Mini Netbook

[DVC2004]

Does anyone have one? What is a good, affordable brand? Are yo able to get Word, Office, Powerpoint, etc loaded onto it (forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject)?

[BigRedDad]

Netbooks are pretty common across brands. The internal parts are generally the same across the board. Asus was the first netbook out and they are very reliable. If I were to get one, I would make sure it had Windows 7. There are Linux and Windows XP versions out there. If you only want web surfing, email, etc, then Linux may be OK for you. If you want the MS applications, then you are going to want Win 7. Win XP is too bulky for a netbook to efficiently run.

[BrerGnat]

We have a Toshiba Netbook (NB 205 model) that we love. It's literally like a mini computer.

Yes, you can load Microsoft Office products on it. However, they suffer from lack of internal memory (1GB is common, some can have up to an additional 1GB added). If you want to load any programs on it, though, you have to have an external CD/DVD-Rom drive to do so, as netbooks don't have any drives on them (except USB drives). We purchased an external drive along with the netbook for loading and running software and movies (it functions as our portable dvd player when we travel).

We decided on the Toshiba for its long battery life. It will go 9 hours on a full charge. That's what sold us.

In general, I use mine in the kitchen/living room for web surfing and very basic applications. It runs pretty slow, compared to our desktop. These things are not known for their high performance capabilities.

They are great as a "second" computer. Much better than having a full sized laptop, IMO.

[DizneyRox]

I'm sortof a fan of netbooks, but I know a few people that got them on my suggestion and were not happy.

Yes, typically, they are all pretty similar in specs and also in design. If you go with a Windows based netbook, there should be no real reasons why you can't do anything that you would be able to do on a desktop or laptop, HOWEVER, the processor on a netbook is often a very lightweight processor so things may take considerably longer. For example, you aren't going to do a lot of photo editing or movie editing on a netbook. While technically possible, your patience will quickly wear down and you'll give up. It's a lot like using Shutterfly (desktop) vs Disney Photopass (netbook).

Here are some pitfalls...

Usualy there is no CD/DVD drive, at least not internal. So, installing software becomes a slight challenge. You can of course get an external drive, but now you have another cord, another item taking up space, another connection to wear out, etc.

Working on netbooks is a little bit of a chore as well. How do you fix it when it won't boot due to viruses/malware, etc. Again, it can be done, but it's a pain.

Most of my friend have complained about the small size of the screen and the keyboard. The screens are widescreen.

If you're just wanting something quick to surf around the net, do MyFace, and type your occasional e-mail or Disney complaint letter, you should be fine. If you're looking to organize your photo collection, do your taxes, etc, a laptop is probably a better choice.

The problem is, smaller laptops are usually considerably more expensive than netbooks. When you go smaller with a laptop the price goes up drastically. I am happy with a 14" laptop we picked up through Dell. It was about $850 at the time I think, and compare that to $250 for a 12" netbook and you can see it's quite a difference. There's nothing though that I haven't been able to do on the laptop, AND it's small enough that I don't mind lugging it around on vacation, etc.

[MNNHFLTX]

My husband has an ASUS Eee PC netbook and it works well for surfing, email and the personal stuff he doesn't want to do on his laptop from work. Two pluses with the model we have is that the keyboard is a little larger than most netbooks, making it easier to type on, and the outside cover has a textured design ("seashell") on it that doesn't show fingerprints. It was also much easier and lighter to carry on our recent trip overseas than any of our laptops and he has gotten up to 10 hours of battery life on it. :)

[DisneyMelissa]

My husband has an ASUS Eee PC netbook and it works well for surfing, email and the personal stuff he doesn't want to do on his laptop from work. Two pluses with the model we have is that the keyboard is a little larger than most netbooks, making it easier to type on, and the outside cover has a textured design ("seashell") on it that doesn't show fingerprints. It was also much easier and lighter to carry on our recent trip overseas than any of our laptops and he has gotten up to 10 hours of battery life on it. :)

I have this netbook as well. I have had it for about a month now. It took me some adjusting to get used to, since it was my first netbook and it's not a laptop, but I have had a good experience with it so far. It is much more convenient to carry around. The battery life is great.

[NokOnHarts]

Just bought an Asus netbook this last weekend. Wanted something smaller and more affordable to replace my dying laptop. I'm happy with it and love that it's so portable. Just depends on what your needs are, like others have posted, it's great for lightweight stuff (e-mail, surfing the net..).

I would strongly recommend you try them out in store before purchasing. I have relatively small/thin fingers (female) and found some of the keyboards to be too difficult to use. I can see others with larger hands finding them too cumbersome to use comfortably.

If you're wanting to use it for travel, making sure to get a 6 cell battery will be worth it - 8/9 hours of battery life versus about 3 hours on the 3 cell batteries. Read reviews, try in store and find one that works for you best.

[luvdiznee]

I love my little red Netbook from Dell. Yes, used for basic things. But that's all I do as far as my computer. I love taking it on trips with us and even to the bookstore and certain eateries. :thumbsup:

[princessgirls]

LOVE LOVE LOVE my eee netbook.

It's perfect for me!

Julie:mickey: