Netbooks, who's got one?
Thread started by
bentstrider at 05.8.09 - 10:33 am
Or, who uses them alot?
My Inspiron 2200 just took a shit and I'm going to get it looked at.
If worst comes to worse, I was looking into one of those Asus Eee PC netbooks that go for about $250.
I mean, I've already got an external HD and CD/RW/DVD drive that I used on my Dell, so keeping extra files and watching movies is already covered.
Also, the only thing I ever do aside from gallop over the interweb plains and watch videos is resize photos so maximum power isn't really an issue.
As far as how this relates to bikes, these things are small and light as Hell.
I need something that will fit into panniers/backpack/messenger bag without being too cumbersome.
This looks like a nice bet.
reply
some netbooks aren't powerful enough to play HD movies i think
66605.8.09 - 10:37 am
reply
I don't have a Netbook, but I do have a Notebook®
SPOOK05.8.09 - 10:38 am
reply
I have a Samsung NC10 netbook that I use everyday at work. It's perfect for my uses.. checking email, surfing the net, playing flash games, watching movies through netflix or tv shows on websites.
I picked this one because of the large keyboard, matte screen, and 6 hour battery life. Another netbook I had considered buying was the MSI Wind. It has a slightly larger keyboard, but at the time it only had a 3 cell battery. I believe that it has a 6 cell battery now for longer usage. Also, the glossy screen might be an issue for you. If you use the netbook with lots of bright light, the glare will be a problem. Asus is priced well, but I'm a touch typer, so the size and placement of the right shift key bothers me too much.
Definitely do your research. Not a lot of retailers carry netbooks, but do look at some in person before you buy one.
will05.8.09 - 10:52 am
reply
Hah! I was just thinking about this!
I am gonna go down to Staples within the next couple of days and pick up a netbook. It's basically a big iPhone. Wired had a really interesting article regarding netbooks a while back.
I have a PowerBook (Yes!) and it's getting up in its years. I am going to get a netbook so I can turn my Mac into a dedicated editing machine and reduce the stress on its HD.
http://www.wired.com/search?query=netbook&siteAlias=all&x=0&y=0
HappyLand05.8.09 - 10:57 am
reply
That MSI mentioned seems quite alright as well.
We don't got anything in the way of small shops up here, so looks like I'll have to go and hit up the usual places.
They do seem to carry most of these according to their websites.
bentstrider05.8.09 - 11:07 am
reply
you can check www.newegg.com or www.tigerdirect.com
ive gotten a kickass net from what your budget is.
tekmo05.8.09 - 11:32 am
reply
I just picked up a ASUS Eee PC 1000HE a few weeks ago. So far I love it. I got it for the size and portability. I have a 15.4 laptop that is just too big to be lugging around and the battery on that last all of about 50 minutes. my Eee boasts a battery life of 9.5 hours but in reality it's more like 7-8 hours.
The only thing i wish it has was a SSD hard drive but thay are way too expensive for me at the moment.
The first thing I did when I got mine was boost the memory from 1gig to 2gig.
I haven't had any issues with it so far and it's nice to be able to take it where ever and not be a burden.
cured105.8.09 - 11:34 am
reply
I wonder which one has the best screen in the sunlight, the XO (one laptop per child) I know did something well here. I've been thinking about getting one, I have a Freerunner (currently running Android) that I can sorta use for ultra mobile, but it lacks a keyboard, and the software isn't as mature as desktop software, so a netbook seems to be the ticket right now.
vor05.8.09 - 11:47 am
reply
i was looking at the EEEPC. you can save $150 if you get it with Linux.
tortuga_veloce05.8.09 - 12:00 pm
reply
Ubuntu has a Netbook remix too, Debian is also moving to using the eglibc instead of glibc (which will be more friendly to embedded devices, such as the ARM processor.
vor05.8.09 - 12:45 pm
reply
I have the lenovo s10. I too upgraded the memory to 2GB when i first bought it. I also added a Bluetooth module.. but i wont go there. I'll try to keep it simple. ANyway. I love it. fits in my mini.metro without any problem. its light and does everything i need except playing graphic intensive games. I have a desktop for that.
Very affordable too.
By
twindc23, shot with
iPhone at 2009-05-08
I just finished installing the latest M$ OS thats coming out soon. It runs smooth!
By
twindc23 at 2009-05-08
twindc2305.8.09 - 1:21 pm
reply
You have more memory in that than on my full laptop, ha.
vor05.8.09 - 2:08 pm
reply
I have an Eee PC 900 with Linux. I got it specifically because I wanted something light and small that I could stuff in my mess bag. SSD hard drive. Battery life is maybe 4 hours with the brightness on the screen down and the (default) underclock-when-unplugged option enabled. It doesn't like HD video, but then it doesn't have an optical drive built in anyway, and also I don't give a crap about watching movies on my laptop. The version of Firefox that comes with it really doesn't like pages with lots of embedded YouTube-type videos. The keyboard is scaled down by about 20%, I think, which can be awkward even with my graceful, swan-like fingers. Do swans have fingers? I didn't think that one out very well.
All in all, considering the price, weight, size, and performance (in the context of my somewhat low expectations for it), I would buy it again.
PC05.8.09 - 3:25 pm
reply
@ PC
Shockwave Flash Video has really horrible playback (so much CPU usage). If you download
Firefox3.5b4 Check out
tinyvid.tv, and see if that has better playback, it's using Native video in the browser, which from my comparisons is much more efficient.
vor05.8.09 - 3:35 pm
reply
Also I am guessing you might be able to get better video playback if you enable non X11 video rendering to relieve some pressure off the CPU and put it on the GPU, and don't run compiz. In VLC, mplayer, Totem, you can change the video output settings in their preferences. I have VLC using OpenGL, which seem to have better performance.
vor05.8.09 - 3:41 pm
reply
I might have to get an EEEpc soon.....
vor05.8.09 - 3:42 pm
reply
I wonder if there is a place in LA that has them on display, would like to go check them out. The eeepc
braydon05.16.09 - 2:28 am
reply
You can check out Asus netbooks in Fry's or BestBuy.
If you end up getting a netbook, I recommend using Chrome for your browser. It's fast, simple to use, and very intuitive. It also maximizes your screen real estate which is important on the smaller screens of the netbooks. (Side note, Firefox does have a full screen mode.) And best of all, Chrome has the best code to withstand hackers who exploit web browser weaknesses. Chrome doesn't have support for sites like fox or abc to watch shows, but for 95% of my browsing/email it's just about perfect.
will05.16.09 - 9:31 am
reply
I have an MSI Wind with a 120GB HD. If you want to carry it on a bike, I don't know if you want to go with the 120GB or the 8GB SD drive that will probably take more of a beating. With 8gb, I would mainly see it as an ethernet port instead of a full blown computer.
It's got a webcam and I use it to Skype. I've loaded Office 2007 and it runs fine. It's got an ethernet connection and a wireless port. As you probably know, it doesn't have an internal DVD drive so I plug in an external DVD drive through the USB port. Down side - cramped keyboard and the screen doesn't handle higher resolutions.
I didn't try the other brands so I can't compare my MSI to anything else but I've been very satisfied with the machine.
mk452405.16.09 - 11:45 am
reply
MIne is the U-100 with XP Home. It's got a 10.2" screen but I paid $300 for it at the Pomona Computer Fair. If you can live with Linux, that MSI U-90 with an 80GB HDD, it sounds like a good deal. I had some Windows applications that had to be loaded.
mk452405.16.09 - 12:18 pm
reply
@will
Chromium isn't ready yet for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora etc. they just
started development. It has many good idea's: sandboxing, fast javascript engine, separate processes for tabs, however it lacks extensions/plugins...
Thanks for the tips, I might have to swing by Frys soon.
braydon05.16.09 - 1:13 pm
reply
@eric
Man these things are inexpensive.
braydon05.16.09 - 1:32 pm
reply
That was rather intriguing.
Anywho, I'll most likely go with one of those MSI's and take my Inspiron over to some place to save it.
That thing survived a truck rollover, water splashes, and other countless maladies, it would break my heart to put it down.
bentstrider responding to a
comment by User1
05.19.09 - 3:46 am
reply
-->
Ridazz Roulette!
