Thoughts on NETBOOKS?

BigBizzee

BigBizzee

CAGiversary!
Basically have 2 questions, as I am searching for a Netbook to buy as a gift for someone to use as a college computer. Email, word, and internet is pretty much all this person would do.

So,...

1) What do you guys think about Netbooks? Reliability? Value? Ease of use? Etc???

and

2) If you think they are worth buying, what should I look for in one? What brands would be good?

Thanks everyone :)
 
I bought an Asus 1201N (http://www.amazon.com/Seashell-1201N-PU17-BK-12-1-Inch-Black-Netbook/dp/B002ZLOR56) and love it. It has a 12" screen, a 250gb HDD, and a dedicated graphics card that allows me to play WoW and a few of my Steam games (civ4, kotor, etc) while I travel.

My wife has a Samsung NC10 (http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NC10-...ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1266363666&sr=1-5) and while she enjoys it for the most part her number one complaint is that the screen is almost too small sometimes and requires her to scroll like crazy when browsing the web (something I don't have that much of a problem with on my 12").

As far as use as a college computer, most Netbooks don't come with Microsoft Office and most standard Netbooks don't have the capability to be more than just internet browsing/email/simple word processing machines. Also, no Netbook that I know comes with a DVD drive so if they need to load software onto their computer from the university they will have to buy an external one (like $59.99) and carry it with them if needed.
 
I rather have a half decent laptop that at least gives me options and will be able to keep up with software for a bit.

IMO (probably will get attacked for this), netbooks are a waste. Why spend a few hundred on something that is so severally gimped when for a lil bit more you can get an actual laptop.
 
it came down to the asus 1050 series for me and the severely under rated toshiba netbook nb205 series.

Compusa had some for like 299 but we bought it before that. keep in mind cashback, etc.

I jsut returned that and bought my wife an 11.5 toshiba satellite.
 
Do a search there is a thread on this same topic with the same questions answered and great links to help you make your choice.
 
I’ve got a 8.9” Acer AspireOne that I love. I paid $200, and it was worth every penny. It weighs about 2lbs, generates very little heat, and lasts about 2-3 hours using its 3-cell battery.

OpenOffice.org and Firefox both work really well. I can play lots of older games on it, as well.

I use Netbeans IDE for programming and don’t have any issues.

The only major problem I have with it is flash performance. Youtube and Hulu work fine as long as they aren’t full screen.



If you're worried about reliability, get something with a SSD, although you lose a lot of storage going that route.


From your requirements, it sounds like a netbook would be perfect. Just get OpenOffice.org and Firefox w/NoScript and Addblock Plus and you're good to go.
 
For question 1, the netbook is easy to use and fine for small applications, but one of the biggest problems for a college based machine is no DVD drive. Sure you can buy an external one but trust me no college student wants to carry around more than they have to. Plus the screen is tiny for everyday work.

Personally instead of spending $400 for a netbook spend around $600-700 for a decent laptop. The extra processing power, built in dvd drive and bigger screen will be worth the price.
 
Netbooks - underpowered, unimpressive spec'd, but portable and long-lasting computers.

I use mine for:
1. Giving lectures since one person's powerpoint is not the same as another's
2. Giving presentations (see #1)
3. Casually browsing the internet/email
4. Minor document editting (even w/ the Asus' keyboard, it's still not that comfortable)
5. Entertaining myself with a few ripped movies on a long plane ride
 
Thanks to everyone for the input :)

As for getting a laptop, I certainly understand they can be more powerful - but like I mentioned, it won't be used for gaming or video editing - and probably not even watching videos. Some easy internet use/email, and document writing.

I'm pretty much convinced that the hardware/processing power isn't a big deal in this case (from what some of you said - it runs openoffice pretty well, and also firefox - so I'm good there).

Like I said, I appreciate the input about the small screen, battery life, and what brands are ok.

I'll do a search for that other thread as well.

Oh, and $300-$400 for a netbook fits in my budget...$600-$700 isn't quite the same thing :p

thanks again all
 
I have the Samsung NC10. The keyboard is great (95% full sized) and the battery life is fantastic. On 3 bars brightness (out of 8) with the wireless adapter on and connected to either the school's network or my own, I get almost a full eight hours of battery life! Granted, this assumes I am browsing the internet, reading pdfs or comics, or doing homework. I have not bothered updating the video playing software, so I do not know how watching a movie with sound would reduce the overall battery life.

I do have a virtual cd-drive installed and image files for some of my PC games (useful for installing them) but the only games I play on it are Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3, and Diablo 2 has an official no-cd patch. If you have access to another computer, you can network a netbook to use the other computer's optical drive, or you can just make cd/dvd images and transfer them through a portable drive (which is what I do.)

Finally, Openoffice is the shit. Who needs Microsoft office when Openoffice is free and works just as well (even going so far as to save in MS formats in addition to its own.) My netbook serves as the perfect college computer, but I know that not everyone will agree.
 
i have the acer aspire one with 250gig and windows 7. i love it. I got it at target. I love how lite it is. also it has great battery life. i also have an acer laptop and i like it alot also. I use both often. I must admit i was not a fan of netbooks til i got one. now i must say it really is nice and compact. hope this helps.
 
You might want to take a look at one in a B&M store before you buy. If its needed to do a LOT of typing (essays, term papers, etc.), some netbook keyboards can be pretty cramped. For a main computer, I'd find a decent deal on a $400 full-sized laptop. I'd recommend a netbook as a secondary device, at best.
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']You might want to take a look at one in a B&M store before you buy. If its needed to do a LOT of typing (essays, term papers, etc.), some netbook keyboards can be pretty cramped. For a main computer, I'd find a decent deal on a $400 full-sized laptop. I'd recommend a netbook as a secondary device, at best.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Netbooks are great on the go for small games and light work.
 
[quote name='Kreutz']Care to elaborate?[/QUOTE]

I think he means he got scammed because my Netbook that I got for $159 is awesome.
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']You might want to take a look at one in a B&M store before you buy. If its needed to do a LOT of typing (essays, term papers, etc.), some netbook keyboards can be pretty cramped. For a main computer, I'd find a decent deal on a $400 full-sized laptop. I'd recommend a netbook as a secondary device, at best.[/QUOTE]

I agree somewhat. If you need to do a lot of typing outside of your home, like in class/library/coffee shop/whatever, a netbook keyboard might be a little small.

I have a wireless mouse, keyboard, and a monitor waiting for me at home, so I set it on my desk and hook it up, and it ends up being the same experience as a desktop computer.
 
[quote name='Kreutz']Care to elaborate?[/QUOTE]

Crap screen, crap processor, crap graphics, crap keyboards, crap trackpads, etc, and the more companies that make them the price actually goes up.

Amazing how a computing experience that hasn't been acceptable for years is all of the sudden cool. For the same price as most netbooks you can buy a regular notebook that actually has the power to do something.
 
[quote name='Megazell']I think he means he got scammed because my Netbook that I got for $159 is awesome.[/QUOTE]

I payed $50 for mine and it's junk
 
[quote name='Brownjohn']I agree somewhat. If you need to do a lot of typing outside of your home, like in class/library/coffee shop/whatever, a netbook keyboard might be a little small.

I have a wireless mouse, keyboard, and a monitor waiting for me at home, so I set it on my desk and hook it up, and it ends up being the same experience as a desktop computer.[/QUOTE]
But as a gift for somebody (a college student) who probably does not have those items, to use as their primary computer...

A netbook *can* get you a semi-desktop experience, as any laptop can, but you have to buy keyboard/mouse/external dvd drive/etc. to get there. Why not buy a full sized notebook and have everything in one package? You'll still have to buy a mouse, but it's better than having to buy all that other stuff too...
 
[quote name='n25philly']I payed $50 for mine and it's junk[/QUOTE]

Then you got what you paid for :)

Mine is sweet. Gampads + Netbook = Gaming on the go for the win. I only have 20k games on it though :(
 
[quote name='Megazell']Then you got what you paid for :)

Mine is sweet. Gampads + Netbook = Gaming on the go for the win. I only have 20k games on it though :([/QUOTE]

*rolls eyes* I only bought a clamshell eeePC, I just got a really good deal. I guess I should stop disagreeing with the god of computing since it's obviously useless
 
I returned out netbook and bought my wife this. The Toshiba line of books is stepping up. This is an 11.5" screen. lasts 6 hours and has a hell of a processor in it for the price.

There are less expensive versions with a non dual core and smaller hard drive. They would probably work as well.

I also used Bing Cash back to save 12.5% off that price. Free shipping and Compusa (Owned by Tiger direct) ships same day, for Free. They offer a 30 day unconditional return period, with no restocking fee.


This one is starting at 499 and its slightly lesser twin is 449, that is before cashback.
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5581203&CatId=4938

Simplified Specs:

AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core L325 1.5GHz processor
2GB DDR2 memory
320GB storage
11.6-inch display
ATI Radeon HD 3200 GPU
6-in-1 media reader
HDMI port
2 USB ports; 1 eSATA/USB 2.0 combo
Wireless 802.11b/g protocols
Webcam


Here is a pretty good review over at notebookreview. He ran quite a few games on it;

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=456058
 
I only use my netbook for portability. It's great for when I travel somewhere, since it's very light. I used it a lot to download pictures off my camera so I can shoot with an empty card, I use it for basic internet browsing, and that's it. Maybe presentations if I have to give them.

Dumb features I use it for are for studying in a different area in my house and for looking up stuff when I play games.

Anything else, I use my desktop.

I would recommend a laptop if you do anything else and don't have a desktop, including using OpenOffice or Microsoft Office, because the keyboard is quite annoying and the small screen gets on your nerves after a while.
 
Don't some netbooks have an "almost" fullsize keyboard now?

I'm going to consider a laptop now I think though...I do love mine. We'll see.


thanks again everyone
 
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