Thoughts: Netbook

[kenw]

Well, I was a bit unsure as to how useful this might be, but I decided to go ahead and jump on it anyway. After a lot of considerations and consultations with friends who have one, we decided to get a Netbook. Now in my mind, I feel this is an interim product: smartphones will eventually obsolete the entire category. But I don’t want/need a smartphone (yet) and we felt having a more portable notebook would be good for our more frequent travel needs: storing and sorting photos, and the requisite web access. No major editing is planned, just simple sorting with Picasa.

So we decided on the HP mini 10, and here’s what I’ve found so far (ok, 1 full day):
1) the smallish SSD (16gb) isn’t really an issue since it won’t be the main computer.
2) Thumbdrives/HCSD will serve as the main data storage when on the road (they’ll get moved to permanent storage when we get home)
a. We found 8gb thumbdrives for $15 at Fry’s over the weekend.
3) The HCSD slot will double as a 2nd SSD if needed, a 16gb HCSD card is $30-ish.
4) It has a 1 semi-custom USB slot that will hold a USB flash drive totally internal, it came with a 2gb for the slot, larger ones could be cobbled up to fit easily.
5) The display (1024x568) is fabulous and is perfect for sorting images (keep/toss) directly from the CF card (via USB adapter) using Picasa.
6) The smaller keyboard is not an issue, I’ve been typing on notebook keyboards since the 8086 days and can’t use a full-sized one to save my neck…
7) The processor (Atom N270) seems to be able to handle multitasking just fine: I ran Pandora, surfed TPF, and had Picasa and had the email on but minimized without any issues at all.
8) The sound from the speakers is surprisingly good. They passed Ken’s Mozart test…..

Some thoughts on the comparison units:
1) we could have saved some $$ by going with a smaller screened HP, but my eyes aren’t getting any better and it was only $50 more to go from 8.9” to 10.1”
2) “no-name” units have a significantly higher return rate (according to my “inside source” at Best Buy…), and a couple had much-worse-feeling keyboards according to my expert tester (Darla can type faster than I can read…)
3) the Dell had more ports, including FW and a 160GB HDD (for only $50 more), but….
a. no HCSD slot, no internal USB slots
b. what LOOKS like a SD slot is just a hole, a good place to lose your card….
c. HDD sucks battery life and is a bit more fragile
d. While the HP requires a funky adapter for VGA, at least it can do it. The Dell can’t from what I could tell (I could be wrong)
e. Having a large drive meant I would not be forced to discipline myself and we would wind up with files all over the place…. (already an issue for me)
f. The touchpad’s buttons were a bit awkward (altho that’s very subjective, some may prefer it)
g. It is a Dell. I’ve been away from CPQ for almost 10 years but some things just don’t change…..

A curious side point: I still have an old carrying case from my 1st notebook, a Compaq LTE (8086). The netbook fits in the case, along with the charger, a mess of thumbdrives, a CF adapter, and a whole bunch of other odds and ends we’ll probably toss in there. “In the day”, the LTE cost over $3k, had an 80 line/40 column greyscale CGA screen, and ran DOS only. The netbook’s built-in aux thumbdrive (2gb) is 1000x the size of 20Mb HDD in the LTE.

If you want to trip down memory lane, here’s an article on the big brother 286 version (which I had after my 8086 version):
http://www.overclockers.com/index.ph...ts&Itemid=4265

[Tom]

I bought an Asus 10" one.
1.6ghtz
160 GIG HD
2 GIG Ram
95% keyboard
3 USB
~7 hour battery life

I love it. Great for quick sorting with photomechanic. Only weighs 3 lbs, most of which is the 6-cell battery.

[allanc]

I got one of the Acer Aspire One netbooks. I opted for the hard drive version. I have PhotoShop Elements loaded on mine and it works fine (although a bit slow). I use it when I travel to back up images, do light editing, and use the web/email. I have been taking it on trips and it is small and light. I see it as a better option than one of the "image tanks" to dump your memory cards to.

Mine has the smaller 8" screen. That would drive me crazy as my main computer but I am willing to put up with it while traveling. I also have MS Office installed so I can be productive, too.

[brad]

Originally Posted by kenw

After a lot of considerations and consultations with friends who have one, we decided to get a Netbook. Now in my mind, I feel this is an interim product: smartphones will eventually obsolete the entire category

Smartphones will only obsolete the category when they can have keyboards, mice, and monitors attached to them at will. I think Netbooks have their place... and as laptops continue to replace desktops, Netbooks will replace the role laptops used to play.

(Now ultimately, I think they will all become one.. not necessarily replacing each other.. but a day is coming when you will have a portable solution where your computer and phone interact seamlessly.)

[Cajungaltx]

I'm not an Apple follower - but I do have the iphone. When I was talking with someone after I had JUST got mine, Andrew Adams at True Color Studios, told me that Apple was trying to build a hand held computer... putting a phone in it was a last minute thing. I'm not going to be doing major editing on it... but it definitely does WAY more than any of my PREVIOUS phones EVER even THOUGHT of doing.