Does anyone have a netbook computer?

[disneysteve]

I'm thinking about getting a netbook computer but I'm wondering how easy they are to work with. I would be using it almost exclusively to read and send e-mail, post to boards such as this one and facebook and similar activities. I wouldn't care about gaming or watching movies or anything like that. They start around $300 or so, so don't represent a major investment for us. It seems like it might be a good fit as an alternate computer to use around the house (we have a wireless network) but I'd love to hear from others who use one.

[wincrasher]

I've had two and bought one for my brother as a gift.

I've got mixed opinion on these things.

First, love the portability. I took a trip to NYC an only carrried my netbook in a backpack. I posted my pictures each day to a website for friends and family. I also carry the thing to diners and such to browse the web when I'm out. Not so hot for typing long documents as the keyboard is small. Plenty of processing power for Office, email and internet.

Not so lucky on quality or dependability. I had problems with both units and have put the final one in a drawer.

I'm really waiting for the rumoured Apple tablet. I'm a mac guy and would prefer something with OSX.

If you do get one, make sure you get the 10" screen. It's 1024 wide, so most every website will display properly on screen.

[wincrasher]

FWIW, I bought my brother the ASUS. He loves it, has had no problems.

My first one was the original ASUS EEE PC - too small a screen. The second was an MSI wind.

[snafu]

FWIW...had a discussion with a friend earlier today. She has just finished researching and concluded that Dell & HP were best; Acer has too many problems. She found anything smaller than a 8.9 inch screen and 1.5 lbs awkward to use; a 10 inch screen was the most desireable.

She finally bought a HP laptop [not offical netbook] because of the 12.1 inch monitor, comfortable keyboard and price combination.

[FrugalTexan75]

I bought my Asus EeePC in October, 2008. I've used it quite a bit for email and internet surfing. It still works wonderfully. I bought a bag that normally is used for a portable dvd player to transport it in. But a backpack could work also.

The only con of it is the size of the keyboard - that defintely does take some getting used to.

I bought it for $300 at Target. I think there is a slightly more expensive one that has a web camera built in. So, if you think you might like to do any kind of video conferencing with it, you may want to go for the one with the built in camera. I've had great difficulty finding a web camera to use with mine. (Due to not being able to install any programs via a disk.)

[Seeker]

Not to overtake DisneySteve's thread; but can you physically connect headphones and a mic and using any of the numerous software available (netmeeting, teamspeak, etc) and thereby use for voice communications as well?

Are the jacks for headphones/mic provided?

[wincrasher]

Yes there are jacks for mic and headphone.

Some have bluetooth built in as well, so you can use a wireless keyboard and mouse, if you have some heavy office work to do.

[red92s]

I'd third the recomendation to stay above 10" or above just for the keyboard alone. My brother has a Lenovo model and is quite happy.

I recently purchased a Dell D420 for ~$300 on Ebay. Slightly larger than most netbooks, but still quite and light and portable (no optical drive). I've had great luck with the Dell business class laptops and this is an almost netbook offering in that range. The ExpressCard slot was a huge plus for me, as I love my MoGo mouse.

I think Dell recently pulled their smallest size netbook from the website and will relaunch an updated one soon.

[Broken Arrow]

I don't have one, I only almost got one. I want to emphasize what netcrasher said:

Plus on the portability and pricing, and in the case of the HP Mini, the keyboard is amazingly comfortable for typers.

Minus on the dependability and quality of construction.

To be fair, netbook are an odd success from the original intent of the OLPC project. (One Laptop Per Child.) A lot of people are picking it up for basic casual use. It's great if the cons don't dissuade you.

A particularly promising variant is one that is outfitted with a broadband cellular card. I say this because, if you are someone who travels a lot, and is not always at a hotspot, having cellular broadband can be a godsend. Not only that, but because they are typically so affordable, yet portable, they become good travel companions where you won't sweat too much if they somehow got damaged or stolen.

Ah, but I didn't fit the profile of someone who needed that, so that's why I ultimately did not buy one, despite the relatively low price....

The future of netbook looks very bright indeed. Intel's Moblin project is very interesting. Aimed at providing a great user experience and interface specifically with netbooks in mind, most people may not even know or care that it's actually Linux.

Another variety of netbook Linux is Splashtop, which I am actually running through my desktop PC. Splashtop is wild because, it's actually Linux that is embedded into the computer's firmware. Boot up is extremely fast, and you technically don't even have to have a hard drive to make such a computer run. This is a big deal in that netbooks can tend to be kind of slow given the relatively low components used.

Splashtop should be available with the Lenovo S10 series, but you will most likely have to manually install it first before you can use it....

Anyway, I agree that, if you can, to pay a little extra for the bigger 10" screens. It's one of those things that you'll be staring at all day long, and while the increased price encroaches into the normal laptop territory, I think it's worth paying basically $50 extra for a decrease in eye strain.

But again, I didn't buy one. Instead, an overstocked 12" Lenovo with better construction and features for $400 suited me better, so that's what I have instead....

[red92s]

Steve,

Saw this on a "deals" site this morning and figured you'd find it pertinent. $70 of Mail In Rebates, free case, plus an extra GB of memory on a 10" Netbook that gets pretty good reviews. Might want to consider adding the larger battery, however.

HP Smart Buy Mini 2140 Intel Atom N270 1.60GHz Notebook (Includes FREE Slip Case + 1GB Memory WITH Installation for 2GB Total Memory!)

[boosami]

I have a 10" netbook that I use with WWAN so I can access the internet anywhere I get a cellular signal. I use it mostly when I go on vacation so I don't have to worry about finding internet. However, it's not really practical for other than light internet uses. It doesn't handle movies or games very well, and heavy use starts to zap the battery life. On longer trips I've found myself carrying my personal 12" laptop, which is much more robust and can handle DVD playback and everything else.

When I travel with a netbook, I want it to replace my laptop + portable dvd player + mp3 player + portable gaming system. From my experience, it's just not there yet and I will be waiting for a more powerful machine before I buy a new one. I know you plan on only using it for light internet, but the first vacation you have you might wish it could handle those other features.

[disneysteve]

I know you plan on only using it for light internet, but the first vacation you have you might wish it could handle those other features.

I have a nice 15" Toshiba Satellite laptop that we travel with so I'm not looking for something to replace that.

[wincrasher]

Steve,

Did alittle research online. I have a friend also looking for the best netbook.

Looks to me like the answer is the ASUS 1000HE. This one has the newer processor in it, has easily upgradeable memory and hard drive, nicer keyboard and is proven to run Windows 7 well with minimal tinkering. It also has a 9.5 hour battery and 3.2lb weight. Battery is getting great reviews.

Next model up is very appealing too - the 1008HA. This is a much slimmer unit, but all is sealed so no replacing battery, memory or hard drive without major surgery. Battery time is less at 3-4 hours. Weight only 2.4 lbs. Has same processor, hard drive and memory as the 1000HE.

Both are right around $400 on Amazon.

[disneysteve]

Update on the netbook - there is now one in our home but it was actually my daughter who ended up buying it. She's been wanting her own computer for a while and asked the other day about getting a laptop. My wife and I were out shopping last night and took a look at the options including the netbooks and I thought the Dell Inspiron was very nice.

Today, I took DD over to Best Buy and she checked out a bunch of models and also liked the Inspiron best. It was $399. It has a 10" screen which is very bright and sharp. It weighs a bit more than the HP but the keyboard is nicer for typing. We didn't like the ASUS at all. Felt very cheap.

She's loving it so far. There is one possible problem. I don't like the sound it is making, kind of like air leaking. I'm afraid there might be a problem with the fan. If it is still doing it tomorrow, I may take it back.

[wincrasher]

For some reason Dell stopped production on thier netbooks. They are supposed to resume soon - could be a quality issue, don't know.

Don't know which ASUS you were looking at. My buddy got the 1000HE and it is very nice. Looks much nicer than the 1000HA my brother has.