Should I buy a Starling?

[Lee_Machine]

I'm in the process of choosing a netbook to buy, and I cannot decide between two. The first is S76's Starling Netbook, and the other is the Asus eeePC 1005HA.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220551

For the people that have the Starling what are your thoughts?

Anyone here have said eeePC?

I'm thinking about just going for the Starling, and supporting a great company, and Linux in general, but I do want the best product for my money too. :P

Opinions?

[rlauzon]

For the people that have the Starling what are your thoughts?

Anyone here have said eeePC?

Opinions?

I used to have an Asus eee 900, which worked well for me, but I wanted the larger screen, so I picked up a Starling.

So far, the Starling has exceeded all my expectations. It works very well for its intended purpose - and then some. My full-sized laptop got sold off because the Starling does everything I needed a laptop to do as well.

[jml]

My bias is to suggest that you buy the Starling. I have one and I am very happy with it. Solidly built, good performance, great customer support. And you are not paying the Microsoft tax. The only reason I would consider the ASUS would be if you need to run Windows OS and Windows compatible applications as a dual boot. The ASUS comes pre-installed with Windows so you would not have to purchase a copy of the OS. But if you do not plan to run Windows, then the Starling will do nicely in my opinion.

Joe

[gamerchick02]

My bias leans towards the Starling as well.

After getting the upgraded driver, wireless is awesome. It's very well made. I haven't seen as well-made of a computer (besides the Pangolian) since I saw my friend's new Apple.

I don't know much about the eeePC, though it looks nice and portable. The Starling is too.

jml said it best with:

The only reason I would consider the ASUS would be if you need to run Windows OS and Windows compatible applications as a dual boot. The ASUS comes pre-installed with Windows so you would not have to purchase a copy of the OS. But if you do not plan to run Windows, then the Starling will do nicely in my opinion.

I agree with him.

Enjoy whichever you get!

Amy

[ShowMeGrrl]

I say go for the Starling. Agree with gamerchick that the Starling is sturdy. Last night, my husband tripped over the power cord and the netbook went crashing to the floor. To my amazement, it went dark for a minute or so but picked up where it left off after that. Seems to be no worse for the wear. I did a full review of the Starling at http://tinyurl.com/lkexet

[PatrickVogeli]

Living in japan, I'd choose an Asus one

[Groucho Marxist]

I'm in the process of choosing a netbook to buy, and I cannot decide between two. The first is S76's Starling Netbook, and the other is the Asus eeePC 1005HA.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220551

For the people that have the Starling what are your thoughts?

Anyone here have said eeePC?

I'm thinking about just going for the Starling, and supporting a great company, and Linux in general, but I do want the best product for my money too. :P

Opinions?

In terms of CPU, the advantage goes to ASUS. It features a 1.66 Ghz processor in comparison to the Starling's 1.6 Ghz as well as a front side bus of 667 Mhz in comparison to the Starling's 533 Mhz. The ASUS model, with these slight advantages, will allow for somewhat faster computing throughout its electronic lifespan.

If weight is an issue, the Starling comes in first at 2.6 pounds in contrast to ASUS' 2.81 pounds; however, if this is not a priority, then I digress.

Where the Starling has a definite advantage over the ASUS is in RAM; 2 GB in comparison to 1 GB. For years, I used a "hand me down" computer with less than a gig of RAM, and I would strongly recommend that you choose the former option of 2 GB over the latter of 1.

I feel that while the ASUS laptop features a slightly more powerful processor, the System76 model is lighter, features more RAM and allows one to support a quality business that fully embraces open-source philosophy from start to finish. Furthermore, System76 features a $25 off coupon for the total price of your laptop alongside reasonable shipping rates [i.e. not charging you $50 {or more} for something that should clearly cost no more than $30]. With these points in mind, I would recommend that you purchase the Starling notebook over the ASUS model.

[Lee_Machine]

Living in japan, I'd choose an Asus one

That's funny that you said that, because last night I went to a local electronic store to buy a new internal DVD Burner, and I saw the eeePC 1005HA for 30000 Yen...about $300. It was on sale. I contemplated getting it, but I have exceeded my monthly set allowance on "toys" or else I'd just spend all my money on em :lolflag:

Also it had the Japanese keyboard.

Anywho I may just get the Starling just for the fact I know it will work with Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

What I really want to know is what is the make and model of the Starling, so I may look at the compatibility list for it on other Netbook OS's.

Thanks for the replies.

[Eldera]

What I really want to know is what is the make and model of the Starling, so I may look at the compatibility list for it on other Netbook OS's.

Why not email Tom? That's what he asked another poster to do.
7845657

[phu5ion]

I used to have an Asus eee 900, which worked well for me, but I wanted the larger screen, so I picked up a Starling.

So far, the Starling has exceeded all my expectations. It works very well for its intended purpose - and then some. My full-sized laptop got sold off because the Starling does everything I needed a laptop to do as well.
To those that have owned a Starling, I'm wondering how long the batter run time is for you with the 6-cell model? I'm thinking of purchasing/support system 76 and it would be great to get an idea of how long i can go on a charge.

[thomasaaron]

Our shop tests are indicating 4-5 hours, depending on usage.

[phu5ion]

Our shop tests are indicating 4-5 hours, depending on usage.
Not bad, that about I what I get right now with my current laptop. Thanks.