Netbook, anyone?

[jenfromnj]

We are considering getting my mom a netbook for Christmas. She has a desktop for whatever she needs to do but is totally intrigued that DH and I have MacBooks with a wireless router in our house and can access the internet from anywhere. Since it's really only for surfing the 'net, we thought maybe a netbook was the way to go. However, we don't really know anyone IRL yet who has one, so if you have one and would like to share your thoughts, I'd appreciate it! Specifically, is it comparable in terms of speed and quality of internet connection to a regular laptop? Do you think it's worth it to just spend a bit more and get a laptop? TIA!

[WatchingThemGrow]

I'm using my mom's right now b/c DH is on his laptop, she's on her laptop, and we're vactioning here. I don't like that it is tiny and I have a hard time reading the text. Pictures are small, websites are small, and I just don't love having to squint, esp. on this side of 40. IIRC, there isn't much download space, so opening up files can happen, but not very big/long. Could be wrong. I'm just not feeling it, and this is the 3rd visit I've gotten stuck using it. Granted, I'd be missing the BBB if it weren't here, but I'd rather have the full laptop.

[infomama]

Depends on your budget. I have thrown around the idea to my mom but I think the small screen would be a big negative.

[geochick]

My kids have netbooks. We got them a wireless mouse to make moving the cursor easier.

[karin4]

I've got one and love it. I notice no difference in terms of speed and performance when using the internet with it than with any other machine, laptop or desktop. What I love about my netbook:
*really lightweight-- mine's about 2.5 pounds
*really small- mine is a 9-inch screen. It's small and light enough that it really is extremely portable. It fits easily in my purse.
*great battery life. With normal use, I can get about 4 hours of use before needing to recharge. If I play with settings (reduce screen brightness, turn off internet, etc) I can get more, which is great on long plane flights when I'm watching movies, for example.

Things that you might not like about a netbook:
*the keyboard is small, and will take some getting used to. Some people might never get used to it; most people I know who use them say it took an hour or two to really acclimate to the size, and I'd agree with that.
* there's no DVD drive. Not a problem for me at all, and I actually just heard recently that Asus' newest Eee pc will have a DVD drive.
* the screen is small, too. My DH is more nearsighted than I am and has trouble reading on my netbook.
*they're definitely not gaming machines, but my guess is your mom is about as interested in that as I was!

If a netbook does sound like something your mom would like, there are some choices to be made that might influence which netbook you'll chose. For example, I really really wanted something I could use outside, so a screen that had very little glare/reflection was very high on my list. I bought an Asus eee pc, which has a matte screen, and is so much better than my old laptop outside. I literally couldn't see anything but a black screen when using my old laptop outside; while using my Asus in bright sun certainly isn't like using it indoors, it is very useable. Heck, the glare on my old machine was terrible just sitting next to a window indoors; I don't notice that at all with this one. All that said, though, some people really hate a matte screen, thinks the picture on it looks dark, and want a very bright non-matte screen.

Basically, I think they're great if what you mostly use a computer for is browsing the internet, and if you want portability. And honestly, it's a whole lot more functional a machine than that implies; it's fast, and it has a 160 gb hdd, so far more space than I can imagine needing. But if you don't really want portability, then a very cheap laptop might be a better choice; as much as I love my eee, there's no denying that a bigger keyboard and screen are nice to have. I was happy to make the trade off for portability, but I don't see why I'd do it if I weren't getting something in return, kwim?

[ha98ed14]

I have a huge dell laptop that is slower than anything because of Vista. I just got a toshiba netbook and I LOVE it! It runs XP. I know they are coming out with windows 7 soon, but I love my netbook. it's much faster than my dell and it gets a great Wifi connection.

[kozachka]

I would not consider a netbook for me. I would rather get one of the lighter laptops that are not as powerful as top of the line models for ~$600. If you do decide to go the netbook route, than at least considers those with 10" or 11.6" screens. Asus has announced two 12" models to be released soon.

[hellokitty]

I don't know if it would be worth it. Why does your mom want one? Does she just want something small or she thinks it would be cheaper, b/c it really isn't THAT much cheaper. For like $100 more you could get a laptop. Plus, if she is older and eyesight isn't so great, the smaller screen might be an issue. I know that for both of my parents, they have their regular HUGE desktop screen on like jumbo font already, if I gave them a netbook they would whine about it being too hard to see.

[michellerw]

DH loves his Acer Aspire. The plus of it is that instead of the (small) solid state hard drive, it has a 120 GB traditional hard drive, so it's actually pretty powerful. I think it's got little tiny keys and I can't type on it, but he looooves it and it's his, so what can I say.

We got a deal on it too, at $250.

[misshollygolightly]

I LOVE my MSi U123. We did a lot of research before buying it, and it has been worth every penny. I am a PhD student in the humanities, so I do a *lot* of typing--the MSi is *very* close to a full-size keyboard, which was very important to me.

I'm sure your decision will ultimately hinge on what you plan to use your computer for, but this has been a great machine for me so far. Plus, it's cute and red :-)

[KrisM]

I have a Toshiba and love it. It's a 10" and has a full sized keyboard. I'm currently in my car killing time before picking up DD from preschool :). The screen is smaller, but that's fine with me.

I mostly use mine on the go and it's fast for internet. I have Verizon broadband service for it and don't notice it being slower than my cable internet on my laptop at home.

I picked the Toshiba because it has a full size keyboard. Also, it has a 6 cell battery, so I get about 8 hours on a charge.

I don't have MS Office on it, I don't need a DVD player on it. We have other computers that I use for those types of things. I am not sure I woudl want this as my ONLY computer, but it's great for what it's used for.

I'd go to Best Buy and check some out and see if you like the screen and keyboard.

[wellyes]

I regret getting my netbook. It's a 10". It is an Asus with a nearly full sized keyboard.... but it's still too small. I have to hunch over to see the screen.The *only* advantage of it is that it is lightweight and easy to travel with..... but will your mom just be using it at home? For home use, a full size laptop with big screen, big keyboard, DVD player, etc. is the way to go IMO.

I regularly see decent laptops on Slickdeals for under $450. I got one of these for my folks... they didn't want to be stuck in the office with their old desktop, they wanted to be able to go online while watching TV too. So they use the laptop in their living room and still have the desktop. Works well for them.

[daniele_ut]

Dh just got a Toshiba netbook and he really likes it so far. The small keyboard is a drawback, but he needed something really small and light.

[jenfromnj]

Wow, lots of food for thought, thanks! We would definitely get one of the 12 inch ones, but now I'm wondering if that would even be big enough. I think a trip to the store to see them in person is in order. Although you're right, a laptop can probably be had for well under $1000, so that's something to consider. There might be more drawbacks than I though to the fun toy I was aiming for--glad I asked!

[kozachka]

Woot.com has refurbished Acer Aspire One 11.6" Netbook on sale for $249.99 on Oct/ 30th in case you decided to go with a netbook after all. Personally, I would rather buy a regular smaller laptop but netbook would be more in my comfort zone as far as gifts go.

[jenfromnj]

Woot.com has refurbished Acer Aspire One 11.6" Netbook on sale for $249.99 on Oct/ 30th in case you decided to go with a netbook after all. Personally, I would rather buy a regular smaller laptop but netbook would be more in my comfort zone as far as gifts go.

Thanks! I think we are going to go check out some basic laptops this weekend. We normally would not spend so much on a gift for one person, but my parents have done a tremendous amount of nice things for us this year with DS's birth, his hospitalizations and now our move, and my mom has otherwise had a rough year, so we're willing to splurge on something she'll really love and use.

[hillview]

My battery lasts about 6 hrs which is great for planes!


I've got one and love it. I notice no difference in terms of speed and performance when using the internet with it than with any other machine, laptop or desktop. What I love about my netbook:
*really lightweight-- mine's about 2.5 pounds
*really small- mine is a 9-inch screen. It's small and light enough that it really is extremely portable. It fits easily in my purse.
*great battery life.

Things that you might not like about a netbook:
*the keyboard is small, and will take some getting used to. Some people might never get used to it; most people I know who use them say it took an hour or two to really acclimate to the size, and I'd agree with that.
* there's no DVD drive. Not a problem for me at all
* the screen is small


:yeahthat: