question Replacing Netbook

[sechs]

The battery appears to have suddenly pooped out on my trusty Lenovo S10-2 netbook. It was literally working fine two weeks ago and now won't work without AC power. The machines is already pretty long in the tooth, and the replacement battery is going to be something like $80; that's way more than it's worth.

In recent history, I have only been using it for travel and for periods when my desktop is down for extended periods, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on a replacement device. Most of the use is just web surfing, but I also need to be able to do basic word processing and spreadsheet work. I'd really prefer something with a keyboard.

What should I be looking at getting? I poked around netbooks, chromebooks, and tablets, and am just not sure which way I should be going.

 

[ddrueding]

That is basically what I use my old X-series thinkpad for. Perhaps there is a used market for those?

 

[Chewy509]

As dd, mentions older X series are nice...

A modern direct replacement for the older netbooks are the HP Stream 11 and the Asus x205. (both are MSRP US$199)

I'm personally not a fan of Chromebooks due to their reliance on Google infrastructure from the productivity aspect, and whilst tablets have come a long way, once you get a mid-range tablet + keyboard + cover, they can be expensive.

 

[CougTek]

Since I despise low-definition screens, I cannot recommend any of the ~200$ Chromebook currently out there, but the Toshiba Chromebook 2 (model #CB35-B3340) has a fullHD IPS 13.3" screen and 4GB of RAM. The storage is scant at 16GB and it comes with Chrome OS pre-installed, which can be easily fixed by replacing it with you favorite Linux distro. The other problem with it is that it doesn't appear to be in stock anywhere at the moment. It's probably over your budget anyway, but anything worth buying probably is too.

If you can live with a puny 1366x768 resolution, then you have plenty of choice between 200$ and 250$. If you want more, you'll have to spent North of 300$ or look for a used business laptop, which will be bulkier than any of the new slim models.

 

[Stereodude]

Are you sure you can't do better than that on the battery? I got a brand new genuine Lenovo 6 cell battery for a T410 for $40 on eBay. I found a seller with a surplus of them.

 

[Mercutio]

It's a kick in the balls to suggest Acer, but I've seen Acer's FHD Chromebook for $219. That screen will break if you breathe on it since that's what Acer screens do, but given the battery life and form factor, a Chromebook might be the best option. Low-end x86 right now isn't even worth considering. I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro in my tablet collection and that thing is pretty much every kind of terrible despite relatively modern Atom powered specs. Since those same specs apply to anything that would follow the "netbook" form factor, I'd put it or similar devices like the Stream 11 out of mind unless you can find one for less than a battery costs on your Lenovo.

Tablet-wise, 10" or even 12" Android is certainly credible and might make sense for content consumption (web surfing on the couch) but I think it's still sub-par compared to the Chromebook for productivity tasks. If you were thinking about it, a refurbished Nexus 10 or new-model Samsung 12.2" Galaxy Tab or Note Pro are probably the best options and they're STILL going to be $350. I don't think anyone is making a decent large format tablet around the $250 price point. Maybe some no-name Chinese thing, but that's probably not worth the risk.

 

[Tannin]

It's a kick in the balls to suggest Acer, but I've seen Acer's FHD Chromebook for $219.

FWIW, my Acer netbook is still going strong and has been a brilliant performer for many years. Given that it's a netbook, I couldn't be happier with it. Very solid build quality; can't break it with a hammer.

 

[sechs]

Picked up an Asus x205 for ~$150 a couple of months ago. Already taken it on one trip, and it works.

Other than more onboard storage, the only thing that I've missed so far is an ethernet port. Might pick up a USB dongle to cover the rare situation where I really need it.