So, my GF wants a Netbook...

[Sublimewind]

Hi all,The GF (Jessica) wants a mini-laptop.... I don't really know where to start, though.. She wants something basic as it will get used for very basic things... We have looked around a bit and have looked at the Acer Wind which is 1.6Ghz processor, with 533Mhz FSB, 1G DDR2 RAM, 160G HDDWe also looked at the MSI something or other (refurb unit) which had all the same but with 2G DDR2 RAM... and slightly cheaper... Cheaper, good word, price cap is as "inexpensive as possible".. lol.. I remember people posting other mini-laptops before, but I wasn't paying attention well enough to remember... any pointers, tips, links, ideas, deals... anything would help...lol.. Thanks,Aaron (and Jess)

[lovemyraffe]

If she can put up with the small screen and tiny keyboard it will be great.

[BadBrew]

It always depends on what she will use it for...Keep in ming that all netbooks don't have a CD/DVD drive in them which can make software installation a bit trickier.Of course, you can install an external drive plugged into USB but that's one more gadget she'll have to bring with her along with the power adaptor and probably a USB/bluetooth mouse.It's lightweight, with crazy small 8-inch screen along with a small fingertip size keyboard and the battery holds for 10 hours but who will use a small netbook for 10 hours straight without having an electrical outlet nearby.My point is, get a used NOTEbook with a larger screen, larger keyboard, DVD reader and all Wifi stuff already included. The battery will hold for about 2 hours watching a DVD or about 3 hours surfing the internet.MSI Wind = around 3-4lbsIBM r51 laptop = around 6-7lbs (my actual and old work 15-inch laptop)

[star_deceiver]

They're small, which is good, as it'll fit inside her purse and won't weigh a ton.

[ColonelPanic]

I tend to forget about lack of removable media on my eee, I usually fire up apt-get on Xubuntu and be done with it. Haven't had a need for it yet, biggest thing I've used is a flash drive to install the OS from and if I want to copy other files over I just mount the NFS shares my Mac and Linux desktop exports.I kinda like the tiny keyboard and the touchpad doesn't bother me either. Although the 8" screen can be frustrating, 800x600 was like so 15 years ago but I'm still there. I'll gladly l make sacrifices for the ease of portability. I've seen some "laptop" power supplies be around the same size as this fully functional netbook. My only dislike about netbooks is that Apple doesn't make one. My Asus eee reeks of cheapness, but it's been a pretty reliable netbook and I only paid $100 for it used anyway. I might have to upgrade it to a better one some day.

[BadBrew]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »My only dislike about netbooks is that Apple doesn't make one. My Asus eee reeks of cheapness, but it's been a pretty reliable netbook and I only paid $100 for it used anyway. I might have to upgrade it to a better one some day.Actually the MacBook Air is a larger screen netbook as far as I know thin, ultralight, no removable drives... but at 1500$USD it's not even close to be on my list if I had to choose

[Sublimewind]

She wants small and easy to carry... It will get used for the Net and that's really about it..

[BadBrew]

Quote, originally posted by lovemyraffe »If she can put up with the small screen and tiny keyboard it will be great. Like he said...Many manufacturers now are making those netbooks the refurb unit can be a great deal but watch if everything is included like all wires and manuals. Sometimes refurb units are missing some stuff or are out of box.More RAM = faster and greater longevity for the upcoming software!

[lovemyraffe]

There's one on eBay under the Daily Deal section today! Great price!

[Sputnik]

I got a Dell Mini 9 in Cherry red running Ubuntu. It fits in my purse when I'm traveling so that's awesome! I only use it for traveling. It has a built in card reader too. When I'm at home though I use my Dell Studio laptop because there's only so much of the small screen and mini keyboard I can take.

[Sublimewind]

Thanks people, she went with an Acer 11" something or other... 2gb RAM, 250g HDD... vista (puke)

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Thanks people, she went with an Acer 11" something or other... 2gb RAM, 250g HDD... vista (puke)XP would of been more reliable.

[Sputnik]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Thanks people, she went with an Acer 11" something or other... 2gb RAM, 250g HDD... vista (puke)Is there any free upgrade to Win 7 offered? I just got a Dell full size laptop with Vista and get the free upgrade to Win 7 when it comes out in the fall.

[L5K]

I'm rockin' my heavily modded HP Pavillion on a 40" and 20" LCDs.I'm not a huge fan of netbooks because the resolution absolutely kills me. It's like using my dad's computer. But then again I use my computer for many many things, and usually at least two at once. I have to have a good sized screen for design and well, the 40" is just fun for gaming.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by Sputnik »Is there any free upgrade to Win 7 offered? I just got a Dell full size laptop with Vista and get the free upgrade to Win 7 when it comes out in the fall. I don't know, but i'll check... That would be sweet, because I can't stand Vista..

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by L5K »I'm rockin' my heavily modded HP Pavillion on a 40" and 20" LCDs.I'm not a huge fan of netbooks because the resolution absolutely kills me. It's like using my dad's computer. But then again I use my computer for many many things, and usually at least two at once. I have to have a good sized screen for design and well, the 40" is just fun for gaming.Don't want to sound dickish, but that has zero to do with this post what-so-ever... lol..