Netbook Recs

[sadievan]

I hope it's ok to post a request for netbook recs.

Which do you have/like.

Carol

[desertgrandma]

I have the Asus HE1000.

Its over a year old, tho, and I'm pretty sure they've made improvements in speed and size since then

I do like the 92% keyboard, the F9 factory reset key, and reading on the netbook is way more comfortable than on a laptop, for some reason.

[skueppers]

In my household, we have two ASUS Eee PC's. I've used one of them daily for two years (I'm using it right now to write this post), and have had no trouble with it.

I considered other netbooks before I bought the first Eee, and then again over the summer when I bought the second one, but the Eee PC's were best for my needs both times. I find the keyboard particularly usable, and prefer trackpad buttons that are below the trackpad. Many netbooks have basically the same configuration in terms of processor speed, screen resolution, etc. because they use the same chipset, so I find that it winds up coming down to other factors like the keyboard, trackpad, battery life, and my confidence in the company making the product.

I don't use netbooks to read e-books, though, so I cannot comment on their suitability for that purpose.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by sadievan

I hope it's ok to post a request for netbook recs.

Which do you have/like.

Carol

I agree with desertgrandma and skueppers about eeepc netbooks.

Because I'm a nerd ... because I love computers and I'm an IT guy... I do have several at home. But the one I like most is the Asus eeepc netboook; it is not close to me right now but I believe is the 1005 or 1015 with 1.6 Ghz CPU. I gave it to my wife, as birthday's present mainly because she was looking for something portable to use at Barnes and Noble or at home. Now I use it almost as much as she does, lol ...

I installed Linux though, of course ... and now I'm running Lubuntu and Vista on same machine, dual boot (because Netflix and a few mic problems with Skype while running Linux). My wife also loves Lubuntu now. Windows on this machine sucks and after couple of months becomes more and more slow but because the operating system itself, not the netbook. Lubuntu uses less memory, about 200MB just for the main operating system which transformed this little puppy in a really fast bullet.

Asus eepc are wonderful netbooks and I've had zero hardware problems so far. Only thing people must realize is that this is a light netbook so you can't push too hard because it is not so powerful, but if used for its main purpose (check emails, facebook, browse internet, even see couple of videos) this netbook is fantastic.

I would not recommend using this netbook as dedicated ereader though! Like I usually comment here on Mobileread forums, eink and dedicated ereaders are the best choices when looking for closest "reading a book" experience, because battery life and screen capabilities.

[sadievan]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

Carol