ereks mom Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) You might remember that ER's laptop was stolen from his dorm room this past spring. It hasn't been recovered, and we can't afford to shell out the $1000 it would take to replace it. :( So I have graciously offered to give him my laptop (which is identical to the one that was stolen). I will have a desktop to use at home. Obviously, I won't be able to take that to the library or coffee shop, so I'm considering buying a netbook--less expensive than a regular laptop, and considerably lighter & more portable. We saw a couple of 10-inch netbooks at Sam's yesterday--one was under $300--and the keyboards were, I think, about 95% the size of a regular laptop keyboard, which is definitely something I would want. Just so you know, I would be using it for researching for homeschool (history, literature, art, music), as well as social networking (e-mail & Facebook), plus creating Word & Excel documents. I might occasionally stream a Netflix video, but I'm not a gamer, sand I don't do much picture editing, so graphics don't have to be *the best*. So, netbook users, what features should I be sure to look for in a netbook, and which brands are especially trouble-free? Edited July 17, 2010 by ereks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I have purchased two Dell Inspiron laptops (new, not refurbished) over the last 7 months, each for about $450. Have you checked for cheap laptops? Mine are both the "15" which are currently starting at $379 on the dell website. If you look in their refurb section, presumably you can find even cheaper. http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/inspnnb/ct.aspx?refid=inspnnb&cs=19&s=dhs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 I have purchased two Dell Inspiron laptops (new, not refurbished) over the last 7 months, each for about $450. Have you checked for cheap laptops? Mine are both the "15" which are currently starting at $379 on the dell website. If you look in their refurb section, presumably you can find even cheaper. http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/inspnnb/ct.aspx?refid=inspnnb&cs=19&s=dhs Thanks, but I'm really interested in the smaller netbooks, since I will have access to a desktop with a large screen at home. I want something smaller than a full-size laptop for taking to the library and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I've had an MSi Wind since December of '08 and love it. It has gotten a daily, hard workout. I had to replace the power cord with a sturdier one, but other than that it is great. Look for battery life (I didn't have to, but I did replace the 3 hr battery with a 9 hr battery). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I'm currently typing on an Asus AspireOne, and I consider this my best purchase of the year. I do a ton of homeschool research on it, write newsletters and blogs, and have even done Script Frenzy (100 page script in a month) on this little baby. It's easy to travel with, and the keyboard is a very comfortable size. Storage has not been an issue (I have the 120 GB harddrive). My main selling point was a comfortable keyboard and Windows 7 Starter (which is optimized not to suck too much RAM out of the smaller systems). The price wasn't bad either - I think this was the $249 model from Costco. I think most netbooks have just about the same specs at this point. My BIL has the Dell mini and it looks like a great machine as well. Have fun shopping! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithie Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I purchased an Acer netbook last year, and for me, it was too slow. If I were buying again for the same set of needs (surfing, email, reading eBooks, occaisional Netflix viewing), I'd buy an iPad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 I did consider the iPad. But I'll be doing a LOT of typing, and I don't like touchscreens; I want a REAL keyboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey Mom Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 I'm currently typing on an Asus AspireOne, and I consider this my best purchase of the year. I do a ton of homeschool research on it, write newsletters and blogs, and have even done Script Frenzy (100 page script in a month) on this little baby. It's easy to travel with, and the keyboard is a very comfortable size. Storage has not been an issue (I have the 120 GB harddrive). My main selling point was a comfortable keyboard and Windows 7 Starter (which is optimized not to suck too much RAM out of the smaller systems). The price wasn't bad either - I think this was the $249 model from Costco. I think most netbooks have just about the same specs at this point. My BIL has the Dell mini and it looks like a great machine as well. Have fun shopping! :) I have an AspireOne too, and LOVE it. Mine's red. :D I use it pretty exclusively for homeschooling, internet, and word processing. The battery lasts over 4 hours, and the best part? It fits right inside my purse. :D The only 'con' is that it doesn't have an internal DVD drive. But we have a small external one if/when I need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 We've had two Dell Inspiron minis for seven months. We haven't had any problems so far. They are quick and work well. I think they run about $300-$400, but we bought them when there was a Christmas special going on. There should be some good back to school specials over the next few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 We have the eeepc from Asus. http://www.amazon.com/Asus-1005HA-PU17-BK-10-1-Inch-Netbook-Computer/dp/B002P3KMXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1279478235&sr=8-1 We bought it for $270 before Christmas and gave it to the girls to share. The 12yo is the one who mostly uses it. It has gotten heavy usage around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 I have this HP one and I love it! It's fast, portable...and pink. :D http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=HP+netbook+%2B+pink&cid=4480012632610735996&ei=VX5DTNiPF4qU2QTQ-rnPCA&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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