Folks,

 

I have a NewEgg gift card and I am thinking about picking up a Netbook to use when sitting on the couch. I was thinking about ASUS, but I've never used one of these before. It will be used for web/email or RDP into my desktop which is in the office and I just want to access it.

 

Thoughts? Suggestions? Horror stories?

 

Most netbooks are the same thing over and over. The technology is pretty stale at this point. 

By default. Netbooks are pretty slow. When they were new, they were going head to head with core duo's . Now thet you can get i3-i7 chips they feel their age and slow. 

 most vendors switched R&D to tablets leaving the netbook behind.  Also when they were new. The price point was $299 and laptops were $699+. Now that is no longer true. You can get a decent laptop for the cost of a high end netbook. 

 

Personally I have an older acer 10.1" netbook with a 9 cell battery for maximum running time. I upgraded it to a 500 gig hdd and duct tapped a second 500 to the lid to be used for portable storage/pirating station (i now have a 120gig ssd in it). I upgraded the ram and added a Broadcom hd card so I can play 1080p mkvs while on the road. 

 

 

Sooo things to look for. 

Big battery is a must, 

Upgradable hard drive a must. An ssd really helps here or big storage

Wireless N a must

Some now can do 1080p. That's a nice feature. Especially if it has an hdmi out. 

For rdp. A larger screen might be nice. I have a few apps that hate the resolution of the 10.1. But I like the small size since I have a laptop also. 

 

It really depends on your needs. If this purchase is because you don't have a laptop, then buy big with lots of features. 

I like the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230007 or the 10.1" version. 

But that's a bit pricey. You can almost get a laptop for that price. 

 

If you have a good laptop, the $299 basic 10.1" models will do

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220816 for example. 

You will have to upgrade ram and possibly windows. 

 

 

My netbook has been all over the world and had 100's of terabytes of data pushed through it and still holding up.  Unfortunately, I hardly touch my netbook now that I got my lifebookx and a work laptop.

 

I'm waiting for the windows tablets. 

Have you already used one for extended periods? How old are your eyes? Do you enjoy RDP/logmein/vnc scrolling from your iphone?

 

Seriously, I used an HP mini then Acer D250 for awhile but moved to an 11" model for the performance and display size. If you can find something closer to an Acer 1410 it's a world better and not much more money.

I honestly have no concern about HD size as it would really just be used for couch or light travel. I have touchpad/ipad, but I like to use a keypad and mouse for somethings when I RDP on my home network.

 

So 11" eh? It seems most of these you are locked in a 2GB RAM (ASUS). I also don't think I'm willing to run Ubuntu on it either as I just tried running it on a bigger laptop and i just didn't like it...

Win 7 32 bit runs ok on a netbook with 2gb. Just have to not run to many apps at once.

But yes, mor ram is always better.

I'm not doing homework on current models but my 1410 has 4GB. The dual-core celeron is about 5x faster than atoms. The screen is great (in a relative way). If you want to go crazy get an Alienware M11x or whatever. I think i7 versions are available now with low-end versions on sale in the $600 range every few months.

Probably veering off topic, but I've been sweating the Dell Duo.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-duo/pd

 

I would get it but I have a fujitsu P1510 already that I hardly use.

http://www.cnet.com.au/fujitsu-lifebook-p1510-240057101.htm

 

That was the rage before netbooks were popular.

Everywhere I went with it people were in awe!. What is that! LOL!

 

Are there any other netbooks that have the same form factor as the convertible Dell Duo?

Here's one that I had that was very cool with a touch screen. I don't know if it's the exact model but I'm just posting you to show what's available. http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Netbook-Gn-T1000x-Cf1-10-1inch-Windows/dp/B005HBEZ1C/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1318062330&sr=8-10

 

I sold it some time ago as I needed money and now I kinda regret it.

 

I got myself a used Asus 1000HE netbook with 2 gigs of ram and win7 and it runs beautifully.

 

Got it cheap through craigslist.

 

HOWEVER, my experience with Asus' support is that it's non existent. Just a heads up.

 

Depending on how much your gift card is, you could also sell it and get you a used netbook. Thousands of them out there at great prices.

 

At $540 for a N450 on the Gigabyte, I might choose the Dell Inspiron Duo which has a N570.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834200288

 

I've been eyeing it up myself, but I think I may splurge and go with a Dell Lattitude Xt2 or XT3 if it comes out.

 

I've always loved these ASUS EEE PC's

http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_PC/Eee_PC_T101MT/

 

I just happen to love convertible notebooks.

I have a Fujitsu P1510 and a T4210

 

But for a netbook these days, I might choose the Dell.

 

Well, I didn't mean to spend that much on the gigabyte, I was just showing you an example. I paid less for mine.

 

Convertibles are cool. I also had the HP tm2 and a Lenovo X200 with some kind of incredibly bright outdoor screen. Kinda regret

selling that one too 

 

I just never really used the touch screen feature much. Maybe 'cause i didn't keep them around long enough 

 

Also, Dell screwed me years ago and cost me around $500 so on a personal level, I'll never buy anything from them again but that's me.