Small laptop/netbook advice please.

[ufkacbln]

Ther is no answer tothis question as such, but a few comments may be helpful

The two problems tend to be linked to heat. The smaller the case gets then the less room there is for a heat sink or cooling fans. To this end they tend to run slower processors and lower specs to minimise the problem of heat generation

WHen I got my travelling netbook, I bought a Packard Bell Red Dot, as it was about the same size and price as all the others , but had a better spec, in particular a faster performance and good reviews.

It dos its job, but is ssslllooowww.

I can flash up the MAC and write a letter in the time it takes to boot up and open Word on the Red Dot, and it is about 3 minutes slower to get to the same point as my wife's Vaio.


I think that if you look at the specs, and then decide rather than simply crossing either format our all together

 

[Night Train]

I can flash up the MAC and write a letter in the time it takes to boot up and open Word on the Red Dot, and it is about 3 minutes slower to get to the same point as my wife's Vaio.

This is the thing that would bother me about a notebook.
I have only had one desk top over the last 12 years and started with a Psion 5 Organiser. I like it because I could open it up, type some notes on a document and shut it again all in a few seconds of time.

I want that sort of useability, as quick as opening a paper notepad and writing/drawing on it.

 

[ColinJ]

This is the thing that would bother me about a notebook.
I have only had one desk top over the last 12 years and started with a Psion 5 Organiser. I like it because I could open it up, type some notes on a document and shut it again all in a few seconds of time.

I want that sort of useability, as quick as opening a paper notepad and writing/drawing on it.

I was thinking about that the other day.

I loved the BBC model B that I bought when I went to university back in the 1980s. Click the switch round the back and there would be a short sequence of beeps and then it was ready to go.

It seems crazy with the power of personal computers now that they can take 30 seconds to several minutes to boot. Yes, I know that modern gui-based operating systems are much more complex than those of days gone by, but still!

I want ultra-short boot times too. I have a memory like a sieve so I end up scribbling notes on scraps of paper if my computer isn't already switched on because I forget what I wanted to make a note of if I have to wait for Windows to start up!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

The simple answer to poor performance of Windows netbooks is....




....don't run Windows. It's bloatware par excellence.

open office is a usable alternative to ms-office and ubuntu runs way faster than XP or 7. For the avg user of a netbook; browsing, email, bit of word processing, Linux is a great platform and easy to install from a usb stick or external CD drive

and if you really are wedded to the Windows UI you can always make ubuntu look like windows (or mac os)

 

[ColinJ]

The simple answer to poor performance of Windows netbooks is....

....don't run Windows. It's bloatware par excellence.

open office is a usable alternative to ms-office and ubuntu runs way faster than XP or 7. For the avg user of a netbook; browsing, email, bit of word processing, Linux is a great platform and easy to install from a usb stick or external CD drive

and if you really are wedded to the Windows UI you can always make ubuntu look like windows (or mac os)

I might give Linux a go on a 10 year old Dell laptop that I've just been given back after an extended loan to a friend. She managed to fill it with viruses and then kill Windows by randomly deleting files to try and improve matters!

I can't remember the exact spec, but it's a Dell Inspiron 7500. I think it has about 3/4 GB of memory and a 750 MHz Pentium 3 processor. It's hard to tell at the moment because it won't boot!

What flavour of Linux would you recommend for an old machine like that? I don't think I'll want to spend much time getting into the nuts and bolts of Linux, so I'd want a decent GUI. Would Ubuntu run okay on that, or would I need a slimmed down distribution?

 

[Norm]

I was thinking about that the other day.

I loved the BBC model B that I bought when I went to university back in the 1980s. Click the switch round the back and there would be a short sequence of beeps and then it was ready to go.

It seems crazy with the power of personal computers now that they can take 30 seconds to several minutes to boot. Yes, I know that modern gui-based operating systems are much more complex than those of days gone by, but still!

I want ultra-short boot times too. I have a memory like a sieve so I end up scribbling notes on scraps of paper if my computer isn't already switched on because I forget what I wanted to make a note of if I have to wait for Windows to start up!

There's loads of stuff that does what you are looking for, Colin. Phones, Android devices, even the iPad will all do that but so will computers if you sleep rather than shut down. Boot times back down to seconds.

 

[Arch]

This is the thing that would bother me about a notebook.
I have only had one desk top over the last 12 years and started with a Psion 5 Organiser. I like it because I could open it up, type some notes on a document and shut it again all in a few seconds of time.

I want that sort of useability, as quick as opening a paper notepad and writing/drawing on it.

That's it! I'm gonna make a million!

Here's the idea. A net book, only instead of two 'leaves', it has three. It opens like a normal net book, but it has a 'leaf' within the lid that you open up, and it's a whiteboard! Or, for the retro-poseur, a slate.

Actually, surely it wouldn't be hard to insert a thin notepad into the lid of a laptop, and replacements would be a handy consumable for the IT companies to produce...

Anyway, having just had a play with Helen's Samsung, I think it'll do fine for me, so it's just a question of finding a good deal, and plucking up courage to do the deed.

 

[Arch]

Or...

scouting about for n130s I came across the n150...

More hard drive, and lots of colours (I'm so shallow, but I like the blue...), and currently £233 at PC World...

Remembering what was said about checking specific reviews, I happened across one that was 'well it's ok' - followed by dozens of comments from owners saying what a crap review it was, and how good the n150 was!

So, something else to think about...

 

[MacB]

Well I've just ordered the Samsung N220 from PC World bundled with a USG, cover/case and a wireless mouse, I also threw in the MS Home Office for students as the bundled offer was the 1 licence only one and I need to load it on 3 machines. This one claims a battery life of up to 14 hours, seems to tick all the boxes and has some good writeups...the machine on its own was £306.

 

[HelenD123]

Well I've just ordered the Samsung N220 from PC World bundled with a USG, cover/case and a wireless mouse, I also threw in the MS Home Office for students as the bundled offer was the 1 licence only one and I need to load it on 3 machines. This one claims a battery life of up to 14 hours, seems to tick all the boxes and has some good writeups...the machine on its own was £306.

That's very impressive!

 

[Night Train]

That's it! I'm gonna make a million!

Here's the idea. A net book, only instead of two 'leaves', it has three. It opens like a normal net book, but it has a 'leaf' within the lid that you open up, and it's a whiteboard! Or, for the retro-poseur, a slate.

I'm waiting for laptops to come out with colour 'ebook' type screens that use less power and don't light up the whole room.

Once, during a power cut at CAT, one laptop screen with a white desktop was enough to light the room to a level where everyone in it could still get on with their normal evening activities.

 

[TheDoctor]

Epaper screens have marvellously low power consumption but a very slow refresh rate.
I can use CC on my Kindle, but it's sooooooooooooo much nicer on a netbook.