Advice from Netbook users

Windows, Mac, DOS, and all those-other personal computing platforms
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Bradtemple87
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Re: Advice from Netbook users

Post by Bradtemple87 »

fvgazi wrote:
pakopako wrote:If note-taking is all one needs, may I recommend older tablet (an iPad, but running Windows 7) or hybrid-tablet PCs (iPads with swing-out keyboards)?

They cost the same and are about as powerful than a netbook, but offer a 12-14" screen.

Or if you have the cash, a DS tablet.
Typing papers is torture on tablets. Plus, she has to be able to print and do presentations.
Agreed, they seem awkward to me
pakopako
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Re: Advice from Netbook users

Post by pakopako »

Bradtemple87 wrote:
fvgazi wrote:
pakopako wrote:If note-taking is all one needs, may I recommend older tablet (an iPad, but running Windows 7) or hybrid-tablet PCs (iPads with swing-out keyboards)?

They cost the same and are about as powerful than a netbook, but offer a 12-14" screen.

Or if you have the cash, a DS tablet.
Typing papers is torture on tablets. Plus, she has to be able to print and do presentations.
Agreed, they seem awkward to me
Well, I own one of these. The weight is almost 6 lbs. so it is a bit heavy resting in the crook of your arm. The swing-out keyboard is nearly full-size, and the WACOM screen means you can rest your arm on it as long as you still have the special stylus to write with.

It still has a Pentium single-core 1.5 Mhz processor, the RAM can be upgraded to 2 GB, there is a dedicated 32MB of VRAM, an SDXC card slot and 2 USB slots.
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avrame
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Re: Advice from Netbook users

Post by avrame »

Anyone humor the idea of the Inspiron Duo? I played with it at the Microsoft Store, pretty slick, but a little pricey for a netbook:

http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/De ... t/D8E67416

Netbook with a framed-swiveling touch screen. Hard to describe, but pretty neat. Netbook form factor with a tablet like experience.

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neilencio
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Re: Advice from Netbook users

Post by neilencio »

I have one of the cheap, locally-branded ones (Neo Basic, 1.6 ghz atom n450, intel gma3100) and I have no problem with it. I had the ram upgraded to 2GB and it runs windows 7 starter well enough (I'm just glad the starter it came with is not the one that has a "only 3 application open at a time" limit). Can run Counterstrike 1.6 and older games. Epic battery life as well with the 6 cel batt and power saver mode.

Only hitch I have encountered is with the finger pad. Too damn close to the space bar. Can never get used to those things. Even with my little asian fingers, I still kept accidentally touching the finger pad with my thumb while typing, which means windows minimize or lose their focus all the friggin time.

Oh...and this is more the fault of Intel's crappy onboard graphics chipset, but flash and any other vidoes that depend on hardware acceleration are slow as hell. I have heard that the ones with atom chipsets fare better.
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durkada
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Re: Advice from Netbook users

Post by durkada »

You just have to question the use of the netbook.

I've got too many machines, at the moment, but the netbook gets more use than most. I've got this small little thing (an eee pc), a fairly fast and powerful Dell XPS, a big-hunka Alienware, and a Macbook. Oddly, they all serve their own function.

The netbook is probably my favorite. I find the chicklet keyboard to be very comfortable and responsive for short bouts of typing. For prolonged use, this and many laptops cause cramping due to the way you have to bring your hands inward at an angle. So, for general browsing, music, light gaming, note-taking, its great. The battery lasts reasonably well.

The only negative to this little machine is the resolution. Most of these netbooks have a 1024x600 display. If you thought to yourself that it would be fun to game on it, you will discover a significant number of titles are impossible. And I'm talking older titles, not newer ones. At some points 1024x768 was the defacto minimum for games, and they simply do not run well -- if at all -- on this netbook. If it plays at 800x600, its a great experience. To my chagrin, I thought this would be great for some strategy games -- Civ 3, Galactic Civilizations II... its not.

But, on the other hand, alot of older 3D games run beautifully on it.

The last bit of advice would be to haunt http://www.slickdeals.net. Almost every day you will find some bargain for mid-tier laptops that are just a tad bigger than a netbook, and vastly more powerful.
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Re: Advice from Netbook users

Post by Pulsar_t »

Atoms are no longer viable I'm afraid, sellers are simply trying to get rid of their stocks. Wait for the fusion ships from AMD and Intel to ship to retailers.
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