Netbooks

jaxx6166 · 03-01-2009, 05:41 PM

Does anyone here own one, or have you played with one at any time?

Since our community is so used to tiny handheld devices, I was wondering what your impressions were.

I just bought a Sony Vaio P a few days ago (I love my Sony products - even if they don't love me)

So far I'm enjoying the experience. It doesn't have a touch pad. Instead it uses one of those old school roller ball thingies in the center of the keyboard. The whole thing kind of has a retro appeal to me.

And for what its worth - I'm typing right now on the keyboard and the spacing is pretty decent.. ... I can just about touch type and I spent about 4 hours working with the keyboard today with no cramps or adverse effects yet - - AND my typo numbers are getting smaller by the day.

UncleDuke · 03-01-2009, 05:55 PM

lots of people have them, i had one, my finger's too big for good typing, need a full size keyboard, good for reading pdfs

Fledchen · 03-01-2009, 06:38 PM

I have one, but mostly use it in the summer so I can have a computer in the living room where the air conditioner is.

RickyMaveety · 03-01-2009, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaxx6166

Does anyone here own one, or have you played with one at any time?

Since our community is so used to tiny handheld devices, I was wondering what your impressions were.

I just bought a Sony Vaio P a few days ago (I love my Sony products - even if they don't love me)

So far I'm enjoying the experience. It doesn't have a touch pad. Instead it uses one of those old school roller ball thingies in the center of the keyboard. The whole thing kind of has a retro appeal to me.

And for what its worth - I'm typing right now on the keyboard and the spacing is pretty decent.. ... I can just about touch type and I spent about 4 hours working with the keyboard today with no cramps or adverse effects yet - - AND my typo numbers are getting smaller by the day.

I just ordered an MSI Wind ... which should be arriving in Texas just about the time I set foot in Los Angeles.

It's going to replace one of my other computers that, sadly was lost in the recent Peterbilt vs. Ford Escape fight. I'll let you know what I think about it as soon as I get my hot little hands on it.

RCR · 03-01-2009, 10:52 PM

I've got an Asus eee. It's great for overseas travel. I opted for a 12gb solid state disk model for the extra ruggedness. 12gb is plenty of space for Win XP and programs. I keep all my data separately on an encrypted USB flash drive. That way, if the Asus is stolen or lost or destroyed, I still have my data.

HarryT · 03-02-2009, 02:41 AM

I have a Dell Inspiron Mini 9, which has a 32GB SSD rather than a hard disk. Excellent for mobile web browsing and email, writing letters, etc, but entirely unsuitable for use as a bookreader (it's just the wrong "shape"). Being SSD, it's completely silent, which takes some getting used to! I take it with me whenever I go away on trips. WiFi works great.

Some of the netbooks take the approach of having a "full" laptop keyboard with very small keys. Dell have taken the other approach - normal size laptop keys, but a restricted keyboard - no function key row, for example (they are replaced by an "Fn" key pressed in conjunction with a key on the middle row of the keyboard).

Excellent machine, but, as I say, don't buy one if you're after something to read books on.

YGG- · 03-02-2009, 04:04 AM

I've had a Medion Akoya (=MSI Wind) for 4 months & I love it ! 1.2 Kg, full keyboard, 1Go memory, 80Go HDD, windows XP. It fits in a (big!) pocket!
It's my one & only machine; I have a 20" screen in the office.
The 3cells battery is not great : 2 hours & some of autonomy is so-so; the new 6cells batteries are announced w/ 5 hours autonomy...
It's not very speedy, but for e-mail, word & powerpoint I find it perfect.
Also, it's for sale in France for 249 € (as comparend to the last Sony wonder at 1800 €, "blessed" with Vista too).

mtravellerh · 03-02-2009, 04:18 AM

I have an Acer Aspire One with a 160 gb HD and a nice size keyboard. I have it with me at all times and am always online thanks to a 3G flatrate and a USB modem. Love it, too. It is really fast and does all the things my desktop does, too (music, movies, office work) The only drawback is the reflecting screen that is otherwise fine for occasional reading and assembling ebooks.

PDS · 03-02-2009, 04:30 AM

I have a Dell Mini 9 and its an excellent little netbook, I am really happy with it but I agree with Harry its not good as a book reader.

Polyglot27 · 03-02-2009, 05:59 AM

I have the Asus eeepc with the 7 inch screen. I bought it when it became available in France last year. It is a great machine. Small and light. However the screen is only 800 pixels across so I have to scroll left and right all the time even when I am reading this forum. So I am selling it and moving on to the Samsung NC10. It has a 6 cell battery and larger screen and keyboard.

Gaurnim · 03-02-2009, 06:10 AM

I have a Samsung NC10.
I enjoy the long battery life and the small form factor (for a computer).
It's great during travels and in my train commute everyday.
But I don't plan on using it to read, except maybe to consult some RPG PDFs for reference during play sessions.

jaxx6166 · 03-02-2009, 01:26 PM

My Sony isn't actually that difficult to read on. It also comes with a built in magnifier for making text larger and easier to read.

I'm enjoying the keyboard so far, its actually spaced similar to a full size. So far I think I've made six typoes in 16 hours of use, which is pretty darn good.

I'm not a big fan of having Vista on this tiny thing (it went into boot loop last night) but once you disable all the bells and whistles, I think it takes a significant speed increase.

I'm not using it for much more than screwing off at work (EV-DO to avoid being babysat by our IT guy) and word processing....I've got a few older games to try on it for super spare time (Heroes of Might and Magic IV, Starcraft, Warcraft III) I may try to get WoW to run on it too....but I only get 5gb of bandwidth per month.

I agree on all the comments about using it for a reader, it just doesnt seem to be an option.. Especially with this 1600x1024 resolution or whatever this is.

Ervserver · 03-02-2009, 04:24 PM

THE best deal is on the Dell Mini 9, as low as $199. Beautiful machine

Wetdogeared · 03-02-2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ervserver

THE best deal is on the Dell Mini 9, as low as $199. Beautiful machine

Ya made me go look at this. Now I want one.

Ervserver · 03-02-2009, 09:56 PM

order yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

Ya made me go look at this. Now I want one.

03-01-2009, 05:41 PM	#1
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	Netbooks Does anyone here own one, or have you played with one at any time? Since our community is so used to tiny handheld devices, I was wondering what your impressions were. I just bought a Sony Vaio P a few days ago (I love my Sony products - even if they don't love me) So far I'm enjoying the experience. It doesn't have a touch pad. Instead it uses one of those old school roller ball thingies in the center of the keyboard. The whole thing kind of has a retro appeal to me. And for what its worth - I'm typing right now on the keyboard and the spacing is pretty decent.. ... I can just about touch type and I spent about 4 hours working with the keyboard today with no cramps or adverse effects yet - - AND my typo numbers are getting smaller by the day.

03-01-2009, 10:52 PM	#5
RCR Addict Posts: 334 Karma: 992487 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: 2 x Sony 505, iPad, Samsung 7 Tablet, ASUS Transformer, Nexus 7	I've got an Asus eee. It's great for overseas travel. I opted for a 12gb solid state disk model for the extra ruggedness. 12gb is plenty of space for Win XP and programs. I keep all my data separately on an encrypted USB flash drive. That way, if the Asus is stolen or lost or destroyed, I still have my data. Last edited by RCR; 03-01-2009 at 10:53 PM. Reason: wrong company name

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03-01-2009, 05:55 PM	#2
UncleDuke books & doughnuts Posts: 882 Karma: 37857 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: usa Device: sony reader, kindle2	lots of people have them, i had one, my finger's too big for good typing, need a full size keyboard, good for reading pdfs

03-01-2009, 06:38 PM	#3
Fledchen Guru Posts: 663 Karma: 84658 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Minnesota, USA Device: PB360+, Sony950, VR Stream, iPod Touch, iPad	I have one, but mostly use it in the summer so I can have a computer in the living room where the air conditioner is.

03-02-2009, 02:41 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I have a Dell Inspiron Mini 9, which has a 32GB SSD rather than a hard disk. Excellent for mobile web browsing and email, writing letters, etc, but entirely unsuitable for use as a bookreader (it's just the wrong "shape"). Being SSD, it's completely silent, which takes some getting used to! I take it with me whenever I go away on trips. WiFi works great. Some of the netbooks take the approach of having a "full" laptop keyboard with very small keys. Dell have taken the other approach - normal size laptop keys, but a restricted keyboard - no function key row, for example (they are replaced by an "Fn" key pressed in conjunction with a key on the middle row of the keyboard). Excellent machine, but, as I say, don't buy one if you're after something to read books on.

03-02-2009, 04:04 AM	#7
YGG- Dry fruit Posts: 1,157 Karma: 1047086 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Paris, France Device: Bookeen Opus + HTC Desire HD	I've had a Medion Akoya (=MSI Wind) for 4 months & I love it ! 1.2 Kg, full keyboard, 1Go memory, 80Go HDD, windows XP. It fits in a (big!) pocket! It's my one & only machine; I have a 20" screen in the office. The 3cells battery is not great : 2 hours & some of autonomy is so-so; the new 6cells batteries are announced w/ 5 hours autonomy... It's not very speedy, but for e-mail, word & powerpoint I find it perfect. Also, it's for sale in France for 249 € (as comparend to the last Sony wonder at 1800 €, "blessed" with Vista too).

03-02-2009, 04:18 AM	#8
mtravellerh book creator Posts: 9,657 Karma: 3856660 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Luxembourg Device: Kindle Scribe	I have an Acer Aspire One with a 160 gb HD and a nice size keyboard. I have it with me at all times and am always online thanks to a 3G flatrate and a USB modem. Love it, too. It is really fast and does all the things my desktop does, too (music, movies, office work) The only drawback is the reflecting screen that is otherwise fine for occasional reading and assembling ebooks.

03-02-2009, 04:30 AM	#9
PDS Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 46 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Brisbane, QLD, Austalia Device: Sony PRS-505, Dell Mini 9, I-Phone	I have a Dell Mini 9 and its an excellent little netbook, I am really happy with it but I agree with Harry its not good as a book reader.

03-02-2009, 05:59 AM	#10
Polyglot27 Addict Posts: 231 Karma: 5588994 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Paris, France Device: Cybook Gen3, Archos 80 G9, Sony PRS-650, Sony T1, Asus MemoPad.	I have the Asus eeepc with the 7 inch screen. I bought it when it became available in France last year. It is a great machine. Small and light. However the screen is only 800 pixels across so I have to scroll left and right all the time even when I am reading this forum. So I am selling it and moving on to the Samsung NC10. It has a 6 cell battery and larger screen and keyboard.

03-02-2009, 06:10 AM	#11
Gaurnim Final Five n°42 Posts: 789 Karma: 3599 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lyon, France Device: Cybook Gen3	I have a Samsung NC10. I enjoy the long battery life and the small form factor (for a computer). It's great during travels and in my train commute everyday. But I don't plan on using it to read, except maybe to consult some RPG PDFs for reference during play sessions.

03-02-2009, 01:26 PM	#12
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	My Sony isn't actually that difficult to read on. It also comes with a built in magnifier for making text larger and easier to read. I'm enjoying the keyboard so far, its actually spaced similar to a full size. So far I think I've made six typoes in 16 hours of use, which is pretty darn good. I'm not a big fan of having Vista on this tiny thing (it went into boot loop last night) but once you disable all the bells and whistles, I think it takes a significant speed increase. I'm not using it for much more than screwing off at work (EV-DO to avoid being babysat by our IT guy) and word processing....I've got a few older games to try on it for super spare time (Heroes of Might and Magic IV, Starcraft, Warcraft III) I may try to get WoW to run on it too....but I only get 5gb of bandwidth per month. I agree on all the comments about using it for a reader, it just doesnt seem to be an option.. Especially with this 1600x1024 resolution or whatever this is.

03-02-2009, 04:24 PM	#13
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	THE best deal is on the Dell Mini 9, as low as $199. Beautiful machine

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