Netbook recommendations

Debeucci · Mar 16, 2010

I finally decided to toss the 17 inch 15 pound laptop out (well, not out but keep it in the house) and take the netbook plunge as i continue editing my work.

What's really important to me is battery life and keyboard. The keyboard MUST be full size or very close to it since the majority of my time on the little guy will be to write and edit. I want to spend under 400 dollars and can't figure out which netbook is better than the others. All their specs are about the same and as long as the battery life is 8+ hours, I should be good to go.

Any savy netbookers have any recommendations? I'm particularly thinking about the Toshiba NB305 or the MSI Wind U160.

Thanks! BTW, if this is the wrong forum...sorry...i didn't find anything similar.

stephenf · Mar 16, 2010

I personally would not worry about the make of notebook.Just write down the specs you need/would like. Next,look for the cheapest one that does the job.Whatever you chose will be out of date and over priced within eighteen months.

Debeucci · Mar 16, 2010

But but...girl in jewelery store...raccoon with silver nickel....i like the shiny baubles!

Well, I have been testing a few netbooks. Most of their specs are the same...but one big delimiter is the keyboard. Keyboard comfort has to be good and for some reason as all these manufacturers try to save space, the keyboard is all sorts of messed up. Like, msi has a nice keyboard but their ? button is only 2/3 the size of the rest of the normal keys! I mean...seriously? Couldn't they do that to :; instead?

stormie · Mar 16, 2010

My specs when I looked for a netbook--no celeron processor, Windows 7 (not XP), weighs under 3 pounds, 6-cell battery, and a make I've heard of. I bought mine through Amazon, since I got free shipping and didn't pay tax. I got an ACER with a Atom N450 processor (one of the latest), 10inch screen, for $299. Choice of colors. I've had it for about a month now and love it. I also downloaded OpenOffice (free) and it works great with my writing done in .doc.

Oh, between the 6-cell battery and the N450 processor, I get a good 6 hours of writing without a charge. The keyboard is 92% of regular keyboard. I have small hands, so it doesn't bother me.

Margarita Skies · Mar 16, 2010

Speaking of netbooks, would it be difficult to see what's on the screen on a netbook compared to a notebook? I don't have 20/20 eyesight, as a matter of fact I have much less than that and I use glasses. I think netbooks are cute and I would've gotten one, a 10" one, but I'm concerned I'll have a hard time seeing what's on the screen so I got me a 15" one this Christmas.

stormie · Mar 16, 2010

Magali--I just adjust the font. And the pictures are sharp too.

Margarita Skies · Mar 16, 2010

stormie said:
Magali--I just adjust the font. And the pictures are sharp too.

Didn't think about it that way. Good point.

AuburnAssassin · Mar 16, 2010

I just got a purty purple Dell off QVC this AM. It was today's (3/16) special value, which is $75 less than the regular QVC price.

Dell 10"

ajkjd01 · Mar 16, 2010

I have an Asus Eee and I love it.

I did pay to upgrade the RAM to 2G, and it's got a 250G hard drive.

I want this thing to last me a couple of years, and it's gonna have to bridge the gap between the dying 15.4" laptop and the shiny new desktop I'll buy a year or two from now.

Between the netbook, the upgrade, the cost to Geek Squad to do the upgrade (don't know how on this kind of machine), and the portable DVD burner I bought to go with for loading programs, I spent about $540.

Could have gone cheaper. Wouldn't have been happy without the bells and whistles.

benbradley · Mar 16, 2010

I have the Toshiba, bought it mostly for the battery life, and I'm about as happy as I can be with a laptop/netbook:
http://twitter.com/ben__bradley/status/5379973635
I have the external keyboard because I refused to get used to a laptop keyboard where the keys move down by about 1/50th inch when pressed. I need a Real Keyboard, even though it weighs as much as the Netbook itself. The keyboard on this thing is advertised as something like "95 percent full size" but still ... do professional musicians play keyboards that are 95 percent the size of a piano keyboard?

Shortly after that pic I got a Model M "Space Saver" from eBay, it's about identical except for being not as wide - it doesn't have the numeric pad and LED's on the right. That setup propelled me through NaNoWriMo without plugging in at write-ins except for the day-before-last when I was nearing the end of my second 4 to 5 hour write-in. Yes, it gets that battery life even with the external keyboard plugged in.

ETA my current keyboard is just like this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180478370559
(scroll down to see it, and no, I paid less than half that for mine)

kurzon · Mar 16, 2010

I have the Asus Eee (10"). I wouldn't go for the smaller one, as the keyboard would be too small, but I have no problems touch-typing on the 10". It handily (just) fits into my shoulderbag and is not so heavy that I'm hating it every second of my 20 minute walk to the train in the morning.

Normal sized laptops are too big and heavy for me to lug around. I'm really finding the netbook to be a great buy (have had it for just under a year).

Chumplet · Mar 16, 2010

I picked up the HP Mini last year for under $300 CDN and I love it. The scrolling is a little awkward, but the keyboard is adequate for my fingers and I love slipping it into my purse to do a little writing/editing at the park during my lunch.

The battery life seems okay but I haven't stretched it to its limits yet. The screen is shiny so I have to crank up the brightness if I'm outdoors.

I picked up a little mouse with a retractable cord, also have a wireless mouse if the scrolling gets on my nerves.

Becky Black · Mar 17, 2010

I've got an Acer Aspire One and the deciding factor between that and the Eeee PC was the keyboard. I love the keyboard! The Eeee had some buttons in awkward places for me.

I stuck with the flash memory model with Linux OS and Open Office, because all I want it for is writing and a bit of wireless net browsing if out and about. I have a full size laptop at home. Having Windows and a load of fancy stuff on the Acer would be simply a distraction to me. It's my lean, mean writing machine.

The battery life isn't great, but could be that ones you buy today are better, so it's worth adding to your list to look at, because the keyboard is definitely a winner in my opinion.

stormie · Mar 17, 2010

junkfoodmonkey said:
The battery life isn't great, but could be that ones you buy today are better, so it's worth adding to your list to look at, because the keyboard is definitely a winner in my opinion.

A 6-cell battery and the new Atom 450 (and the soon-to-be released Atom 470) can give your netbook a battery life of up to 8 hours. And of course, it depends on how you use your power mode, etc.

Cathy C · Mar 17, 2010

I second the Acer Aspire. Just finished writing an entire book on it. But then, I have little bitty fingers. That's an important consideration with most netbooks. The keys are only 89% to 94% of normal size. If you have big fingers, you'll need to try out the keys if you actually plan to use them to write anything of length.

I REALLY like the WiFi on it. It picks up networks nearly everywhere I've been--including places where other laptops can't link. VERY cool for attending conferences and being in hotels without hardwiring.

stormie · Mar 17, 2010

What I really like about netbooks--you can cart them anywhere. Small and light. Distracted by the Internet? Turn it off.

For those not sure about if your fingers will or will not work on the smaller keyboard of a netbook--try them out at a store. Then order from Amazon. No tax, free shipping.

ETA: oh and I like Acer Aspire One, too.

Debeucci · Mar 17, 2010

i think it kind of defeats the purpose of a netbook if you lug around an entire keyboard with it... =)

I've been drooling over this msi wind u160 that just came out last week. Same stats as most netbooks but really well made. I'm waiting for some reviews before I buy since I heard it might have a smaller than acceptable keyboard.

However, MSI just announced a 13.6 inch laptop that's only 2.5 pounds with a 9 hour battery life and an intel i5 cpu. The x-slim x360 that's not out yet. Makes me question why if I even need a netbook since it's definiteyl a full sized keyboard and that 9 hours rivals most netbooks. Not to mention it's so much more powerful! It's probably about 7-800 bucks too.

Anyway...i'm rambling...I can't decide! Buy now or wait!

ArcticFox · Mar 17, 2010

I LOVE my Dell Mini! Of course I also have little fingers and so the keyboard fits me perfectly. The battery life is abut 2 hours, but it usually works for me. The thing I love about it is that it is so light and very very tough. This little thing has been through so much while I am tromping around in a third world country and still works like a dream!

stormie · Mar 17, 2010

Debeucci said:
However, MSI just announced a 13.6 inch laptop that's only 2.5 pounds with a 9 hour battery life and an intel i5 cpu. The x-slim x360 that's not out yet. Makes me question why if I even need a netbook since it's definiteyl a full sized keyboard and that 9 hours rivals most netbooks. Not to mention it's so much more powerful! It's probably about 7-800 bucks too.

See, I didn't want to pay over $400 for a new laptop, and I knew I wanted a netbook. You're best bet is to go to a store and try the various netbooks out. I researched what I wanted for about three months, then pounced when I saw a good deal on what I knew would work for me.

maestrowork · Mar 17, 2010

Try them out. For me, the most important aspect is the keyboard size. I don't have huge hands and fingers, but most netbooks do feel crammed and small for me to type comfortably. I find a few, such as the Acer and DELL, acceptable (they say their keys are 97% size). The screen size and display quality are another consideration -- some seem too small and washed out. Go with something at least 10". I find netbooks are good for web surfing and some simple tasks such as writing, etc. but not much else -- also, some comes with a limited edition of Windows 7 that disallow true multitasking. I love mine when I travel -- but other times, I prefer my laptop.

Otherwise, you should be able to find something under $350.

stormie · Mar 18, 2010

I got my Acer Aspire One for $299. No tax, free shipping.

Netbook recommendations

Debeucci

stephenf

Debeucci

stormie

storm central

Margarita Skies

stormie

storm central

Margarita Skies

AuburnAssassin

Darkly Romantic Curmudgeon

ajkjd01

I just have to be faster.

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

kurzon

Chumplet

This hat is getting too hot

Becky Black

Writing my way off the B Ark

stormie

storm central

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

stormie

storm central

Debeucci

ArcticFox

The Childlike Empress

stormie

storm central

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

stormie

storm central