Netbooks

[Octopod]

Any good ones out, or coming out, that anyone can recommend?

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Get a laptop.

Unless you want something that is only good for internet browsing and light video then just save up the extra $100-$200 and get a full laptop.

[Pulsar_t]

I hate this max users error message

Anyway, basically wait for the ION2 platform if you want to use your netbook as a multimedia playback device (like this one), since it can handle HD content whilst conserving battery life since HW acceleration is turned off when it's not needed. But no netbook chipset exists that can handle modern games, so unless you intend to play basic 16 and 32-bit emulators as well as undemanding Popcap games on it I suggest getting a notebook with a real GPU. From $800+ you can get notebooks that can actually run Crysis!

http://www.notebookcheck.net This site is great to do some quick research and draw your own conclusions accordingly.

[Octopod]

I have my PC for games. I want it to surf the internet in bed, maybe watch shows on Hulu, play NES/SNES/Genesis emulators, older PC games via GOG and the like and just to have a device better than my smartphone to take around with me. I see no need for a full laptop and I'd rather have smaller and lighter.

Edit: That Pioneer looks nice but I bet it will be expensive. I am thinking $300 for something.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I have my PC for games. I want it to surf the internet in bed, maybe watch shows on Hulu, play NES/SNES/Genesis emulators, older PC games via GOG and the like and just to have a device better than my smartphone to take around with me. I see no need for a full laptop and I'd rather have smaller and lighter.

Edit: That Pioneer looks nice but I bet it will be expensive. I am thinking $300 for something.

Go with Acer (They invented the modern netbook!) and get the priciest one they've got.

Or do some more research than the little bit of browsing I've done. Personally I'm now VERY interested in netbooks after seeing that Pioneer model, but considering it'll probably be the same price as a full laptop given Pioneer's rep. I'd likely end up choosing a much more affordable Sony Vaio. Those Sony Vaios are freaking sexy and surprisingly high end machines, trust me.

[Pulsar_t]

Are you willing to look for used 12" laptops? I'm not fond of the entire Atom line of CPUs, and the SU2300 1.2GHz is still uncommon and will run you up to $500. Otherwise you might want to look into this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834115719


The GMA 3150 is the bottom tier in terms of video adapters but I think with the right software 720p video playback can be a possibility. Unfortunately the more reasonable GMA 4500MHD chipset will cost you more.

[Pulsar_t]

Those Sony Vaios are freaking sexy and surprisingly high end machines, trust me.

What do you think of ASUS? They lack the aesthetics of Vaios but at least they bundle some pretty nice GPUs into their already affordable laptops (such as this one). I'm never getting a PC again because notebooks can do most tasks just as efficiently, and with HDMI output they can be hooked to all kinds of displays to act as HTPCs or desktop replacements.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Those Sony Vaios are freaking sexy and surprisingly high end machines, trust me.

What do you think of ASUS? They lack the aesthetics of Vaios but at least they bundle some pretty nice GPUs into their already affordable laptops (such as this one). I'm never getting a PC again because notebooks can do most tasks just as efficiently, and with HDMI output they can be hooked to all kinds of displays to act as HTPCs or desktop replacements.

Like I said above, he should get an Asus if he wants a good affordable and capable netbook.

For higher-end ultra portable computing I like Vaios and Toshiba, or those ultra tiny yet fully featured laptops from IBM (Pre-Lenovo era) that are awesome.

[Anapan]

You pay for what you get. If you like games from 2002 and before you can get along just fine with a netbook. If you can handle Linux, then there is no problem. My advice: get a used laptop from Craigslist with some better capabilities, take it apart to clean out the heatsink (that's the #1 problem with mid-small laptops - I got 3 for free because they were clogged and couldn't run for 5 minutes), and format it. Drop a bit of money on some more ram, possibly a faster and larger harddrive. Put on XP and all the drivers - they might be hard to find, but they are out there. I can help with that part. You'll be better off with the good GPU, battery life and resolution of a real laptop.

[MentalMan]

A buddy of mine only had bad luck with netbooks. I just find them a joke either way, its something for casual users and not people that work every single free minute on something, even if its just coding.

He did his fair share of research and was really into the whole netbook idea, even considering all the disadvantages. So, he shelled out a good amount of bucks for one of the better ones, however with a little less features and power so it's more affordable.

Well, the damn thing broke right after he plugged in a USB keyboard. We never knew for sure what happend but im sure some flash memory got wiped clean through a short because the system couldnt boot up anymore without huge hardware error's right at the bios screen.

Back it went and money refunded. There are more bad experiences afterwards with models that are in no way to be considered the cheap trash, but that usb thing was just the worst.

In the end of the whole journey he finally went with a very very nice HP laptop, and couldnt be more happy. And ironicly, the price he payed for his reliable powerhouse laptop was around the price you pay for a in comparison useless netbook of the upper ranges.

Not saying all netbooks suck, they can be good for the little things as mentioned by others. Browsing the web, low demanding SD video files, etc. But if you consider to actually, really use the thing, get your moneys worth, just get yourself a cool fancy laptop. They dont cost an arm and a leg anymore, just look around a bit and dont get any of the cheap brands.

Edit: Cheap brands reminds me of something, last year my neighbours got themselve a Medion laptop. Medion is a cheap sub branch in germany based on other discount electronic branches that just slap shit together. Well, the thing shipped "dead", had a similiar error like the netbook that got shorted from a simple usb keyboard. It did boot bios successfully but anything after that was futile and suggested a dead hard drive. What a joke. On top of that the whole thing just felt like cheap flimsly plastic. Oh how I love my Pavilion lol.