Tiny notebooks ("net"books?)

[Koggit]

I want one for school.

The four main contenders seem to be MSI Wind, Acer Aspire One, Eee PC 900, and the Inspiron Mini 9. Anybody bought or researched one of these lately? Any thoughts?

I'm leaning toward the Inspiron Mini 9, but most reviews seem to favor the MSI Wind.

[Nogib]

I had waited a long time for the Dell to finally come out, but when it finally did it was way overpriced, had a really craptastic keyboard layout, and too limited in storage (no HDD option).

So I picked up an Acer Aspire One just over a week ago and love it to death. The keyboard is nice and hasn't hindered my typing one bit. I went with the XP version with the 120GB hdd instead of the Linux version with the 8GB SSD btw. So far my only complaint is that the trackpad on the Acer isn't too my liking, but I have yet to be completely in love with trackpads to begin with so ymmv. To me it just seems too unresponsive if you even have the slightest amount of moisture on your fingertip. Works fantastic if your hands are as dry as the sahara. Once you can't glide your finger smoothly it's too jerky.

And while these things do use a lot less power, unfortunately most have a proportionally smaller battery resulting in still the usual 2.5hr runtime on the default 3-cell battery. They do make a 6-cell battery for the Acer but it doesnt sit flush with the system like the 3-cell. I would have loved to have gone SSD, but the cheap MLC SSDs used in netbooks are too slow and are cramped for space. Standard 2.5" HDD in the Acer didn't add much weight-wise and is dead silent anyways.

All in all though it does everything I wanted it to. Internet, office, and even light gaming (now I have FFXI on the go lol), lightweight and small enough to not be a cumbersome bother. Completely pleased with my purchase especially with the price of the Acer compared to the rest, it's hard to beat that one!

[Koggit]

Overpriced? Are we talking about different models, maybe? The Inspiron Mini 9 is only $350. *Edit: nevermind... looks like it's $600. Not sure where I saw $350 before.*

Also, are the SSDs slower than HDDs? I had planned to go with an SSD just because I don't really care about storage space (I don't want games or media, since I want to keep distractions minimal).


Looking a bit more, I love the physical design of the HP 2133 Mini-Note (http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4352) but I don't want to deal with Vista Business or anything that gets that hot. The HP tx2000 (http://www.tabletpcreview.com/default.asp?newsID=1055) also seems really nice but I think it might be a little too large. I think having a tablet could be really nice though. Maybe it's worth using a backpack...

[Nogib]

Really when it comes to SSDs, the only good ones are the single level cell ones (SLC). Downside is that they also cost a heck of a lot more over the cheaper multi level cell (MLC) ones. In most cases, MLC SSDs are in fact slower than traditional HDDs. SLC ones are where the performance is at but at their price permium, no way will they ever end up in netbooks. In time I see SSDs getting the right size/price/performance that would allow them to make sense. Currently the flurry of the market to quickly use them is premature given the state of the technology.

Given that the Acer model I got is a mere $350 (linux one is $330 iirc) when comparable netbooks from all the other makes are in the $400-$500 range, there was no contest. I had heard about the HP 2133 but it's VIA processor is even less powerful than the Atom.

[thesimplicity]

I've researched the crap out of netbooks over the past few months and I keep coming back to the Aspire One. I've tried the MSI Wind, a bunch of different EeePCs, HP MiniNote, Aspire One and some other off brands. The keyboard on the Aspire One wins out over all of them by a mile. The responsiveness and positioning of the keys make a huge difference. My only complaint is that the trackpad keys are kind of loud, but the trackpad itself supports gestures so you can double-tap to emulate left clicking.

I'm waiting for the six-cell 160GB model which is coming out in October. If you care about portability, I'd really advise going for the six-cell model over the three-cell. While the battery does stick out a bit, the performance difference is huge. Not to mention that it's $400 (the three-cell WinXP version is $350) and the standalone six-cell battery goes for something like $130. Hope that helps

[KingDox]

I have two friends that have the Acer Aspire One, one is running a custom Linux install and the other is using the built in Linux OS.

I got a eee pc 900 linux model awhile back and I've really enjoyed having it. I blew it out and installed my own striped down copy of win xp. I still get people going "OMG, is that a computer?" when I take it places.

We had a thread about the UMPCs here:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191141&highlight=pc

[jonac13]

I have a MSI Wind, and I'm definitely happy with it... but if I remember correctly, the models shipping out now don't have the synaptic touchpad, which is really a killer. Given the Aspire One's price and competitive specs, that would be the way to go, I imagine.

[Koggit]

I had waited a long time for the Dell to finally come out, but when it finally did it was way overpriced

Overpriced? Are we talking about different models, maybe? The Inspiron Mini 9 is only $350. *Edit: nevermind... looks like it's $600. Not sure where I saw $350 before.*

Man I'm really really confused now.. I just got an email from Dell about their Mini 9 which again said $350 -- http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dncwxa1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=productdetails~laptop-inspiron-9

Now I'm not sure where I saw $600

[Moxio]

Koggit is soooo baked. 8-)

[Kaijufan]

I've been thinking about getting a netbook for awhile now, but with rumors of a duel core Atom processor (and hopefully the Intel GMA 950 GPU will start being replaced by the far superior GMA X3100 GPU) I've decided to wait for a few months.


Also, are the SSDs slower than HDDs? I had planned to go with an SSD just because I don't really care about storage space (I don't want games or media, since I want to keep distractions minimal).

From what I understand SSDs have read speeds faster then many hard drives (except really fast ones, like 10,000 RPM drives) but the write speeds are slower then traditional hard drives.

[Nogib]

Man I'm really really confused now.. I just got an email from Dell about their Mini 9 which again said $350

The Dell is $350........for the webcamless, 512MB ram, Linux version with a puny 4GB SSD that is.

The Aspire One, for the exact same $350, gets you a webcam, 1GB ram, XP Home, and a 120GB HDD instead. Not hard to see which is the better bargain.

To configure a Dell to as close to an equivalent, it ramps up to $464 and thats with the largest 16GB SSD they offer. So you still don't have enough space (imho) and are paying far more for a device with a horribly unintuitive keyboard layout.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is just too half-assed of an attempt by Dell, and yes, remains overpriced compared to the other netbooks on the market.

[Nogib]

I've been thinking about getting a netbook for awhile now, but with rumors of a duel core Atom processor (and hopefully the Intel GMA 950 GPU will start being replaced by the far superior GMA X3100 GPU) I've decided to wait for a few months.

Don't wait or else you'll be waiting forever! Intel won't sell their dual-core Atom processors for netbook use. They've stipulated that they can only be used for nettop computers instead. The Atom 330 will never be found in a netbook. So either get one now or you'll be waiting quite some time for whatever the Atom follow-up is. Nor will they be changing the chipset. They can't just change the IGP in the chipset, they'd have to make a whole new chipset available to the Atom. There are currently no plans to make a variant of the 965G or any other current chipset for Atom use. Mostly because they don't offer the processor itself any worthwhile advantages as the Atom doesn't use higher bus speeds and these chipsets likely use more power than the 945 does. Going with a proven chipset, despite power use, is part of the reason why the Atom platform can be made so cheaply.

So your choice is to either accept the current Atom/945 platform for what it is or you'll be stuck waiting until the late 2009/early 2010 timeframe when Intel currently plans to release it's Atom followup.

[Koggit]

The Dell is $350........for the webcamless, 512MB ram, Linux version with a puny 4GB SSD that is.

The Aspire One, for the exact same $350, gets you a webcam, 1GB ram, XP Home, and a 120GB HDD instead. Not hard to see which is the better bargain.

To configure a Dell to as close to an equivalent, it ramps up to $464 and thats with the largest 16GB SSD they offer. So you still don't have enough space (imho) and are paying far more for a device with a horribly unintuitive keyboard layout.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is just too half-assed of an attempt by Dell, and yes, remains overpriced compared to the other netbooks on the market.

The RAM could be nice.. but I don't have any need for more storage, XP or a webcam.

[Nogib]

The RAM could be nice.. but I don't have any need for more storage, XP or a webcam.

Then get the Linux Aspire One that's $20 cheaper at $330. :P Still a better deal since it has an 8GB SSD standard instead of 4GB on the Dell. Trust me, the Dell keyboard isn't worth the headaches it causes and I was really really wanting to get the Dell originally.

[Oktoberfest]

The only thing that's preventing me from going after an Acer Aspire One is that I always hear that it has really loud fan noise. What are your thoughts on this?

That being said, I read that the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 has almost no fan noise, which makes me sort of lean towards that (even though it comes out to be $70 more than the Aspire One). I don't really mind having Linux and a small SSD because I already have a full-sized laptop with XP Pro and a 120 GB HDD.

Also, the Asus S101 was announced recently. It's almost like a Macbook Air http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=11829&cid=9

[n25philly]

I've been thinking about getting a netbook for awhile now, but with rumors of a duel core Atom processor (and hopefully the Intel GMA 950 GPU will start being replaced by the far superior GMA X3100 GPU) I've decided to wait for a few months.


From what I understand SSDs have read speeds faster then many hard drives (except really fast ones, like 10,000 RPM drives) but the write speeds are slower then traditional hard drives.


intel has already been shipping dual core atoms for a good week or two. They should start showing up in netbooks real soon

[Nogib]

The only thing that's preventing me from going after an Acer Aspire One is that I always hear that it has really loud fan noise. What are your thoughts on this?

That being said, I read that the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 has almost no fan noise, which makes me sort of lean towards that (even though it comes out to be $70 more than the Aspire One). I don't really mind having Linux and a small SSD because I already have a full-sized laptop with XP Pro and a 120 GB HDD.

I had heard people complain about the fan in the Aspire One too before getting it, but either Acer fixed it or people are being really picky. Mine was built in Sept 08 and it's the quietest laptop fan I've ever encountered. I have to hold the system up to my head to hear it. So for me, it's been a non-issue. Heck, I think the uber faint whine of the HDD platter spinning is louder than the fan if that puts it in perspective. :D

And yes, the Dell is indeed the only Atom system I've seen so far that is fanless. It runs about 10 degrees Celsius warmer than any other Atom powered netbook as a result and is noticeably warm/hot under the palms when typing. Don't know if it is going to cause any longevity issues on the Dell or not since it hasn't been out very long. The fanless & SSD design of the Dell makes for a literally silent system.

Personally I'd rather have some active cooling just so I can have my mind at ease. And like I said, my Acer Aspire One's fan is whisper quiet.

intel has already been shipping dual core atoms for a good week or two. They should start showing up in netbooks real soon

Again, Intel is not making/selling the dual core Atom 330 for netbook use! It is purely for nettop systems and they flat out won't sell it for use in netbooks.

[kube00]

Got a deal on the ASUS EEE pc from SD
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=946220



Color - Black
Packaging - Retail
Operating System - Linux
CPU Type - Intel Atom
Screen Size - 8.9"
Resolution - 1024 x 600
Display Type - WSVGA
Memory Size - 1GB
Memory Speed - PC2-3200 (DDR2-400)
Integrated VGA - Yes
Webcam - 1.3 MP
LAN Port - RJ-45 10/100
WLAN - 802.11b/g/n
Audio Port - Yes
Storage Capacity - 20GB (SSD)
Card Reader - Yes
Number of USB Port - 3
Video Port - VGA x 1
Bluetooth - Yes
Fingerprint Reader - No
Battery Run Time - Up to 8.0 hour(s)
Weight - 2.43 lbs
Dimension - 8.86" x 6.90" x 0.89" ~ 1.54"
Battery Capacity - 6 Cell

$380

[Koggit]

Got a deal on the ASUS EEE pc from SD
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=946220



Color - Black
Packaging - Retail
Operating System - Linux
CPU Type - Intel Atom
Screen Size - 8.9"
Resolution - 1024 x 600
Display Type - WSVGA
Memory Size - 1GB
Memory Speed - PC2-3200 (DDR2-400)
Integrated VGA - Yes
Webcam - 1.3 MP
LAN Port - RJ-45 10/100
WLAN - 802.11b/g/n
Audio Port - Yes
Storage Capacity - 20GB (SSD)
Card Reader - Yes
Number of USB Port - 3
Video Port - VGA x 1
Bluetooth - Yes
Fingerprint Reader - No
Battery Run Time - Up to 8.0 hour(s)
Weight - 2.43 lbs
Dimension - 8.86" x 6.90" x 0.89" ~ 1.54"
Battery Capacity - 6 Cell

$380

Awesome.. should I go with that or this one: http://www.amazon.com/Acer-8-9-inch-Processor-Battery-Sapphire/dp/B001EYV9TM/ (note: it says $430, but that's from J&R, Amazon has it from Amazon.com for $399 if you click the "used and new" thing)

This Acer looks better on paper: a little thinner, a little lighter... but are there tangible differences that don't translate well to specs (e.g. keyboard quality, screen, speakers, touchpad, etc, etc).

I'm definitely buying either this Aspire One or that Eee PC tomorrow morning

Sorry for continuously bumping this thread to ask basically the same question, but this time the question's a little more specific

[SOSTrooper]

The Lenovo one is looking pretty good too:

http://forumst.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=369629&t=946270

Use the CPP discount
www.lenovo.com/cpp
sign in: 704919

White S10 used to be $439 now $399 and $379.05 after CPP, free shipping and plus tax

Specs

* Intel ATOM Processor N270 Single Core (1.60GHz 512KB cache)
* GenuineWindows XP Home Edition
* 10.2 LED backlit WSVGA VibrantView TFT with integrated camera (1024x640)
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
* 512 MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz
* 80GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
* Broadcom b/g Wi-Fi wireless
* Touchpad
* Weight: 2.64 lbs
* 3 Cell Lithium-Ion battery
* One year parts and labor (system battery: one year) warranty

[option.iv]

Hey there. Well, i made the other UMPC thread a while back. I ended up getting an ASUS Eee 901. So far, I've been overall happy with the purchase (about $460 after rebates and CA taxes back in late July).

I must say, it's a lovely machine. Let me try to put out the pros and cons of the 901:
Pros:
- There is an Eee specific forum for reference. eeeuser.com (http://forum.eeeuser.com)
- Weighs 2.5 lbs. with the 6 cell battery. I look at my sister's Macbook, and most of the time it is sitting on the table. Carrying around the Eee and using it on your lap is almost effortless. I really find myself bringing the thing almost everywhere I go
- Advertised to last 7.8 hours on battery mode, but I usually get 6.5 hours on power saving mode with wifi on
- There's bluetooth and wifi (draft-N) for bluetooth devices and wi-fi access.
-8.9" screen. Very convenient size. Enough to view most web pages and documents without horizontal scrolling.

Cons:
-8.9" screen. Resolution is limited. The supported ones are 800x600, 1024x600 (my default resolution), 1024x768 (have to scroll up and down with the mouse), and 1024x768 compressed (the vertical height is squished to fit 600 pixel range).
- The drives are split up. i.e. 12GB models are two drives, 4GB and 8GB. It has also been proven the secondary drive on all 901 models is slower than the first. Or at least the communication between the two. The only real downside to this is if you put your cache and temp files on the secondary and the OS on the first. The access between the two results in hangs (so far only with internet browsing, Firefox, IE, Opera, etc.). With my setup atm, I have my prog files, temp, and cache on the primary along with the OS. As for the larger files like games, media or heavy progs, they go on the secondary and apparently there is no evidence of hanging.
- Not made for gaming. Older 2D games can be played on it, but don't think about having full 3d games run smoothly on it.
- Cramped keyboard (this is most likely a main con on most UMPCs. Acer's is definitely bigger, but the touchpad on it is not my thing). Took me a little while to get used to it, but I am fairly proficient for typing essays and notes.
-lack of optical drive (I get around this with virtual drives and an external whenever I'm feeling lazy)

edit: The touchpad on the Eee has multitouch gestures if you're into that. The speakers are decent, not mindblowing. Screen is also decent and can vary the brightness via fn keys. Keep in mind these are netbooks, most likely made for mainly quick, easy access to notes and wifi. I doubt we're close to the point where we can have the best of both worlds. I'd say bite on that Eee 901. That deal is epic.

edit2: also, one of the main reasons I wanted to get an Asus was the SSD. They're basically flash based, rugged, and quick. 20GB is more than enough for me, especially if you have an external hdd handy. Also, there's no need to defrag SSDs (google this topic to learn more about it). I also get around a lot and am paranoid about hard drive failures. But if you need that larger HDD, go for the Acer.

edit3: Also forgot the most important con. Girls usually come by and say something along the lines of "That thing is soooo small. It's sooo cute!" While i get the attention of girls, it really does get annoying by the 40th time.

[Koggit]

I actually bought the Acer a couple days ago, it should be delivered on Tuesday. The 160gb, six-cell, XP model in white.

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-8-9-inch-Processor-Battery/dp/B001EYVBE0/

I had ~$85 in store credit for Amazon. But I'm in Seattle (so is Amazon -- 10% tax). My choices were...

Amazon.com -- temporarily out of stock (could preorder), $400, $40 tax.
Amazon Marketplace -- in stock, $430, $10 shipping.

I went with the Marketplace seller.

It ended up being $355 all together. I ordered a $5 sleeve (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15379) from DealExtreme. FatWallet says it'll fit... I hope they're right, the Eee PC has different dimensions.

$360.. not bad.

[KingDox]

edit3: Also forgot the most important con. Girls usually come by and say something along the lines of "That thing is soooo small. It's sooo cute!" While i get the attention of girls, it really does get annoying by the 40th time.


As an owner of a EEE PC 900. The above is true.

Enjoy it while it lasts, because as soon as Apple puts out one of these everyone will own one.

[Sideswiper]

I have been trying to find out if the netbooks can fun the F2P MMORPG "Atlantica Online".

I fully realize that netbooks aren't designed to be gaming computers but the requirements of the game are pretty low, in fact looking at systems reqs they SHOULD be able to play the game, but my only concern is if the vertex shading in the integrated VGA actualy performs like Intel says it does.

Here are Atlantica's tech requirements:


Required
CPU Pentium 4 1GHz or better
RAM 512MB or better
VGA GeForce4 TI4200, 64MB or better
(must support vertex pixel shading)
DirectX DirectX 9.0c or better
HDD 5GB or more

Suggested
Pentium 4 2GHz or better
1GB or better
GeForce 4 6600GT, 128MB or better
DirectX 9.0c or better
10GB or more

(Even better, go download the game for free and run it. My character name is Vroshnak on the Mycenae server. http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp (http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp))

[Nogib]

edit3: Also forgot the most important con. Girls usually come by and say something along the lines of "That thing is soooo small. It's sooo cute!" While i get the attention of girls, it really does get annoying by the 40th time.

:rofl:

I ordered a $5 sleeve (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15379) from DealExtreme. FatWallet says it'll fit... I hope they're right, the Eee PC has different dimensions.

Good idea since the sleeve that comes with it is very very thin and remains open on the end (no flap). I ended up buying one of these Case Logic bags (http://www.provantage.com/case-logic-lneo-10-black~7CSLO1F7.htm) for $13 and like how I can fit the power adapter and a mouse into the front pocket.

I have been trying to find out if the netbooks can run the F2P MMORPG "Atlantica Online".

My gut tells me probably not at an acceptable level. The Atom/945 combo struggles to barely make a game like Final Fantasy XI playable and that's a 5 year old game (I have to crank the draw distance way down). Can only presume newer MMOs will run worse. Could be wrong though...

[Koggit]

I saw videos on YouTube of WoW on the Aspire One, it looked pretty choppy... WoW has lower reqs than that game, so you're probably out of luck.

[crystalklear64]

(Even better, go download the game for free and run it. My character name is Vroshnak on the Mycenae server. http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp (http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp))
That's not Sikyon [-(