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148 Comments
- svensko, on 02/24/2009, -0/+68What can I say? I enjoy using a computer that I can carry with me without my arm falling off.
- westway2world, on 02/24/2009, -2/+23It seems like many of the people commenting here haven't even read the article. A netbook isn't meant to replace your $2000 computer that you use for hardcore gaming and video editing; it's meant to be used as a portable alternative for the things that 90% of people use their computers for: Browsing the web, email, word processing etc.
- stk198323, on 02/24/2009, -0/+18Maybe you should check who you hang out with! There ain't much to brag about when you have a netbook: it's small (screensize and resolution), it's not able to handle every application you need, etc.
On the other hand they are inexpensive and there small size give them more portability.
If someone feels the need to brag about that then you obviously hang out with douch! - WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -1/+17I've officially bought my last full-sized laptop. I've had the thing for over a year now, and it was a compromise between power and portability, leaning heavily toward the "power" side. It's now my de facto desktop, and my shiny-new notebook is the one that goes everywhere with me. I just love it - I don't get why people claim it's a status symbol, since it's too cheap to appeal to the frou-frou yuppie crowd and too underpowered to have any sort of nerd chic, but it's just *so* light and *so* portable, and the consensus among my coworkers seems to be that it's just "too cute." It's nowhere near powerful enough to be the sole machine in the household, but the article is dead on: for me, at least, it completely obviates the need for a full laptop. For roughly the same amount of money, I'll just get a nice, high-end desktop for the extra processing power/storage capacity, plus a netbook for travel. It's a thing of beauty :)
- shakabrah, on 02/24/2009, -0/+16You used the word "and" 9 times in 36 words.
- raskali, on 02/24/2009, -3/+18Apple is soooo wrong not to make a netbook. Their snooty little remark about not being able to make something good for a low price = BS, my experience is they can't make something good for a high price either. I have bought two apple laptops both of which lasted about a year before they died a stupid death. Never again. I will buy netbooks from here on in. I "like" apple but they are out to lunch on this one.
- Lasereth, on 02/24/2009, -2/+16Netbooks are awesome because laptop makers and consumers finally realized that to run Windows XP all you need is a single core CPU that is 1 GHz or greater.
- Meep3D, on 02/24/2009, -1/+14They would survive if they landed on a pillow. Otherwise, not so much.
- regression, on 02/24/2009, -0/+12wat
- peterkao, on 02/24/2009, -2/+14It'll be interesting to see how netbooks will intercept the smartphone market.
They both are lightweight, minimal in system specs but offers pervasive computing to the masses.
It's going to be a web 3.0 world - wait, or was that 4.0? Ah screw it :) - MacEnvy, on 02/24/2009, -0/+12You can never have too much RAM. It's super cheap, and you'll never regret having more than you need. You'll definitely regret having *less* than you need, though, especially on a machine with slow MLC SSD that pages like it's wading through molasses.
- hokie47, on 02/24/2009, -1/+12I am surprised people are amazed about how netbooks became popular. Computer prices are the lowest ever, most people just use their computer for the internet anyway. You really can't view the internet on a phone, and no one likes to lug around a big laptop. So a netbook is just right.
- Pillar007, on 02/24/2009, -0/+11I have an original eee PC, its perfect for taking notes at school and web surfing. When I need to do major work or play I use my desktop.
I am very impressed with the durability too. I while back I was rushing out the door and I forgot to close my bag, when i turned my eee pc came flying out and hit the wall hard enough to cause a dent...and it still works! - BTime, on 02/24/2009, -1/+12This is an excellent article. Rather than responding to the headline, do take a few minutes to go read it.
- MeLikeyTacos, on 02/24/2009, -0/+11MSI Wind is my best friend. Runs about 6 hours on battery, 2 gigs of RAM, 160 gig HD (which can be changed to SSD if I want), overclocking function key, keyboard that doesn't suck...for $350! Runs everything I need it to for work, and plays some games as well. Like others have said, they're not a "desktop laptop". But for office, internet, and productivity apps they're perfect.
- stk198323, on 02/24/2009, -2/+11Thanks, we really wanted to hear your opinion, I couldn't have slept tonight if you wouldn't have told me wich one you prefered!
- rpgmakr, on 02/24/2009, -1/+9Ditto. Before the netbooks came out I was always telling to my friends that laptops aren't that portable to me. They are huge, you could carry them around if you *really* need it but not just for the sake of having a personal computer with you IMO. Anyways, is good to see the market proving me right :)
- Godlike, on 02/24/2009, -1/+9Most laptops would be utterly destroyed by a fall from a 2nd story window. Hard drive is TOAST at least, probably have to take the whole thing apart and reseat anything that still works. I seriously doubt the LCD would survive either.
- Sentouki, on 02/24/2009, -0/+7"My netbook is far lighter, smaller and cheaper than your laptop."
It's called: The Truth....lol - qwertycopter, on 02/24/2009, -0/+7Link to the 1000 at ~$300?
- adikt, on 02/24/2009, -2/+9ASUS 900A at BestBuy for $199. Pop in 2GB RAM and Upgrade the 4GB SSD to 32GB and you got yourself a nice little machine.
- drunkenoaf, on 02/24/2009, -0/+7Because nobody can make a profit at that price.
- TheUngod, on 02/24/2009, -1/+8Really? That's the most interesting story I've ever heard! Can you tell it again?
- getjustin, on 02/24/2009, -1/+7I see one fatal flaw in saying that smart phones will overtake netbooks: subscription plans on phones are painfully high. This combined with the portability, low cost and versatility of netbooks means that this is a segment that will not being anywhere soon. In fact, I believe over the next few years we're going to see a back and forth trade off with netbooks becoming bigger (maybe up to 12" though IMO not really a "netbook") and mainstream laptops getting smaller with portability being key. In the end I feel that most laptops are going to get smaller, less powerful, but cheaper with better battery life.
As into technology as I am, I have never even considered owning a laptop. What's the point of lugging around something so big and only being able to use it where there's an outlet because the battery will only last for 2 hrs? However, I've been eyeing a netbook for the past few months and I cannot wait to make the investment. - igyigyigy, on 02/24/2009, -2/+7http://hackaday.com/2009/02/21/dell-mini-9-osx-ins ...
- MacEnvy, on 02/24/2009, -0/+4Eh, it's still needed for a few things, like on-site administration of some routers/switches and similar niche applications. But for 99.9% of people (at least) it's superfluous.
- computershack, on 02/24/2009, -1/+5I've found I've been downsizing for a while now. I have a desktop that I used to do a lot of gaming on but it sits mostly unused because I do my gaming on my 360 and PS3. Last time I did any gaming on my desktop was to play BF2 the other month where I ended up getting punted to desktop because of one of the latest exploits for the game (cheers guys). I do pretty much everything I used to do on my desktop, apart from gaming, on my laptop. The only time the desktop really gets used now is when I'm online on the lappy and the wife/kids want to go on the internet at the same time.
Thinking about what my laptop is mainly used for, I could see a netbook being more than up to the job, with the laptop taking over duty for the desktop. The only thing stopping me from getting a netbook is me. I've been doing the "bigger, faster" routine for nearly 20 years now and I'm not sure whether or not I could live with a 10" screen. - tbob19, on 02/24/2009, -0/+4I upgraded my Ideapad S10 to 2gb, it runs OSX much better and now Lightroom and Photoshop are much more usable.
- eanbowman, on 02/24/2009, -0/+3You're ***** brilliant! Thank-you!
I had just bought a stupid USB adapter that has a supposedly common chipset but it's a huge PITA to work with in Windows or Linux.
I have a feeling just using the SPP would be the easiest possible way to use JTAG interfaces on routers, etc. with a modern computing device. If this thing is as seamless as the site says, it's the perfect solution.
Here's hoping. Time to do some reading I guess. - stk198323, on 02/24/2009, -3/+6Yet, have you tried to play a game on such a small screen? My girlfriend has one and I would not play games on such device. They are great for what they do, but you need to realize that they just can't compete in gaming (at least if you game for more then half an hour).
- mklnz2, on 02/24/2009, -0/+3Personally I find the Aspire One pretty ugly. Mini 1000 is 1000x sexier :)
- byronm, on 02/24/2009, -2/+5Honestly i've never seen a netbook in action, nor do any of my friends have/want one and nor have i really pondered buying one. I'm a gadget freak but these gadgets just don't get my freak on.
- bentrinh, on 02/25/2009, -0/+3Can it play games? Yes (basic games like Halo)
Can it play Crysis? No.
Will it run photoshop? No.
Should you run Adobe Aftereffects on it? No.
HOWEVER
Can you watch 720p video on both the netbook and on a external TV? Yes
Does it look nice? Yes
Is the battery life decent? Yes, twice, or triple many laptops.
Is it good for notes? Yes
Can I browse the net? YES
It is cheap? YES
Point is, netbooks aren't for everyone. But if you just want a portable device to access the internet without having to sacrifice major speed and a decent keyboard, then, maybe, yes, you want a netbook. It sure beats trying to IM people on my PSP or phone. - stk198323, on 02/24/2009, -1/+4@mklnz2:
Yes yes now because the main reason for buying a computer is how sexy it looks, ***** the price, performance, portability, battery life, sexyness is where it's at! - shanealeslie, on 02/24/2009, -0/+3I bought an XO for just those reasons. Ebooks, email, web surfing, catching up on TV shows with VLC, a bit of nethack. And with its size, tablet mode, and handle I can watch movies standing on a crowded subway train during my hour long commute. I've even got a bus buddy now that times her leaving for the bus on Monday so she can plug in her headphone splitter and watch the UK sitcoms I grab over the weekend.
- Myztry, on 02/24/2009, -0/+3The first 'portable' computer I used was the TRS-80 model 4P. It has the same form factor as a portable sewing machine and was every bit as heavy :)
- br0ck, on 02/24/2009, -0/+3How about bluetooth to rs232? Put something like http://www.serialio.com/products/adaptors/BlueSnap ... on the port you're connecting to and then use the netbook's bluetooth capability to connect to the dongle.
- ernieJohnston, on 02/24/2009, -0/+3Netbooks prove that the "cloud" is no longer just hype. It is now reasonable to design computers that outsource the difficult work somewhere else.
*** What's really valuable—what people will pay through the nose for—is the ability to communicate. ***
The cloud is also probably going to get powerful in ways that now seem like fantasy. AMD is working on an experimental 3-D graphics server farm that would run high-end videogames, ....
It's the rise of the very small machines. - hotpuck6, on 02/24/2009, -2/+5Yup.
Most people still need a good amount of computing power every once in a while, but most people spend most of their time online just dicking around on the web. That's where a netbook jumps in.
These are in addition too, not instead of traditional laptops or desktops.
Personally, if you dig around for a deal, I prefer to get a $500 refurb laptop instead. Granted it's larger than a netbook, so you sacrifice some portability, but you still have the versatility to run almost anything. Also laptops in that price range usually don't come loaded with features, so they won't weigh much more than 5-6lbs. But then again, I am a nerd, so I don't like the idea of sacrificing too much power for portability. It's not like a normal sized laptop is much bigger than you're average textbook, so most people can fit them into messenger bags, briefcases, and backpacks.
But hey, to each their own. - BenKenobi88, on 02/24/2009, -2/+5If you're going to upgrade the RAM and HD of a 900, you might as well buy a 1000 for $300 or so.
- KingGorilla, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2Something else must be the problem if two of your apple laptops died in about a year.
- MacEnvy, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2Haha, I had a model 4 when I was a kid. Very similar. What a great little machine.
- MScrip, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2Netbooks are selling at a rapid rate.
There must be a flaw in your formula above. - alittleroy101, on 02/24/2009, -0/+22 gb of ram helps these machines alot. I have a Samsung NC10, and it kicks ass.
- eanbowman, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2Those things looked cool. I was in a computer reclaiming centre for a summer job and saw one among the older stuff. It started up into BASIC and had a black-and-greenish screen. It would have been great to learn BASIC on and play simple text games I guess.
- Ascus, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2These little netbooks are capable of playing some surprising games such as: Lord of the Rings Online (info: http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=244811)
Paired up with a capable desktop and using remote connect, you can do some serious work from anywhere, why lug a large laptop around? - WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -0/+2Before reading this thread, I'd have said it's a niche market, but apparently I'd be wrong.... These things are really great for people who commute on trains, buses and the like, or who just want web access on the go without having to lug a brick with them. If you drive to/from work (or if you work from home) I can definitely understand you not having a use for a netbook, but you'd be surprised at how many people will choose portability over power. As I said above, my netbook would never be the *only* machine in the house, but at the moment it's getting about the same number of usage hours on the weekdays as the laptop (which I leave at home).
- eanbowman, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2The netbook effect didn't get me this time around but it might the next. This summer I bought a Dell XPS M1530 (the model with 3GB RAM, Vista Home Premium, 250GB HDD and a Geforce 8600).
It's a bit of a boat-anchor compared even to other small laptops. Even with the 15" wide version it's hefty. Maybe it's all the brushed aluminum on it.
That said, most of what I do when I take my notebook away from home is browsing. I do play Left 4 Dead though because my laptop can easily handle it and it helps fill some time. That said I mostly pull out my laptop when I have to check something or I have something to do. Having a portable gaming machine isn't really a priority.
It will be a toss-up whether I bother getting a really great laptop or simply opt for a netbook and a decent PC when it comes time to upgrade again. - inactive, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2enjoying your lenovo s10 keyboard, i see
- Myztry, on 02/24/2009, -0/+2It was rather good. It didn't use Microsoft software so it had more advanced features. You could password protect file in the form "filename:password". It also had "on error goto" in the basic so programs didn't simply fall over.
The two could be combined to brute force passwords in basic though as it made file access errors trappable. Oh, and both drives were in the default search path so you didn't need to worry so much about which drive the programs were on. -
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