Netbooks

[AfroLH]

So I am looking for a good netbook.
I have a few ones I am looking at:

Asus EEE 1000HE:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8068507709

HP Mini Netbook:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8028867515

MSI Wind Netbook:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8046803577

Any Suggestions?
And does anybody have any experiences with these?

[XCVG]

The problem with nearly all netbooks on the market is a crappy video accelerator. They are completely useless for games, and do nothing about decoding video. Just so you know. Now that that's done with, probably the Wind.

[eurddrue]

I was looking into them, and I really want the eeepc. You can do all sorts of sweet things to them, and asus doesn't care There's a really nice wiki where this guy made some step by step pictures of the gps, touch screen, and a bunch of other mods.

[AfroLH]

The problem with nearly all netbooks on the market is a crappy video accelerator. They are completely useless for games, and do nothing about decoding video. Just so you know. Now that that's done with, probably the Wind.

I wasn't planning on using it for games, as that is what I have a Desktop for

But do you think it could still run emulators?

[bicostp]

Some MAME games and maybe N64 games might chug a little, but emulators should run no problem. (Even games like Unreal Tournament GOTY, Half Life 1, and Quake 3 should run with ease.)

If you wanted some games, the Asus N10 series has a dedicated GeForce 9300m on top of the GMA 950. I think Samsung has one that uses the new GN40 chipset, which has the GMA 500. (It doesn't hold a candle to a real GPU, but it's better than the 950.) Or, you could do what I'm doing and wait for Ion based models to come out. (9400m graphics, faster FSB, and it uses the same amount of power as the antiquated chipset Intel uses.)

From briefly using other peoples' units and playing with floor models, I think the HP would be the one to get because it has the best keyboard.

/waits for Triton to post "EVERUN NOTE! EVERUN NOTE!"

[AfroLH]

Some MAME games and maybe N64 games might chug a little, but emulators should run no problem. (Even games like Unreal Tournament GOTY, Half Life 1, and Quake 3 should run with ease.)

If you wanted some games, the Asus N10 series has a dedicated GeForce 9300m on top of the GMA 950. I think Samsung has one that uses the new GN40 chipset, which has the GMA 500. (It doesn't hold a candle to a real GPU, but it's better than the 950.) Or, you could do what I'm doing and wait for Ion based models to come out. (9400m graphics, faster FSB, and it uses the same amount of power as the antiquated chipset Intel uses.)

From briefly using other peoples' units and playing with floor models, I think the HP would be the one to get because it has the best keyboard.

/waits for Triton to post "EVERUN NOTE! EVERUN NOTE!"

Thing with that is I really can't spend over $500.
But yeah, I just may have some N64 and lower emus.
Nothing major.

[vskid]

Use Newegg.
Define what good is. There isn't much of a difference between netbooks hardware wise. The only major differences are screen size, keyboard quality, touchpad, battery life, and whether it has a SSD or HDD. I'd just go for the cheapest one that meets your needs. The EEE 901 is the cheapest with a SSD at $280, so if you want a robust netbook with super battery life (6 cell battery), go for it. The EEE 900HA is good if you want a good amount of storage and it doesn't have to be as robust (160GB HDD), battery life is still pretty good (4 cell battery), $300. My brother has a 900HA, its pretty good. I know Asus has multitouch touchpads (not sure about others), so you can tap with 2 fingers for middle click or 3 fingers to right click.

EDIT: 901 also has bluetooth and 802.11n, 900HA doesn't have bluetooth and only 802.11g.

[palmertech]

The HP Mini is super awesome, but has a price premium of too much for the little bits you get like a nice screen and a bigger keyboard.

The MSI wind is a good choice, but if I were to buy one of the current gen netbooks, and had a $500 budget, I would look into the HP 2140. Awesome screen, 92% full size keyboard, and all metal case.

[AfroLH]

Use Newegg.
Define what good is. There isn't much of a difference between netbooks hardware wise. The only major differences are screen size, keyboard quality, touchpad, battery life, and whether it has a SSD or HDD. I'd just go for the cheapest one that meets your needs. The EEE 901 is the cheapest with a SSD at $280, so if you want a robust netbook with super battery life (6 cell battery), go for it. The EEE 900HA is good if you want a good amount of storage and it doesn't have to be as robust (160GB HDD), battery life is still pretty good (4 cell battery), $300. My brother has a 900HA, its pretty good. I know Asus has multitouch touchpads (not sure about others), so you can tap with 2 fingers for middle click or 3 fingers to right click.

EDIT: 901 also has bluetooth and 802.11n, 900HA doesn't have bluetooth and only 802.11g.

I just need good battery life and a decent amount of storage.

Oh and what does bluetooth do on a computer?

[palmertech]

Lets you use bluetooth headsets, PS3 controllers, and wiimotes. Other stuff, too, but those are all I use it for.

Don't bother getting it built in, a USB bluetooth dongle that is TINY costs like $3 on DX.

[vskid]

I just need good battery life and a decent amount of storage.

Oh and what does bluetooth do on a computer?

You could get a 901 (12GB SSD) and a $30 16GB SDHC card. That would give you ~28GB of storage and 6-7 hours of battery life. Or a 900HA and buy a 6 cell battery.

I use bluetooth to connect a GPS receiver.

[Harshboy]

My Personal favorite has always been the MSI Wind. Best looking Mobile Hackintosh ever (IMO)

[ghosstt]

Just wait for triton to post his stuff about the everun note. You'll want one after that. It can even run Half-Life 2!

[bicostp]

So can the N10j, and it's a couple hundred bucks cheaper!

[HotDog-Cart]

Screw those, and get a OLPC OX 2.0!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/23/olpc ... n-will-de/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.betanews.com/article/OLPCs-n ... 1211408824" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://img.hexus.net/v2/news/olpc/xo2-2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Its only $75 when it launches next month. (Full availiability in the summer.)

Laptop, has NO keyboard. Instead, it has two touch screens. One dedicated to make an amazing touch keyboard, and the other for the viewing. Now, both of those screens can be converted into an ebook reader, games player, e-paper mode, and more. Thats amazing. Dual touch screens, great for e-paper and small 2 player games.