Recently I've been looking hard at the new glut of netbook computers. The main attraction to me is the form factor. In my opinion, the only reason to have a laptop computer is to travel. If you've ever had to go through airport security and schleped a computer around on a long layover you know that every ounce counts. I won't even look at laptops that weigh over five pounds.

I like the models with the solid-state drives. It's been my experience that laptops have HDD failures almost an order of magnitude more often than desktops. SSDs handle the rigors of travel and being jostled around in a bag or back pack without a problem. I also like how many netbooks have very good battery life: 4-6 hours.

After the research I've done, there are three netbooks that stand out to me. I like the Dell because it has the best construction and finish of any other netbook on the market. The cost is also competitive. It's biggest drawback is that by comparison to other models the battery life sucks at 4 hours.

The MSI model is very cost competitive, but it lacks a SSD.

The ASUS model has the best hardware package in comparison to the other two machines. It's also the most expensive. It has almost 3 times the storage of any other SSD netbook on the market. Also, the battery life is massive at greater than 7 hours.

I'm interested in the experiences and opinions of any netbook owners out there or anyone else who's interested like I am.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-9
$454 with Ubuntu, bluetooth, webcam, 16GB SSD, 1GB RAM + tax and shipping

MSI Wind U100-244MY
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152071
$430 + shipping

ASUS Eee PC 1000 40G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220369
$480 free shipping

[Edited on November 12, 2008 at 9:06 PM. Reason : typing FTL]

11/12/2008 9:05:23 PM

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=1010409

http://www.lenovo.com/cpp
passcode: 704919

http://blog.laptopmag.com/up-close-with-lenovos-ideapad-s10-one-sweet-10-incher
The S10 ($359.10) probably isn't what you're looking for, especially since for some reason they won't let you upgrade the ram (512MB) or use a solid state drive(80g 5400), but there seem to be some OK deals in that thread since the CPP and Coupon stacks now for most of the other models. Might be worth a look. I ordered a buddy of mine the SL500 with 2GB ram for 535 OTD earlier this afternoon. Granted in no way is it a netbook, but a decent deal nonetheless.

Personally I'd probably have to choose the Asus based on what you presented. Battery life is a big thing for me and the 40G SSD can't hurt. I definitely want one of these for work, so that I don't have to lug around my 6lb 15.4" compaq everywhere I need to simply test link or reconfigure a router. Isn't a major concern with these things, being that the keyboards are so cramped? Might be worth it to hunt at least one down in person and play with it for a while. Your fingers might end up hating you. That's the only relevent information I can contribute.

[Edited on November 12, 2008 at 9:31 PM. Reason : .]

11/12/2008 9:27:10 PM

my brother just picked up the MSI Wind U100-016US for $338 (open box)

he loves it...that's all i can say to help

11/12/2008 9:28:13 PM

Surely this is the first thread made in Tech Talk on this subject.

11/12/2008 9:30:22 PM

msi wind is the way to go

11/12/2008 10:12:11 PM

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&series_name=mini1000_series&a1=Category&v1=Mini

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-mini-1000/4505-3121_7-33351192.html

11/12/2008 10:22:25 PM

^^ Why?

11/12/2008 10:42:18 PM

i am actually in the market for a netbook right now. i think i am going to go with the msi wind u100, it's $350 at newegg.com. downside is of course lack of SSD and the battery life ain't all that great, but i plan to be toting this back and forth to class, so its small size and weight are big pluses.

edit: oh yeah, i checked out a couple of Eee PCs at best buy. i'd say definitely don't go 9 inches or under, the keyboards are just impossible. the 10 incher is not much worse than your standard laptop keyboard.

[Edited on November 12, 2008 at 10:58 PM. Reason : .]

11/12/2008 10:55:27 PM

FYI, Dell Home has the Mini9 for $299 with Ubuntu, 512mb, 4gb

http://bfads.net/Dell-Inspiron-Mini-9-Laptop-89-LCD-Atom-Processor-Linux-512MB-RAM-4GB-SSD-at-Dell-Home

That's about as cheap as you can get for a decent netbook. Upgrading the SSD aftermarket to a 16 or 32gb would probably be a good idea

11/12/2008 11:11:06 PM

The MSI Wind is suppose to be very OS X friendly, if you want to hack it on there.

11/13/2008 10:11:24 AM

try message_topic.aspx?topic=540312

i'm getting the dell mini 9 w/ ubuntu for xmas. i have looked at the wind and eee pc in person and didn't like the trackpad and buttons. i haven't actually seen the dell in person but we've had a million of the desktops and laptops in the past and i'm comfortable with their quality/history/whatever.

my aunt has the HP equivalent and it's expensive and hot as shit. it will burn you.

oh, and i'm getting one for internet use only. i don't plan on storing stuff or playing games or anything else on it, so i'm not really concerned w/ a big ssd (although you can go up to 16gb) and whatnot, but i do plan on upping the memory a 1gb.

[Edited on November 13, 2008 at 11:24 AM. Reason : ]

11/13/2008 11:16:19 AM

i don't get the appeal of the netbook. we had a 12.1" dell 700m for a while and it was a PITA. keyboard was too small, I was always hitting the wrong key. And it was clearly noticeable that the processor was underpowered, even for just browsing the internet

i get the same problems with my iphone, but at least i can carry that thing in my pocket everywhere. still don't want to lug around a laptop, even if it is netbook sized

11/13/2008 12:05:38 PM

i love my 14.1" HP, but i think i could be happy with a 12.1-13.3" laptop

were it not for the fact that i do a lot of actual work on the laptop, i'd get a 10" MSI wind in a heartbeat

11/13/2008 12:39:06 PM

^^i carry a pocketbook that has more than enough room for a netbook. i have a moto q that i look up stuff on regularly, but i need a bigger screen and keyboard...so if you look at it as a major improvement over the 2.25" wide keyboard and 2.5" screen on my phone, it makes more sense.

if i was a guy or didn't carry a pocketbook, it wouldn't be nearly as appealing.

[Edited on November 13, 2008 at 1:30 PM. Reason : ]

11/13/2008 1:30:24 PM

my current laptop is a beast, it's like 8 pounds with the ac adapter. i realized i don't need this much laptop for what i do in class: surf the net and look at notes in powerpoint/word.

so a netbook seems optimal for me.

11/13/2008 1:51:44 PM

i think MOST people would be okay with a netbook...i'd love to have one, but i'd sorely miss being able to run photoshop and such on my laptop...it comes in right around 5.5lbs, which is acceptable for me

11/13/2008 2:01:33 PM

Like I said earlier. The appeal to me is size, weight, and battery life. When I travel the majority of what I do is send email, surface the web, and maybe do some light office app work. I don't need a lot of power to do those things and the more bulk I can drop while retaining the functionality I need the better. When I'm not traveling or trying to surf while in bed with the wife on a lazy weekend, I can use other computers. Also, I can use tools like remote desktop to access some real processing power on the go if I need it so long as I have internet access. I also like all the linux offerings that the netbooks have. It's easier to configure linux to fun with less overhead than windows. Hell, if it wasn't for MS Office and Photoshop, the only machine I owned that would run windows would be my gaming PC.

After doing a little more research, I'm really torn between the Asus 1000 40G and the Dell Inspiron 9 mini. The dell is very well built and the fact that it's fanless is a cool feature. The Asus has more SSD storage, a better touchpad, better battery life, and is cheaper if you shop around. I saw one for $440 shipped yesterday.

11/13/2008 3:25:25 PM

Yeah my laptop weighs in at a little under 10 pounds. I need a new one. I've been considering a netbook but i want something powerful enough to play any HD content i have. Been considering a M1330 Dell.

11/13/2008 4:00:03 PM

^Bad ass laptop (M1330) and they are on sale

11/13/2008 4:40:59 PM

yeah 1400$ with the 8400. Unless I'm not looking at the same price. Still kinda pricy.

11/13/2008 4:44:12 PM

^ That's why I like the netbooks. You have to love the low entry cost.

11/13/2008 5:14:28 PM

the dell mini 9 is fanless?

hmmm.

11/13/2008 5:19:29 PM

^ As far as I can tell, it's the only netbook on the market that is... at least, the only netbook worth having.

11/13/2008 5:57:30 PM

^^^Indeed but i want to be able to play movies at friends house with an HDMI out. I'm not going to buy a network that runs slower than my 5 year old dell laptop.

11/13/2008 6:21:27 PM

^Obviously that's not a applilcation netbooks are intended for. Give it a few years.

11/13/2008 8:04:51 PM

Well yeah all integrated video.

11/13/2008 8:07:56 PM

yeah, srsly.

11/13/2008 8:08:01 PM

^whatevers

The atom processor has no fan -- which is a big reason to get the SSD drive, it doesnt really get hot (where as hard drives do). Also, netbooks arent supposed to be laptops necessarily. Theyre for on the go, which is another reason to get SSD. HD's scratch and will probably have issues if youre constantly moving around and lugging it. An SSD will be a little faster, cooler, and relatively (more) shock proof. Well, Im a little biased but thats my two cents. Get linux, open office, profit.

11/14/2008 1:13:27 AM

I picked up an Eee PC 1000HD last weekend, and have carried it around with me basically everywhere. Incredibly light and comfortable to use. Minimal effort to retrain myself on the keyboard, and I've not really bumped into the processor limitations that much.

I think that the proper spin on "why would I want this" basically boils down to what you intend to do with it. In my case, it's going between home and work, and for when I'm sitting in meetings. I don't have intentions of running Photochop or anything else that would be CPU-intensive. Just browsing and e-mail, and note-taking.

For what I need it to do, it's a perfect solution.

11/14/2008 6:26:53 AM

I picked up the Dell about a month & a half ago.

message_topic.aspx?topic=542406

Since then it's been with me in Chicago & Vegas at some shows. Great for the L in Chicago. It was a lifesaver in Vegas when I needed to redo some drawings and used it to access AutoCAD on my work desktop. I had gotten to the point where I left my 15" laptop at home because it was a pain in the ass on trips so for me, it's perfect. I ended up getting rid of my 15" laptop and use the Dell when I'm on the couch (like now) or walk over to my desk if I need more power for something (rare). As for the processor, it's not bad whatsoever. Granted I don't run anything really hardcore on it but it's still noticeably faster than most 2+ year old laptops. People running OSX on it report no problems. People running Vista report a 3.0 processor score (graphics being the lowest at 2.3 I believe). I ran Ubuntu for a couple of weeks (before Dell actually released it) and it was a bit annoying with a few bugs that eventually made me reload XP. http://www.mydigitalssd.com has released 32 & 64 gig drives for it now and the best deal is to get the base dell & add a 32GB to it for $100. I'm planning to add one soon and either switch it to OSX or dual boot w/ XP & OSX.

11/14/2008 7:57:45 AM

this may show my ignorance as far as linux vs xp and computers...but will windows require more horsepower than ubuntu when run on the same system? like, will it make a significant difference as far as speed/loading stuff/starting up/etc if i opt for ubuntu over xp?

i'm asking b/c i have a motorola q, which i could use for internet access while out and about if i got xp...but i don't particularly love windows and don't want to try to run osx either.

11/14/2008 8:54:30 AM

i recently switched to ubuntu on my big laptop and whereas before i got a lot of hangups and slow-downs, i am noticing consistent, decent performance with ubuntu now.

i'm not a computer wiz, though.

11/14/2008 1:06:23 PM

as long as you don't have a bunch of crap running in the background, you probably won't notice a significant performance difference between a linux distro and Windows XP.

11/14/2008 1:46:08 PM

Does anyone have experience with the differences between SLC and MLC SSD drives? There's a big price difference and I know the theoretical differences between the two types, but I don't know how that translates into real-world impact.

11/14/2008 2:14:25 PM

so should i get xp or ubuntu?

11/15/2008 11:41:49 AM

^ Which do you want to run? Frankly, if I'm not gaming, using MS Office a lot, or using Photoshop, I'd rather be running Linux. YMMV.

11/15/2008 1:33:57 PM

whatever you do, don't get Xandros.

11/15/2008 2:04:19 PM

Looking to get some input here. Im planning on buying one of these in the next week or two. Narrowed it down to:
Aspire Acer One, Dell Mini 9, & Eee 901
Id do linux and ssd. All have 1.6 atom.

--The dell is supposedly on sale for $300, $355 after RAM and SSD upgrade (1 and 8 respectively). 4 cell battery. All screens are 8.9 btw.
--AA1 is like $325, comes with 8 ssd, 512 RAM. Mouse buttons on the sides, not a big fan. 3cell
--901 is around $420 but comes with 6 cell batt and 1gb RAM and 20 gb ssd.

Its mainly between the Eee and Dell, I think (?). Is it worth the extra 60 bucks for the bigger ssd on the Eee? I already have a 14 inch laptop so Im leaning towards no. It would mainly be for email, open office, travel, and I might install SAS/R on it for work.

Suggestions?

[Edited on November 16, 2008 at 11:03 PM. Reason : wgtowiegtwetwtw]

11/16/2008 11:03:27 PM

^they have the eee pc at target (don't remember which, but it looks just like the 901). go check it out. i don't like it at all and i really hate the buttons on the sides of the trackpad. overall it kinda has a cheap feel imo. i haven't seen the dell in person, but based on all past experience w/ them i'm betting it's constructed better and doesn't feel as much like a toy.
-----

Quote :

"Which do you want to run? Frankly, if I'm not gaming, using MS Office a lot, or using Photoshop, I'd rather be running Linux. YMMV."

well...considering this computer is a netbook, and they're really not meant to do anything more than internetting, i won't be gaming, photoshopping, or officing. i really don't plan on doing anything besides looking up stuff on the internet. i might need to open a word or excel file, but i'll just dl openoffice for that.

as much as i dislike windows, xp isn't as bad as vista and i think it might be easier just to go w/ it (so my phone will work w/ it).

[Edited on November 17, 2008 at 9:01 AM. Reason : ]

11/17/2008 8:56:57 AM

^^ I suggest the Asus Eee PC 1000 40G. It's about the same price and it has a larger form factor that the 901 series. I tried typing on both this weekend and the 8.9" Eee was just too small and I have rather narrow fingers.

11/17/2008 12:05:06 PM

i think netbooks in general shouldn't have any problems with office. you might experience some slowdown issues if you're multitasking but it's not that bad.

11/17/2008 10:54:50 PM

^ Everything I've read says that it's not an issue unless you get into an unusual amount of multi-tasking.

11/17/2008 11:13:19 PM

You can buy my Dell for $350 (XP, 8GB, 1GB)

After using mine on 2 trips now, I've decided to go ahead and jump to an Asus 10". The Dell works great but the extra inch of screen & the extra battery would be pretty decent. I had been planning on getting one of the mydigitalssd drives for it and putting OSx on it for fun but maybe it's working with the ASUS too.

11/18/2008 10:13:45 PM

still loving my Eee PC 1000HD. 10" of goodness

11/18/2008 10:40:46 PM

obligatory that's what she said remark

11/19/2008 2:25:41 AM

finally broke down and bought the MSI Wind US100-411US
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152081

i'll let y'all know how i feel when i get it in a couple of days

11/19/2008 9:31:09 PM

you should totally put OSX on it

MSI Wind + OSX = fucking sexy

you'll need to get a new wireless card for it though. the one onboard won't be recognized, I'm afraid

11/20/2008 1:00:27 AM

i've heard about the wireless problems but it sounds like driver issues. but nah, i think i am going to go for Ubuntu

11/20/2008 8:06:07 AM

After looking at them this week during an IT conference, I'm really worried I'm going to impulse buy a Dell Mini.

I think it's inner backlash from owning a 16.1" laptop at one point.

11/20/2008 10:42:28 AM

^ you saw my Eee PC... the Dell mini is just a weeeee bit too small.

11/20/2008 10:50:53 AM