For those who have netbooks, how effective are they? Dell has a 10 inch, 160GM hard drive, Intel® Atom Processor® N280 (1.66GHz/667MHz FSB/512K cache), 1GB memory for $250. I am not looking to crunch anything with it, but it would be something I would use for accessing internet info during a radio show, so it would need to be something that could handle the net with ease.

 

Opinions?

 

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/l...b&~lt=popup

A good friend of mine loves his. He is a bit of a hardware realist who wants the right tool for the job. For him, he loves his home desktop for most of his computing. He has a laptop he uses for work that travels back and forth with him. He uses his cell phone's internet for quick info on the run. He calls his netbook his coffee shop/campout computer. A bigger screen than his cell phone so he can easier read his mail and do some light word processing, but not a table space killer like his laptop. His complaints are the smaller keyboard is tough to adjust to when you constantly move back and forth. No DVD drive. The internet is about 75% as effective as his home PC.

My dad got one for free, and he really likes it (it was free anyway). Can't remember the brand because it is an off-brand, but I personally don't like the netbooks unless you also have laptop for doing actual work. They are just so small and watered down IMO.

I got a new PC not too long ago, so I am not worried about something doing too much work. Basically I want something portable for radio appearances, both in the studio, and at sporting events. It has to be something that handles the internet with ease, as that will be its big job.

I got a new PC not too long ago, so I am not worried about something doing too much work. Basically I want something portable for radio appearances, both in the studio, and at sporting events. It has to be something that handles the internet with ease, as that will be its big job.

Well, considering the whole purpose of netbooks is to access the internet, one would hope they would be able to handle that with ease.

 

My very lame advice would be to check out the reviews on CNet for netbooks and pick out the best one that fits into your price range.

 

CNet Reviews

Ive heard ASUS is the way to go with their EEE netbooks, oyu can read reviews of them on Amazon or Newegg if you want. As always, check Slickdeals.net for pricing.

I've got a good Asus one that I enjoy. When there is no Wifi around, I can use a bluetooth connection to my phone to use that as a modem to connect to the internet. Basically anywhere that I have a phone signal, I can access the internet. So, I can sit on the bus and check my email pretty easily.

 

If you are going for just internet and won't be storing much on there, I'd go with a SSD one. I can run iTunes and Office on mine, but I mainly use it for the web.

I've got an Asus netbook, and I love it. It's perfect for travelling to hotels and for when my kids are hogging the computer. I bought it a while back when netbooks were just getting popular. So, I'm sure there are better, faster ones out there. But for what I use it for it's great.

Another ASUS Eee PC owner. It's great for sitting on the couch or for travel. I'm sure it would work well for your situation of pulling up stats or other info. Normal laptops seem absolutely massive to me by comparison.

I know Acer isn't the greatest name, but this is a great price for a laptop. Anyone use anything like this before?

 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/2967...5517-5689-15-6/

 

3Gb memory, 1.66 processor, 667 front end bus, 250 Gb harddrive. Those specs cost $450 to $500 in most other brand names.

Those specs cost $450 to $500 in most other brand names.

Are you sure? On sale or regular price?

Are you sure? On sale or regular price?

 

That's what bestbuy was for a similar Gateway this past weekend.

That's what bestbuy was for a similar Gateway this past weekend.

Seriously, shop online. Acer is a decent brand, I know some people who have been pleased but not overwhelmed by them.

 

You should not be spending more than $350 on a netbook, beyond that you should be in notebook territory.

That's what bestbuy was for a similar Gateway this past weekend.

Thats a notebook, essentially a laptop (~15 in screen). netbooks tend to max out at 10.1 in screens. Big difference in performance, usability, size, and price.

Thats a notebook, essentially a laptop (~15 in screen). netbooks tend to max out at 10.1 in screens. Big difference in performance, usability, size, and price.

 

Yeah I switched topics when I saw the price wasn't much more than a netbook.

Yeah I switched topics when I saw the price wasn't much more than a netbook.

Seems like a decent deal, I am just wary of Compaq/HP. They are really bad with customer service, my gf has a HP laptop and it started having problems with what seemed like the OS (I wasnt there to help but thats what I gathered from it). Well, her uncle who works for HP tried to help her (hes not a tech guy per say, but used his connections to help). It still took a good few months to get the problem solved, and it took so long that she switched laptops with her Uncle so that she had a working one while he messed with the company to get it fixed.

Netbooks are very slow. Definitely keep this in mind. I have a 10.1" Eee PC, and even running Arch Linux with Fluxbox is pretty painful when I'm trying to do anything besides surf simple web pages.

I know Acer isn't the greatest name, but this is a great price for a laptop. Anyone use anything like this before?

 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/2967...5517-5689-15-6/

 

3Gb memory, 1.66 processor, 667 front end bus, 250 Gb harddrive. Those specs cost $450 to $500 in most other brand names.

 

I got the acer. I also got a wireless router and set up a home network. It was actually surprisingly easy.

I got the acer. I also got a wireless router and set up a home network. It was actually surprisingly easy.

 

 

Awesome!