So I've seen at write-ins a goodly variety of tiny laptops, and was hoping to wrangle some brief opinions. One particularly I remember boasted 10 hours of battery, but I can't remember which it was.
So, if you use one, what is it, and how well do you like it?
Personally I have the EEE 701 and the EEE 1000H.
The first is really nice for throwing into a bag and carrying around, but the keyboard can be a bit cramped and the battery only lasts maybe 2 hoursish.
The latter has nearly a full-size keyboard, and weighs twice as much but gets 4 to 5 hours of battery. Pretty respectable, but not quite the "All-day computing" they sold it as.
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50,154 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2009 - 09 29
I use this:
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-U100-432US-10-Inch-Netbook-Processor/dp/B001H0...
I'm not sure about the model number because I don't have it in front of me. But it's MSI, bought from Microcenter. I bought the larger battery and I get over four hours on it. It's been good so far. I mainly picked it because it had a nicer keyboard than the other netbooks I looked at.
89,200 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2009 - 09 57
I love my little Asus EEE 901. Portability is a must for writing. Though sometimes I lug my beast around (Dell XPS 1730) but that "laptop" is for graphic design, web design, 3d graphics, painting and gaming...and video editing...I do write on it and love doing that but I like being out and about too).
I'm in lust with the Dell Mini 10...and it will probably be my next netbook.
I don't mind the small keyboard as I have tiny hands. My first laptop was a Compaq Aero and that was pretty tiny at the time. I loved it but no one could use it but me.
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54,365 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2009 - 10 07
Haven't done any writing with it but I also have the EEE901 (with Ubuntu remix on it, natch) and like it, though I don't use it quite enough to be fully comfortable with the keyboard. Note I have rather big hands :P.
I just find myself too used to using my Lenovo 14.1" notebook for using a netbook, since I do so much on it already.
40,139 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2009 - 10 41
I have the Eee 1000HD. It has the smaller battery, so I only get about 3 hours of battery life out of it. One of these days I'll upgrade to the bigger battery -- if I can figure out where to buy it! Asus doesn't sell from their site.
As an interesting aside, my old computer was a full computer but the same size -- it was an Averatec 1020. CD drive, better pixelation than the netbooks, etc. Unfortunately they no longer make it, but I believe the Sony Vaio still comes in mini-me sizes (the full computer version). My husband has a Vaio with an 11-inch screen that is about half a pound lighter than my netbook, better pixelation on the screen, CD/DVD drive, etc. So you can still get really small computers with all of the extras -- though with the Vaio, you will definitely pay a hefty price for it!
----------Katharine Swan
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50,264 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2009 - 11 38
I've got an EEE PC 1000HA. I love it. Super portable, nothing I don't need. No disc drive though, which is a bummer since I love to make mix CDs, but I think I'll ask for a external drive for Christmas.
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101,500 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2009 - 16 55
I have a customized Dell Mini 10 and I LOVE it. I opted for the extended battery and I depending on what I have running, I can get a good 10-12 hours on battery. The big power-sucks that I've noticed are connecting to Wireless Internet, having the screen too bright (I usually have it at half-brightness), and playing music from iTunes. When I turn off the wireless LAN, keep my screen at half-bright, and listen to music on my iPhone/iPod instead, I'm good to go.
For me, the downside to the extended battery is that it raises the back of the laptop up a good inch or so in what looks like a long black log along the bottom of the computer. It's fine when I'm typing on a flat surface like a table or a lapdesk, but it gets really uncomfortable after awhile if I'm just doing it on my lap (hence the reason I bought a lapdesk).
All said and done, though, I love this little netbook and I find I reach for it instead of my other laptops more and more often (unless I'm doing something that requires more processing power or RAM - the Mini has a 1 Gb max on RAM).
HTH!
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50,017 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2009 - 19 14
I'd really like to get one too - especially after my first write-in last week when I brought my poor Goliath of a Dell Inspiron Laptop! He sure felt out-of-place with all of the cute netbooks there x)
Maybe that'll go on my wishlist for next April when I get my tax return!
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50,441 / 50,000
Nov 15, 2009 - 06 26
RoseSagae, your Dell Inspiron would have had plenty of peers if you'd been at the Highlands Ranch Tattered Cover writein yesterday afternoon. All sorts of machines attended, including two netbooks.
Ah, netbooks. Some women buy shoes, I buy netbooks . . . OK, it's not quite that bad, but still.
I've owned two, both ASUS Eee PCs. First was a 901. SUPER machine - at least 6 hours battery life and often more. Bluetooth, wireless, fast startup and shutdown. In a light small configuration that was so easy to tote around town and around the world. Mine came with LInux but as a non-techie I just didn't have the time to climb that learning curve. I own and use both Mac and Win machines, and 2 OS's is enough, already. In order to get the most use from it, finally I installed XP on the 901- but then hit the wall on two fronts: the limited capacity of the solid state drives, and the tiny keyboard which was just a hair too small for my aging hands to get used to.
I sold the 901 and bought a 1000HE. It's got a close to full sized keyboard (with one awkward key, sorry to say), 8 to 9 hour battery life which is of course subject to how much horsepower I use in terms of wi-fi, screen brightness, etc. I replaced the 1G RAM stick with a 2G RAM stick when I bought it. I love the full sized hard drive.
The 1000HE is a bit bigger and heavier than my 901 but still a good small size and weight to carry around without stress and strain. And given the long battery life I can usually leave the cord and power block at home. Check the ASUS Eee PC comparison chart online at http://event.asus.com/eeepc/comparison/eeepc_comparison.htm
Also beware: Best Buy has a habit of offering Eee PCs for sale at attractive prices, BUT they are usually stripped down models made specially for Best Buy. They often feature batteries with half the life of the regular model, and can lack built in bluetooth, etc. They are usually designated by an extended model number with the final part having a B or BB in it. So if you see an Eee PC online and look at the specs, and you see the same model number Eee PC at Best Buy - compare the specs very carefully and do not assume the Best Buy model has all the features of the one you saw for sale at amazon or some other online source! (And the Best Buy variations don't show up on the Asus comparison chart I linked to above - you have to look very specifically at what Best Buy says the machine's specs are. And ask questions.)
You can find out more than you ever needed to know about Eee PCs in all their assorted glory at the user forums: http://forum.eeeuser.com/index.php
My other computers are a 24" iMac on my home desk, and a 12" Toshiba notebook (2.5 years old) running Vista, which is not humongous as those things go, but not as easy to carry around as my netbook, nor does it have great battery life. However, it runs some software I need for work, so I'm using it till it dies.
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