Miscellaneous laptop discussions : Poll: Would you buy a netbook?
- 10/31/08 3:41 PM
Maybe...
by samusgravity - 11/1/08 10:41 AM In reply to: Poll: Would you buy a netbook? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I was considering buying a blue Acer Aspire One for my mom. But I am too much of a gamer for a netbook.
Samusgravity
Netbook/ notebook...
by MomCat08 - 11/1/08 4:56 PM In reply to: Maybe... by samusgravityHi, all--
just thought I'd add my 2 cents' worth... I bought the Acer Aspire 1 because it looked like just the thing to take traveling... small, lightweight, easy to cart around if you don't wanna leave it baking in your car...
Pros: it's small, it's cute; mine is pearl white & will fit in a largish purse. I bought it for general surfing, e-mail, & downloading of pics; can't tell you how well it will do w/ that last, as I just got it. Has WiFi capability; cost $350 at WalMart! It came with Office 2007, and seems not to be choking on it.
Cons: no CD-ROM drive, but has 3 USB ports, so flash drives are an option, as well as external DC-ROM or hard drive. Smallish keyboard; but then I'm female and have relatively small hands. I suspect that if you have large hands you might not be happy with this keyboard. The one thing I find somewhat awkward is the touch pad.. the "mouse keys" are on either side of the touch pad and they are rather slim; moving windows around can be a bit wierd. Also the battery only lasts maybe 2hrs; take your adapter with you!
It's actually not as awful reading that tiny screen as you might think, and well, you can adjust the text size. If you're of "a certain age" you might want to ask a sales rep to let you actually work with it to see if you can make the screen work for you, with or without your glasses... it's no bargain if you can't read it!
Right now I have Adobe Photo Album on it, which it runs happily, and will do minor tweaks; will let y'all know what happens when it meets a major bit of image tweaking software..!
Hope this helps...!
Netbook vs. Notebook
by GWASH145 - 11/22/08 1:12 PM In reply to: Netbook/ notebook... by MomCat08Thanks for the tip ref. the eye glasses. I was just going to purchase it off the net. Now before doing so I'll test it out in the store.
It would not be a baragin if I am unable to read the small print do to the screen size.
Buy a netbook
by Andreas Demetriou - 11/1/08 10:59 AM In reply to: Poll: Would you buy a netbook? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I think yes. I find netbooks very useful.
Buy a Netbook-but get the right one for you
by peripo - 12/6/08 10:57 PM In reply to: Buy a netbook by Andreas DemetriouAs mentioned elsewhere I have 3 - 2 ASUS, one Medion (same as MS Wind). I've since relegated the ASUS Eees to my kids and use the Medion.
I have a successful small fashion house, and an office with 2 macbook pro's and an iMac that used to run everything - and while I'm the consummate mac luver (wish they'd bring out a netbook, the 'Air' just didn't do it for me) so far the Windows (groan but an argument for another place) netbooks are the go.
My Medion has 160gb HD, I get 1240x768 res (but prefer 1024x600) and upgraded to 2gb RAM. I use Logitech bluetooth mouse (perfect for this - others I tried...not so good) and Logitech FREEPULSE WIRELESS Bluetooth Headphones (lovely little things - if you have long hair no one even knows you're wearing them). I've used this headset with Skype and there's no problems at all, but of course you have to be near your netbook for the mic/cam. If you use iTunes then podcasts play just the same as music - with total ease and on any speaker system. If I'm at my desk I plug it into my T612 (iPhone speakers), when I'm in the car I plug the netbook into the iPod jack on the stereo system - lovely stereo movies, music whatever straight off the netbook.
I use a wifi broadband usb key for accessing the net while I'm out and about, and if I want to install off a CD I just copy the data using Roxio Toast into a 16gb SDHC and install off that....I used to plug it into an external DVD-RW drive, but got tired of that idea - too many things to keep around me.
All in all, I don't spend anywhere near as much time at my desk now. Between the Netbook and a bunch of very useful aps on my iPhone, I can pretty much run my business and my family while on the move - and relax. It's been a very liberating experience.
One thing I have to say - get a netbook with the biggest hard drive you can. Unless you're a gamer, or myopic, I can't think of anything you can't do on a netbook - as long as you get the right one for you. And there are plenty to choose from.
The Right Tool for the Job (and why I love my Eee)
by altcountryman - 11/2/08 12:19 AM In reply to: Poll: Would you buy a netbook? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm posting this from my Asus Eee in an internet cafe overlooking the Med Sea in Herzliya, Israel.
A netbook like the Eee is perfect for travel and light around-town and around the house duty. For travelling, the size, plus fast boot and shutdown times more than make up for the tiny keyboard, small screen, and small storage capacity.
Lower prices in big capacity SD cards are helping in the storage area, too.
But, the Eee and its brethren are not necessarily what you want for all your computing needs - it's probably not going to hold your whole music library on its own, long e-mails & docs aren't fun to type, and there are times when you just want a bigger screen.
But it can be the perfect computer for the job.
I already did
by Curtai - 11/2/08 3:17 AM In reply to: Poll: Would you buy a netbook? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Yeah I just picked up a Asus eee PC 1000H, boy was the decision hard though It took me almost 2 weeks to decide on which one... It went from Acer to MSI to finally Asus... Due to be delivered monday hopefully morning...
Netbook = obsolete technology in a cute, small package.
by sbill - 11/2/08 2:49 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you buy a netbook? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I fail to see why so many people want (or already purchased) a stripped down laptop with a small keyboard, low-resolution screen, small hard disk, no CD/DVD drive, and weak processor. Even the main selling point of Netbooks--battery life--isn't usually there unless you pay extra for a premium battery.
I understand the Netbook's appeal of (relatively) low purchase price compared to a full-featured notebook. However, the Netbook has a small screen with less than 800 x 600 resolution (a common resolution back in 1997), a small, cramped keyboard that's difficult to type on, no optical drive (standard on every laptop since 1998), and few IO ports. And of course the processor, graphics card, memory, and hard disk capacity are all very poor--even compared to bargain laptops from 3 to 4 years ago.
Instead of comparing the $300 to $500 Netbook to a brand new $500 to $1200 full-featured laptop, I suggest people compare it to a good used laptop from a few years back. A typical 2005 to 2006 laptop has a Pentium M or Turion 64 processor that's light years beyond the Netbook's CPU, a 1024 x 768 (or higher) resolution display, 80 gigabytes (or more) of hard disk space, 512 megabytes (or more) of memory, a powerful graphics chip, and an integrated CD/DVD drive for loading software and backing up data. A used laptop will cost FAR less than the Netbook, and provide years of enjoyment, long after the initial "thrill" of owning a super-small computer would wear off.
Netbook resolution
by peripo - 11/22/08 8:38 PM In reply to: Netbook = obsolete technology in a cute, small package. by sbillTo "sbill"
I have 3 netbooks
The minimum resolution on each of these is 1024x600. Not 800x600 as you've stated.
Why do people comment on things they obviously know little about?
Netbook Resolution
by Pennyspen - 12/3/08 9:47 PM In reply to: Netbook resolution by peripoYou are exactly right. All they have to do is research it a little before they open their "tator trap"! (synonym for mouth from Festus, off of Gun Smoke) Just check the reviews!
If you can answer any of my questions posted in another thread, I'd appreciate it.
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6620_102-0.html?forumID=71&threadID=317040&tag=unsubscribeForm;tracked-disc
Really?!
by sbill - 12/4/08 8:05 PM In reply to: Netbook Resolution by PennyspenI have done my research. I would be fascinated to know what "netbooks" you're referring to that allegedly have high resolution screens. When the Asus EEEPC came out, it had a 7" display with 800 x 480 resolution. Today, the best EEEPC has a 10" screen with 1024 x 600 resolution. Other Netbooks from Lenovo, Acer, and Everex have similar resolution displays. HP makes a few models with a 1280 x 800 display, however most are 1024 x 600.
And of course the most popular "netbook" processor--the Intel Atom--has worse performance than a Dothan core Celeron M, a chip that was out in 2005.
Yes, Really!
by Pennyspen - 12/4/08 8:33 PM In reply to: Really?! by sbillWhat the heck? You're not making sense, sbill. Your whole negative reaction was against netbook resolutions of 800x600. Then peripo mentions having three that are 1024x600, and YOU, yourself list "OLD" models that had displays of 800x480 and go on to say how there ARE some out there with 1024x600 resolution!!!
I don't understand. Remember peripo and myself were not stating anything more than those with 1024x600.
O.K. I don't mind doing a little MORE research!
Here you go!
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 The 10.2-inch wide-screen display has a 1,024x600-pixel native resolution.
Asus N10J A1 - Atom N270 1.6 GHz - 10.2
The 10.2-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,024x600 native resolution.
Acer Aspire One
The 8.9-inch wide-screen LCD offers a 1,024x600-pixel native resolution.
ANY QUESTIONS?
Now it's your turn. You have stated something about the best EEEPC, well, can it do all what I asked for in a netbook???? I'd like some to compare it with, with those features also, thanks. 
Yes, Really Really
by peripo - 12/6/08 9:33 PM In reply to: Yes, Really! by PennyspenI've quite lost what 'sbill' is trying to communicate now. If you're rant is simply that you don't like Netbooks, and the low resolution was an easy indicator why, then fine. You're entitled to lug your 14" or 15" second hand 3 yo notebook with all the extras around, I don't mind in the slightest.
Your comment made a specific and incorrect assertion on screen resolution, which I felt obliged to correct for the sake of anyone who read the column and trusted that your comments were fact which would later affect any decision they might make for or against buying a netbook.
Now it seems, you disagree with your own earlier assertion that screen res on netbooks haven't progressed past 1998 norm and want to attack their worth on 2003 standards.
Okay, that's your opinion. Obviously you are not one of those people to whom the Netbook is targetted. Fine - again, that's your prerogative. But there are a whole bunch of us out here for whom the Netbook is a desirable option and your escalating (on size) argument on screen res isn't going to make much difference to us methinks. So just get over it - we aren't all going to think like you. You've had your say, we listened, corrected your assertions where we saw a need, accepted that you aren't going to rush out and buy a Netbook, and got on with our lives. Please do the same.
I bought netbooks because I like the idea of sitting in my car while waiting for the kids to get out of school and handling my emails - watching movies or series (on something bigger than my iPhone) or whatever, and it fits in a small handbag, not a thumping great laptop bag.
We want Netbooks for size, weight and portability - they aren't a life choice. No one is claiming they are an alternative for ALL your computing requirements. They're a gadget, a convenience. In 6 months time there'll no doubt be a forum about the next big gimmick - or you'll be able to get Netbooks with software on SD cards or whatever (can't understand why that isn't the case now actually) After all, who cares about disk drives? On the whole they're unnecessary now anyway. You can download most everything you need, or there are other more compact mediums of storage and handling.
Netbook purchase
by travelsafety - 11/2/08 4:45 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you buy a netbook? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
After reading the + and - of Netbooks - I have become motivated to dust off my Jornada.
Hell No.
by Renegade Knight - 11/2/08 5:24 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you buy a netbook? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I picked up an old Thinkpad X40. It's keyboard is already to small to type on comfortably. When I saw a netbook on display it was smaller and worse than the X40 for typing, specs, reading the screen. If I could fit the "netbook" in my back pocket...maybe. Oh wait my cell phone does that already.
Nope. I either need them smaller (smart phone) or bigger (so I can type).
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