A Windows 7 Intel Convertible Classmate PC: First Impressions - Page 3

ninetynine · 12-12-2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deryk

I was thinking about one of these ASUS Eee PC Touch T91 8.9-Inch Black Tablet Netbook- 5 Hour Battery Life ... I have an asus laptop and Im very happy with it. Seems like a good idea. I didn't think about them getting warm or hot from use, but Im guessing if its made to be a tablet that it wouldn't get too hot. 5 hours is not a huge amount of time but I would never read for that long in 1 sitting anyway... and being able to get on the net is a big plus. Im probably going to be getting a blackberry and can tether it to get internet if no wifi is near by.

I thought a lot about the t91mt as well. It has similar battery life with the classmate, but with much better design, being much more sleek and slim. It also has a multi-touch screen which could make web browsing/reading ebooks more enjoyable. Even with the multi-touch screen it has its own software palm rejection and pressure sensitivity.

However, its palm rejection is said to be mediocre. Don't really know what this means, I assume it means there is still vectoring at times. It also only works in two programs (Sticky Notes and Windows Journal). Although it can be tricked to work with OneNote. A lot of people also say the t91mt is pretty sluggish, even for a netbook. It has the 1.33ghz Atom with GMA 500 graphics. I think it downclocks itself to 1ghz when you switch to tablet mode as well.

By comparison, the classmate has a much bulkier design, more rugged and child like. The touchscreen on the classmate is single input only but it does a much better job at palm rejection. It has a removable battery unlike the Asus, so you can buy a spare and get double the time away from a plug. The classmate comes with the 1.66 Atom and GMA 950 graphics, the netbook standard these days.

The faster processor and better palm rejection is what pushes me towards the classmate, but giving up the slick Asus design is a huge bummer =(

pphilipp · 12-12-2009, 06:49 PM

deryk,
Another quirk of the Classmate, which could be perceived as either good or bad, is that it's design is so unusual, it attracts lots of attention. I brought it to work this week and folks gathered around to look and comment. The younger women kept commenting that "it is so adorable!" Not what a lot of men want to hear... unless they want the attention. But, it also gives the impression of being well built as well. The IT guy was equally impressed.

Houndx · 12-12-2009, 08:38 PM

The T91MT has some huge issues with touch screen accuracy as well. I had two and returned both because of the problem. One had a vertical strip one inch wide where touches were registered a half inch above the stylus. The second couldn't even complete a calibration.

I really wanted to like the T91MT, and I did except for the horrible touch screen. It's a shame to see a great product ruined because they decided to skimp on one part.

ninetynine · 12-13-2009, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Houndx

The T91MT has some huge issues with touch screen accuracy as well. I had two and returned both because of the problem. One had a vertical strip one inch wide where touches were registered a half inch above the stylus. The second couldn't even complete a calibration.

I really wanted to like the T91MT, and I did except for the horrible touch screen. It's a shame to see a great product ruined because they decided to skimp on one part.

Where were you ordering them from? Maybe they just had a stock of lemons. I haven't heard of inaccuracies like that anywhere else.

For anyone who has a Classmate Convertible,
How is the heat? I've read that it gets surprisingly hot for having an Atom.
How limiting is the resolution? Can you still work on Excel sheets?
How does it do at playing flash videos? Can it do Youtube Fullscreen HQ? Or Hulu HD?

pphilipp · 12-13-2009, 09:07 AM

ninetynine said:
For anyone who has a Classmate Convertible,
How is the heat? I've read that it gets surprisingly hot for having an Atom.
How limiting is the resolution? Can you still work on Excel sheets?
How does it do at playing flash videos? Can it do Youtube Fullscreen HQ? Or Hulu HD?

1) It does get mildly warm. I can't compare it to other Atoms... never held one for long. It doesn't get near as hot as any of the laptops I have owned.
2) Is the rez bad? It's much worse than my Mac 20"... but so are every other Windows laptops I've owned. Excel looks the same as other comparitively sized netbooks... very readable, but not high rez.
3) Youtube does well if you allow it to load first, but don't try to view as it loads... It stutters. Hulu does even better. HQ looks good, but not much different than normal rez. But, all videos seem to look better when viewed on a reversible screen with the keyboard turned away from you. (that's the position I'm using now to write)

Houndx · 12-13-2009, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninetynine

Where were you ordering them from? Maybe they just had a stock of lemons. I haven't heard of inaccuracies like that anywhere else.

For anyone who has a Classmate Convertible,
How is the heat? I've read that it gets surprisingly hot for having an Atom.
How limiting is the resolution? Can you still work on Excel sheets?
How does it do at playing flash videos? Can it do Youtube Fullscreen HQ? Or Hulu HD?

Both came from Amazon. The pictures below were quickly drawn with the stylus and a straight edge. They should show the problem pretty clearly. I know for a fact that mine aren't the only two to demonstrate the issue. I haven't heard from one owner who can draw a straight line on their T91/MT.

celtica96 · 12-13-2009, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninetynine

For anyone who has a Classmate Convertible,
How is the heat? I've read that it gets surprisingly hot for having an Atom.
How limiting is the resolution? Can you still work on Excel sheets?
How does it do at playing flash videos? Can it do Youtube Fullscreen HQ? Or Hulu HD?

I agree with all pphilipp's comments but ask you to keep in mind the following. You shouldn't try to compare this type of PC with a desktop. It should be compared with other touch-screen laptops. Here are some hands-on comparisons.

Dell XT: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo ULV U7700; 2GB RAM; 12.1" 1280x800 Display and 1920x1080+ External Display;
Mirus CT9W7: Intel Atom 270 1.6GHz; 1GB RAM; 8.9" 1024x600 Display and 1920x1080+ External Display
Fujitsu B2630: 900 MHz Pentium III; 256MB RAM; 10.4" 1024x768 Display and 1920x1080+ External Display
HP TX1000: AMD Turion 64 X2; 2GB RAM; 12.1" 1280x800 Display and 1920x1080+ External Display

Temperature: The Dell XT runs slightly warm to the touch, the Mirus CT9W7 is warm, the Fujitsu B2630 gets very warm, and the HP TX1000 can burn you.

Excel: Excel looks great on the XT, fine on the B2630, good on the CT9W7, and good on the TX1000.

Video: Full-screen Youtube looks great on the XT, fine on the CT9W7 (some frame drops), fine on the TX1000, and jerky (but watchable with many frame drops) on the B2630.

I don't recommend the HP TX1000 or its successor to anyone. I recommend the XT, XT2, and the Mirus as current purchases. The B2630 is no longer for sale unless you pick it up used on eBay.

Keep in mind that the Mirus is the cheapest and has the least screen real estate unless you add an external monitor. If you're looking for price/performance, this is the one to pick.

deryk · 12-13-2009, 01:36 PM

Found a little video about this guy and Im kind of impressed. I didnt want to spend this much but for $500 its an ebook reader and a portable computer for surfing the web. I have a laptop at home but its a game machine and kind of heavy to carry around. This 1 is very light weight and easy to carry around.

http://www.mirusinnovations.com/netbooks/CT9XP.html

ninetynine · 12-13-2009, 01:52 PM

Thanks everyone. All the questions you've answered have lead to my decision to buy the Classmate early next year (sometime before spring semester starts). I'm looking to step down in laptop weight class (5.1lbs to 3lbs) and add inking functionality. This make the Classmate pretty much perfect. With Excel sheets reportedly working decently, it also means I can use it productively for doing lab reports.

pphilipp · 12-13-2009, 08:34 PM

One more thing about the Mirus...
and this is strictly personal opinion...
coming from a person who absolutely despises laptop/netbook trackpads...
which is...

Compared to other trackpad devices, I love the Mirus' trackpad.
To me, it works the way it's supposed to!!
I haven't once gone into trackpad settings and fiddled around to get it to work right... because it actually does work right.

You see, most trackpads don't respond to my finger. If I were to use your personal laptop, chances are I would want to go into the settings and adjust it.

So, what's all this dribble got to do with the Mirus???

Well... if I were to compare it to the last thirty or forty laptops/netbooks which I've played around with in the store, at work, at school or at home...
the Mirus might just be the best, most accurately responsive one of all.

((at least to my touch))

ninetynine · 12-13-2009, 09:59 PM

It's good news to hear it has a good trackpad, I've read the same feedback from the touchpad in other reviews.

I also find it ironically funny that you love the trackpad so much on your touchscreen netbook.

pphilipp · 12-13-2009, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninetynine

I also find it ironically funny that you love the trackpad so much on your touchscreen netbook.

Yep. And my computers which don't have a good trackpad also don't have a pen option. Only alternative is to plug a USB mouse in, thus one more accessory to take away from portability.

ninetynine · 12-14-2009, 12:11 AM

For anyone else who's interested in buying an Intel Classmate and want to buy it cheap, check out the the Linux version for $400.

You can save $50-80 by getting Linux and you can buy a better hard drive, 2gb memory or extra battery.

Edit: It's actually out of stock atm -_-'

deryk · 12-14-2009, 11:06 AM

but with linux are you going to be able to download the software from B&N and Amazon to read their ebooks?

ninetynine · 12-14-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deryk

but with linux are you going to be able to download the software from B&N and Amazon to read their ebooks?

If I wanted to read ebooks and their was no Linux support (I'm sure the Linux community has some kind of solution), I have licenses to Windows 7 and XP I could install over it.

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12-12-2009, 06:49 PM	#32
pphilipp Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 156088 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Smokies Device: Apple iPad 3 (I have owned many other tablets)	deryk, Another quirk of the Classmate, which could be perceived as either good or bad, is that it's design is so unusual, it attracts lots of attention. I brought it to work this week and folks gathered around to look and comment. The younger women kept commenting that "it is so adorable!" Not what a lot of men want to hear... unless they want the attention. But, it also gives the impression of being well built as well. The IT guy was equally impressed.

12-12-2009, 08:38 PM	#33
Houndx Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 149 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: A81 MID, Dell Streak	The T91MT has some huge issues with touch screen accuracy as well. I had two and returned both because of the problem. One had a vertical strip one inch wide where touches were registered a half inch above the stylus. The second couldn't even complete a calibration. I really wanted to like the T91MT, and I did except for the horrible touch screen. It's a shame to see a great product ruined because they decided to skimp on one part.

12-13-2009, 09:07 AM	#35
pphilipp Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 156088 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Smokies Device: Apple iPad 3 (I have owned many other tablets)	ninetynine said: For anyone who has a Classmate Convertible, How is the heat? I've read that it gets surprisingly hot for having an Atom. How limiting is the resolution? Can you still work on Excel sheets? How does it do at playing flash videos? Can it do Youtube Fullscreen HQ? Or Hulu HD? 1) It does get mildly warm. I can't compare it to other Atoms... never held one for long. It doesn't get near as hot as any of the laptops I have owned. 2) Is the rez bad? It's much worse than my Mac 20"... but so are every other Windows laptops I've owned. Excel looks the same as other comparitively sized netbooks... very readable, but not high rez. 3) Youtube does well if you allow it to load first, but don't try to view as it loads... It stutters. Hulu does even better. HQ looks good, but not much different than normal rez. But, all videos seem to look better when viewed on a reversible screen with the keyboard turned away from you. (that's the position I'm using now to write)

12-13-2009, 01:36 PM	#38
deryk Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Found a little video about this guy and Im kind of impressed. I didnt want to spend this much but for $500 its an ebook reader and a portable computer for surfing the web. I have a laptop at home but its a game machine and kind of heavy to carry around. This 1 is very light weight and easy to carry around. http://www.mirusinnovations.com/netbooks/CT9XP.html

12-13-2009, 01:52 PM	#39
ninetynine Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Thanks everyone. All the questions you've answered have lead to my decision to buy the Classmate early next year (sometime before spring semester starts). I'm looking to step down in laptop weight class (5.1lbs to 3lbs) and add inking functionality. This make the Classmate pretty much perfect. With Excel sheets reportedly working decently, it also means I can use it productively for doing lab reports.

12-13-2009, 08:34 PM	#40
pphilipp Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 156088 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Smokies Device: Apple iPad 3 (I have owned many other tablets)	One more thing about the Mirus... and this is strictly personal opinion... coming from a person who absolutely despises laptop/netbook trackpads... which is... Compared to other trackpad devices, I love the Mirus' trackpad. To me, it works the way it's supposed to!! I haven't once gone into trackpad settings and fiddled around to get it to work right... because it actually does work right. You see, most trackpads don't respond to my finger. If I were to use your personal laptop, chances are I would want to go into the settings and adjust it. So, what's all this dribble got to do with the Mirus??? Well... if I were to compare it to the last thirty or forty laptops/netbooks which I've played around with in the store, at work, at school or at home... the Mirus might just be the best, most accurately responsive one of all. ((at least to my touch))

12-13-2009, 09:59 PM	#41
ninetynine Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	It's good news to hear it has a good trackpad, I've read the same feedback from the touchpad in other reviews. I also find it ironically funny that you love the trackpad so much on your touchscreen netbook.

12-14-2009, 12:11 AM	#43
ninetynine Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	For anyone else who's interested in buying an Intel Classmate and want to buy it cheap, check out the the Linux version for $400. You can save $50-80 by getting Linux and you can buy a better hard drive, 2gb memory or extra battery. Edit: It's actually out of stock atm -_-'

12-14-2009, 11:06 AM	#44
deryk Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	but with linux are you going to be able to download the software from B&N and Amazon to read their ebooks?

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