Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > Travel Technology
Reload this Page >

Netbooks and the evolution towards larger machines...

Netbooks and the evolution towards larger machines...

Old Aug 8, 2009, 7:55 pm
  #1  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 37,486
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.
ScottC is offline  
Old Aug 8, 2009, 9:32 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YVR
Programs: AC E75, SPG Plat, HH peon-by-choice (ex Gold)
Posts: 8,090
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.
Braindrain is offline  
Old Aug 8, 2009, 10:20 pm
  #3  
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Upcountry Maui, HI
Posts: 13,299
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

Last edited by LIH Prem; Aug 8, 2009 at 10:34 pm
LIH Prem is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 7:32 am
  #4  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Grazie Gold Lounge
Programs: UA-2MM; GalacticXpress-Irridium
Posts: 10,332
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.
kingalien is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 9:33 am
  #5  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
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.
sbm12 is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 12:23 pm
  #6  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,652
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?
Dubai Stu is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 1:05 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,818
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3G: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A400 Safari/528.16)

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.
Kgmm77 is online now  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 1:39 pm
  #8  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 661
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!
k374 is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 2:02 pm
  #9  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Programs: Sometimes known as [ARG:6 UNDEFINED]
Posts: 26,628
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.
DenverBrian is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 2:09 pm
  #10  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: BA Gold, A3 Gold, FB Gold, Bonvoy Titanium / LTP, Accor Plat
Posts: 13,768
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.
typical is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 5:29 pm
  #11  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: TPA
Programs: Hilton Gold, DL DIrt Medallion
Posts: 38,267
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.
SRQ Guy is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 6:15 pm
  #12  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hoosier in Dubai
Programs: EK Gold, UA Platinum, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 576
Originally Posted by ScottC

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?
JTPictureman is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 6:59 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 4
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.
bond is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 8:07 pm
  #14  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Denver, CO USA
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Gold, Holiday Inn Platinum, peon on the rest
Posts: 677
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...
UScolorado1k is offline  
Old Aug 9, 2009, 9:05 pm
  #15  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Programs: Delta SkyMiles, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 413
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.
JClishe is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.