MSI Wind with a 6-cell battery or Lenovo s10 with 3?

[swbsam]

I'd like to get a netbook for $350 delivered and I'm looking at the MSI Wind or the Lenovo S10. The s10, in my price range, only includes a 3-cell battery, but is it so much better that it's worth the smaller battery? The reviews are great but is it really that much better/

 

[corkyg]

See AnnonUSA's note here:

Net

 

[swbsam]

Thanks for that link, but I found the s10 with a 6 cell for $350, and went with that. I currently own the wind and like it, but the supposedly better build quality and matte (vs. glossy) qualities of the s10 make it better suited for a mature fellow like my dad, i think.

 

[Parasitic]

I like my S10 better than my old Wind, aside from the half-length ExpressCards and SD slot not sitting flush with the rest of the body.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
I like my S10 better than my old Wind, aside from the half-length ExpressCards and SD slot not sitting flush with the rest of the body.

Yeah, I like my wind but it feels like a toy. The lenovo looks a bit more rugged and less shiny.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: Parasitic
I like my S10 better than my old Wind, aside from the half-length ExpressCards and SD slot not sitting flush with the rest of the body.

Yeah, I like my wind but it feels like a toy. The lenovo looks a bit more rugged and less shiny.

The Wind is also a pain in the arse to upgrade. I got one to run OSX86 and I had to add more memory and snip off a standoff to get the PCIe wireless adapter to fit.

 

[IlllI]

alternatives
Asus EPC1000HE: Text

MSI Wind U123: Text

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: Parasitic

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: Parasitic
I like my S10 better than my old Wind, aside from the half-length ExpressCards and SD slot not sitting flush with the rest of the body.

Yeah, I like my wind but it feels like a toy. The lenovo looks a bit more rugged and less shiny.

The Wind is also a pain in the arse to upgrade. I got one to run OSX86 and I had to add more memory and snip off a standoff to get the PCIe wireless adapter to fit.

Yes, it was absurd that I had to take the whole thing apart just to add ram. But there's a new wifi driver out there (realtek, i think) that works fine with the original wind under OSX.

Any luck with the s10 and osx? I doubt my dad would want it, but it's worth a shot.

 

[Parasitic]

I run Vista SP2 beta on the S10, but I think the Wind is of better fit when it comes to OSX86.

 

[hans030390]

Originally posted by: Parasitic

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: Parasitic
I like my S10 better than my old Wind, aside from the half-length ExpressCards and SD slot not sitting flush with the rest of the body.

Yeah, I like my wind but it feels like a toy. The lenovo looks a bit more rugged and less shiny.

The Wind is also a pain in the arse to upgrade. I got one to run OSX86 and I had to add more memory and snip off a standoff to get the PCIe wireless adapter to fit.

Feels like a toy? They're shiny and have rounded edges, sure, but mine feels extremely solid and built very well.

As for a pain to upgrade, that depends on what you're doing. It takes all of a 5 minutes to take of the cover, upgrade the RAM, and put the cover back on.

As for the wi-fi card, I did some research and bought an airport card (AR5BXB6) that came straight out of a Macbook. It doesn't support wireless N, but I don't have an N router. It was also only $15. Took another 5 minutes to install and worked natively in OS X. The main thing was, I did NOT have to remove the standoff to install it. There are other, better cards you can also install without removing it. Otherwise, yes...removing that standoff is a PITA.

You should have just done more research.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: hans030390

Originally posted by: Parasitic

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: Parasitic
I like my S10 better than my old Wind, aside from the half-length ExpressCards and SD slot not sitting flush with the rest of the body.

Yeah, I like my wind but it feels like a toy. The lenovo looks a bit more rugged and less shiny.

The Wind is also a pain in the arse to upgrade. I got one to run OSX86 and I had to add more memory and snip off a standoff to get the PCIe wireless adapter to fit.

Feels like a toy? They're shiny and have rounded edges, sure, but mine feels extremely solid and built very well.

As for a pain to upgrade, that depends on what you're doing. It takes all of a 5 minutes to take of the cover, upgrade the RAM, and put the cover back on.

As for the wi-fi card, I did some research and bought an airport card (AR5BXB6) that came straight out of a Macbook. It doesn't support wireless N, but I don't have an N router. It was also only $15. Took another 5 minutes to install and worked natively in OS X. The main thing was, I did NOT have to remove the standoff to install it. There are other, better cards you can also install without removing it. Otherwise, yes...removing that standoff is a PITA.

You should have just done more research.

You should have done even more research - the wind's wifi works fine now that realtek release the proper drivers for it.

Don't get me wrong, i LOVE my wind, but I think the S10's matte finish and grey/industrial look will work better for my dad

 

[IlllI]

lenovo s10-2 for 299 http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1398187 comes with 6 cell battery

 

[swbsam]

Got the s10 in the mail from newegg yesterday and gave it to my dad a bit early. It's awesome - compact yet very rigid. My wind is cute but the s10 feels like a business machine.

 

[hans030390]

Originally posted by: swbsam
You should have done even more research - the wind's wifi works fine now that realtek release the proper drivers for it.

Don't get me wrong, i LOVE my wind, but I think the S10's matte finish and grey/industrial look will work better for my dad

You should have done even more research than I did. Some Wind's come with a Ralink card installed, like mine. Both the Realtek and Ralink have drivers available, but they have to use separate applications to connect (at least the Ralink does). Not only that, but my Ralink did not support WPA2, which my university used on their Wi-Fi network.

Also maybe some people just want 100% natural, native integration when it comes to things like Wi-Fi.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: hans030390

Originally posted by: swbsam
You should have done even more research - the wind's wifi works fine now that realtek release the proper drivers for it.

Don't get me wrong, i LOVE my wind, but I think the S10's matte finish and grey/industrial look will work better for my dad

You should have done even more research than I did. Some Wind's come with a Ralink card installed, like mine. Both the Realtek and Ralink have drivers available, but they have to use separate applications to connect (at least the Ralink does). Not only that, but my Ralink did not support WPA2, which my university used on their Wi-Fi network.

Also maybe some people just want 100% natural, native integration when it comes to things like Wi-Fi.

I got the Wind before the realtek drivers were available and ralink cards were used.

 

[GnomeCop]

personally, the more portable (size wise) a laptop is, the better battery life I expect from it... for it to be of any use to me. But that's just my usage habit. I don't see the point of a tiny laptop if I'm anchored to the wall all the time.

I'd go for the 6 cell option on your list