Cheap, small, light netbook?

[Santilli]

Hi
I've managed to finally get a phone I can tether to a laptop. The connection is VERY slow, but, it works for mobile stuff, and, it's ten bucks a month, got to like that part.

So, I was thinking I might get a little netbook, throw a SSD in it I happen to have laying around, and tether it to the phone.

Anyone have history on netbooks? David, you did mention something about having a bunch of them fail...

Any suggestions?

It might end up in the car all the time, so, a cheap laptop might work as well.

 

[Santilli]

Forgot to ask what you use to load an operating system onto a new hard drive on one of these little gems?

 

[ddrueding]

USB Optical for installing the OS.

I have a bunch of MSI U100 and U123. I did have two fail. Not a bad percentage, but like Merc's experience with OCZ, don't expect a replacement product easily. I gave up.

Lenovo offers one for $339 I would consider.

 

[time]

I was under the impression that Lenovo netbooks and MSI netbooks came from the same factory, or the same manufacturer anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if that applied to all Ideapads and MSI laptops, but that's just a guess.

Greg, you can transfer a bootable ISO image to a flash drive and install directly from that if you don't have an external optical drive.

See How To Boot From A USB Flash Drive. I *think* I used the HP tool the last time I did this.

 

[MaxBurn]

Some netbooks like the dell minis come with the OS on a flash drive, hologram sticker on it and all.

 

[Mercutio]

I've seen quite a few broken netbooks. Lots of damaged screens and keyboards. That might just be the result of people using them in places or situations where they wouldn't have considered using a traditional notebook, but I'm not particularly enchanted with any of the common brands that are available at retail at this point.

 

[Santilli]

HMMM.
Costco has a Samsung for 279. Have to check on their warranty on netbooks.

The 410 and 510 start looking real good from IBM. A bit bigger, but, they do have optical drives. Current pricing is the savings equals the cost of the Samsung Netbook.

 

[sechs]

I have a client with an S10-2, and she really seems to love it. No problems that I've heard.

There's a big difference between a real notebook and one of these netbooks. I'm talking both size and performance. If there's something that you need performance-wise that the size doesn't make-up for, then consider getting one of the smaller laptops -- and paying for it.

 

[Santilli]

I have a client with an S10-2, and she really seems to love it. No problems that I've heard.

There's a big difference between a real notebook and one of these netbooks. I'm talking both size and performance. If there's something that you need performance-wise that the size doesn't make-up for, then consider getting one of the smaller laptops -- and paying for it.

I did get a chance to play with David's, with the X-25 in it. Was somewhat underwhelmed.
Think I'm going to for the CF-29, for 330 bucks, refurbished. Shove it under the seat of the car, and, if it gets stolen, not that much money in it. NOTHING will hold up like the CF-29.

 

[Stereodude]

I just wanted to add that netbooks suck!

 

[ddrueding]

Netbooks are very good at what they are. Small, light, and practically disposable. Many of my clients treat theirs in ways no laptop should be treated, backpacking, in the saddlebag without a case, tossed around. When they due they die.

 

[Santilli]

Netbooks do match the speed of a tethered phone. Both up and down are WELL under 1 mb/sec. They just seem way overpriced, considering the current laptop market, refurbished and otherwise.

 

[Striker]

HMMM.
Costco has a Samsung for 279. Have to check on their warranty on netbooks.

The 410 and 510 start looking real good from IBM. A bit bigger, but, they do have optical drives. Current pricing is the savings equals the cost of the Samsung Netbook.

When I was at costco last their warranty on all their laptops including netbooks is 2 years.

 

[Santilli]

"Saw" a vaporware CVS netbook today for 99 dollars today.

 

[Mercutio]

"Saw" a vaporware CVS netbook today for 99 dollars today.

Most of the really low end ones have ARM CPUs and run Android or Windows Mobile. They're real. K-mart (no, really) had a $150 tablet about three weeks ago. Most stores sold out right away and they don't expect to get more.

I suspect there will be a few decent low-cost competitors to the Kindle/ipad around Xmas.

 

[timwhit]

Most of the really low end ones have ARM CPUs and run Android or Windows Mobile. They're real. K-mart (no, really) had a $150 tablet about three weeks ago. Most stores sold out right away and they don't expect to get more.

It was a waste of $150 from what I read: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/07/augens-kmart-tablet-and-smartbook-wont-have-google-branded-app/

 

[Mercutio]

It was a waste of $150 from what I read: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/07/augens-kmart-tablet-and-smartbook-wont-have-google-branded-app/

I suspect that would depend a lot on why you need something in that form factor. It's probably a decent ebook reader, for example.

 

[Santilli]

My phone data througput is something like .2 MB/sec , vs. nearly 7 MB/sec with the ethernet and wireless router.

Don't need a fast computer to run Firefox on that speed connection, and look up places to live on the road, or for that matter, most anything I would be doing from the car, like checking work websites, etc. Gmail, etc. Would it be a bit frustrating? Maybe.
However, having a 300-500 dollar laptop ripped off, along with a couple hundred for the phone would be worse.

 

[timwhit]

You must have the crappiest wireless provider in North America. My download rate from my phone is around 3-4 Mbps.

 

[Santilli]

You must have the crappiest wireless provider in North America. My download rate from my phone is around 3-4 Mbps.

The service is T-Mobile. They have a 10 dollar, unlimited Data plan. They give you a terrible phone, and browser, trying to get you to bump up to the 80 dollar a month plan.

I'm not going there. The Nokia phone, Nuron, and software, allow you to tether, and, use opera, so it's almost useable, unlike the included browser on the Samsung Highlight, and, you can't install much software on that phone that works, including Opera.

So, being tied in for nearly 2 years, I bought the Nuron, about 100 bucks, and, with the OVI software suite, I have unlimited, though slow, internet tethering, at least so far.
The software shows 460.8 Kbps speed.
SpeedTest.net shows
Ping 145ms
Download at 1.48 Mb/s
upload .34 Mb/s

Still, it's 10 bucks a month, unlimited. I like that part. For being on the road, that's enough
for most of what I do.

I don't like price fixing much, and, it's obvious that's what's going on with the phone market around here...
Kind of like trying to find cheap gas..

 

[Pradeep]

You must have the crappiest wireless provider in North America. My download rate from my phone is around 3-4 Mbps.

Isn't that on a 4G network/phone tho?

 

[Mercutio]

I have four Thinkpad X201 tablets on my desk right now. 8GB RAM, 2.13GHz i7 CPUs, ultra-bright screen, six hour battery, 3.5lb. weight.

Not exactly affordable, but after spending the morning with an Acer Aspire, I certainly am glad that not everyone wants a $300 portable computer.

 

[Santilli]

I'm trying a used Panasonic CF-51 from ebay. Provided my hard drive caddies fit, and my battery, not to mention brick, work, it maybe a cheap way to keep my data on Google Calendar, using the phone to tether.

 

[Santilli]

Looks like it's going to work. Only real problem is the SSD is in the old model, but, it may well end up under the car seat. New one finding drivers hasn't been fun, but, it's a bit more then twice as fast, and, ST910021A seems like a decent hard drive, if not SSD fast.

 

[Santilli]

Looks like it's going to work. Only real problem is the SSD is in the old model, but, it may well end up under the car seat. New one finding drivers hasn't been fun, but, it's a bit more then twice as fast, and, ST910021A seems like a decent hard drive, if not SSD fast.

After pretty much making sure the newer T2500 based, core duo works, I switched the hard drives, and, I'm putting the 7200 rpm, with minimal software in the car, and the other one is going to be the one to go to. Newer model supports 1600X1200 screen, dual core is slightly more then twice as fast, but, RAM seems suspect. Ordered 2 gigs, of 5300 Crucial for it, a whopping 44 bucks.

I have noticed a substantial difference without the RAM disk installed for a cache for Firefox.

 

[Santilli]

Battery lasted 2.5 hours today, and, I worked all the way through a meeting today, doing an online test while the guy talked to the newbies.

Worked perfectly.