Travel Technology - Netbooks and the evolution towards larger machines...

Anyone remember the first Netbook? I picked up the Eee as soon as it was available, and found its tiny keyboard and 7" screen to be awesome.

Then I saw the 8" machines and moved to that.

Then I saw the 10" machines and moved to that.

Then I saw the 11" machines and moved to that.

Now I'm back on a 12" HP and don't think I'll be moving back to anything smaller.

Anyone else here finding 10" and a small keyboard too be too much of a compromise? Don't get me wrong - I love Netbook style machines, but once the honeymoon is over, I just find them too much to deal with if I need to get any amount of "real" work done.

The one good thing the Netbook has done, is bring down the price of ultra-portable machines. The 11.6" Gateway and Acer for $349 is a good example of a machine that would have been impossible 3 years ago.

There aren't even any 7" machines on the market, and Dell stopped with their 9" machine months ago, so it appears I'm not alone in moving to something larger.

That's the point. I don't bring a netbook for any real work. If I have to do work on the road, it's with my X61.

I skipped everything but the 10", went to that, and dumped it for an ultra-portable when I found a good price on it. I know you dislike Sony, but it's a great little machine.

They are getting to the point where they can fix the issues that I had with them.

- The 10" x600 screen rez. (that gateway fixed that already).

- crippled processors.

I think the line between ultraportable and netbook are going to get fuzzier over time. Intel doesn't like it and will continue to try to fight it with their silly restrictions. Microsoft doesn't like it and will continue to make it more difficult, but there are certainly other processor companies and other OS vendors if you don't want to pay to upgrade the OS that comes with it, when they stop shipping then with XP. Though W7 Basic or whatever it's called, may be good enough since they lifted that ridiculous 3 app restriction.

What was the issue with the gateway? I thought you liked that one? You raved about it when you got it. I remember you liked the fact that it had a 64-bit processor, but I really didn't see why that mattered if you were just running a 32-bit OS on it. Since physical memory is limited, there isn't a lot of benefit if you install a 64-bit OS on it.

-David

I too just waited for the 10" version. I would like to go to the 12" but don't want Vista and too lazy to put on XP myself. If Win7 does what all the hype says it will then I may consider a 12" with it. Until then the 10" is fine.

I still love my Acer with the 9" screen. I'd love it more if it didn't have the 600px vertical resolution limit, but otherwise I have no problems with it. I don't find the processor to be crippled to a point that it precludes me from doing anything that I need to do. Ditto for the keyboard. And keeping the hardware lighter and the battery lasting longer with the smaller screen is just fine by me.

What do you want to do with the netbook. If the object is to write reports and proposals this is probably not what you want, but it is great when you are on vacation or on a trip where you only need basic access.

I'm getting older (late 40s) and bigger is always easier on my eyes, but a notebook is not another piece of luggage and in the fight to go carry-on only that is fine. I can have a netbook hanging from my shoulders for hours without a problem.

I've encrypted my netbook and have taken it to Indonesia, Russia (next week), and non-resort parts of the Carribean. If it gets stolen, it will be a minor annoyance, not a major problem. Could you say the same with a Sony Micro?

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I like my Mini 9 and the smaller screen was one of the main reason I chose it over bigger alternatives like the Samsung NC10 etc. However on one bag leisure trips where space is at a premium, I'm leaving the netbook more and more, as I can do 80-90% of what I need on the iPhone. Skype and Sling were the last two apps that I needed the netbook for, but obviously not any more.
If I need to do work, I'll bring my proper laptop.

Netbooks still have a niche, but as fully functioned phones get better, that niche erodes somewhat for most leisure users IMO.

I have the Asus 10" and love it, travel is much more easier with it rather than a fullsize and the battery lasts forever (almost 5 hrs). Asus has a newer model with a even better battery!

If weight is the issue, then at some point they'll get a 15" notebook down to 3 pounds (zinc-air batteries, anyone?) and that'll obsolete the netbooks.

I think they might also have a niche market for the 10-year-old Johnnie and Janie crowd. Parents who have already spoiled their kids rotten with their own iPhones can give the brats a "tweener size" keyboard and screen.

Yep, for me the weight / battery life combination is what makes me love mine, not the dimensions. Although I find 13" laptops more than fine, and 15" too big unless they're very high resolution.

Personally I'm still a huge fan of my 7" eee. Anything bigger is a waste of space and weight when I travel. I wish someone was still making a 7" device.

The one good thing the Netbook has done, is bring down the price of ultra-portable machines. The 11.6" Gateway and Acer for $349 is a good example of a machine that would have been impossible 3 years ago.


Can you let me know where you found a Gateways for $349?

I think it's normal that people tend to go bigger.
I mean we want always the bigger car, tv, etc ;)
My brother has the 7" Eee and i find it a little small for normal work and surf the web. On the other hand he finds it very good to surf the web.
So i think that this is more of a personal choice.
For me i think that 10" is the minimum for a netbook to be great at work and surfing the web, it has the right balance between price and features offered.

There is no way I would use my Lenovo S10 for "real work", however it is a great machine to take on vacation with me, the size and weight are just about perfect for travel and "light use".

It's my belief that ultra-portables will continue to grow in power and reduce in weight and cost until they push the netbooks out of the market, but until that happens, I'm happy with having my netbook for personal travel and my laptop for real work...

Scott, I agree with you 100%. If you haven't already, take a look at my recent tablet Vs netbook post.

I used a 10" netbook (MSI U100) for about 6 months and while I think it's a really cool device, I just find it too much of a compromise (performance, screen real estate, and keyboard size). 95% of my travel is business and I can't see myself travelling with ONLY the netbook instead of my T61p, which means if I want to travel with the netbook I'm actually carrying 2 machines. I have no reason to bring the netbook to work as a second (or primary) machine, if I'm sitting on the couch watching TV I have no compelling reason to use the netbook instead of my Lenovo, and if I'm bringing a laptop to lunch with me to work at a restauraunt for a few hours (which I often do), again I have no compelling reason to bring the netbook instead of the Lenovo. So what scenarios are left? That's the problem: for me anyway, the netbook is a solution looking for a problem. And for me it's a problem that doesn't exist.

But I did recently buy a tablet PC, a 12" HP TouchSmart TX2 which I installed Windows 7 on, and I'm finding it to be the perfect balance of size / performance / weight. It's only marginally larger than my netbook but it opens up a whole new set of work scenarios. I was on vacation with the family this week and brought the tablet; in the grand scheme of how much we packed, the size difference between the netbook and tablet was insignificant but I had a MUCH better experience with the tablet than I would have with the netbook. Not only do I feel like I could actually go on a business trip with only the tablet instead of my Lenovo, but it's actually got me thinking about turning my Lenovo into a portable virtual server host and using the tablet as my primary workstation. That's something I never would have considered with my netbook.

Time will tell. I just bought a 10 inch Asus with the putative 10.5 hour battery. I am not traveling much this summer but a lot in the fall. My intention is to use it on trips where I will only need to have a computer for email, project management (I do that online) and a presentation. If I am writing a big project or something I will take my MB Air. I will see how it works, but on my one short trip this summer I loved having something that small with that kind of battery life.

There is no way I would use my Lenovo S10 for "real work", however it is a great machine to take on vacation with me, the size and weight are just about perfect for travel and "light use".

It all depends on what "real work" is for folks. I can absolutely do all of my "real work" on my NetBook. There are times where I appreciate having a larger screen available and will hook up to an external monitor, but that is still the exception, not the rule. I wouldn't do CAD/CAM work or even try to render videos on it, but it turns out that the vast majority of my work is things like document production and server management, both readily and easily handled by my netbook.

The only netbook I have used is a 10" netbook. Some pages and google earth are not displayed properly on it. But I am happy with it because of the space and the weight. I could get used to a smaller one too, as long as my fingers get used to the keyboard.

I have a 17" laptop that I use at home. I use it at home in place of a desktop and I take it on a trip only when I am travelling on a trip where I will stay in one place and will not be transiting through many airports.

I'm finding all the netbook hype amusing - I've been travelling with Toshiba mini laptops for years and wouldn't swap them for anything. Currently on a R200 which, to me, is what a netbook should be!

I think the point being missed is that Netbooks were supposed to be cheap, simplistic appliance computers. You can get something that will at least let you browse the web and make a few Skype calls for under $400. Much less than that if you know where to look and/or you're willing to have a refurb. (Woot was selling the original 7" eee's for $150 and recently sold a some 9" ones for about $180.)

I'm finding all the netbook hype amusing - I've been travelling with Toshiba mini laptops for years and wouldn't swap them for anything. Currently on a R200 which, to me, is what a netbook should be!

Well, the big difference is the price - 2 years ago, a sub notebook would costs upwards of $2000. The Netbook has pushed that price down a LOT. It has also developed much better battery technology.

To me, the best thing to come out of the netbook is better power management and lower prices.

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I'm finding all the netbook hype amusing - I've been travelling with Toshiba mini laptops for years and wouldn't swap them for anything. Currently on a R200 which, to me, is what a netbook should be!

Well, the big difference is the price - 2 years ago, a sub notebook would costs upwards of $2000. The Netbook has pushed that price down a LOT. It has also developed much better battery technology.

To me, the best thing to come out of the netbook is better power management and lower prices.

Yep. That is really the difference. You could get the latest carbon fiber Sony or whatever for years if you were willing to drop 4 grand. My MB Air with SSD was close to 3500 when it came out. That's like 9 times the price of my Asus.

Well, the big difference is the price - 2 years ago, a sub notebook would costs upwards of $2000. The Netbook has pushed that price down a LOT. It has also developed much better battery technology. To me, the best thing to come out of the netbook is better power management and lower prices.

Seems very accurate to me on all counts.

If the ThinkPad 701C were coming out today instead of 10 years ago, it would be called a netbook! (And if was over $4000 when new)

Scott, I'm interested in your response to LIH's question (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/12196605-post3.html).

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What was the issue with the gateway? I thought you liked that one? You raved about it when you got it. I remember you liked the fact that it had a 64-bit processor, but I really didn't see why that mattered if you were just running a 32-bit OS on it. Since physical memory is limited, there isn't a lot of benefit if you install a 64-bit OS on it.

-David

Processor - plain and simple. The 1.2GHz processor was just fine for almost everything I did on it, but it just didn't do web video very well, nor did it handle Sling player streams without stuttering.

I love the form factor of the Gateway (and its Acer sister), I loved the high res display, I loved the keyboard. But that crippled AMD processor was too much to deal with.

It sounds, though, as if one's usual computing routine includes very little web video and no Sling-type stuff, it would be fine for running, say, Firefox with half a dozen tabs open, a word processor, and a pop3 email client?

I am a fan of small laptops, but am not willing to sacrifice performance. In fact, my 12.1" Dell XPS M1210 does a great job. I use it as a desktop at home (plugged to a monitor, one USB hub that goes to keyboard, mouse, scanner, printer, everything). It has a 256MB NVIDIA video card which I use for editing videos and I have several on YouTube (I am Wiggums1 on YouTube - LINK (http://www.youtube.com/user/wiggums1)). It's been a truly remarkable laptop.

I looked at Netbooks and realized they come with a crappy video card, most do not have a DVD/RW which mine does, and most use Windows XP. I prefer a full fledged desktop in the smallest dimension possible and the M1210 XPS fits the bill.

Unfortunately, Dell no longer sells M1210 - it's now 13" which is a little too big for me.

It sounds, though, as if one's usual computing routine includes very little web video and no Sling-type stuff, it would be fine for running, say, Firefox with half a dozen tabs open, a word processor, and a pop3 email client?

Yeah, that and flash (youtube video) and low rez and maybe even medium rez video.

-David

I had my Asus PC1000HA running 1280x720 DivX video with zero problems. It's not just resolution but also video codecs. Usually you'll have no probs with DivX.

I had my Asus PC1000HA running 1280x720 DivX video with zero problems. It's not just resolution but also video codecs. Usually you'll have no probs with DivX.

The Gateway played HD files perfectly - but couldn't handle Hulu :(

It sounds, though, as if one's usual computing routine includes very little web video and no Sling-type stuff, it would be fine for running, say, Firefox with half a dozen tabs open, a word processor, and a pop3 email client?

I always have IE, FF and some of Office 2007 (always Outlook, occasionally Word/Excel) open. I also will have Visual Studio, various remote console sessions and my accounting software open at various times.

No, I don't do video and I have no need for an optical drive. It meets my needs quite well.

I will echo some of the comments here.

At home, I have a 15.4" Asus Z96j which I absolutely love (particularly the WSXGA+ screen), but it's a PITA to lug around (weighs about 6.5 lbs., not including power brick), especially on TATL trips. Plus, battery life is pretty mediocre.

This summer, we had the 1000HE on our trip to Sweden. It was a perfect repository for storing and displaying our digital photos (Picasa 3 works great on it). Plus, it was very portable when sitting by the lake with a 3G modem and doing random web surfing. Plus, the 7-8.5 hours of battery life makes it so much easier to entertain the kids on long TATL flights (when there is a poor IFE selection)--in addition, it sits much better on economy table trays than a large laptop.

This fall, I plan on using it for note-taking in class and writing papers.

But, yes, I only use my 1000HE for web surfing, basic Office applications, and photo editing. If I need to do stuff that requires more horsepower, I'll use my Z96j or my desktop computer.

Our business was looking into getting a notebook computer, but after checking some of the larger netbooks, we may just get one of those. They have all of the features we need, except maybe a DVD/CD drive, but we have several external drives, or drives on other PCs we can use. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

I'm finding all the netbook hype amusing - I've been travelling with Toshiba mini laptops for years and wouldn't swap them for anything. Currently on a R200 which, to me, is what a netbook should be!

Maybe, but you missed the price element in the discussion. The R200 is nice, but it wasn't <$500 when it was introduced, which was quite a few years ago now. Also with a 1.2GHz Pentium M 735, PATA drive and DDR-1 memory, it is debatable whether the R200 would win in the speed race with a more modern netbook.

Netbooks are truly a disruptive element to the notebook market, many people are realizing that they don't need a honking screen, DVD drive equipped, Dual Core behemoth to surf the web, tap out an email and do a bit of Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

Costco is selling an Acer Aspire One 10.1" with Accessory Kit (6-Cell Battery, external USB Optical Drive, Wireless Mouse and Protective Case) for $379.99 this month.

Is this a good deal? What is the actual model? I can't tell from the coupon.

I am looking for a small screen netbook to travel with occasionally (on vacations mainly) and it would likely sit on the kitchen counter the rest of the time.

I'm not opposed to going smaller, but 10 inches is about as big as I want to go. I'd really like the best powered one, best screen, decent keyboard -- willing to spend a bit more for it.

Costco is selling an Acer Aspire One 10.1" with Accessory Kit (6-Cell Battery, external USB Optical Drive, Wireless Mouse and Protective Case) for $379.99 this month.

Is this a good deal? What is the actual model? I can't tell from the coupon.

I am looking for a small screen netbook to travel with occasionally (on vacations mainly) and it would likely sit on the kitchen counter the rest of the time.

I'm not opposed to going smaller, but 10 inches is about as big as I want to go. I'd really like the best powered one, best screen, decent keyboard -- willing to spend a bit more for it.

The machine on its own regularly sells for $299 - so you be the judge whether the accessories are worth $80. That said - the Costco return policy/warranty is worth something too.

Costco is selling an Acer Aspire One 10.1" with Accessory Kit (6-Cell Battery, external USB Optical Drive, Wireless Mouse and Protective Case) for $379.99 this month.

Is this a good deal? What is the actual model? I can't tell from the coupon.

I am looking for a small screen netbook to travel with occasionally (on vacations mainly) and it would likely sit on the kitchen counter the rest of the time.

I'm not opposed to going smaller, but 10 inches is about as big as I want to go. I'd really like the best powered one, best screen, decent keyboard -- willing to spend a bit more for it.

That sounds like the AOD 150, but it is hard to know for certain. And you're probably paying a touch more than necessary for the options kit, but if you want those parts anyways it isn't that bad a deal. Of course, you're going to want to upgrade the RAM to 1.5GB (and extra $20 and ~20 minutes inside the case) and that is more annoying on the Acer than other models, but at least it isn't the Dell where RAM uprgades were not possible.

The machine on its own regularly sells for $299 - so you be the judge whether the accessories are worth $80. That said - the Costco return policy/warranty is worth something too.

Thanks.

Anyone know anything about the Samsung or Toshiba netbooks? I guess I'm just looking for advice. 10" only.

Eh, never mind. I'll be less lazy and do some more of my own research when I have time.

I bought a Toshiba NB205-N311/W. Went straight to 2GB RAM. $399 for the laptop.

Uninstalled Norton and all the bloatware that was preinstalled. Installed Thunderbird, Firefox, and Skype. Resisting the urge to put Office on it -- if I need to use Office, it's what I have other machines for.

Why did I pick it? It had the best feel, best looking screen (to me) and it got some great reviews in the last month.

Anyhow, I'll give more feedback later if I feel it warrants it.

Resisting the urge to put Office on it -- if I need to use Office, it's what I have other machines for.
Why limit yourself? Office 2007 runs fine on my Acer.

Thanks.

Anyone know anything about the Samsung or Toshiba netbooks? I guess I'm just looking for advice. 10" only.

Eh, never mind. I'll be less lazy and do some more of my own research when I have time.

Nice looking machines, but they really don't offer anything special over other brands. The battery life on the Toshiba is good - but its about the same as on the Asus Eee 1000HA.

Why limit yourself? Office 2007 runs fine on my Acer.

Hi have Office 2003 on an Asus 1000. No problem.

Newer netbooks are coming out with Vista Home Basic and 2GB memory. How do they perform compared to XP with 2 GB, and do they get free upgrades to Windows 7? I ask because I prefer Vista over XP, but not if the performance is worse.

Nice looking machines, but they really don't offer anything special over other brands. The battery life on the Toshiba is good - but its about the same as on the Asus Eee 1000HA.

I know. In the end, I flipped a coin and went with the one I liked the look of best.

I'll probably put Office on it. Came with Microsoft Works 9, so that might be enough for us since it's not a primary machine and I really can't travel with it much for work since my company's software wouldn't run well on a netbook. Right now I have it set up as a kiosk-type machine for the counter -- 4 user accounts, one for each of the people in the house. We're all on IMAP email, so I set up Thunderbird for each user and imported user bookmarks into Firefox. I've never shared a computer before, so this is kinda cool.

I avoided the Vista machines purposefully. XP SP3 runs great. Why complicate things?

Anyone run Tweetdeck or Slingplayer on a netbook?

I've managed video on my EEE900 (linux) but not really used web video all that much I have used BBC Iplayer though with few if any problems after it was launched. The main use of video on it was shrunk dvd's on a memory stick or five which are very useful when travelling by train, this works flawlessly on smplayer. I don't see the need for anything bigger at the moment and If I do need to hook it up to a monitor or tv I have a small box that allows me to do that which I can bring if needed.

I know. In the end, I flipped a coin and went with the one I liked the look of best.

I'll probably put Office on it. Came with Microsoft Works 9, so that might be enough for us since it's not a primary machine and I really can't travel with it much for work since my company's software wouldn't run well on a netbook. Right now I have it set up as a kiosk-type machine for the counter -- 4 user accounts, one for each of the people in the house. We're all on IMAP email, so I set up Thunderbird for each user and imported user bookmarks into Firefox. I've never shared a computer before, so this is kinda cool.

I avoided the Vista machines purposefully. XP SP3 runs great. Why complicate things?

Anyone run Tweetdeck or Slingplayer on a netbook?

A follow up. I installed Office 2007, SlingPlayer, FeedDemon, Thunderbird, and Skype. Also Firefox, WS_FTP, ISOburner, Tweetdeck.

Went out and got the $79 USB DVD writer/player as well.

Runs great.

Right now, it's a "kiosk" machine on our countertop, but it will travel with me when I don't need our work software or when I'm on vacation.

In the next 6 months, I want to see what's new in larger netbooks (11"-13", less than 4 lbs) in sub $500 price category.

What you want is the new Acer 1410 @$450. 3lbs, 11.6" screen and intel 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo CPU. It also has the Intel 4500MHD GPU so you can do lite gaming and definitely more powerful than current gen netbooks.

My ideal netbook would be an 11 or 12" screen, at least 2GB RAM, XP is fine, battery life of 8 hrs or more and a weight of 2.3 lbs or less.

I still have my old Dell 300M. Love the form-factor. Screen is showing its age though :(.

My ideal netbook would be an 11 or 12" screen, at least 2GB RAM, XP is fine, battery life of 8 hrs or more and a weight of 2.3 lbs or less.

I still have my old Dell 300M. Love the form-factor. Screen is showing its age though :(.

My ideal is a full-size keyboard built around however large a screen one could fit around that; screen resolution of at least 1280x800; Vista/W7; the 8-hour battery life and your weight specs. I think this is coming soon - the battery life is the biggest hurdle.

Can't see netbooks getting that kind of specs and still be profitable at $500 anytime soon. My two netbook purchases have been disappointing as they are noticeably sluggish and underpowered. But they are convenient to have.

A friend recently splurged on a Toshiba R600 last month. 12" screen, 2.4lbs, 8+ hours battery life, core 2 duo and 3GB ram. Bit over priced for my taste though.

................ A friend recently splurged on a Toshiba R600 last month. 12" screen, 2.4lbs, 8+ hours battery life, core 2 duo and 3GB ram. Bit over priced for my taste though.

+1, overprice!

Can't see netbooks getting that kind of specs and still be profitable at $500 anytime soon. My two netbook purchases have been disappointing as they are noticeably sluggish and underpowered. But they are convenient to have.

A friend recently splurged on a Toshiba R600 last month. 12" screen, 2.4lbs, 8+ hours battery life, core 2 duo and 3GB ram. Bit over priced for my taste though.

You get what you pay for. It's a beautiful machine.

You get what you pay for. It's a beautiful machine.Well, the idea of patience in a technological area where prices are generally falling and quality is generally rising is to get what you paid for, but to get it at half the price in x months. :D :D :D

You get what you pay for. It's a beautiful machine.But is it a "netbook"?

I'd argue that price is the key determining factor here and on that basis its not a netbook.

Netbook is just a marketing moniker (a very successful one) = sub-$500 + sub 3lbs + 3-year old spec. The value proposition can be extremely good considering you can get a dell mini 9 for sub $200 including taxes/shipping. I can't see how they make any margin off that price point but I'm not complaining.

Well, the idea of patience in a technological area where prices are generally falling and quality is generally rising is to get what you paid for, but to get it at half the price in x months. :D :D :D

Err..... make that what my employer paid for. Price is no object, for me. ;)

I went thru Netbooks like other change shirts until I bought the HP 2140. It has it downsides but the upside, the incredible keyboard, outweighs all else. I even sacrificed built in 3g. I just throw it in my TimBuk2 Classic Messenger (size "S"), most days I leave the power brick at home. For extended away periods I have a 6-cell battery.

A colleague recently got the X200s, it is a very nice machine, but I since I can't expense it to my employer, I can't justify the price difference.

A follow up. I installed Office 2007, SlingPlayer, FeedDemon, Thunderbird, and Skype. Also Firefox, WS_FTP, ISOburner, Tweetdeck.

Went out and got the $79 USB DVD writer/player as well.

Runs great.

Right now, it's a "kiosk" machine on our countertop, but it will travel with me when I don't need our work software or when I'm on vacation.
Looking to buy Toshiba N205-311 for airplane and hotel use (Slingbox, Skype and NFL streaming (UK). Your input is exactly what I needed, mahalo ia oi. I will go for 2MB upgrade and DVD drive.
Four questions please...
1. for protection in carry on, what kind of case did you go for? Is it tough enough to do without one?
2. I have seen speaker sound is mono and very low and you need to upgrade realtek drivers. Any comments on that?
3. Will unit drive external monitors at higher res like WXGA?
4. Is the 8.5 hour battery life for real on videos and does it run hot? My old Toshiba laptop has a Sony battery so it rivals a Weber grill for cooking purposes.

Looking to buy Toshiba N205-311 for airplane and hotel use (Slingbox, Skype and NFL streaming (UK). Your input is exactly what I needed, mahalo ia oi. I will go for 2MB upgrade and DVD drive.
Four questions please...
1. for protection in carry on, what kind of case did you go for? Is it tough enough to do without one?
2. I have seen speaker sound is mono and very low and you need to upgrade realtek drivers. Any comments on that?
3. Will unit drive external monitors at higher res like WXGA?
4. Is the 8.5 hour battery life for real on videos and does it run hot? My old Toshiba laptop has a Sony battery so it rivals a Weber grill for cooking purposes.

The sound is, well, terrible. I carry headphones and I have USB speakers in case I want it to sound less terrible. I haven't updated the drivers, so I'll look into that. It is a low sound level.

It should drive external monitors at higher res, like Windows typically does, but I can't speak to it. Haven't tried it.

I bought a Targus $20 slipcover. It fits fine, even with the protruding battery.

I haven't traveled with it yet. Going on a trip today, but need my primary machine.

I have had some issues with a Skype video call freezing from time to time this morning.

Why go with ANY Netbook when you can get a REAL laptop...the Dell Inspiron 11Z.

It is lightweight (~3 lbs), has an excellent pricepoint (~$399) and more capability than netbooks.

At least that's my impression...am I wrong?:confused:

Why go with ANY Netbook when you can get a REAL laptop...the Dell Inspiron 11Z.

It is lightweight (~3 lbs), has an excellent pricepoint (~$399) and more capability than netbooks.

At least that's my impression...am I wrong?:confused:You are wrong. :D :D :D 3-cell battery only.

Dell inspiron 11z isn't a "real" laptop imo, 1.2 GHz celeron is hardly a huge step up from the Atom N280s in current netbooks. Plus, the published battery life results pales in comparison to netbooks.

Why go with ANY Netbook when you can get a REAL laptop...the Dell Inspiron 11Z.

It is lightweight (~3 lbs), has an excellent pricepoint (~$399) and more capability than netbooks.

At least that's my impression...am I wrong?:confused:
Well that is the big question isn't it...
For me the key plus points are 8.5 hour battery as many flights nowadays have no working power, portability (size and weight), smaller screen size (my 15" Laptop pixelates watching NFL on Slingbox as Hotel broadband in Europe and Latin America is insufficient for 480p let alone HD) and the led screen (as watching movies on my old toshiba laptop I was never happy with screen angle).
I am also cheating as I am sick of Windows for my main laptop so I am going Mac and I want to keep a toe in the Windows world for compatability and old time's sake.

As to Dell, experience with hardware reliability traveling has not been good for me.

This forum has been more helpful for me in researching my purchase than the more techy PC sites. Thanks guys.

Ok now I really need advice from someone who has Sony W. I made my mind up on NEtwbook but now I see Sony VPCW111XX/W. This has the usual Sony Price Mark Up and they say the battery sucks but everyone say the screen is awesome and as I want to use for DVD's, Sling box and NFL Game Pass HD streaming, I am being swayed by this. Anyone able to give experience to this? Toshiba NB205 or Sony VPCW111XX? Thanks

Netbooks dont have optical drives so you'll need an external usb drive for DVDs. Also word of warning, netbooks have been known to lag when streaming HD videos (underpowered Atom CPUs). I experience this with HD videos on hulu, there's occasional stuttering, it doesn't bother me too much but ymmv.

I am hoping the 280 will be better than the 270 with HD. I think pixelation is more bandwidth dependent, anyone heard of synch problems caused by Atom processors. I used to use a Win TV Card on old Toshiba with Celeron and that went out of synch if I tried to run more than 1 app. (I am worried anti vrius software like McAfee may cause problem...

But N280 is almost identical to N270s though, only 60mhz difference, which is negligible. They are both comparable to a 1Ghz Celeron M in benchmarks.