Which Netbook Do You Have?

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Yeah...........so which one are you getting instead???

Too late! The Asus has landed (a day early, it came in yesterday and I picked it up at the post office on the way to work this morning). I'm opening the box now!

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Too late! The Asus has landed (a day early, it came in yesterday and I picked it up at the post office on the way to work this morning). I'm opening the box now!

oooooooooooo.............so envious!!

[daffy4u]

I have mixed feelings about this netbook which may apply to all netbooks.

I picked it up on the way to work Thursday. The first thing I did was upgrade to 2GB RAM before I added the battery (very easy but it's something I've done a number of times before). When I had a moment during the day, I did the multiple Windows Updates (I think it was 3 or 4). Updated the BIOS and installed FireFox.

Yesterday and today, I put it through it's (my) paces.

The Good:

It's little and cute.
The keyboard is a comfortable size to type on... mostly. I understand the next model will have a full sized shift key on the right which will help a lot.
It boots up quickly.
The battery does last a very long time but it also takes a while to get a full charge once you plug it back in.
The screen size is more comfortable than I expected.
I'm getting the hang of the multi-touch trackpad except for the zooming (which I turned off).

The Bad:

There are no controls for touchpad sensitivity. I constantly have the cusror jumping around when I type. I think the problem has to do with the pressure of my palms on either side of the touchpad and accidental thumb brushes.
Sometimes I have to tap multiple times to get a link to click or I have to tap really hard (which contradicts the super sensitive cursor jumps mentioned above).
The left and right click buttons are very stiff because they are part of the frame that surrounds the touch pad. Very bad design. For heavy use, I'll use a mouse lest I lose my mind.
Of course the glossy finish is a fingerprint magnet but I have a skin coming to take care of that problem.

I had to order an enclosure for an old 5.25 in DVD drive. Once it arrives, I'm going to set it up to dual boot Windows 7.

How are the other 1000HE newbies feeling about their purchase?

[desertgrandma]

Daffy..........wouldn't all of the touchpad problems be taken care of by using a wireless mouse?

What windows updates did you need to do??

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Daffy..........wouldn't all of the touchpad problems be taken care of by using a wireless mouse?

Yep. That's why I said for heavy usage I would use a mouse.

What windows updates did you need to do??

Whenever you get a new Window machine, the first thing you should do is a Windows update. In my case, it looks like this machine (I'm on it now) was built in a couple of months ago, so all the updates and patches to Windows were missing. You may have to do it a few times until you have them all. Sometimes the updates can't install at the same time, so you have to keep going to the Windows Update page until it tells you there are no more updates.

The BIOS was a couple a generations old so that needed to be updated. So far, it looks like the drivers are current.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Yep. That's why I said for heavy usage I would use a mouse.

Next time I'll read a little slower.........

[jgray]

I also have a 1000HE and I have never had a problem with the cursor jumping around. I also rest my hands along the front edge.

As for the multitouch features, I disabled everything but the normal cursor movement and the two-fingered scrolling. This includes disabling the tapping, as I prefer using the buttons. The buttons are somewhat stiff, as they are part of the surrounding aluminum frame.

[jgray]

desertgrandma, I have been meaning to comment on your avatar. Unless I'm mistaken, that is certainly Bill The Cat, or one of his relatives. I don't get the "H" on the feet, however. Just don't let Bill cough up a hairball on your Kindle

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by jgray

desertgrandma, I have been meaning to comment on your avatar. Unless I'm mistaken, that is certainly Bill The Cat, or one of his relatives. I don't get the "H" on the feet, however. Just don't let Bill cough up a hairball on your Kindle

Hi, jgray. Yes, that is definitely Bill the Cat. One of my favorite cartoon strips.

The "H"'s are my own proud declarations of being a thread "hijacker"

Thats someone who wanders off topic of any thread........like right now............

[jgray]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Hi, jgray. Yes, that is definitely Bill the Cat. One of my favorite cartoon strips.

You forgot to capitalize Bill's middle name, "The"

Yes, Bill, Opus, Binkley and my favorite hacker, Oliver Wendell Jones. That was one great comic strip. I thought the later "Outland" strip was done by someone on a bad trip, however.

[jgray]

I just saw this great picture of Bill in his prime over on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Billthecat.jpg

[desertgrandma]

Bit the bullet and ordered the Asus 1000HE, with a 2GB upgrade card..........in blue.

Should be here Wednesday.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Bit the bullet and ordered the Asus 1000HE, with a 2GB upgrade card..........in blue.

Should be here Wednesday.

Are your teeth okay?

Congratulations!

[bbusybookworm]

Hmm, Just got My mom a Sony Vaio P11

I was all set to get her the Asus 1000HE, as it had the best balance of Specs and Performance (As I thought) and a great battery life.

However A little time talking with her and Dad ended up changing our plans.

We ended up going with the Viao P insted of the 1000HE for a couple of reasons

* Weight - The P is 600grams to the HE's 1.6Kg, and the power supply is equally light.

* Size - The P is literally half the size and 2/3 the thickness, making it easy to just pop into a slightly large purse.

* Connectivity - Built in 3G and 802.11n

In the end it came down to usage. Her primary usage is usually going to be within easy access to a power point, and when she need to be away froma plug, the 2 1/2 hour battery is enough for her needs.

However she does travel quiet a bit, and is finding it harder and harder to lug around heavier notebooks finding even the old Sony TX she was using a little heavy. The P's so light that se can usually forget tha she has it in her purse or bag, so is more likely to carry around.

While the drop in performance and Vista (Which I will be switching to W7 as soon as possible) is a bit of a downer the 2Gb of ram and the 1.3ghz Atom is enough for her needs which mainly consist of Web Surfing, email and occasional audio and video playback.

The Small HD (Max 60 GB) is a little bit of a painful, but luckily SDHC cards are pretty cheap, so a 16GB one is serving as her media folder and once 32 and 64 GB ones come down in Price, can easily be upgraded.

The Built in 3G is really hand, as you can just pop in a SIM card, and once you enter in settings, you are on-line in a flash. no Need for bulky dongles or Tethering. With Pre pay data being so cheap in the UK, its easy to just get a free sim, pop in s a little money and be online.

While the screen is a little small, being a ultra wide screen means that Web pages display wuiet well, only requiring alittle more scrolling.

That brings us to another point, namely the Trackstick . Being used to using Trackpad's or mice, it does take a little getting useful, but once you get settled in, its pretty easy to use. Along with the nearly full size keyboard, its very very usable.

There are a few downsides.

First the smaller screen does take a little getting used to, and if you multitask a lot, its probably not the best option.

Performance wise, its so-so, but how much of it is due to the slower processor and how much is due to the OS still has to be seen, and once I get some time to install Windows 7 on it, will see. Still, It is usable, though if you have more then a few apps open at the same time, it can and does freeze up a bit.

To keep it nice and slim, Sony has moved the VGA out and Ethernet jack to a separate Dongle which they to their credit have included in the box. Still it is one more thing you have to keep track off, and if you have to use it often can be a bit tiresome.

Only 2 USB Ports and no analog Mike in, though there is a built in mike. Still if you plan to use a head set, better get a USB one.

Overall, its a really nice machine, though you really pay a premium for the Small size and low weight.

It worked out to £700 for the machine and another £40 for the carry case (The official Sony one was £100!!!!!!)

That's a little over double the price of the 1000HE, but still below other ultra-portable notebooks such as Sont Tz, Toshiba Portege, etc.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Are your teeth okay?

Congratulations!

Yeah.........I took them out and looked. They're fine.