to me. I love my Asus EEE, and have managed to do something with it I previously could not: write on my lunch break.

I've never visited Youtube on it before, so I can't comment on videos, etc. But this little thing does everything I bought it to do, anywhere I want to do it, and does all of it well for less $400.00.

[jst5150]

I have the Acer AOA-1500, 160GB hard drive, and I upgrade the to 2GB.

It's a fantastic tweener PC. The keyboard is cramped. I use a USB mouse. Good sound. There are plenty of ports. Some limitations with some software because of the screen resolutions (some software requires 1024 x 768; this is 1024 x 700 or something akin to that).

To the above, I bought it specially for writing and have penned about 30,000 words in two novels since buying it in March.

if you're a Mac nut, you may want to hold fast. Mac is building a tablet PC/netbook its going to debut in 2010. Latest rumors have been making the rounds on Twitter and elsewhere.

[leahzero]

if you're a Mac nut, you may want to hold fast. Mac is building a tablet PC/netbook its going to debut in 2010. Latest rumors have been making the rounds on Twitter and elsewhere.

It won't have a keyboard, though, and while software keyboards have come a long way thanks to Apple, they're not really suitable for extensive writing.

[Samantha's_Song]

I've got an MSI Wind and it's a great little machine, it even works faster than my two year old normal laptop does or ever did.

[Williebee]

I posted on this awhile back. I test drove half a dozen different netbooks for our offices.

The HP Mini has a tiny keyboard and smaller screen, and most importantly, with the extended battery the screen doesn't open up to the appropriate angle for users.

The Asus EEE is a cool machine, light, cheap, comes in solid state or hard drive, and with Linux or Windows. But again, the screen and keyboard were just too small for the adults in the room. (The classroom kids love them. They make a great "1 for 1" tool.)
Since testing, larger versions have become available.

The MSI/Acer/Samsung versions all come in the same basic form factor, currently pretty much the same battery life, same size screen size options, etc. Keyboards are larger than the previously mentioned, about a 1/3 smaller than standard laptop keyboards.

The Dell was an interesting one. Keyboard slightly smaller than the MSI etc. (accomplished by eliminating the F key row and incorporating it as an additional function key in the middle of the keyboard -- awkward but it works. Most folks don't use the Function keys that often.) Again, though the screen was smaller.

In all cases, the speakers aren't much. These things were designed with headsets in mind, anyway. All of them had webcams that worked well.

None have CD/DVD Drives, but all use an external (via USB connection).

Prices for all models were in the 400 -500 range, depending on the options. And they are all cheaper now. grrrr.
(Except for the Fujitsu mini tablet, which was outrageously cool and came with an $1800 price tag.)

I wound up going with a combination of the MSI Wind Machines (my personal choice, although that was made because of trust in the provider, the Acer would have done as well) and the Dell Mini's (for a couple of our Administrators.)

Several months have past now. All units, both models, have worked out well so far.

So, is that more than you wanted to know?
:)

[Tina-Louise Ray]

?

[paperbacklove]

I have an Acer Aspire One, and it's seriously amazing. Dual-boots with XP and Crunchbang! Linux (and may be triple-booting with the 7 RC soon, but I digress).

My hands are small, I guess, because the keyboard doesn't bother me much. It's a fantastic machine -- a regular laptop shrunken down so I can toss it in my purse~ :LilLove:

That's true. But Windows (as much as it is pleasurable to rag on it) has a lot of things Linux doesn't, like reliable and accurate documentation, and support. My EEE PC came with two disks to reinstall the OS if needed: one said Reinstallation Disk (or something like that), and the other had a label all in Spanish. It turned out that, in order to reinstall, one had to FIRST use the disk with the Spanish label, and THEN the disk labeled 'Reinstallation'. There was no note of this ridiculous scheme in the manual, either hard copy or online. Documentation I found was all either wrong, outdated, dodgy, or nonexistent.

I don't want to have a windows vs linux throwdown or anything, as both have pros and cons, but dealing with Linux problems can be a huge tribulation if one isn't a unix-loving computer fanatic.

That sounds more like a weird ASUS thing than a Linux thing to me. Dealing with Linux problems is more often than not a case of poking about on the internet for a bit until you find what you're looking for. Since it's being so strange, though, you can always just put your favorite version of Windows on there. :)

[Williebee]

Since it's being so strange, though, you can always just put your favorite version of Windows on there.
And on that note; Please do not assume that the folks at your favorite big box store know what they are talking about when they want to sell you the box MS product.

There are often cheaper sources of legally getting MS software.

[JamieMT]

Just another quick review - I bought a Samsung NC10 netbook just 4 weeks ago, and I am *completely* in love with it! I upgraded it to 2gb of RAM, and it has a 160gb hard drive, so plenty of room for my novels, photos, etc. The battery life is stellar - 6 hours with wireless on, up to around 8 hours with the wireless off. Internal bluetooth, SD card reader, 3 USB ports...and a really great, comfy keyboard.

I use ywriter software and OpenOffice on it, plus Paint Shop Pro for photo editing. I do have that "cursor jump" problem occasionally, but it's not too annoying and doesn't happen often. I've never had the double letters or keys stick at all.

I have a desktop at home, but it's basically just a "server" - hubby uses his laptop exclusively, and I use my netbook. I love, love, love that it's so insanely portable, and can still do whatever I need it to like any larger, heavier laptop would.

Easily one of the best purchases I've ever made, and a serious leap forward for my writing, as far as tools go.

[leahzero]

Easily one of the best purchases I've ever made, and a serious leap forward for my writing, as far as tools go.

Totally agreed. Netbooks are excellent for writers.

Personally, I decided on a netbook instead of a traditional laptop because I actually wanted something that was a little more limited in terms of what it could do--can't really play games, watch HD movies, etc.--so that it would limit potential distractions and let me focus on writing.

[Williebee]

so that it would limit potential distractions and let me focus on writing.

Very wise. You can also set a profile on the machine that doesn't allow internet browsing, has no games, etc. It actually serves two purposes. I cuts down on the distractions and temptation to goof off, and it keeps folks from bothering you to "look something up for a sec".

[jessicaorr]

I just got a Dell Mini 9 today. The keyboard seemed small at first, but I'm typing on it now and it really isn't bad. The only anoying thing is that the apostrophe is in the lowest key row so I keep missing it. I could probably get used to that. I bought a 512mb RAM/8 GB SSD model with no webcame from the Dell outlet store for 180$ after a 15% off coupon. It was a scratch and dent, but I can't find a scratch on it. I bought 2GB ram from newegg and installed it in 5 minutes. The mini is fast and boots up in under thirty seconds.

Other thoughts... It's absolutely silent. There's no fan and the hard drive is solid state so there is no disk spinning. Aparently, the Solid state drives are less prone to breaking, which is great because I intend to use the mini like a writer's notebook- toss it in my purse and pull it out when inspiration strikes. The trackpad is very nice, far better than the one on my Dell M1530, and the keyboard is very responsive. All in all, I'm very pleased.

[ATP]

Personally, I decided on a netbook instead of a traditional laptop because I actually wanted something that was a little more limited in terms of what it could do--can't really play games, watch HD movies, etc.--so that it would limit potential distractions and let me focus on writing.


Then you're more or less in the same market as the Alphasmart Dana (no wifi or i/net connection).

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89322 (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89322)

Many have praised this baby...!! And it is still cheaper than a net-book...

Perhaps the original net-books manufacturers got their idea from the response to the Alphasmart. (Who knows, they may have even been lurking here conducting some of their market research!!)

[Inky]

I just bought the Acer One.
Bah.
The wireless doesn't work. Reading through reviews, apparently, this is a common problem. Some have internet connetion without any issues, others--it never works.

Can't take it back--our military store is pretty anal about returning electronics, so I'm stuck with it. For me, the amount of traveling I do, it's defeated the purpose. I'm still forced to lug the heavier laptop in order to have internet access. For $249.00, whatever...I'd been eyeing one that was 900.00...THAT would have SERIOUSLY pissed me off, had wireless not worked on THAT bad boy!

But, as far as a tiny laptop, this Acer rocks, ESPECIALLY for those of us with rheumatoid where something heavy over the shoulder--purse/backpack/laptop carrier--ISN'T an option. Now, I can jet over to the library or coffee shop or park and work in a different environment other than my office and not feel like my shoulder is going to come out of the socket.
Again...it's for my WIP...as the interent has NEVER worked on it.

We'll be returning to the states soon where I plan to buy a second one from a more reputable store (one that can handle returns or exchanges) and we'll see if I just purchased the one bad egg in the bunch.

I'm lucky like that; forever under the black cloud.

[jessicaorr]

I just bought the Acer One.
Bah.
The wireless doesn't work. Reading through reviews, apparently, this is a common problem. Some have internet connetion without any issues, others--it never works.



Does it have a manufacturer warranty? If so you could probably call Acer and have them repair it. I've had problems with Dell laptops in the past and they've always been really good about repairs. One would think that if you've bought the laptop within the last year or so that Acer would be obligated to fix it, especially since it was broken when you got it.

[Inky]

I'm currently living in Turkey, so the whole mailing it out to manufacturer...we'll probably no longer be residing here by the time it's fixed/mailed back.
Like I said, it's a pisser that it doesn't work, but it's more work than it's worth to get it fixed, at this point.

[jessicaorr]

I'm currently living in Turkey, so the whole mailing it out to manufacturer...we'll probably no longer be residing here by the time it's fixed/mailed back.
Like I said, it's a pisser that it doesn't work, but it's more work than it's worth to get it fixed, at this point.

Ah. I don't know about Asus, but it's really easy to replace wireless cards in Dell laptops. That might be an option, though if it isn't the wireless card, then that wouldn't help. What a pain! If you bought it, the darn thing should work 100% :-/

[Inky]

Yes, it's a pisser AND a lesson well learned. First time I haven't read through numerous reviews before buying; bought on a whim. Only clothing, shoes, and handbags should be bought on a whim...okay...and the occasional boyfriend...but NEVER electronics!

[stormie]

I can't wait for my laptop to die so that I have a good reason to get a netbook. I need portability.

My question might sound idiotic, but do any of them come with, say, Microsoft Word already on it? If not, how do you get it on to the netbook if there's no cd slot?

[SFNative]

If you're holding out for Word specifically, that could be problematic. The Windows ones come with XP home so you'd have Wordpad.

You could however get Openoffice on there by downloading it.

[Inky]

Acer One came with MS Office 2007--that you have to buy after 60 days. My husband already owned the program, so he connected a USB cable to his laptop, inserted disc into his disc drive, then hooked up the other end of the USB cable into my Acer and transferred the program onto my lil' runner.

Or, you could get a...what's it called...that external disc thingy...gah...I'm married to a programmer--can you tell?

[Inky]

yeah...just looked at that OpenOffice thingy...pretty nifty...so, go with that, if you wanna save yourself program transfer madness...

[stormie]

Sorry about all these questions, but would OpenOffice work with my Word docs? If not, I have a thumb drive I could put the Word 2007 program on, or just transfer it from the cd/laptop to the netbook, as Inky says.

[Williebee]

I can't wait for my laptop to die so that I have a good reason to get a netbook. I need portability.

My question might sound idiotic, but do any of them come with, say, Microsoft Word already on it? If not, how do you get it on to the netbook if there's no cd slot?

You can get most any mainstream manufacturer to add MS Office (Word, Excel, etc.) for a fee. And, these days, most laptops/netbooks running a Windows operating system (XP/Vista) will come with some form of Office in a trial basis -- 60-90 days usually.

There are a number of ways to load software on a netbook (sans CD/DVD).

You can plug in an external CD/DVD, you can put the software on a flash drive and plug that in USB, or you can just download the software from the web.

[Williebee]

OpenOffice will open and save to Word and Wordperfect formats.

OpenOffice also has some pretty cool writers templates available from the OO (http://openoffice.org) website.

[stormie]

Thanks! Now to put the curse on this laptop to die. But it better wait 'til I make sure all my work is backed up on my thumbdrive. And I'll probably put Microsoft Word 2007 on one too and then upload it/download it/whatever/ to my shiny new netbook.

I am going to look into OpenOffice.

[Gehanna]

I went with an acer because it was either that or Hell.. I mean Dell. I could have ordered something from the net but then my id would not have been satisfied.

Netbookishly Yours,
Gehanna

[Kitty Pryde]

I can't wait for my laptop to die so that I have a good reason to get a netbook. I need portability.

My question might sound idiotic, but do any of them come with, say, Microsoft Word already on it? If not, how do you get it on to the netbook if there's no cd slot?

My Acer Aspire One came with a trial version of MS Office. I bought a full copy on Amazon, and I just used the registration code or whatever--typed it in as I registered the software. So I own the CDs but I never had to stick them into any disc drive. :)

[Gehanna]

So far, I'm highly impressed with my acer. I installed Office Pro 2007 and OneNote 2007 on it. Works well. I have special feelings for my acer. In fact, I've even given it an unoriginal name. I now refer to my netbook as my Mini-Me. Together, my Mini-Me and me shall conquer the world! .. well, maybe not the world, but boredom for sure. :)

Now for my pathetic reality. I'm currently surrounded by the following items:

Laptop
Netbook
Digital Camera
Portable Hard Drive
Flat Screen Monitor
Speakers with Amp (for vibrating the windows in my house when I'm alone and want to crank up some music).
Headphones (for vibrating my eardrums when I'm not alone and want to crank up some music).
Several USB Drives
Wireless Mouse and Small Retractable USB Mouse (When you have more than one, do you call them Mice?)
Protective CasesThis is just the stuff in my bedroom. It does not account for the items throughout the rest of the house. The unusual thing about all of this is that although I have an obsession with technology...

I still do not have a cell phone!! lol :tongue

Sincerely,
Gehanna

[Inky]

Don't feel too badly 'bout the cell phone. I infuriate people because I refuse to give them my cell phone number.
It's for my kids and husband to know only.
THAT way, when the lil' bugger DOES ring, I immediately know who it is--last thing I want, while admiring a hot Scot in traditional dress is to be disturbed by some telemarketer...

Okay...now that I think on it...mayhaps the husband calling could be a bit awkward as well...:e2file:

[sassandgroove]

I\The Asus EEE is a cool machine, light, cheap, comes in solid state or hard drive, and with Linux or Windows. But again, the screen and keyboard were just too small for the adults in the room. (The classroom kids love them. They make a great "1 for 1" tool.)
Since testing, larger versions have become available.

\
:)
What is solid state?
I have an Acer Aspire One, and it's seriously amazing. Dual-boots with XP and Crunchbang! Linux (and may be triple-booting with the 7 RC soon, but I digress).

My hands are small, I guess, because the keyboard doesn't bother me much. It's a fantastic machine -- a regular laptop shrunken down so I can toss it in my purse~ :LilLove:



That sounds more like a weird ASUS thing than a Linux thing to me. Dealing with Linux problems is more often than not a case of poking about on the internet for a bit until you find what you're looking for. Since it's being so strange, though, you can always just put your favorite version of Windows on there. :)what is dual-boots and what is the advantage?

OpenOffice will open and save to Word and Wordperfect formats.

OpenOffice also has some pretty cool writers templates available from the OO (http://openoffice.org) website.
Do you lose the word doc or does it 'save as'?

[sassandgroove]

Thanks! Now to put the curse on this laptop to die. But it better wait 'til I make sure all my work is backed up on my thumbdrive. And I'll probably put Microsoft Word 2007 on one too and then upload it/download it/whatever/ to my shiny new netbook.

I am going to look into OpenOffice.
www.carbonite.com (http://www.carbonite.com) automatically back ups your hard drive everytime you are online.

[paperbacklove]

What is solid state?

A solid state drive is a hard drive that uses solid-state memory to store the data. There are no moving parts on the drive as opposed to those of a normal hard drive.

what is dual-boots and what is the advantage?

Dual-booting means running multiple operating systems on the same computer. When the computer starts up, the user can then choose between them at will. The advantages differ depending on who's using the computer and for what purpose.


Do you lose the word doc or does it 'save as'?

If you open a Word document in OO, it saves as a Word document unless you tell it otherwise.

[Inky]

Finally got the ACER wireless working.
Turns out, quite a few of 'em are flawed, right from the box.
Mr. Inky's a computer programmer.
Translation: he refused to let the lil' bugger beat him.

Update: this ACER mini ROCKS!! And it has soooo much more 'room' than full size laptop.

Off to Germany in a few days for shopping. Can't wait to see the difference in carrying this lil' guy in my purse versus lugging the full size, especially with arthritis.

okay...just my few euros worth of commentary

[sassandgroove]

A solid state drive is a hard drive that uses solid-state memory to store the data. There are no moving parts on the drive as opposed to those of a normal hard drive.
so is that preferable becuase it would be harder to mess up the hardrive, like if you dropped it or something?


Dual-booting means running multiple operating systems on the same computer. When the computer starts up, the user can then choose between them at will. The advantages differ depending on who's using the computer and for what purpose.
so I assume that means there are things you can only do in one OS so you'd want both. I somehow think that is too advanced for me. :)



If you open a Word document in OO, it saves as a Word document unless you tell it otherwise.
really? I'll have to test that at home because my new computer (got it in 2006) didn't come with word so I've been writing on OO but my old novel from my old computer is in word.

If I open word doc in OO then edit it and save it can I then open it in word on another computer again?
i typed in red. :) Thanks so much. :)

[benbradley]

I don't want anything that has a keyboard any smaller than this. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310144729300&ru=http://search.ebay.com:80/310144729300_W0QQfviZ1#ebayphotohosting)

[battypip]

Finally got the ACER wireless working.
Turns out, quite a few of 'em are flawed, right from the box.
Mr. Inky's a computer programmer.
Translation: he refused to let the lil' bugger beat him.


I'm glad I'm not the only one who had trouble with the Acer wireless. I've got an Aspire One, which I LOVE TO BITS, except it's the third one I've been through - the first one had a dodgy wireless card which I spent a week or so trying to persuade to work, by which time I'd fallen in love with the beast itself. It didn't work, so I sent it back and got a replacement, which was a fail straight out of the box - keyboard was non-functional. Eventually got a refund and bought one from John Lewis (top quality store in the UK - if they sell what you want, you get a good deal). Me and my Little Boy Blue (goodness knows where that name came from) have been inseparable ever since!

I did buy the extra big battery - gives 7.5 hours rather than 2.5. Other than that it's wonderful straight out of the box. The keyboard is plenty big enough to touch-type on with no problems, and the size and weight is super-convenient. I've got the XP version and use Microsoft Word and OneNote for just about everything (although I do draw the line at Internet Explorer).

Anyone who's thinking of buying a netbook... do not wait for your laptop to die, just go and get a netbook. I promise you won't regret it.

[Chumplet]

I took my birthday money and started researching netbooks (for about a half hour) and then went to Best Buy to see how they felt.

I had been thinking of the Acer, but the keyboard felt awkward to me. I eventually settled on the HP Mini. It had decent battery life, enough hard drive space for my writing, and the ability to surf and check emails. It's light (under 2 pounds) and small enough to fit in my purse.

I had my hubby install Word, and when I update my MS, I copy it onto my keychain USB and transfer it to my Mac as a backup (or to continue working).

My Mac is a 4 year old 12" Powerbook G4 and I still use it for my Photoshop projects and pictures and music files. It's almost as small as a netbook and still going strong, but it's just a little too heavy for carrying around. I think I'll give it a permanent place of honour on my little pine desk in the dining room, but I still love working on it while in my favourite recliner. I'm using it now.

Oh, crap... That reminds me. I left the Mini in my glove compartment! I put it in there while I ran into the grocery store on the way to work. I'd better go get it...

ETA: The wireless works fine.

[Fenika]

*Drools*

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/toshiba-mini-nb-205.aspx

[jst5150]

I've been using my netbook as a home PC substitute as I've settled in Germany. I've asked it to 1.) Edit photos, 2.) Edit video 3.) Run iTunes, manage my 5,000-song music library and manage my new iPhone 4.)Work with HDR imagery as well as some writing, editing tasks. Throw in a substantial amount of Web time. My netbook has been task saturated.

Only now is it beginning to show signs of slowing. This is probably because in doing all the above, I added a Zonealarm firewall, virus protection, Skype is running in the background as well as a number of other processes. So, all that plus whatever else is needed to run is probably -- finally -- making the Acer Apsire One slow. However, it still rocks.

Now, I don't want to do illustration on it (as I do my desktop) nor do i want to do anything else highly involved save writing and editing (I'm OK with the keyboard size). But given that I've overwhelmed my netbook with expectations, its held up surprisingly well under some strain.

Highly recommend. One odd note; my wife, who arrived a week ago, has a 17-inch HP notebook. Switching from mine to hers is like going from shotglass to Big Gulp. :)

[Inky]

vacationing in Germany right now and loving how my Acer itty-bitty picks up wireless wherever I am...AND fits into my purse!!!

NO.MORE.LUGGING!!!!

Oh, and Welcome to Germany, 5150!!

By the way, if you live off base WATCH YOUR ELECTRICITY!!
If you need tips, pm me.

k

[sassandgroove]

*Drools*

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/toshiba-mini-nb-205.aspx
Nifty. I wish they had a photo of it next to something to get an idea of size. but cool.

[stormie]

I really, really want a netbook. But I'm cheap when it comes to buying new things. My laptop has to die a great death for me to replace it with a netbook.

So last night I turn on the laptop. A strange screen appears, and it's downloading something that looks like it's gonna kill my computer. Usually I'd go get the cd and reformat the hard drive.

This time, though, I just grinned and waited, thinking of all the netbooks I've read about. Unfortunately, even after a virus scan, the laptop is still alive and kicking.

<Sigh>

[Fenika]

You know, having a netbook AND a (dying slowly) laptop has a great deal of advantages. For one, you can share the CD/DVD drive via a usb cable.

Me, I'm gathering up 350 and thinking tuesday can't get here soon enough (for the Toshiba release). The laptop is 5 yo and needs semi-retirement. Plus my back continues to pain me, so something lighter to tote around will be a godsend.

[Fenika]

Amazon.com has the Toshiba 205 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BDUAEK/ref=ox_ya_oh_product) and I totally went for it. Now I just have to stop clicking refresh to see if they'll ship the same day (since they sometimes do).

[stormie]

Amazon.com has the Toshiba 205 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BDUAEK/ref=ox_ya_oh_product) and I totally went for it.
Nine-hour battery life. Nice! (Heck, I'd take even six hour battery life.)

[sassandgroove]

I hope you enjoy it. Tell us what you think when you get it.

Sass- pining.

[Fenika]

Nine-hour battery life. Nice! (Heck, I'd take even six hour battery life.)

I know, right? This has everything a standard netbook has, plus a little extra, all in a nice 350$ package.

I hope my student loans clear :eek:

The only real downside (for me) between the 350$ and 400$ models is slightly slower RAM. But I'm not paying 50 bucks for zippy RAM. (And bluetooth and that fancy keyboard and all that)

I hope you enjoy it. Tell us what you think when you get it.

Sass- pining.

All signs point to 'yes' but I'll report in. I usually don't make big buys unless I've heard from everyone and their mother about the ups and downs, but given the reviews I jumped on this like a rabid wolverine.

[Inky]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who had trouble with the Acer wireless. I've got an Aspire One, which I LOVE TO BITS, except it's the third one I've been through - the first one had a dodgy wireless card which I spent a week or so trying to persuade to work, by which time I'd fallen in love with the beast itself. It didn't work, so I sent it back and got a replacement, which was a fail straight out of the box - keyboard was non-functional. Eventually got a refund and bought one from John Lewis (top quality store in the UK - if they sell what you want, you get a good deal). Me and my Little Boy Blue (goodness knows where that name came from) have been inseparable ever since!

I did buy the extra big battery - gives 7.5 hours rather than 2.5. Other than that it's wonderful straight out of the box. The keyboard is plenty big enough to touch-type on with no problems, and the size and weight is super-convenient. I've got the XP version and use Microsoft Word and OneNote for just about everything (although I do draw the line at Internet Explorer).

Anyone who's thinking of buying a netbook... do not wait for your laptop to die, just go and get a netbook. I promise you won't regret it.
Do you happen to know how to make the cursor STOP auto zooming web pages? I've gone into everything I can think of, regarding settings for the bloody cursor but to no avail.

Did you purchase the bigger battery via internet or at an actual store? I'm overseas, so I was going to check Tigerdirect.com

Thanks

[psikeyhackr]

Greetings, this is my first post.

I have been paying attention to netbooks for a few months but I am an old computer geek.

I went to a show for vendors and ran an old Byte benchmark on a few machines. I was surprised at how powerful they were. This "just for email and surfing" is nonsense.

http://www.netbookation.com/netbkbnch.htm

But I am waiting to get hands on a few machines with the ION platform before I buy. Lenonvo claims to have one but I haven't actually seen it. I can live with my old Toughbook until then. The ION machines will have considerably greater graphics capabilities.

http://nexus404.com/Blog/2009/04/03/nvidia-ion-notebooks-netbooks-pcs-due-imminently-say-nvidia/

psik

[stormie]

Thanks, psik, for the links.
Welcome to AW :)

[Shadow_Ferret]

Can't take it back--our military store is pretty anal about returning electronics, so I'm stuck with it.

I get pretty anal about having spent good money on a fucking piece of shit! Who do you think would win?

[groovyville]

Did you purchase the bigger battery via internet or at an actual store? I'm overseas, so I was going to check Tigerdirect.com


If you are going to get anything techy online, I would recommend Tiger Direct.
Me, my dad, and all his coworkers get all their stuff from them.

They have great deals and their stuff always works. (including my laptop that was about half the price of a new dell or hp)

[BenPanced]

My fingers are too wide and too crooked to comfortably use one for any amount of time.

[K. Taylor]

The Lenovo S12 will be launching first in July with the Intel GMA950 graphics chipset, priced at $449. The Nvidia Ion version (the one that we suspect everyone will want) will hit “later this summer.” Lenovo didn’t give specific pricing on the Ion version, but best guesses place it at just under $500.
Source : Tom's Hardware US (http://www.tomshardware.com/)

[scarletpeaches]

I has one! :D

[scarletpeaches]

BigWords repped me with a request for details, so here them are:

acer Aspire One, 160gb HD, 1gb RAM, WINDOWS XP OPERATING SYSTEM:D:D:D, 10.1" screen, 3 USB ports, 1 SD reader and another SD slot marked 'expansion'. Built-in webcam, bluetooth, WiFi capability...

Best £350 I ever spent. :D

[Williebee]

huh, I've the same thing at home. Mine's blue.

[scarletpeaches]

Mine's shiny black. I'm not a pink kinda girl, so...

[BigWords]

I'm waiting to see what comes out at the end of the year. It needs to have serious memory if I'm even gonna consider switching from my laptop. 5GB RAM is the very least I can cope with on the main rig, and the laptop I normally use has 4, so anything less is a hissyfit waiting to happen.

I'm the idiot who plays Far Cry on their laptop, so a decent graphics card is also an essential.

[sassandgroove]

I so want one.

[Samantha's_Song]

My MSI Wind is pink. :tongue

Mine's shiny black. I'm not a pink kinda girl, so...

[Williebee]

I'm waiting to see what comes out at the end of the year. It needs to have serious memory if I'm even gonna consider switching from my laptop. 5GB RAM is the very least I can cope with on the main rig, and the laptop I normally use has 4, so anything less is a hissyfit waiting to happen.

I'm the idiot who plays Far Cry on their laptop, so a decent graphics card is also an essential.

I would suggest to you that, while down the road you'll get the RAM and processor you want (in a netbook form), the video rendering will be even further down the road.

And you'd probably want the thing hooked to a much larger screen for gaming, along with a larger keyboard. (When you have to turn right, duck and fire NOW, you don't have time for negotiating close quarters on the keyboard.)

[scarletpeaches]

I plan to use mine for word processing alone and...*cough*...um...porn storage. And I'm not even joking.

Also I've worked out how to get software onto the netbook without an external disc drive - CD/DVD in laptop, ignore autoplay options, go into 'my computer', copy contents to pen drive, plug in to netbook. Simples! (Okay, to yous guys maybe but it took my dad suggesting it for me to realise it was possible).

[Inky]

Working on mine right now, since my entire house was packed up and this lil' bad boy is so much more convenient to cart around...AND, for those of you with arthritis (I was recently diagnosed w/Rheumatoid) this itty-bitty 8.5 size Acer is HEAVEN for the shoulders...no more lugging the heavy laptop...ordered a lime green (awful color, innit?) neoprene (or whatever that cloth/fabric stuff is) to slip it in and I simply toss into purse (purchased in Scotland, Scarlet) and I'm off.

Okay, 'cept at the airport when I have to place it on the belt to be examined...then everyone comes over and wants to know where I purchased such a small laptop...THAT'S when I wish I had a little button: BOOOOM! Get the hell away from me--back, damn you, back!!!

*looks around...*

Oh...did I just have a mini-rant?


My bad...

Where was I?

Oh, lil' black Acers....de' da' bomb!

(my daughters have forbidden me to use that lingo...:ROFL: they've informed me that talking 'hood' with an accent is just plain WRONG)

For those of you watching purse strings, check out TigerDirect.com

[MaryMumsy]

Posting this from my new to me Acer Aspire. It has the same specs as SP's, but it is sapphire blue. It belonged to a client, but she wanted one with more something or other (to be able to do video editing). So far I'm loving it.

MM

[scarletpeaches]

Posting this from my new darling machine too. ;)

Just copied all my, um...'special' folders over and I'm very happy. :D

[Cathy C]

I'm in love with my Acer Aspire. But I have itty bitty fingers (size 6 rings) My co-author tried while we were at a con and it drove her nuts! Keys just too small. She now has full-sized laptop.

But I still like mine better... :D

[scarletpeaches]

Looks like I chose the right make and model to buy, then?

What clinched it for me was the battery life.

[psikeyhackr]

The Toshiba NB205 seems to have great battery life and a decent keyboard. I know one person that has bought one.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203674704574332522805119180.html?m od=googlenews_wsj

http://technologizer.com/2009/07/31/toshibas-nb205-netbook-review/

I am waiting to check out a few machines with the Nvidia ION platform.

I keep reading, "Their coming, their coming!" but I haven't seen one in realspace yet.

psik

[Agonyzer]

I'm on Hermes, my dell mini910. Bought with linux, 512mb RAM, & 8gig SSD. Have since installed XP, Word 2k and upgraded the RAM to 2 gig.

Everything about this machine rocks. I have even dropped it 4 feet onto concrete w/o damage. Best writing tool in history!

[Lauretta]

I just got the Samsung N140 and it looks amazing!!! It is soo cute and light! Can't belive I will be writing even on the train to work!
I am installing Linux on it, I'll let you know how it goes!

[psikeyhackr]

WHAT IS THE VERDICT?

HP Mini 311 First Test Results: Is Ion Worth It?

Compared to ultraporable notebooks with Intel’s integrate graphics, the Mini 311’s 3DMark06 score trounces the Intel GMA 4500 graphics inside the MSI X340 ($699.99) (643) and ASUS UL30 ($767.84) (760). The Mini 311 is 501 points better than the overall ultraportable average. In fact, this system has an almost identical 3DMark06 score to the latest MacBook Air ($1,995.84).

http://blog.laptopmag.com/hp-mini-311-first-test-results-is-ion-worth-it

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-mini-311/4505-3121_7-33772608.html

psik

[redcedar]

I've had an Asus 701 EEE since pretty much the day they came out. I have the really OOOOOOLD one with the tiny, tiny screen. And being a Unix sysadmin for my day job, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I pulled off the Linux that came with it and put my own on there. (I wanted password protection.) I also got a bigger battery, which added almost a pound to the weight, but another 5 hours to the battery life.

And two years later, the little thing is still going strong, and I'm writing about two hours a week on the train with it. The keyboard is *tiny* and I have big hands, but I can cope with it if I don't type for hours at a time. And it fits in my fanny pack with a paperback book. I love this thing.

[MGraybosch]

My fingers are too wide and too crooked to comfortably use one for any amount of time.

I'm too hamfisted to type accurately on a netbook, myself. Besides, I prefer Macs. :)

[Sage]

I'm looking at netbooks right now! I tried the ASUS that everyone says is the best, but the keyboard was a touch too small. The HP that was the same size (10.1 inches) had a better keyboard for me.

[Adam Israel]

I'm getting a spare MSI Wind via work in a couple weeks. I'm going to hacintosh it (installing OSX on non-Apple hardware). I'll promptly be installing Scrivener and using it for writing. :D

[Lauretta]

I love my netbook. The keyboard is big enough to write in a comfort way and I carry it with me everywhere I go.

[scarletpeaches]

I'm in the market for a laptop bag style holder for it. I know you get netbook sleeves but I want something with pockets, room for purse, keys, etc, so I don't have to carry a separate handbag with me when I go out.

[Sage]

Does anyone have an HP? This is my very important question. Anyone have a problem with the backlight on the screen?

That was my biggest problem with my last HP, but right now the HP is winning the netbook battle for me.

[benbradley]

I was just looking for a netbook for NaNoWriMo write-in's. I've thought of seeing what $199 could get, but in one of these threads people were saying good things about Toshiba's reliability with notebook computers, and the newish netbook Toshiba NB205 looks like what I want for $349 street price. Not sure about the keyboard (or ANY netbook or notebook keyboard for that matter), but maybe I'll lug around a Model M Space Saver with a PS/2-to-USB adapter, and a little stand to put it over the netbook keyboard. It'll be my $350 netbook with a $90 "small, no numeric pad" keyboard. I hope the clicky noise doesn't bother other NaNoWriMo'ers.

I'll have to ask on the forums there whether Model M's are anti-social for write-in's. :)

It has six (playing games as in the Wired review) to over nine hours battery life, depending on what you do with it or who you believe. Regardless it looks like a lot more than other netbooks.

Here's a couple of reviews:
http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/pr_toshiba_netbook
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070604096.html

[Sharon Mock]

I'm getting a spare MSI Wind via work in a couple weeks. I'm going to hacintosh it (installing OSX on non-Apple hardware). I'll promptly be installing Scrivener and using it for writing. :D
You just described my setup, and it's been pretty much trouble-free and easy to get running. It's not fast, but it runs Scrivener like a champ. The only small issue with Scrivener is that its preferences window overflows the screen. There's a third-party workaround for this, but since I wasn't the one to set up the Hackintosh install, I'm not sure what it is.

[NoelFigart]

In 2008, ATP made a post about Netbooks:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110129&highlight=Netbooks

I have been considering the possibility of purchasing a netbook and I have a few questions for anyone who has one. My questions are:

What brand do you have? Is it an Acer, HP, Asus, etc.
What do you primarily use your netbook for?
What is your opinion of it?Sincerely,
Gehanna

I have an Acer AspireOne with 1GB RAM running Windows XP. Because I am also a computer applications instructor as well as freelance writer, I do tend to run MS Office software. Gotta review for classes, ya know. I have Office 2007 Ultimate and everything works just fine.

However, I primarily use my netbook for bidding on writing projects on online freelance boards, then doing the job. My need for heavy-duty processing is quite low. I often joke I COULD do my job on a smartphone, but I wouldn't want to.

The netbook?

I adore it. There are not words enough to tell how passionately I love being able to put my "office" in my purse and go work at the coffee shop without worrying about running out of battery. My old laptop was a Dell Inspiron B130. Battery sucked, it tended to overheat, so I had to use a notebook cooler or it'd crash... FEH!

I also travel quite a bit. This is much nicer on trains and airplanes. It's NICE to be able to work while on travel.

[stormie]

Welcome to AW, Noel! <Sigh> I really, really want a netbook now.

[psikeyhackr]

OK, I've gone and done it.

I bought the $99 CVS Sylvania last Friday. It is not a netbook, it is a SMARTbook.

That is because it uses an ARM processor not an Intel processor. There is a problem with the wireless. I have not gotten it online even though my OLPC gets on fine so I know the problem is with the Sylvania. Maybe I haven't figured out the proper configuration.

The USB ports are 1.1 not 2.0. I downloaded 500 meg of Flash video to a USB stick but it too 6 1/2 minutes to upload it into the Sylvania. But it plays most flash videos OK. A 45 minute Stargate Atlantis episode is 100 meg. So all of the Original Star Trek should fit on an 8 gig SD card. It plays MP3s so it will play music and audiobooks. If you can get public domain books in text format they can be read with Wordpad and the font and size can be set and is easy to read.

Because it is so small and light it is convenient to carry around the house. Carry it to the kitchen and listen while making a sandwich. Of course the keyboard is too small for good typing but there are folding USB keyboards.

psik

[sassandgroove]

Oh oh oh I got a Toshiba the other day. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

[stormie]

I've had my netbook for about five months now and love it. It's an Acer Aspire One. I like that it's so light and portable. So far, no problems, and I use it just about every day. I use the free word processing program OpenOffice. And Dropbox so that I can access my work on either computer and it's automatically saved.

[benbradley]

OK, I've gone and done it.

I bought the $99 CVS Sylvania last Friday. It is not a netbook, it is a SMARTbook.

That is because it uses an ARM processor not an Intel processor.
Okay, I had to look this up:
http://www.i4u.com/39209/9999-sylvania-netbook-sale-cvs
I see it runs "Windows CE" which is a "smaller" Windows for "embedded" devices smaller than the usual desktop or laptop computer, and programs have to be rewritten/recompiled to run on it (it's a mostly different OS, like Linux or Mac).

I recall hearing that Wal-Mart had some $200 computer running Linux a few years ago. We'll see how this thing does...

[Fenika]

I still want to kill my netbook, but less violently and it's functional...

If you want details on my woes, search posts by me in this forum...

[scarletpeaches]

Mine just went tits up. I posted asking for help in the tech forum.