Good netbooks to buy?

BlueDimity · Apr 15, 2010

Hi, so my password-protected profile on my PC was messed up some way ( have no clue how this happened) and everything was deleted (yes, even the latest version of my MS), so I was planning on buying a netbook. Because I heard they are smaller and, well, cost less than a laptop. Do you know of any good netbooks around $300 that would be fine for like spending hours sitting on your bed typing away? Oh, man, that's my new fantasy! I know that netbooks don't have a lot of storge space for saving files, but I was hoping I could work through that my just plugging in my flashdrive, and using the netbook for typing and prehaps to also save my files online. Thanks.

maestrowork · Apr 16, 2010

I recommend the Acer or HP or Dell. They are all under $300 or $350. I find the keyboard on most too small for me. But if you have small fingers you shouldn't have a problem. Another thing to check is the trackpad. I like the Acer much better than the HP or Dell. But if you're gonna use a mouse then that's not a big deal. And yeah, a flash drive is a must.

Most come with similar specs: 1GB RAM, 160Gb, 10" screen etc. The screen contrast is a bit poor, to be honest since they don't use the best display (at $300 I can understand). Some also feel "cheap" that wont last a year or two, so buyers beware. Also, some only comes with Windows 7 starter edition which limits how many programs you can run at a time. Also, there is no CD or DVD drive so you have to add an external drive or use the flash drive to install software.

If you only use it for writing, surfing the web, etc, then they are adequate.

Ever since I got my iPad I haven't used my net book once. I'm thinking of selling it.

stormie · Apr 16, 2010

I have an Acer Aspire One netbook. It has an Atom N450 processor, battery life of about 6-8 hours , Windows 7 starter. It comes in a choice of colors too, for $290 on Amazon (Dell charges $40 more for the different colors). Make sure you get a 6-cell battery for the 6-8 hour battery life.

maestrowork · Apr 16, 2010

Yes, get the 6cell. After market batteries are expensive.

ejket · Apr 16, 2010

I recently got an Asus Eee 1005PE from Amazon, and I think it's great. I was very sceptical about getting a netbook due to the keyboard, since I'm a big guy with big hands, but I have no problem typing on this. It runs very cool (I mean it barely even warms up when I write), but if you want to use it on your lap or in bed you should have a little tray or something rigid underneath because the vents are on the bottom. Battery life is great -- I take it to work with me and leave the power cord at home.

For the price, I think this thing is amazing, and I recommend it highly.

Alanna B. · Apr 16, 2010

I have an HP Mini and I LOVE it. ( I do have small fingers though)

bglashbrooks · Apr 16, 2010

I have an Acer Aspire...bought it in July of 09. Hard drive is fried. Casing is coming apart. And I am not hard on my electronics at all. It was used only for writing on the go, maybe 2 times a month. It had no extra software on it except that necessary for the internet and security. It had only the word processing software on it from OpenOffice. AND I repeatedly backed up my work (thank God!). I never saved the work directly onto the ACER.

(Now I am just waiting to get it fixed.)

Thank God I have a 2005 Dell PC.

And on a side note...my husband's hands were too big to use it comfortably...

Shady Lane · Apr 16, 2010

I have the HP Mini with a 6 cell battery. Love it. Never even use my full-sized lappy anymore.

WriteKnight · Apr 16, 2010

Get one loaded with XP - NOT the 'stripped down' version of Windows 7 that some of them come with.

Margarita Skies · Apr 16, 2010

ejket said:
I recently got an Asus Eee 1005PE from Amazon, and I think it's great. I was very sceptical about getting a netbook due to the keyboard, since I'm a big guy with big hands, but I have no problem typing on this. It runs very cool (I mean it barely even warms up when I write), but if you want to use it on your lap or in bed you should have a little tray or something rigid underneath because the vents are on the bottom. Battery life is great -- I take it to work with me and leave the power cord at home.

For the price, I think this thing is amazing, and I recommend it highly.

I just saw your netbook on Amazon and it's really cute!! Most of the customer reviews are 5-star, so it is a great machine! I am thinking of getting a netbook when this three and a half month long laptop goes bad, but I had my previous laptop for 2 years and one month and according to the friend of mine that I gave it to, it still runs awesomely, so I don't think that's going to happen for the next four or five years. I only got this new laptop because I needed a bigger hard drive, and more memory without having to spend a lot of money on the new hardware that would be installed on the machine AND have to pay a technician big bucks for installing the new hardware and reinstalling the operating system.

maestrowork · Apr 16, 2010

Make sure you make backups and use external drives etc. These net books are not supposed to last a long time. 3 years tops.

BlueDimity · Apr 16, 2010

Thanks guys.

NewKidOldKid · Apr 17, 2010

I have an Acer Aspire. It's about a year old. Works perfectly fine, never had any problem with it. I don't mind the small keyboard but my husband hates it (which is fine because it keeps him away from my computer!). I have Windows 7 starter, which only allows you to open 3 programs at a time. However, I've realized I never open more than three anyway, so it's fine.

ejket · Apr 17, 2010

MagaliFuentes said:
I am thinking of getting a netbook when this three and a half month long laptop goes bad

To be honest, I have a laptop and I hate it. I love the netbook. This would seem to make no sense, but the netbook is light, cool, battery-efficient, and cheap enough that the issues I have with hauling the laptop around all the time are solved beautifully. So the netbook has a role as a "go anywhere" computer, whereas the laptop is in the halflight of being "sort of a portable desktop but with less keyboard and screen."

In other news, my niece's boyfriend got a Toshiba netbook which he wanted me to decruft for him, and it's pretty nice. Seems a bit more powerful but runs hotter than my Eee. I always hear good things about Toshibas, though.

BlueDimity · Apr 17, 2010

Shady Lane said:
I have the HP Mini with a 6 cell battery. Love it. Never even use my full-sized lappy anymore.

Hi, was this what you were talking about? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ONCBVC/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

BlueDimity · Apr 17, 2010

I am also looking at the others you guys have mentioned.

backslashbaby · Apr 17, 2010

I second the Asus eee

Mine is over 2 years old now, I think, and it's hanging in strong. It's been everywhere! I have a huge back problem, and this one is the perfect size for me to carry around.

I do a ton more than just writing on it, but I'm not a gamer or anything. It fits that in-between very, very nicely, imho.

BlueDimity · Apr 17, 2010

So you can write your MS and download progams like OpenOffice onto it?

thothguard51 · Apr 17, 2010

I think the Ipad is going to make net books obsolete...

BlueDimity · Apr 17, 2010

thothguard51 said:
I think the Ipad is going to make net books obsolete...

Interesting.

maestrowork · Apr 17, 2010

thothguard51 said:
I think the Ipad is going to make net books obsolete...

I have to say, since I got the iPad I only used my laptop twice and only to do my taxes. I've used my netbook exactly once. I got a dock and a BT keyboard and I'm writing on it (this post is composed on the iPad).

I'm seriously thinking of selling my netbook at this point.

BlueDimity · Apr 17, 2010

Are you planning on your netbook on like ebay or craigslist? Hope you don't think me rude for asking.

NewKidOldKid · Apr 18, 2010

Anonyouth said:
So you can write your MS and download progams like OpenOffice onto it?

It's a regular computer. You can do everything you would in a regular laptop/desktop. Memory and video card are on the small side, though, so if you're a gamer a netbook is not for you.

maestrowork · Apr 18, 2010

NewKidOldKid said:
It's a regular computer. You can do everything you would in a regular laptop/desktop. Memory and video card are on the small side, though, so if you're a gamer a netbook is not for you.

The term "netbook" pretty much tells you what these mini laptops are designed for. They're for light work, networking and the Internet. Sure, they're real computers with USB ports etc, but their processing power, memories, and graphics card are not able to handle tasks like games or Photoshop or video editing, etc. But word processing is a low activity task so that's fine. And Windows Starter only allows you opening a few programs at the same time.

Margarita Skies · Apr 18, 2010

thothguard51 said:
I think the Ipad is going to make net books obsolete...

You can write a book on your iPad? If we can't write books on the iPad like we would on a computer, then we would still need computers, right?

Good netbooks to buy?

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