Ask Engadget: What's the best netbook out there?
By Darren Murph 
posted August 14th 2008 10:59PM
posted August 14th 2008 10:59PM
This week's episode of Ask Engadget (you know you can submit your own inquiry at ask at engadget dawt com, right?) poses a beautifully simple, albeit timely question about those bantam laptops that have taken over the world in recent months. What was once a niche market is now a blossoming sector, and the choices are indeed overwhelming. "With so many netbooks now available, which is the best one out there? I'm mostly concerned with getting the best bang for my buck, so I'm not too interested in any of those higher-end units."
For those of you who have bit the bullet on one netbook or another, what kind of taste has it left in your mouth? Would you recommend your current unit? Would you suggest looking elsewhere? Let the battle of the bite-sized lappies begin!
I will not be buying any of the current netbooks at all. I am waiting until the Dual Core Everun is out. I am simply fed up of the weak processors of the current offerings. Goodbye Via, Hello AMD Dual Core. I use my umpc for a lot of gaming so all of my needs are different.
Definitely Acer Aspire One. The sole reason - full size right shift key.
I have the 701 eee linux original and it served its purpose - no longer would i have to wait at uni for a free pc and could literally sit outside and use the net whilst not lugging around a monster with me for a whole day. to be honest tho the screen was way to small and being a fully fledged man the keyboard was way too cramped. then i changed the os and broke the screen and its been a lame duck at home since. i'm using the repair money to instead buy an MSI wind just for the bigger screen and keyboard; otherwise, a centrino is perfectly capable of filling the purpose.
I looked for months at the eeepc 701, 900, 901, MSI wind and HP 2133 but when the Acer Aspire One came out and I got to try it, I immediately made the purchase.
The others we all good machines in certain areas but the Acer just had it all -- Performance, Looks, Size, Quality, SSD, 3 USB ports, DUAL card readers (and one uses the inserted card to expand internal storage). It has a great OS that boots super quick (16 seconds) and the netbook stays cool. Wifi connects quick and always works. Setup took 5 minutes.. All for $349!!
Seriously, give the Acer a good hard look and try it.
Every time I take a good hard look at the Acer, my mind boggles at the astonishing battery choice. It comes straight off the list.
For me - and I guess a lot of people, the return for the compromise in screen size, keyboard size, and performance is portability and long battery life.
In fact, battery life defines portability more than weight - up to a point.
This guy is totally Acer PR
I am holding off on my netbook purchase until the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 comes out Sep 28 in US, or later in Canada, and having a chance first to read reviews about it. Currently my #1 choice is the Acer Aspire One with XP, 1.5 Gb ram (max after upgrading yourself), 120 GB HDD, 6-cell battery for $Cdn429 at NCIX.
Reason: I like to have an ExpressCard Slot, multi-touch touchpad and mouse buttons on the bottom of the pad (vs on the side) on the S10, all for US$449. Only thing is that I don't know whether this price comes with the 6-cell or 3-cell battery, as the specs do not tell. Hence, it would be wise to wait till end of Sep, when there is more info. I think the Asus 1000H eeePC at US$550 is overpriced for a netbook, which should all be under US$500. Also the Dell E (Inspiron 910) has lesser features than Lenovo S10, including I believe, a whole bunch of Fn keys deleted from the keyboard to fit into its small form factor. For me, it's a no-go!
This is my opinion on what I consider the best Netbook on the market, including a couple that have yet to arrive.
And yes, did I mention Bluetooth as well, on the Lenovo IdeaPad S10? It is a nice feature to have on a Netbook, but lacking on the slightly cheaper, and 3G/WiMax-unconfirmed Acer Aspire One.
If you need a netbook before school starts, go for the Acer Aspire One. Otherwise, hang tight for the coming X'mas shopping season, when the best selection of price, processing power, and features is yet to come.
Best netbook? i would have to say a VAIO UX series. you can get a new one at less than $1000. you wont be able to play CockofDuty4:Moderngayfuckstupid on it, but it makes a great class notetaker, as long as your teacher does not confuse it with a highend phone.
If you want an ultraportable that is slightly more expensive but could last you 4-6 years, get a Sony SZ, FW, or Z series.
i got an SZ650N a year ago and its perfect for class. there are a few problems i would want corrected like the Hybrid graphics system (swiches GPU between nVidia 8XXX and intel 965) and how you have to restart your computer for that to happen and how much of a pain that is for a computer designed for XP but running Vista Business (standard). the mushy keyboard could serve as a problem too. but still, this laptop great and i plan to use it for another 4 years (i got it in 8th grade, im going to 9th)
all of that is solved in the new Z series, which offers a Panasonic Toughbook's durability with the power of a desktop and the style and portability of any Apple laptop. I think this computer is perfect for college freshmen and could last all the way to grad school.
if the Z series is too pricey for you, theres also the FW, which offers all the same but for cheaper. youll sacrifce some mobility though.
I'm waiting for my 1000H. Deciding factors were
1. 802.11n
2. 6 cell battery & what others said about battery life
3. lots of available accessories
4. a company with solid products.
The dirty trick MSI played with the 6 cells and trackpad is a very sad story.
""" ACER ONE with XP !!! - the one and ONLY ! """
I don't know the best netbook. (Disclosure, I own a 4GB Surf Eee PC 701.) But I know what the best netbook would have:
* A 8.9" to 11" screen (anything smaller is too small - anything bigger is not a netbook)
* At least 1024 x 600 resolution
* ≥1Ghz CPU
* ≥1GB RAM
* ≥20GB of storage
* x86 CPU (so it can run Linux, Windows, and OSx86)
*
(it cut me off)
*
It keeps cutting me off, dammit!
I don't know the best netbook. (Disclosure, I own a 4GB Surf Eee PC 701.) But I know what the best netbook would have:
* A 8.9" to 11" screen (anything smaller is too small - anything bigger is not a netbook)
* At least 1024 x 600 resolution
* ≥1Ghz CPU
* ≥1GB RAM
* ≥20GB of storage
* x86 CPU (so it can run Linux, Windows, and OSx86)
* less than 3 pounds
* ≥2 USB 2.0 ports
* WiFi b (or g/n/higher)
* Ethernet (100 Mbits or Gigabit)
* Webcam (≥1MP)
* ≥$500 price tag
I'm not sure how many netbooks qualify for that - but if any do - they would be the ones to choose from. I think the Eee PC 900 series qualify, and probably others.
I'm fine with everything except the last requirement, that it cost at least $500. I personally would be fine with something that costs less than $500.
I would also require a horizontal resolution of at least 800 (sidescrolling sucks), and a keyboard that doesn't put the ctrl or shift keys in odd places.
MSI Wind
2gb Ram
32GB OCZ Core SSD
MSIWINDOSX86
nuff said.
Prices have gone down on netbooks, and the new models are in! I bought mine online (and got free shipping) from http://www.NetbookComputers.com
I couldn't wait...It's all very exciting!
The Lenovo U110 is pretty slick looking but it is somewhat big at 11 inches and at $1800, it's waaaaay overpriced. The Lenovo S10 looks nice though, but we'll have to wait and see. I think the aspire one is a good deal for the price, but from different reviews, it sounds like it is slower than the competitors (eee, wind, etc.). It all comes down to price. I've been looking at the eeepc 1000h, but it is kind of expensive for me. I mean I already have a laptop. But it is a bit heavy to carry around campus with 2 textbooks and folders. I think that i would like a laptop that is smaller, lighter and has better battery-life than a 14.1 inch Toshiba (and cheap!), but still has an internal optical drive for watching dvds. My opinion, if you really have the money then go for the eeepc 1000h if you can get a good deal on it, if not, maybe the aspire one. I was leaning towards the aspire because they have them at my local circuitcity so if there is a problem, I can return it no problem and at just $350, I could actually afford it. That's my opinion. Peace out my brothers!
I am college student, & i am looking for a simple net book that can allow me to write notes, write papers, & surf the internet. Nothing much, just like myspace, google, & maybe a youtube video here & there, & it does not have to be all at once. I would like to know which is the best one to get. My hands are man hands, so dinky little keyboards are a no go. I would like to stay under $700, have a decent battery life to get thru the day without have to lug around an AC charger, & be usable outside. Being pretty is much appreicated, but not an absolute need. Just cannot be fugly.
Could you all help me? I am not too tech savvy, so any help would be appreciated.
Acer Aspire One hands down. I've had it for a couple of weeks now and this baby is NIIIIIIICE!!!! It does everything you expect it to do plus it looks good. The MSI Wind is good too, but I went with the Aspire One because I need the 120GB of space for my precious files, and it looks like a mini badass.
Do the Nokia N770, N800, N810 "internet devices" count?
I had a N770, ditched it on eBay recently, but miss it now and am thinking seriously of getting a N810.
The Nokia's are less powerful than any of the netbooks, but netbooks are all hamstrung by operating systems that require a lot of resources.
The N810 fits in your FIST and would probably knock out a couple of somebody's teeth. Netbooks might be good for whomping your cat on the head, but you'd still probably miss.
The EEE PC 1000h is the best. It is now a great deal at $450. New touchpad drivers enable macbook air like gestures. I can swipe through browser forward and back. zoom in by pinching fingers, the whole deal. It is sweet! There are page up and down buttons and so much more. So yeah, I reccomend that computer. There is a lot of competition out there but you get a lot of bang for the buck with the 1000h.
lenovo s10
The S10 only comes with 512 MB of memory? That's a deal breaker.
My vote goes to the acer aspire one.
I just bought one at my local future shop ( it's like best buy but in canada ). They had a big week-end sale. I bought the 120gb, 1gb ram, 3-cell, windows xp, in blue for 300$
Yes 300$ for the windows xp one. For you americain that is 280$ for the xp version of the aspire one. Can't beat that!
Hallo everyone,
I can't tell wheater the Medion E1210 (rebranded MSI Wind) is an EEE-killer, just because I lack the experience using an EEE. And I judge these things differently than trying to show-off "my thing"
The Medion E1210.
At first I would like to remark the price / quality equation wich is quite expensive still. But on the other hand, the 3yr warranty is nice.
The pre-installed software works fine, bit standaard.
-antivirus
-Home theater software
-Acrobat reader.
-Word Perfect suit.
Seems fine for standaard Use.
But it does'nt get my di*k hard, so I installed.
-Windows Server 2008 Enterprise as OS
- AERO Interface (Glass thema)
- Active Directory service
- File & printserver
- SQL server 2005 Enterprise edition
- Office 2007 Enterprise
-VMware Workstation
-Windows XP sp3 (vm)
-OSX Leopard (vm)
-Fedora core 5 (vm)
All these application running + the 3 vm's running and the Performance Monitor and Sysandra audit sofware points out that I just used less than 90% of all resources. Quite remarkable.
My Conclusion:
A lot of pc for your money. don't expect to frag or do deathmatch. Capable of playing movies.
To make it short, its a sweetass toy.
Regards,
I'd say wait just a bit. Word out there of a dual core atom and touch screen being in the next gen of a couple diff manufacturers. SSD's are cheaper than ever and WiMAX and wireless-N will also be more common in next gen. HDMI output might even be there from a couple of MFGs. If you don't need it today or rather... really want, you might really want one bout summer next year. Competition is going to make these things cheap and sweet... if you cant wait, the 10" eee with SSD, 6 cell, BT, N and XP would be a good one too. But the prices on even these will be sub $400 in 3 months.
I gotta say, my vote is for the MSI Wind u100 also. I'm hoping to catch a deal on one on eBay soon, but thus far the ecomony continues to make me poorer. Can't ever catch a break, oh well.
ALSO: what the hell is with all these wannabe Apple lover hippies that just popped outta no where? People who either have been using them for 3 months, love them, and decided they wanna act like they've been using them since they came out. All the Apple haters are just as bad, c'mon get your heads outta your asses and get with the program, Microsoft hasn't made a decent product since they came out, so pop your head out of Gates' arse for a while and think for yourself you brainwashed monkeys. Little thing called freedom that Windows doesn't give you. I'm been a Hardcore Proud Mac user since 1990. In fact, I hope no more Windows morons come rolling over to Apple, because the more that do, the more problems will arise, So keep with your stupid whining attitudes, your useless OS, and keep letting Gates' a little farther up your ass and a little deeper in your wallets. How many Mac users bash you morons? Not enough i'd say, but all you seem to do is harass us. Maybe when you learn to live out of mommy's basement you'll understand life can be a little more than Service Packs and MSN. Don't like it? TOUGH deal with it, the truth hurts. Life's tough, so WEAR A HELMET!
-gygabyte666 (written on OS8, take that! How many 98 users can say that one!)
gigabyte666
Wow...pretty upset dude. To me it's all just fashion. Ive been using computers since they were as big as your bedroom, have owned
more than I care to remember from Kaypros and Apples and compaq "sewing machines" etc etc etc. In the end the work I do stands on it's own and no one can tell what tool I used to produce it. Currently, though I have built my business on a pc base (in order to save many thousands of dollars)...,I run a linux shuttle machine as my personal box. Open source is in the wind for local computing and it is being driven by the approach of the cloud. I believe that the end of closed source operating systems will come within 3 years and that netbooks and "phones" operating in the cloud will be the norm by then. Is there a full function word processor for the G1 's os yet? Go ahead and hold your breath...it will happen any minute now and be tied directly to google docs for storage in the cloud. As far as basic forms...Macs will continue to be the prettiest machines...and pc's will continue to be the cheapest and so will sell the most machines. "Phones" will really continue to rise as the modern computing platform and within 2 years will come with hdvi (or equiv) out (for watching dloaded video) and usb ports for peripherals (like full sized keyboards and mice). They could make and sell them now of course... but they want us to keep buying macs and pc's and netbooks and operating systems etc. Follow the money.
Would agree with those who liked the Acer Aspire One. However, I just bought one and immediately returned it.
Because...
The touchpad mouse buttons are so poorly designed that it ruined the computer for me. Please, before buying one of these things, test out the left mouse button functions in particular. I tried and tried, and could never find a way to use it easily.
Aside from this it is a pretty good machine. I would have preferred a PC card slot for my internet access, and I would buy only the 6 cell battery and 160GB HD model.
I was unable to test it with an external CD/DVD drive.
Having 3 USB ports and 2 SD card slots is a big plus.
If Acer can re-design those mouse buttons, I would definitely buy an Aspire One with 160GB HD and 6 cell battery.
Dell Canada: Breaking up is hard to do.
Well I must say that I am extremely disappointed with Dell. Maybe I set myself up for a fall but our relationship in the past has been good. Maybe the Canadian Dell just isn't as good as the Irish Dell?
I've had a Dell desktop machine for nearly three years. It's a lovely piece of kit which I have embellished over the years. It has never given me an ounce of trouble in all that time. I liked it so much I shipped it with me to Canada two years ago, again no problems whatsoever.
With this great past experience I decided the stump up the cash to be one of the few lucky sods who got their hands on the first batch of Dell Inspiron 910 netbooks, or as most like to call it the Dell Mini 9. Within two weeks of ordering I had it in my hands. It is a lovely little piece of kit and I planned to use it on my travels and for browsing on the couch. It is one of the better built netbooks out there.
However within minutes of use I discovered that the built in card reader was not functioning. On any other system I might have let it slide, but this system comes with no optical drives so having a functioning media card reader is extremely important. I contacted Support but they failed to resolve the issue and asked that I send it in for repair.
Two weeks later the unit was back in my hands and all seemed fine. But ten days later the internal Solid State Drive (SSD) died. Again I contacted Support and was asked to return the unit for repair. The repair was swifter this time and I had it back inside a week.
On November 5th having only had the machine 16 days of out 34 I received the unit back from the service depot. The screen was dented in three places with damage to the LCD below. A scratch was apparent across the screen. There were scratches on base of the case. I booted it up and was greeted with a standard base install of XP. None of the pre-installed software that initially came with the unit had been re-installed. I was not even provided with disks or information as to how I was too re-install this stuff. Finally I discovered either through a hardware or software defect that the wireless/bluetooth key was not functioning.
To say I was irate is an understatement. I was fuming. I contacted Support who took my details and asked me to call Customer Service in business hours, which weirdly enough are the business hours of me and another 20 million people in Canada. So I would literally have to take some time out of work to call them.
So I called them and asked for a refund. I was told to return the unit via UPS ground which is weird considering all shipments to and from Dell had previously been with Purolator. Dell does so much outsourcing for repairs and returns and customer care that it cannot even keep track of its own packages. I was also informed that once returned it would take 7 to 10 business days to refund the amount.
Now tickle me pink with a hairy arse but Dell had no problem in siphoning the funds off my card inside 5 business days for the initial purchase so surely they can refund it inside 5 business days, no? Unfortunately not said the rude customer care agent in India, Rubina. Rubina had a habit of dodging my questions, shouting at me and downright lying to me.
So now I have to trust Dell for a third time. Unfortunately I do not trust Dell. You have lost my trust Dell and I will never be back at your door again.
I am sorry I have to do this to you Dell, but I'm breaking up with you, we will not speak again. I will miss you my little Mini 9, you brought so much joy in the little time we had together. It is sad it had to end this way. Now take your coat and your toothbrush and get out of my life.