Looking for advice from Netbook owners.

Monday, June 7th, 2010 | DGHoodini

[DGHoodini]

I've recentluy been mulling getting a new portable PC, and have been considering getting a Netbook, rather than a notebook. While a netbook is much smaller and lighter for traveling pirposes, I still want to be able to hook it up to a larger monitor, keyboard and mouse at home, and be able to watch movies with a USB connected DVD drive. Looking at the specs of some Netbooks, it appears this can be done as easily as with a full sized notebook.

But I find myself wondering, if these Netbooks can handle..basically replacing a Notebook as the central componant of a home based USB hubbed, system (that is not used for gaming)

Any observations, insights, recommendations, and caveats welcome.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This marketplace is changing very rapidly....lots of announcements just occurred at the Taiwan show ...Intel has announced an improved atom...Nvidia has their Targa...AMD is rumored to be about to drop something on the market....

Then their is the matter of which operating system....but perhaps you have already decided that.

[dfwgator]

I bought a “Nettop” which is basically a desktop version on a Netbook for about $170 at Best Buy a few months back, and replaced the old Desktop computer with it, as our main Network hub machine, and so far, it’s been working out great.

[Vermont Lt]

I find that the one I have (an HP that uses Verizon’s wireless network) is just too small.

The battery time is not great. The screen is really, really, small.

I would not replace my desktop, or even my normal notebook with it. I use it for on road work that requires an internet connection from just about anywhere.

Other than that, I play free cell on it at night.

[dfwgator]

I did get an Ubuntu-based netbook last year for about $200 for my son. It does what I need it to do. Basic internet, can watch movies on a USB DVD player, and hook it up to a monitor.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This might be a place to start:

Top Netbooks

[dangerdoc]

I bought my wife a netbook about 6 months ago when she had to do some projects she could not do with a Mac.

I was suprised by how capable a netbook is. If you can survive on the power of a 4-5 year old notebook, you be okay with a netbook. The biggest downside is the size of the screen and keyboard. The screen has adequate resolution but I have to use reading glasses when using it because of the small size. The keys are full sized but crowded together, it could be a problem if you have big hands.

I have ripped most of my DVDs to a harddrive. If I want to play them on the netbook, I just plug in the USB and they play fine. It is easier than using a plug in DVD drive, I have an old drive that has its own power supply and has to be plugged into the wall.

We recently traveled, for the first time I left the notebook at home and we just used the netbook, I was very pleased with the battery life and it had adequate computing power for what we needed.

[CTGOPPER]

I use a netbook on the road. When I need information from my home desktop (the work horse), I simply log on to it from my netbook with LogMeIn. It sure beats carrying a heavy notebook around.

[Zathras]

Netbooks are great if you are on the go and don’t need the horsepower. If your primary need is email and staying connected while traveling, its a no brainer.

The next jump up based on the Core2 processor is a huge jump in performace but it might not be as big a jump in $$$ as you think.

[jwparkerjr]

I am a full time pro freelance photographer. All of my work is digital, start to finish. I was eying the Acer Aspire One at Office Depot for several weeks to replace the 10 plus pound Fujitsu lap top that had been my staple for several years. I've been doing digital photos since the very beginning, like 1990. I had just come to accept that a small, light netbook could not do the job.

I have a thumb drive that has been set up as a hard drive and on it I have everything I need to do an event shoot and make prints at the sight. Photoshop, ThumbsPlus, etc. are all on the drive. I can walk up to just about any system, plug into its usb set up and do my work. I went to this after having lost a couple of drives and getting tired of having to constantly set up new systems.

I took the thumb drive and one of my digital bodies, Nikon D2X, to Office Depot and asked them if I could kick the tires and have a test drive with the Acer. No problem, they said. Have at it. Boy was I surprised! It's not as fast as my desktop system, but it was every bit as fast and smooth as my laptop, and that was working off a usb drive.

I bought it about nine months ago and I have been entirely satisfied with it. Well, almost. I got the smaller screen and that was not smart on my part! I am nearing 70-years-old and my eyes would appreciate the 10 inch screen rather than the 8 inch. But I frequently use it with an external monitor. It has built in wireless and a 160 gig hard drive.

I shoot every day of my life. Sometimes two or three shoots a day. So it's gotten a good work out from me. I've never had a problem. Knock on wood.

I shoot in jpeg mode on the Nikon and use a tether to get images from it into the Acer via Nikon's transfer program. Takes about 5 seconds per image to move them. I shoot at full rez and medium quality. The kind of work I do doesn't really need raw format and/or minimal compression. I routinely do 20x30 prints of images at a shoot. I have an HP 130-nr printer that has been a real workhorse.

For most shoots I produce 4x6 dye-sub prints on a Sony printer that takes about 30 seconds to do a print. It holds enough paper and ribbon for 400 prints.

I really can't think of anything bad to say about the Acer. But of course, your mileage may vary!

Hope this helsp. Ask about anything I've failed to cover. You can get a feel for the kind of work I do, and the volume, by perusing my website: Photos by JWP

[Psycho_Bunny]

My ACER Aspire 1410-2497 does all of that. I did swap out the HD with a SDD, though.

It runs everything I've thrown at it, including CS4.

[Excellence]

I find that the one I have (an HP that uses Verizon’s wireless network) is just too small. I considered buying that netbook, and was surprised to learn it has twice the RAM (2G) than most netbooks, and a far superior video card. I would have bought it, but my laptop died and I need a laptop, so I bought a new one. I still would like to have that HP, though. The smallness isn't a factor for me.

[xenob]

I have a NetBook and I say they aren’t worth it. Screen is too small and the processor sometimes really struggles. If your content with Ubunutu Netbook Remix it’s not too bad. With the recent price drop you’re better off with a small/low-end laptop. More bang for the buck and about the same price...

[razorback-bert]

I have a Dell mini 10, I use for travel. I take lots of photos, plug the card in and transfer to a portable drive, no worries.

My only problem is connection to a large monitor, I just can’t get to connect. My HP tablet does it fine, but netbook will just show the wallpaper on the larger monitor.

If anyone can help me, FRmail me.

[lovecraft]

My Boss bought one, used it exactly once and never used it again. Get an IPad, for what you want it would be the better way to go IMHO.

[DGHoodini]

Sounds like it might be a resolution problem.

[Malsua]

I have used a Netbook for a couple years now. I bought the original EEEPC when it came out and I have a 900 now.

It is great for checking email, browsing the web and doing a google chat from a hotel room. You can even watch a movie on it.

The Keyboard is too small, the processor struggles to play movies and the resolution is limited to 1024 even on external screens.

In other words...it’s great for travel. I put it in my other carry on bag as it doesn’t need its own.

I wouldn’t recommend it as a home base computer. This applies to pretty much all of the netbooks. I process a bunch of this equipment for my company and they(all the brands) excel at one thing, portability. Everything else is mediocre or worse. You compromise for being ultra portable.

Some people seem to think they are just small versions of laptops, they are, but they aren’t.

[dangerdoc]

He is looking for “basically replacing a Notebook as the central componant of a home based USB hubbed, system”

How many USB ports are on an iPad rounding to the nearest zero?

The iPad doesn’t have a keyboard either making it a poor replacement for a notebook.

Even Steve Jobs says the iPad is not a replacement for a notebook nor meant to compete in that market.

[DGHoodini]

I’ve looked at the reviews, but like those I’ve already seen, they don’t really address my points of concern. they relate information based on how the Netbooks operate in stand alone situations, but not how they work with a USB powered DVD or external HDD attached to them, How they do with a full array of USB peripherals connected as well, as in: USBprinter, Ext HDD, USB DVD, USB lighted keyboard, full sized USB Intellimouse..”large” LCD monitor, LAN ..Those one would normally expect to connect to a standard secondary home system, that is *not* being used as a gaming platform, but can handle Hulu and Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’.,,and not crash.

[lovecraft]

You can buy accessories for the Ipad, including a stand and keyboard. If he's wanting to watch movies you can download them through apps like Netflix. I never said it was replacement for a Notebook, but a NETbook...yes I think it very much well is. In fact, I can do all that a netbook can do, and SO much more...with the Ipad.

I travel for my job...A LOT. Instead of dragging a 40 lb laptop bag around airports, I just bring it. I can check email, watch movies, read books, surf the net, whatever I would have done on my laptop. Basically, I've replaced my Ipod, my laptop, and my Kindle with one device.

The guy asked for opinions, I gave him mine, relax.