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Thread ID: 103367	2009-09-20 08:18:00	Any Netbook users?	Nomad (952)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
812142	2009-09-20 08:18:00	Want to know your views on the Netbooks, is it sufficient for your use and knowing its limits of course? I see the weight isn't that great vs some of the lighter thinner laptops, but I like the shorter side - top of the keyboard to the bottom of the wrist rest. Packing seems much nicer for travel when I would be doing decent amounts of typing. Much better than a Smartphone. My main use would be just Skype, Internet surfing and writing emails (Microsoft Outlook) and Microsoft Word. Maybe some Dreamweaver for personal page stuff. Playing the odd divx or mp3. No photography, no video or audio editing, no games. Cheers.	Nomad (952)
812143	2009-09-20 08:40:00	Yes - they're very useful as a lightweight, portable "computer". It can't completely replace my desktop, but when out, going to meetings and so on, it's very convenient to have. I bought the 1st generation Asus Eee 701 while at a conference overseas in December 2007 and used that till early this year when I upgraded to an Acer Aspire One D250 (with 6-cell battery - imported it from the USA). After owning two netbooks, I will never buy a "proper" laptop again - for a portable device, you don't need the power that a full sized laptop provides - the most important things for me are battery life and portability. The D250 with a 6-cell battery is exceptionally thin and light, and considering the price (NZ$780 including shipping and customs charges) is great value for money. In terms of functionality, I typically use my netbook for web browsing, email, and word processing. More recently I used it to do a low-cost video conference over Skype - with an external webcam and boundary mic which worked very well. The keyboard and screen are just big enough (10.1") to be comfortable to use for reasonable periods of time, and the Atom processor is powerful enough to run a copy of Windows 7 (RC), Office, Firefox, and other fairly standard business software. At one point I was running the SAP client on it, and it worked fine. The key thing for me is battery life. My battery (6-cell) is able to comfortably do 5+ hours of normal use without needing to be recharged, meaning that I never take my power adapter with me anywhere unless it's a multi-day trip. The last week I did a 3 hour video conference (over Skype) with about an extra hour or so of web browsing before and after the meeting before the battery died. For what you want to do, it'll be perfect - it'll happily do Skype, web browsing, email, word processing, media playback and so on. I can stream a DVD across the network and play it back smoothly. I highly recommend it - although you should definitely go into a shop and play with one before buying it, to make sure you're happy with the screen & keyboard. Edit: Yes, I know everyone will want to bash Acer, but the build quality of this netbook is exceptional. It's thin, light, and yet remarkably solid despite being made out of plastic - much better than any "proper" laptop made by Acer I've seen.	somebody (208)
812144	2009-09-20 11:46:00	I think I've got the same Netbook as somebody- an Acer with a 10.1 inch screen. It is absolutely ideal for taking notes on/typing long documents/watching video's/general surfing and Skype. Its cheap, its sturdy and so light that sometimes I forget that its actually in my bag!	beeswax34 (63)
812145	2009-09-20 21:50:00	I'd never go for the 7" again though, it was nice, but too small to be truly functional for the amount of use I got outta it. The 9" was better, but I'd prefer a 10". I must admit, I've got a 17" notebook at the moment, full-sized keyboard + numpad, its nice , but heavy :D Get something atom-based, until ARM netbooks running linux are more mainstream, I'm really hanging for one of those ;) Dreamweaver / movies will work fine even on a 900 EeePC (Celeron). Even the 4GB SSD + 16GB Flash Drive was way more than enough room to work with! I gotta admit though, I use my phone & desktop more than anything. The Netbook was great for when I was back & forth to uni all the time, but I'm just a sucker for my 22" screen at home ;)	Chilling_Silence (9)
812146	2009-09-20 22:17:00	I've used MSI, Acer and Asus Netbooks. The MSI Wind blew me away, awesome battery life, very quick and nice to use, however they are a bit dear in NZ and I would imagine time consuming to get fixed if they were to break. The new EeePC, 1101HA? It's got a 1366*768 screen res anyway. That's very very nice, and would be my pick. I wouldn't get an Acer, IMO the touch pads are too annoying. If you want a 10" model I'd go for the Eee 1005HA. :thumbs:	wratterus (105)
812147	2009-09-21 00:32:00	Following on from Wrat's post, I've been keeping an eye out for a smaller lappy for SWMBO; she's looked at netbooks, and isn't keen for something that small, so I've settled on a 12" - 13" screen. What are your thoughts on this? (www.playtech.co.nz)	nofam (9009)
812148	2009-09-21 01:52:00	I've got a 7" Eee 701. It's not perfect (the 4GB SSD is just too small), but it's great when on the move, especially as it weighs less than a kilogram. :D	pcuser42 (130)
812149	2009-09-21 02:02:00	I wouldn't get an Acer, IMO the touch pads are too annoying. The touch pad is a little odd, and takes some getting used to - not sure how to describe it, but it just feels different and not as responsive compared to standard laptop touchpads. The multitouch is also a bit iffy, but it does work. I don't use the touchpad enough for it to be an issue, so it doesn't bother me.	somebody (208)
812150	2009-09-21 02:18:00	What are your thoughts on this? (www.playtech.co.nz) Looks nice - pretty standard. Generally the MSI stuff is of above average quality. I can't see any issues with it at all, it's probably the sweet spot on the size/weight side of things. Is an 11.6" (why on earth do they combine metric and imperial! :confused:) screen still a bit small? www.computerlounge.co.nz	wratterus (105)
812151	2009-09-21 07:45:00	Def looking for something cheaper than $800 . And as for the weight my current laptop from 2000 so not a Netbook weighs only 1 . 2kg :thumbs: 12" screen, 20GB . PIII - 600Mhz, 320MB . Actually that was my main computer up until January 2009 . I did photography on soemone's PC thou - an AMD Sempron . I am at the moment looking at a HP Netbook . Prefer a smaller SSD cos for safety when I am travelling . I doubt the brick AC adaptor would be small thou . . . . . .	Nomad (952)
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