Best Netbook currently?

playdafunkimuzic · 2009-05-31 16:24:33

I'm an arch user, I use it on all of my machines. I'm going away for a good amount of time this summer for a math program I'll be doing, and I want to get a netbook for my travels.

I don't want to spend "too" much money. Opinions on the best one out there right now? Also, should I look for wireless N? At my university they ditched wireless N as it was unreliable and put back wireless G routers. Bluetooth important?

kjon · 2009-05-31 18:07:44

AAO, MSI Wind, and EEE are my best bets.

vi3dr0 · 2009-05-31 18:07:51

Thinkpad X61s and all netbooks goes down in first round

BT is important only if you use it - strange question.

thayer · 2009-05-31 18:31:33

vi3dr0 wrote:

Thinkpad X61s and all netbooks goes down in first round

playdafunkimuzic wrote:

I don't want to spend "too" much money.

Umm....

Anyway, it's hard to offer meaningful suggestions because they are all different in their style, design and keyboard/mouse implementations. You may find the perfect netbook in terms of specifications, but you may still dislike it because the keyboard is too small, or the arrangement of mouse buttons are too annoying for everyday use. Either way, good luck in the hunt!

Last edited by thayer (2009-05-31 18:32:15)

AlexS · 2009-05-31 19:26:23

I just bought an ASUS eee pc 1000HE, because it has long battery life, a nice keyboard, and a relatively robust build. On the other hand it's not very pretty (preferred the Samsung NC-10 in that respect), has some fan noise at full power (not a bother to my hears, but it's a common criticism) and weights 1.4 kg (3.25 pounds) with the battery. Also, it seems ASUS will soon discontinue the selling of this model in favor of newer ones. But because the screens will be all glossy, there's no chance I would buy those.

After one week with it, I'm extremely pleased, now I just need to install Linux and I'll be up and running.

playdafunkimuzic · 2009-05-31 19:30:06

I understand that it's considered "heavy" as netbooks go, how heavy is it though, when compared to a laptop? I mean, is it still very portable?

AlexS · 2009-05-31 19:40:58

playdafunkimuzic wrote:

I understand that it's considered "heavy" as netbooks go, how heavy is it though, when compared to a laptop? I mean, is it still very portable?

For me it's completely portable, I just spent the afternoon at the park typing on it and it was no hassle at all to carry around. But compared to most of netbook models, it's considered to be on the heavy side, so I raised the issue.

Last edited by AlexS (2009-05-31 19:41:46)

AlexS · 2009-05-31 19:47:04

playdafunkimuzic wrote:

Bluetooth important?

For me Bluetooth is crucial, since I finally have access to cheap mobile flat-rate plans, and can access the Internet wherever with my mobile. So no more need for me to be on a wifi equipped bar, if I need to access the Internet from the netbook.

Barghest · 2009-05-31 20:31:24

I have the Samsung NC10. While some of the newer netbooks have longer battery life (mine has around 6h) I currently won't trade it. The two reasons for this are 1) a non glossy display 2) the best keyboard (for me and for what I've tested).

Currently I'm waiting for the next generation of netbooks (higher resolutions, better performance).

Oh, my NC10 doesn't have BT (first generation), but it is also available with BT. May I aks for your mobile flat-rate plans?

hatten · 2009-05-31 21:04:01

The gecko edubook!

moljac024 · 2009-05-31 21:13:14

hatten wrote:

The gecko edubook!

I was gonna say the same thing
I'm so waiting for it..

Last edited by moljac024 (2009-05-31 21:13:39)

AlexS · 2009-05-31 21:17:44

Barghest wrote:

May I aks for your mobile flat-rate plans?

10€/month at O2. Perhaps not exactly cheap, but affordable, and a real life changer (finally google maps becomes really useful, paperless flights check-in, public-transport (MVV) planner always accessible, etc.

.:B:. · 2009-05-31 21:39:06

Samsung NC20 is what I'd recommend. Its Via CPU butchers the Atom, and the complete package consumes as much as an Intel Atom platform (I have no clue about the nVidia Ion platform). The GPU seems to run a little hot though, but since Samsung doesn't have to comply with the Intel dictates (maximum screen size, maximum HD size, etc.), it can do what it wants - and behold, a nice, usable 12 inch screen . A pity it's only in white though, since imho the design is not bad either.

iphitus · 2009-05-31 23:48:37

Another vote for the 1000HE. Well built, phenomenal battery life. The aforementioned fan noise is barely noticable. Includes bluetooth, I've tethered with my phone successfully.

Weight is 1.4kg, compared to many 12" ultraportables which are about 2kg, a white macbook 13.3" is 2.5kg. For most other laptops you'll need to carry your power brick with you, this one you dont because of the long battery life.

B: Samsung NC20 is lower specced and higher priced. The CPU butches atom with powersaving, but it's battery life still doesnt approach that of the 1000HE which is a few hundred AUD cheaper. The only advantage it has is a bigger screen.

karol · 2009-05-31 23:57:32

@AlexS
Is it all-you-can-eat type of thing? No caps/limits? How fast is it (yeah, I know it "depends" but what's your avg mileage)?

joephantom · 2009-06-01 00:03:22

Barghest wrote:

I have the Samsung NC10. While some of the newer netbooks have longer battery life (mine has around 6h) I currently won't trade it. The two reasons for this are 1) a non glossy display 2) the best keyboard (for me and for what I've tested).
Currently I'm waiting for the next generation of netbooks (higher resolutions, better performance).
Oh, my NC10 doesn't have BT (first generation), but it is also available with BT. May I aks for your mobile flat-rate plans?

I have a NC10 and as Barghest i love the non glossy display and the keyboard is awesome.

PD: Which netbook has longer battery life?

playdafunkimuzic · 2009-06-01 00:06:44

It seems as if the EEE1000HE has the best battery power

AlexS · 2009-06-01 09:55:10

karol wrote:

Is it all-you-can-eat type of thing? No caps/limits? How fast is it (yeah, I know it "depends" but what's your avg mileage)?

It's advertised as a flat-rate no limit cap in the MB downloaded per month.

Advertised max speeds are 7.2 MBit/s download and 3.6 MBits/s upload for HSDPA (3G+). I don't have HSDPA on my phone, so there's no chance I can get those speeds. At the moment I get a peak of 600 Ko/s, but if I download a big file I can see (using the O2 connection manager) the download speed be shaped into 45 Ko/s on average.

I tested youtube, and I can see good quality videos without problems.

Looking into the fine print of the contract, I can see a few nasty points:
- O2 does not want you to resell your connectivity (whatever)
- O2 does not want you to do voip, p2p with this connection (what?)
- the flate rat is only valid within Germany, outside you pay a roaming fee
- The worst: if you download more than 200 MB within one month, your connection speed is limited to the GPRS mode (you can forget about watching youtube videos)

So basically you should see it as a 200 MB normal internet connection, with "suvival mode" connectivity above that limit. Watch your movies on a wifi equipped place!

karol · 2009-06-01 10:38:19

So much for "Yuppie, I'm moving to Germany for the dirt-cheap BT net!" ;-)

AlexS · 2009-06-01 11:05:59

karol wrote:

So much for "Yuppie, I'm moving to Germany for the dirt-cheap BT net!" ;-)

Yep, I wonder how strict they will be with the 200MB limit. I guess they provisioned that clause as a security for themselves, but I can imagine people will get pissed of if they implement it very rigidly.

I guess I'll probably find out later this month.

sainth · 2009-06-02 13:11:16

I've been biding my time waiting for the perfect netbook and finally went ahead and bought the new Asus Eee 1008ha (still waiting for it to ship). The only downside for me is the glossy screen. It's light-weight, thin, with decent battery life, and seemingly the best keyboard. Taking it apart to replace battery/RAM/hard drive should be no problem, I take apart my laptops for fun anyways.

I almost bought the Samsung NC20 for the higher resolution screen and the break from the Intel monopoly, however Linux driver support for video specifically was a concern. Also size and price made me hold off. Intel unfortunately supports Linux better than VIA or AMD...

All other netbooks I usually rule out quickly because of crappy keyboards.

kgas · 2009-06-02 18:31:27

IMO either AAO or Del Mini 9 (16 GB SSD) is ok and both are well supported in Linux.

AlexS · 2009-06-02 19:22:31

sainth wrote:

Taking it apart to replace battery/RAM/hard drive should be no problem, I take apart my laptops for fun anyways.

Humm, I dunno... From what I understand the battery shape is actually molded to fit the specific size constraints of the 1008ha, so I'm not sure it will be easy to find a replacement. But if you feel comfortable with that, then it's fine.

sainth · 2009-06-02 19:47:18

AlexS wrote:

Humm, I dunno... From what I understand the battery shape is actually molded to fit the specific size constraints of the 1008ha, so I'm not sure it will be easy to find a replacement. But if you feel comfortable with that, then it's fine.

It is, however most laptops require a specific shape/connection of battery anyways. I'm fairly confident that as long as these stay popular for a few months, when the time comes that some batteries start failing, someone will put replacement batteries on ebay at least.

konni · 2009-06-05 16:45:20

got the 1008ha recently, actually it was a pain to replace the ram module and hdd with a ssd. but it worked out fine
i really like this netbook, but the battery life could be better. 4 hours is about average, can't get much higher - not giving up yet though ;D

Arch Linux

#1 2009-05-31 16:24:33

Best Netbook currently?

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