netbooks, notebooks, etc

[suicidal_monkey]

I want to get a small (<15"), light(<1.5kg?) and not too dear (<400?) laptop and was wondering if anyone had their finger on the netbook pulse or had one that they'd recommend/warn-against ...probably looking at 10" netbooks unless theres a nice 12/13" leptop that's very light and not horribly expensive

I assume they will all be fine for web/email, have wifi, and would want it to run XP or Vista.

It must have about a 1280x800 screen res and be able to run Office (Word definitely, Excel a bit and powerpoint occasionally)

It should be able to play 1280x800 videos if possible: mpeg4 files, dvd-drive (...or usb-dvd drive I suppose?)

I would like it to be capable of occasional photo-editing




I think the dell mini 10's can be uprated to hit these specs but I'm sure there's more by now?

[DarkAngel]

I recommend the Samsung NC10 awesome netbook and they are around Ã,£250

[Penfold]

Not sure if it's suitable for your needs but today's Boffer is a netbook for a shade over Ã,£100. I know it's not quite there on resolution but worth a mention.

http://www.boffer.co.uk/

                                                                                                                                                                         
                                    Asus Eee Pc Netbook 8.9in M353 900 1GB SDRAM 16GB SDD
                                    Ã,£109.99
Product Features

* ASUS Eee PC netbook mobile computer
* Built-in Solid State Disk (SSD) technology for quiet operation,energy saving and shock proof mobility
* New perspectives with 8.9 inch display
* Different environments for different needs
* 1.3 Megapixel webcam built in


Main Specifications

* Product Description: ASUS Eee PC 900 - Celeron M 353 900 MHz - 8.9" TFT
* Dimensions (WxDxH): 22.5 cm x 17 cm x 3.4 cm
* Weight: 0.99 kg
* System Type: Netbook
* Built-in Devices: Stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial
* Processor: Intel Celeron M 353 / 900 MHz ULV
* Cache Memory: 512 KB - L2 Cache
* RAM: 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM
* Card Reader: Yes
* Hard Drive: 16 GB Solid State Drive
* Display: 8.9" TFT 1024 x 600 ( WSVGA )
* Audio Output: Sound card
* Networking: Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
* Notebook Camera: Integrated - 1.3 Megapixel
* Input Device: Keyboard, touchpad
* Power: AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
* Operating System: Linux

Extended Specifications

* Built-in Devices: Stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial
* Colour: Black
* Depth: 17 cm
* Height: 3.4 cm
* System Type: Netbook
* Weight: 0.99 kg
* Width: 22.5 cm

Audio

* Audio Output: Sound card
* Compliant Standards: High Definition Audio

Cache Memory

* Installed Size: 512 KB
* Type: L2 Cache

Card Reader

* Supported Flash Memory Cards: SD Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, SDHC Memory Card

Display

* Display Type: 8.9" TFT
* Max Resolution: 1024 x 600 ( WSVGA )

[kregoron]

Just a suggestion, stay clear of any of the SSD based netbooks, as the SSD's are often cheap, and get impacted by the fragmentation (SSD fragmentation discussed in another thread)

and if you really want low power reliable netbooks go for a Atom based NB, some use low power celeron CPU's which really doesnt have the same power / performance ratio

My two cents

[T-Bag]

Buy an Atom based Netbook. I have the Acer Aspire one, a friend has the N10, and before that the MSI Wind (He broke Wind :roflmao:) so I'd avoid that, another has an Eee Pc with the 8.9" screen. I've had a play with the all machines side by side and there's not much to it. Hardware wise it's close between the N10 and the Aspire one, both feel nice, both are nice looking, I slightly prefer my one but it's so close it's personal preference, and the thing people mention is the mouse buttons are at the side of the multitouch trackpad not below.
This is done because it has a large keyboard (for it's size) and there's less room below than there would otherwise be, for some it could be a deal breaker but I adjusted without realising.

The Eee PC is considerably worse built IMO especially the keyboard. However if you want the longer batterylife it's the obvious choice. The others have 3-Cell batteries and the Eee generally comes with 6-Cell which is much stronger. Although you can get upgrades for the others it's a hefty chunk of the original price.

Given a choice buy the HDD version with Linux to save money and then install windows either from a pen drive or external cd drive. It saves some cash.

(Aspire one is Ã,£220 with 8.9" Screen from comet Link or Ã,£250 with a 10.1" screen bigger screen

These come with XP, I didn't see linux versions on there anymore.

[BrotherTobious]

I have been thinking about getting a netbook, but cant really afford it or warrent it.

But most of my research points to the NC10 mate

[Penfold]

I was waiting for one of these:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/eee-pc-asus-t91-tablet,7158.html

as I liked the idea of having a tablet to swivel around and write on.

[Liberator]

I got an Acer Aspire 1, with 120gb hdd and just the standard 512mb onboard memory, running Linux for Ã,£129.

It's a factory refurb from Dixons and feels really well built and high quality. The price went up a day later to Ã,£149, but was still over Ã,£70 off the normal price for a full warranty refurb. It's definately worth keeping an eye on the Dixons netbook and laptop refurb section.

The default Linpus distro is rubbish for anyone wanting the higher functions of Linux and at the time I bought it the new Win7 RC1 had just come out, so I decided to install it to test. It runs perfectly and very fast. There are lots of other netbook Linux distros now available and even OSX.

I had a spare 1gb stick of memory and upgraded it to it's maximum 1.5gb (512mb on the mobo and a single empty slot). This is not a simple opening of a slot, you have to take the entire thing to pieces, removing the mobo to get to the hidden slot underneath.

Basic battery times are 2-2.5 hours under browser usage, games obviously eat the power more, but you can get over 1.5 hours from it (Playing the Sam&Max seasons).

The 8.9" display is amazingly clear, bright and very functional at 1024x600.

[Jewelz^]

When i go back to school in September my school is giving out these to year 12 students (my year :yahoo:) for studies. I dont know if what they are giving out is any good as i dont know too much about these things. But this is what they are giving us. Clickie

[T-Bag]

When i go back to school in September my school is giving out these to year 12 students (my year :yahoo:) for studies. I dont know if what they are giving out is any good as i dont know too much about these things. But this is what they are giving us. Clickie

Similar spec to a standard netbook with a smallish hard drive. Great to have for free. You can't really go "too" wrong with a netbook.

[DarkAngel]

I have a Samsung NC10 or NC20 i picked my NC10 up for Ã,£200 and find it great when needing to surf, watch films etc i do admit the screen only being 10.2 inch is a little small but they brought out the NC20 which has a 12.1 inch screen.

Although i prefer my NC10 as it has a Atom processor and i can get over 5 hours using the battery!

[suicidal_monkey]

thanks for all the info Sounds like the nc10 is still the one to beat in the 10" netbook range. The 12" netbooks intrigue me but for their size, price=400+, batterylife<3hr it's starts to make sense to look at "proper" 11/12/13/14" notebooks?

It'll primarily be used as the second pc when 2 of us need to work, and when travelling (I spend about an hour on trains every day...) mainly for web browsing, remote work email and document management, and general word doc editing.

Am I being silly in thinking a vertical res of 768/800 is /that much/ better than 600?

[OldBloke]

NC10 for 231.99 delivered.

Check the notes before ordering as this is the 'smaller' battery version i.e. 3-4 hours of usage.

I've ordered

[DarkAngel]

NC10 for 231.99 delivered.

Check the notes before ordering as this is the 'smaller' battery version i.e. 3-4 hours of usage.

I've ordered

What a awesome price!!!!!!

[Penfold]

Aww I want one now  :crying: