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Good netbook
- Thread starter waloshin
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Dell Mini. Usually I tell people to avoid Dell laptops like the plauge but the Mini is decent and it's easy to get OSx86 running on it.
I would say the Dell mini 10v. You can get them very cheap (sometimes $180) and they are also easily hackable.
I have the HP mini 110 and love it. Though it is $100 more than you want to spend.
I have the HP mini 110 and love it. Though it is $100 more than you want to spend.
The HP models do support 2GB for reference, it's just that in order for them to sell it with xp, it needs to meet Microsoft's standards for a netbook, which cannot exceed a single gigabyte of memory. You can always upgrade it yourself; a 2GB piece doesn't cost too much.
Heres the Hp mini 1139nr: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...ry&lc=en&dlc=sv&cc=se&product=3951745&lang=sv
Specs says maximum ram supported is 1gb.
Specs says maximum ram supported is 1gb.
I had a Dell Mini 9 and really liked it except for the keyboard; the size was a little bit small for me, but the real problem was the ' key being relocated to the bottom row. I just could not get used to that.
If you have a Best Buy nearby they usually have a selection of netbooks, so you could check a few out first-hand.
If you have a Best Buy nearby they usually have a selection of netbooks, so you could check a few out first-hand.
MSI Wind is a "Good" Netbook that supports 2gb.
I've got one here but can't really recommend netbooks in general.
There's nothing wrong with it other than it's just annoying.
In particular, the 10" screen while just barely wide enough for a webpage is just too small as is the size and location of the trackpad.
It's a very handy yet annoying Windows Box to have around.
Have Fun,
Keri
PS. Apple once stated that they would never produce a Netbook because the user experience is too poor.
I feel that they're right... MB Air is about the smallest I would go next time.
I've got one here but can't really recommend netbooks in general.
There's nothing wrong with it other than it's just annoying.
In particular, the 10" screen while just barely wide enough for a webpage is just too small as is the size and location of the trackpad.
It's a very handy yet annoying Windows Box to have around.
Have Fun,
Keri
PS. Apple once stated that they would never produce a Netbook because the user experience is too poor.
I feel that they're right... MB Air is about the smallest I would go next time.
1.5 ghz 12" g4 powerbook with 1.25 gigs of ram. C'mon, ebay...
All netbooks have some sort of trade off design wise, and I'm not talking about the limitations of the atom processor or gma950 video graphics. Many have keyboards that are maddening, such as tiny right shift keys, keys that are too close together, or funky function key placements. Some have tiny, tweaky postage stamp sized trackpads, or funky trackpad button placements. Some have cheap 3 cell batteries that get two hours or less of usage. Some have truly mattel like build quality.
Asus 1000HE (due to the improved keyboard and battery life) or dell mini 10v with 6 cell battery. Be advised that upgrading the ram in the dell is a true PITA.
All netbooks have some sort of trade off design wise, and I'm not talking about the limitations of the atom processor or gma950 video graphics. Many have keyboards that are maddening, such as tiny right shift keys, keys that are too close together, or funky function key placements. Some have tiny, tweaky postage stamp sized trackpads, or funky trackpad button placements. Some have cheap 3 cell batteries that get two hours or less of usage. Some have truly mattel like build quality.
Asus 1000HE (due to the improved keyboard and battery life) or dell mini 10v with 6 cell battery. Be advised that upgrading the ram in the dell is a true PITA.
Agreed. My nc10 is fantastic. Jobs is full of it. Netbooks are great secondary machines.
I was kind of looking at one, but I've heard bad things about the touchpad. How is it to use?
It's a matter of personal pref. I've tried the MSI (felt like a ford model-t), the HP mini 1000 (super slick, but hacking was a pain), and have finally found the one for me - the dell mini 10v. It's a nice balance of sturdy feel, slick-enough look, and hackability. The dell outlet store has them in the $219 range occasionally. The asus eeepc surf (solid build, slick-enough look) can be had pretty cheap as a refurb (about $100 for 4gb hd and ubuntu), but it's a 7" er.
...after looking at all the brands, I went with the Asus in my sig... its already ~2 yrs old and still going pretty strong (and still running winXP)...
The newer Asus 1005/1000 HE's have great keyboards and battery life in such a small package but you're better off waiting if you can.
Most of the major makers are waiting to see what
does with their net tablet and aren't really releasing anything substantial until after does...LOL, quite the reverse. The Aspire One is a PITA to add memory to. You basically have to dismantle it. It also has a smaller screen (same screen resolution, though) and a louder fan. The trackpad button placement is also annoying to some.
Moreover, the Wind is fully hackable - everything works, including sleep and hibernation.
I would agree about waiting until after Windows 7 is released officially and probably towards the end of the year if you can. You will see netbooks ramp up their internal hardware specs after the Microsoft brakes are taken off. Dual core Atoms and ION based motherboards should become more common, with AMD also joining in with its low-power cores.
I've been very pleased with the Asus eee PC 1005HA. I replaced with 1 GB stick with a 2 GB stick -- easily done. It's responsive, and the battery life is excellent. It can be had with a matte screen, too.
I'll give you an "amen" on that one! I just sold my netbook and replaced it with a PowerBook, though I ended up with a 15". (I haven't gotten the PB yet, so I can't comment on it...) The netbook was just too many trade offs - slow, tiny screen (resolution), GMA950, mine had a super-slow 16GB SSD... I finally gave up on it.
To the OP: Good luck with yours. I hope you got one with a hard drive, as the SSDs they put in these things are garbage.
If it wasn't also a PITA to replace the hard drive, I'd get another one in a minute and install an ssd. (My clumsy hands are prone to breaking the keyboards when I try to update it myself.) Max the ram to 2 gigs if it doesn't have it already, consider a faster hd (samsung i believe makes a 160 gb single platter ide notebook drive that's almost as fast as a 7200 rpm) and optimize your system to turn off unnecessary eye candy under 10.4 and 10.5, and it's quite a usable mini machine. If I didn't have a) a 2.4 ghz uni mb and other more pressing needs for my cash right now, I'd be on ebay to snag one.
It'll be interesting to see what netbook makers do with the ion chipset, features, and price points. A dell mini10v with ion, 2 gigs of ram, and a 6 cell battery could be quite a usable second machine.