best netbook?

[nageov3t]

ok, so I've decided I need a netbook and I need it this week.

power doesn't really matter to me -- all I'll be using it for is connecting to servers via remote desktop, taking notes in notepad, and maybe watching the occasional movie via thumb drive or netflix online.

portability is a huge factor... really need something that I can hold with one hand while typing with the other and something that I can toss in the bag on my bike on my way to work every day.

battery life isn't a huge factor, I won't be needing this to last an entire trans-atlantic flight or anything, but 2+ hours would be nice.

as far as price goes... ideally under $1000, I'd really prefer under $500. also, really needs to be something I can buy at a retail store (I've got $300 in CC gift certificates that can't be used online because no online store lets you pay via multiple credit cards)

having XP would be a major, major plus as its the easiest platform to get the stuff I need to connect to my company's servers on (I can do it with 32-bit vista or *nix, but it's a lot easier with XP)

 

[TheStu]

Check out Best Buy, they have quite a few there.

The larger issue is that 'best' is subjective. What some might find best is only because it has a better keyboard, but the display isn't as nice as others for instance.

Others still might prefer the performance of the SSDs in some netbooks to the capacity of hard drives in others.

There is of course the classic eeePC from Asus, and the MSI Wind I hear is quite good. People really like the HP netbooks as well, but I am not sure if you could find those in a brick and mortar.

 

[zerogear]

Samsung NC10 or MSI Wind U100

HP Mini 1000 is good in terms of keyboard, but it is kind of overpriced compared to Samsung NC10 and MSI Wind.

 

[cnjmorris]

Allisolm posted this, not sure if it helps...

Office Depot is going to have the model with 160GB drive for the same price starting Sunday, Feb 1. SKU 996-555. Front page of the 2/1 ad which is already available for viewing online.

Acer® Aspire® One AOA150-1635 8.9" Widescreen Netbook Computer With Intel® Atom? Processor N270, Sapphire Blue
8.9'' SCREEN
1GB MEMORY
160GB HARD DRIVE
- Windows® XP Home, webcam with microphone, Wireless-B/G networking
Model AOA150-1635

 

[IlllI]

Originally posted by: loki8481(I've got $300 in CC gift certificates that can't be used online because no online store lets you pay via multiple credit cards)

cc as in circuit city?
i'd use those soon. circuit city has gone bankrupt, so they wont be open much longer. in fact you might have few options as it is, since they've been having the going out of business sale

 

[cnjmorris]

I believe he means cc = credit cards, as in visa/mastercard prepaid cards he got as gifts.

 

[nageov3t]

is there a big difference in terms of weight and heat between the solid state drives and non?

 

[Minjin]

If you can handle the small keyboard, the eee pc 900 series are best in class, imho. If you need a larger keyboard (and most people will), the eee pc 10in models are still nice. I also like the Lenovo S10. I've tried the Acer Aspire and came away unimpressed. I think the MSI Wind is pretty much the same. One huge plus for the EEE PCs is the very large support community and ease of upgrades/mods.

Here would be a good one for you if the keyboard is large enough:
http://www.jr.com/asus/pe/ASU_EPC900HB06X/

 

[xSauronx]

check office depot and best buy and see if any of the available models there stick out to you
if not, then check hot deals. theres usually 2 or 3 models available for under $300. iirc, the lenovo s10, dell mini9 and one or two others can be had under $300 shipped right now.

 

[DivideBYZero]

The Acer Aspire One is great. I love mine.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: cnjmorris
Allisolm posted this, not sure if it helps...

Office Depot is going to have the model with 160GB drive for the same price starting Sunday, Feb 1. SKU 996-555. Front page of the 2/1 ad which is already available for viewing online.

Acer® Aspire® One AOA150-1635 8.9" Widescreen Netbook Computer With Intel® Atom? Processor N270, Sapphire Blue
8.9'' SCREEN
1GB MEMORY
160GB HARD DRIVE
- Windows® XP Home, webcam with microphone, Wireless-B/G networking
Model AOA150-1635

The Acer's are the ones with a dedicated SD slot in addition to the multi-reader, right?

Actually, with a 160GB hard drive I guess it wont matter.

 

[EQTitan]

Can't wait my AOA150-1029 8.9" will be here tomorrow, woot!

 

[lxskllr]

I love my Eee900. I can't compare it to anything else, but I'm happy with almost every aspect. I do wish the keyboard was more responsive. I don't have an issue with the size, but sometimes key presses aren't registered. I can mod it to fix that, but I haven't gotten around to it as of yet.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
The Acer Aspire One is great. I love mine.

was it hard to get used to the weird button placements around the trackpad?

 

[ugh]

You might want to checkout Lenovo IdeaPad as well.

 

[EQTitan]

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
The Acer Aspire One is great. I love mine.

was it hard to get used to the weird button placements around the trackpad?

Nope just double tap the pad for the most part.

 

[Emulex]

hp has best keyboard hands down. the dell mini-10 cloned it it was so good.

dell mini-9 is cheapest for hackintosh and easy to upgrade. has the largest community due to delloutlet and their 20%+freeship endless coupons.

lenovo is good quality.

just about everything has suck butt support should anything go wrong in a year good f'in luck getting them on the horn.

remember these netbooks are commodity and many components are swapped out (batteries,screens) as supply changes. don't be suprised that today's netbook isn't built 100% like the ones 6 months ago.

dell mini-9 has no fans
hp has pretty quiet fan
lenovo is a bit louder for some reason.

i'd say the dell mini-9 is about 4 out of 10 and the lenovo about 7 out of 10 and hp mini is about 8 out of 10 in keyboard usability.

 

[wlee]

Since you need to buy it at a B&M and need it this week, the only ones that I can recommend are the HP Mini 1000 ( 1035nr ) and the Lenovo S10. I've seen both in local stores. The HP has the better keyboard and it's the smallest, but the Lenovo has more USB ports, a VGA port, and a MiniPciE card slot. It is also very well built. The new ASUS EeePC 1000HE, the Samsung N10 ,and the HP Mini 2140 would also be good choices if you weren't in a hurry.

 

[hans007]

i currently have the s10e lenovo. had a msi wind before.

the wind feels cheap. the keyboard may or may not get along with you (the comma and period sucked for me, but ones with normal sized comma tend to have small right shift, which i dont care about). the wind's trackpad is also horrible. the fit and finish is not so great (it was pretty difficult amazingly to remove the battery as the place its on seems too tight).

the s10e feels quite a bit more expensive, but its got a few drawbacks as well. namely less usb ports, and glossy screen some people dont like.


friend of mine has a hp 2133 and its slow, but otherwise i really liked it. better res on the monitor too. the 2140 HD will probably be good i figure. I wouldnt recommend the mini mi as it uses a really slow hard drive (same with the dell mini 12 and mini 9 i think). the acer one i think the keyboard is too small. I think what may be the perfect one is the new 10" acer as the keyboard is just about the perfect layout (or well its the same as the samsung nc10 layout).

but yeah.... out of the ones that i've tried so far i'd go with the s10e. its also the cheapest right now.

 

[abaez]

If that Asus 1000HE actually has 9 hours battery it is a great deal.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: EQTitan

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
The Acer Aspire One is great. I love mine.

was it hard to get used to the weird button placements around the trackpad?

Nope just double tap the pad for the most part.

Yeah, what he said, but I picked up a Logitech VX Nano to use with it. With it's tiny receiver I just leave it plugged in to one of the three USB ports and it's always ready to go. It even comes with a nice little carry pouch.

I also bought one of THESE. A very nice addition.

 

[KK]

any netbooks out there with 1280x768 or 800 resolution?

 

[pontifex]

why are the same model acer one's all different prices? they range from like $349 to $255 depending on where you shop.

like newegg has the same models for 329 and 299. i can't see any difference in spec. both 8.9" screens, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB HD, XP Home, etc. the only thing different is the color.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Originally posted by: KK
any netbooks out there with 1280x768 or 800 resolution?

the samsung nc20 is gonna be 1280x800 but its 12in.

i'm getting that sucka the day it comes out, given the via lives up to the hype.

 

[EarthwormJim]

Originally posted by: KK
any netbooks out there with 1280x768 or 800 resolution?

HP makes one, the Dell Mini 10 and 12 also have it too.