What is the point in a netbook?

[gymophett]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it? Is it just a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity? Does it have the same capabilities as a normal laptop? Someone explain. :P
My little 10 year old sister is begging for a $250 pink Acer Aspire One.
I just don't get it.

[Kareeser]

For the tweens... it's "cute", and it's the "in" thing to get.

For more practical uses... yes, it is essentially a miniaturized laptop. It has longer battery life, has a smaller form factor, and does basically everything a laptop does.

Except it has no CD/DVD drive.

[gymophett]

Except it has no CD/DVD drive.

I download everything anyway, or use a USB drive. CD's are so 2007. :P

[pwnst*r]

and does basically everything a laptop does.



just much slower.

[ninjapirate89]

They are very handy to bring to places where you don't need a full fledged, and heavier, laptop (like on a flight). Not to mention they are cheap and fulfil most uses people have for a laptop.

[PointyWombat]

For me, it's that they're just so portable. A fraction of the weight of my normal laptop and easily slips in a backpack or small bag. Sometimes all i need is something simple (and cheap) to connect with..

[gymophett]

They are very handy to bring to places where you don't need a full fledged, and heavier, laptop (like on a flight). Not to mention they are cheap and fulfil most uses people have for a laptop.

I guess if you were a heavy traveler, they would be a nice thing to have around. I mean, you can stuff them in your handbag.
Or maybe if you like to go to internet coffee cafe's in the morning (which I would love to do EVERY morning, but unfortunately we don't have one in this rinky dink town).

[Giant Speck]

The point is ultra-portability.

[JK3mp]

Pretty much nothing new to add. Im thinking about getting one just cause its fully portable. Lot easier than busting out my full fledge 19 inch widescreen sony vaio. :P

[gymophett]

Pretty much nothing new to add. Im thinking about getting one just cause its fully portable. Lot easier than busting out my full fledge 19 inch widescreen sony vaio. :P

Yeah, I was thinking about it too, when I'm traveling. A lot better than busting out my 17 inch Acer.

[Icehuck]

They are handy if you are traveling and limited on space. Personally, I don't have a need to bring a laptop 99% of the time. The case where I could use a laptop I can just bring my normal one. I don't mind bringing it because it's only 8 pounds which is barely anything when you put it over your back/shoulder.

[blackened]

Well, I do virtually no travelling at all, but my eee is the machine I use about 85% of the time. It's Tuesday and my regular laptop hasn't come out of my backpack since being put there last Friday.

Because it is small, light, and has long battery life, I find myself using it for all my browsing. Because it opens to nearly 180 degrees, I usually hold it by the hinge with my left hand and operate the touchpad with my right. If I need to type, then I hook my left thumb under the front edge and prop the hinge against one leg and type away. Touch typing took about 10 minutes to get used to because of the modified key layout, but, once you figure out that the right shift key is useless, you're good.

All in all, I've never been zealous about a machine before, but I'm there now, and not ashamed to talk about it.

[sertse]

on the other hand, I really feel the weight of my full laptop if I'm carrying it on top of my various textbooks for subjects at uni.

It's light, cheap, not limitating at all, if you're already used to obessing with lightness (distros and apps), and maximising screen space. Afterall you ain't really be doing heavy duty stuff on it.

[NintendoTogepi]

Netbooks are awesome. They're like real computers but a lot more portable.

I think in 3-5, the majority of computers sold will be netbooks. I can honestly say my netbook is probably my favorite computer I've had, and it was only $199!

[sir_nasty]

Personally I bought mine for onsite troubleshooting for new DSL installations, it's a nice tool to have in your bag in case the customer has issues ... nothing like a usb stick and a netbook to solve problems!

[jomiolto]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it? Is it just a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity? Does it have the same capabilities as a normal laptop? Someone explain. :P

It's the sweet spot between usability and portability. I don't have my own netbook (yet), but I've seen and tried a few and they are surprisingly comfortable to use (at least for a short periods of time) and you can actually touch-type on them. On the other hand, smart phones are practically useless, because you just can't type with them and regular notebooks are too big to be carried everywhere.


My little 10 year old sister is begging for a $250 pink Acer Aspire One.
I just don't get it.

Your sister has good taste on colours -- I'd love a pink netbook too ;)

[jespdj]

For me, portability is the real point. A small netbook (I have a Dell Mini 9) is much easier to take everywhere than even a small laptop.

It can't, however, replace my laptop for everything; it's good enough for e-mailing, browsing the web and looking at videos, but the screen is too small for serious text editing (and the keyboard on the Mini 9 is not suitable for typing large amounts of text).

[Orlsend]

I am web-designer, I like to take my job with. The Price,battery life,recharge time and the size are a key-factor for me. They use the same things a regular laptop. I can swap my HHD with the one my laptop or even the ram...

300$ for Eeepc that has 160GB HD,2GB of fast ram and a dual layered 1.6Ghz Intel Atom. Plus things like a built in mic,web-cam and multi-purpose card reader...

They are just too cheap. :D

I never regret buying mine...

[billgoldberg]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it? Is it just a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity? Does it have the same capabilities as a normal laptop? Someone explain. :P
My little 10 year old sister is begging for a $250 pink Acer Aspire One.
I just don't get it.

I got one (Asus Eeepc 900) and it's only useful for browsing the web and chatting and maybe watching movies when you have no others screens available.

Don't expect to get any real work done on them.

Sure you can run all the applications you can on another pc, but lets say you have to write an essay. You'll throw the little ******* out of the window after an hour.

--

I only use my netbook when the desktop is taken by my brother.

I prefer using a 22 inch screen for browsing the web than that small little 9 incher.

[and1bskbl72]

Let me tell you guys, the acer aspire one is awesome!

I never thought I would enjoy going to one of these small computers after first seeing those tiny screens at best buy. But since I bought this one with the hopes of selling my Gateway 17inch p6860fx gaming powerhouse laptop, it isn't bad at all. It comes with a 160 gb hard drive, that's half of what's in my gaming rig. I just put Jaunty on it and dual boot with XP and I am happy. 6 1/2 hours battery life compared the the 2 hours on my Gateway. :P

[gnomeuser]

The point is having a machine that is small, portable with long battery life with an interface that is tailored to the tasks you do on the road.

Light wordprocessing, checking your facebook, chatting.

I have had laptops for more year that is wise to recount, however I very rarely actually use them for carrying around. They are bulky, the battery runs out after 2 hours or so. It is tied to a power cord and as such isn't portable at all. Aside that they are heavy and since the battery life is so poor you have to carry around power cords making the effort futile.

In the two years I have had the laptop I write this on I think I have had it outside my home maybe 10 times. It's just not worth the bother.

With 3G mobile internet and wifi spots (yay FON) being more and more common a netbook is absolutely ideal to take with you. It fits neatly in bag along with anything you need and has power to last for a good couple of hours. If I want to sit under a tree in the botanical garden I can while still being able to post on the forums, I can.

Now I don't currently own a netbook, mostly since my fiances aren't that pretty but also because I am holding out for the ARM based netbooks that should be coming out soon.

[skymera]

Well, a netbook:

- Fits in my college bag
- Light
- Boots fast
- Functional
- I can take to McDonalds and abuse their free WiFi

[JohnFH]

They are bulky, the battery runs out after 2 hours or so.

...

It fits neatly in bag along with anything you need and has power to last for a good couple of hours.


I like the way you think a good couple of hours is a lot longer than over 2 hours. :)

[meeples]

just much slower.

nah its not much slower, i own an acer aspire one and its the fastest machine ive ever owned, it has 1gig of ram which is more than enough for ubuntu, it has intel atom processor, which im sure is dual core or something because it comes up as two completely independent proccessors in system monitor.

the only difference between the netbook and a laptop to me is size and the lack of a cd drive.

everythings done on USB drives now anyway so who cares :D

[pwnst*r]

I like the way you think a good couple of hours is a lot longer than over 2 hours. :)

lol

[Aearenda]

I use a netbook (Acer Aspire One) 95% of the time now, and a desktop only when I have to. At home I link it to a large screen, USB CD/DVD drive and full size keyboard. It's light, quiet, unintrusive, and runs 4.5 hours on the 6-cell battery; and it's simply 'good enough' for most work that I do. It replaced a 5-year-old failing laptop that originally cost 7 times as much!

[3rdalbum]

A better question is "What is the point of a regular notebook?".

I've never liked laptops. People sit them on their desks in leiu of a desktop computer, and then complain when their computer that's full of low-performance mobile components, starts running slowly when they install anti-virus.

Only slightly less daft than sitting a laptop on your desk 24/7 is actually trying to take it around with you. Laptops are heavy and not convenient to carry while using them. Considering the big batteries and low power/performance of the components, you don't get very much battery life.

By contrast, a netbook is so portable, you can actually use it while you are carrying it. It has worse performance than a notebook, but this is a machine you're using on the move; not a machine you're going to put on your desk in leiu of something thrice as powerful.

You get the same battery life as the big notebooks, but with a smaller and lighter battery. If you really want to be able to work all day on one, you can get a big battery.

8 inch netbook screens aren't really too bad except that they tend to be widescreen - useless as these are not multimedia machines. The keyboards are fine; not quite as comfortable to type on as a desktop keyboard, but with a little bit of practice they are just as comfortable as normal laptop keyboards.

So basically, as I see it, notebooks are "portable" computers that are neither portable nor powerful. Netbooks are portable computers that are truly portable and not powerful. And yes, I too take mine to McDonalds to leech their free Wifi :-)

As with any buying decision, make sure you buy the netbook because it fulfills a need, not just because it's cute and the in-thing.

Oh the Intel Atom processors used in netbooks currently are single-core, but they have Hyperthreading that makes them appear as dual-cores. The hyperthreading adds up to 30% of performance for multiple threads over and above what the CPU could do without it, so don't worry that "half my CPU is idle" - it isn't.

[gnomeuser]

I like the way you think a good couple of hours is a lot longer than over 2 hours. :)

Clearly you don't know my laptop battery I see. It goes "2 hours left.. oh wait I meant 5 mins.. run run run you fat lazy ******* find me an outlet or lose your work".

I secretly suspect it has sadist tendencies and just likes to mess with me.

I would like to see a device where I could go for at least a couple of hours in actual use. That is not the case with this laptop, even the cheapest netbooks can go for at least 2 hours of actual real world use. Ideally I would be able to go for at least a day, my nokia n810 does this so why shouldn't a netbook be able to reach the same levels.

[fatality_uk]

I have a Samsung NC10, which I just upgrade the RAM to 2GB for £20. Runs like a dream. I had a 17" ZooStorm mega lappy which was all singing and dancing until it burst into flames, right after a Jaunty install :)

I now use this as my fulltime laptop for 1 week without any issues. It runas all the apps that it's bigger brother did. When I get to the office, I switch on, 20 seconds later I am online, wifi'd and logged in. Docked into a 21" screen, the NC10 will display HUGE resolutions. At the end of the day, I can just throw it into a briefcase and leave!!!

As they get a little more power, I think this is the future.

[gnomeuser]

I have a Samsung NC10, which I just upgrade the RAM to 2GB for £20. Runs like a dream. I had a 17" ZooStorm mega lappy which was all singing and dancing until it burst into flames, right after a Jaunty install :)

Burst into flames you say.. I do hope there is video of that, it would get mad hits on youtube

[forrestcupp]

For more practical uses... yes, it is essentially a miniaturized laptop. It has longer battery life, has a smaller form factor, and does basically everything a laptop does.


I play Halo: Combat Evolved on my laptop. Can a netbook do that?

My laptop can do anything my desktop can do. I know a netbook can't do that.

[Dragonbite]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it? Is it just a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity? Does it have the same capabilities as a normal laptop? Someone explain. :P
My little 10 year old sister is begging for a $250 pink Acer Aspire One.
I just don't get it.

I think the idea is something light, durable and portable (which means battery life).

It's almost depressing, but except for my laptop having a 12" screen it's about the same power as a netbook, same external-only disk drive and only lasts 1 hour! That doesn't give me time to really get comfortable on the couch without plugging it in!

To have something that you open, turn on, check email/Facebook/Twitter/Ubuntuforums/etc. and not have to worry so much about what the battery life is at the time would be very handly.

Connect to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse and you bypass the limitation of the size factor.

I would love to have a netbook because I can then
Take it with me to computer club meetings and not have to plug it in or worry about the battery life not lasting as long as the meeting
Is more easily carried to such computer club meetings
doesn't take up much space on the table when I go to play Dungeons and Dragons (with the books on it in PDF format)
hopefully the battery could last the duration of the game (4-6 hours)
great for carrying on vacations, especially handy if they have free wi-fi where you are staying
easy to toss into my bag so at work, instead of doing things on the company's computers I can do and save on my own without lugging 2 full-sized laptops
plug it into a keyboard/mouse/display for making presentations (easier o nthe eys and such) yet not have to lug around too much to take it to a presentations
good size for the kids' hands
handles most of what I use the comptuer for, and my desktop will compensate for the more heavy lifting jobs (video editing, image manipulation, compiled programming, etc.)


It all comes down to how are you going to use it.
Games? Probably not.
Compiling/Rendering 3D? I don't think so.
Access to web/email and such from many palces? Probably.

That's why I see the netbook as a good addition, if you do perform any of the more intensive activities. But much of my home use and my wife's use is email/browsing/office which fits into netbooks perfectly.

Current system: Dell D400, 12.1"screen, 1.4GHz Pentium M, 512MB Ram, external drive, a/b/g wireless, 30 GB hard drive. yeah, a lot of netbooks beat that

[fatality_uk]

Burst into flames you say.. I do hope there is video of that, it would get mad hits on youtube

I was more concerned at getting the laptop off my coffe table which is wooden and loaded with polish and into the garden :)

All I can say is that I am VERY glad that I didn't have it on my lap at the time :P

I have a photo of a burnt casing :( not good. I did manage to gran the RAM, HD and Atheros WIF modules from inside. The rest was fried.

[lswest]

Well my plus-sides for considering buying a Samsung NC10:
(this is all compared to my HP DV6545eg)

- Better battery life (easily 4.5 to 7 hours VS 1.5-2 hours on my HP)
- smaller/more portable (1.33kg VS 2.8kg, 10.2" monitor VS 15.4, etc.)
- Capabilities are roughly the same: webcam, microphone, CPU is slightly slower on the netbook, but my laptop's CPU is usually scaled to around 800MHz, less RAM (but 2GB in my laptop seems overkill for what I do with it), netbook has bluetooth (laptop doesn't), etc.
- hdd: same. 160GB each
- Price: 400€ instead of the 800€ I paid for my laptop (leaves money left over for other things)

Reason to replace my laptop right now:
battery is worn
charger is dying
hard disk is dying
repairs would cost about 250€

Basically I see it as a portable laptop to use on the go (battery life is excellent for what I need), since I have my PC for all the heavier stuff I do. I don't listen to music on my laptop, I have my ipod or SanDisk Sansa e260 for that, and I code basic programs in python, chat, surf the web, code a few websites, etc. and never really play games, so the netbook is ideal for me, I'll not be tempted to do anything it can't support.

I think it's a useful investment if you have a proper computer/more powerful one for heavier jobs, and if you're looking for something portable without expecting too much (videos, etc.). Besides, I grew tired of lugging around my 15.4" laptop, and I no longer use it that heavily (I did when I bought it, and so I took that into account), and it's easily affordable for me, since I'm a student and not really flush with cash. Heck, if I could I'd buy that nice voodoo 13" laptop, but I can't and so I'm going to go with portable and utilitarian :P. Also, I'll be finished with high school this year, and then I'll need something light to take to work/university, and a netbook is great for that. I don't know if it'll last until Uni (planning on taking a gap year), but it should and if it does I'm all set for those long classes with lots of notes :P

Just my thoughts on the matter,
Lswest

[chrisinspace]

http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/pr_0428_samsung_NC20

Ooooo...I want it!

It will be interesting to see how the VIA Nano processor changes the game.

[Dragonbite]

What about a System76 Starling Netbook (http://system76.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=92)?


http://system76.com/images/nb1_front_med.jpg

[SushiR]

I really can't wait to get one of those ARM netbooks. They look super sexy, can play hd media and due to minimal power consumption they will run for many hours. :guitar:

Besides, I own an EeePc 901. It's super portable and I use it for browsing, e-mail, irc, icq...sometimes I watch movies on it. And I can take it with me in my handbag. :-)

[fatality_uk]

My NC10 recently went on a trip with me to Tunisia. During the evening, I used MovieMaker to create a MPG which I burnt when I got back home. It was very easy and it had enough power to do that. The final vid was 140MB which took about 10 mins to create. I love my NC10, just wish that I could run Linux on it. The hard drive cycling bug isn't fixed to my satisfaction and I don't want to lose my NC10 due to a HD crash :(

[Aearenda]

I play Halo: Combat Evolved on my laptop. Can a netbook do that?Of course not. That would be silly.

If System76 would sell overseas, I'd buy from them.

[0per4t0r]

I download everything anyway, or use a USB drive. CD's are so 2007. :P
hey, don't be dissin' the cd, because then you're dissin the liveCD.

[garythegoth]

just much slower.

Except for when Ion based netbooks with dualcore Atoms and 9400M hit the scene.

[dragos240]

Cheaper, more compact, easy to use, easy to learn, and pretty nice.... I'm using one right now.

[Dr_Willis]

I like my netbook for what it pain it saves me.. mainly the Pain in my back from hauling around a larger laptop. :)

Plus Mine came in HOT PINK. No one is going to dare ask to borrow or steal this thing.. Even more so now that i Have a Nice 'Hello Kitty' Sticker on it.

Did i also mention it fits IN my lunchbox. (well its more of a picnic cooler)

Acer Aspire One. Works very well with Ubuntu.

[garythegoth]

I like my netbook for what it pain it saves me.. mainly the Pain in my back from hauling around a larger laptop. :)

Plus Mine came in HOT PINK. No one is going to dare ask to borrow or steal this thing.. Even more so now that i Have a Nice 'Hello Kitty' Sticker on it.

Did i also mention it fits IN my lunchbox. (well its more of a picnic cooler)

Acer Aspire One. Works very well with Ubuntu.

It may get stolen if you goto San Francisco ;)

[Dr_Willis]

Did someone mention they are cheap? :) so if it gets stolen.. well... I can get One in Lime Green and Lavender!

The only thing i miss on the AAO would be an Svideo Out. Plus editing images in the gimp is a bit bothersome on the smaller res screen.

That would have to be the #1 issue i have with netbooks - many apps just do not play nicely when the screen res is 'short' so part of the windows gets cut off at the bottom.

(there is a tweak to allow you to use alt-click to move the apps UP past the gnome panel/top of screen, Normally this is not allowed by gnome)

:guitar:

[gn2]

@garythegoth: They still won't be any great shakes.
Even an E1200 Celeron beats an Atom 330 easily (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intelatom-vianano_8.html#sect1).

[pwnst*r]

Except for when Ion based netbooks with dualcore Atoms and 9400M hit the scene.

yes, because we're talking about the future.

[garythegoth]

When Ion based netbooks are released with a decent sized SSD, then I will certainly buy one.:popcorn:

[vexorian]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it?
That they are neat and cheap...

Well, I bought a netbook, basically, after about a year of use it was the best purchase in my life, however that's due to specific needs:
* It is light and small : This will save your life if you travel, a big laptop will weight a lot more and use a lot more space and that's very anoying to lift and handle during those airport 'dead' times... It is also great for college as it isn't much worse than a notebook (a real notebook) ...
* It is cheap: Please consider this: Getting a good netbook will cost much, much , much less than getting a good laptop, it is easy to get a terrible laptop for twice the cost of a good netbook, but a terrible laptop will just be... terrible. In my case, the difference between 400 USD and 800 USD determines whether I could pay for it, as credit is not an option.

* It does not come with windows preinstalled: It is much easier to avoid the windows tax, and that's important to me, sure you can just wipe the hard drive, but the money that went to MS will be used to attack free software. No thanks. (This was true when I bought it, now they are many windows netbook out there, which is pointless as windows is just too slow and power intensive for a true netbook, beware of windows netbooks as they are most likely just laptops with small screens... )

* It uses less power, again, you can do the same with a laptop but not without increasing the weight a lot... This green power usage is great for a secret application for netbooks I found : At night I do my downloading and torrent stuff on just the netbook, instead of using the big computer, this has actually halved my power bills...

--
Anyway, I never had a laptop or netbook before it, so I wasn't used to the power in a laptop. After installing a good distro on it, it will perform just fine, and I am not even talking about the atom netbooks, mine is just a celeron one with 800 Mhz downclocked to 600 Mhz...

I use it for programming and web browsing, it was a great life saver in college because I could actually do homework in a good environment... There are also Linux games that perform well on it.

IMHO, the only thing that will not work just fine in a netbook are those idiotic hardcore windows games only geeky teens care about :)

Speaking of travel: Free internet in hotels is a great life saver when you are outside your home land...


--
There are external USB DVD/CD drives.

[AaronMT]

They suck for doing any kind of programming. I do not like seeing 10 lines at a time, but that's just me.

[gn2]

yes, because we're talking about the future.

Not too far away, Ion net-tops are available for pre-order now (http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/9606798/Acer-Aspire-Revo-Intel-Atom-N230-1-6GHz-1GB-8GB-SSD-Linux-Desktop-PC/Product.html), netbooks will follow soon.
Still only the Atom 230 though. :(

[garythegoth]

@garythegoth: They still won't be any great shakes.
Even an E1200 Celeron beats an Atom 330 easily (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intelatom-vianano_8.html#sect1).

Yeah I know its still a slow chip, but all I want is a Nvidia based netbook, not exactly going to be running Crysis or anything on it, so you know....

[garythegoth]

Not too far away, Ion net-tops are available for pre-order now (http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/9606798/Acer-Aspire-Revo-Intel-Atom-N230-1-6GHz-1GB-8GB-SSD-Linux-Desktop-PC/Product.html), netbooks will follow soon.
Still only the Atom 230 though. :(

Zotac are making Ion based mobos that take 330s though, so not long ;)

[collinp]

Netbooks are generally just really low-end laptops, built with browsing the internet in mind. That, as a result, is their primary purpose and the origin of their name. They /can/ be used for other things, like word processing and other light tasks, but no games or cpu/gpu intensive applications. They would just die.

[lancest]

If you don't own a netbook right now I suggest you get one and find out for yourself why they are so useful. I got sick of lugging around my 13.3 notebook and now mainly use an ASUS Eee 900A. This makes a great second or third pc.

Advantages
1. Cheap- less worry about heat factor or losing
2. Small form factor-non obtrusive
3. Portabilility- I carry it around like a book
4. Somewhat rugged. Can be dropped (SSD drive)
5. Made for Linux- no Windows key or badge
6. Great built in speaker useful for online radio
7. Useful for hacking.

I give credit to (independent minded) ASUS for starting the whole netbook phenom. :) No matter if XP is mostly used, netbooks weaken the most proprietary vendors- and that's a good thing in my book.

[teh603]

Honestly, I see a netbook as a more affordable laptop. If I need a CD drive, I've got an external one. That's the only thing I'd really need that a netbook can't do anyway. I can't get fast enough internet when I'm not at home to do things like play WOW, so gaming isn't really an issue.

I may also end up using it at cons to yoink photos off digital cameras, but that's another story entirely.

[gn2]

~ I give credit to (independent minded) ASUS for starting the whole netbook phenom. ~

That credit would be misplaced, Asus were not first to bring a netbook to market and they certainly didn't think up the concept of a low power cheap ultra-portable.

[vexorian]

They suck for doing any kind of programming. I do not like seeing 10 lines at a time, but that's just me.
That's something that's quite easy to adapt to. A program would suck if you need to look at more than 10 lines at a time to be able to follow its flow... And to be honest, I am yet to find such a case.

It is still much better at programming than a freaking paper notebook, cause that's the alternative, laptops are too expensive to be a viable purchase, I'd rather program with only 10 visible lines of code than not programming at all outside of home.

Edit: I just checked, and geany on full screen mode (what I use for programming in the eee) shows 23 lines of code. Plus there's still space used by the menu bar and the tabs section, and a rather large font is in use.

[collinp]

That credit would be misplaced, Asus were not first to bring a netbook to market and they certainly didn't think up the concept of a low power cheap ultra-portable.

I think the credit for what started this explosion of netbooks (not saying that the idea has not been thought of before, just saying what created this recent explosion) more than likely goes to One Laptop Per Child's creation of the XO.

[richg]

Net books or mini laptops are not meant to replace standard laptops or desktops. They are for light weight traveling and connectivity. I have the first generation Asus 4G. It is very nice if I stay inside the limits of the device. I have a desktop for heavy duty work.
On trips, I can transfer photos from my digital camera to free up the media.

Rich

[lancest]

That credit would be misplaced, Asus were not first to bring a netbook to market and they certainly didn't think up the concept of a low power cheap ultra-portable.

I agree with your point, there must have been others there before ASUS. However ASUS was the first big hardware vendor to make netbooks commercially successful (and had the courage to GO against the tide in doing so) Even at this time Sony for instance- certainly would not release a low cost netbook.

[gn2]

I think the credit for what started this explosion of netbooks (not saying that the idea has not been thought of before, just saying what created this recent explosion) more than likely goes to One Laptop Per Child's creation of the XO.

I can understand why that argument could be made, but the vast majority of netbooks on sale trace their ancestry to Intel's World Ahead Program Classmate rather than the XO.
It's quite likely that the OLPC project would have been far more succesful if they hadn't fallen out with Intel.

[gn2]

I agree with your point, there must have been others there before ASUS. However ASUS was the first big hardware vendor to make netbooks commercially successful (and had the courage to GO against the tide in doing so) Even at this time Sony for instance- certainly would not release a low cost netbook.

It's definitely a fact that Asus' (at the time) aggressive pricing of the initial Eee 7xx and 9xx models is what kick started the netbook revolution.
It's just a shame that they have all but abandoned Linux and the low spec/pricing.
They even do one with an optical drive now.
It will probably cost more than a 12" Core 2 Duo proper laptop.

[MaxIBoy]

I'm going to get a lot of disagreement out of this, but...

The stupid things are toys, decent for goofing around but no good for serious work. Most laptops are like this to some extent, but netbooks are just extreme. They're almost as useless as iPhones.

You release a laptop that underpowered, and you'll get something worth maybe $100, $150 at the most. So what do they do? They shrink it down, keeping the price relatively low, but making it trendier and somehow "better." Doesn't hurt that you loose screen resolution, giving the illusion of performance when you'd get the same benefit by running a normal laptop at 800*480. As someone else pointed out, it's easy to pay twice the cost of a netbook for a really terrible laptop. This is true. However, this terrible laptop will outperform the crap out of a netbook any day.

[pwnst*r]

Not too far away, Ion net-tops are available for pre-order now (http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/9606798/Acer-Aspire-Revo-Intel-Atom-N230-1-6GHz-1GB-8GB-SSD-Linux-Desktop-PC/Product.html), netbooks will follow soon.
Still only the Atom 230 though. :(

you don't get it. we're comparing laptops to notebooks NOW. you can argue till you're blue in the face about what's coming out in the near future, but for this discussion it doesn't matter.

[wispygalaxy]

For me, netbooks are pretty cool. Carrying around a heavy laptop in its case gets tiring. I want something small. Also, netbooks are better for the environment since they use less energy. :) I just wish netbooks would have more space since I have a lot of music on my laptop. But I'm pretty happy with the selection that is available now. Since I'm at college, I need to bring a computer around campus. The netbook is the perfect solution for traveling around. The Wi-Fi is getting better here, so I don't need to bring a lot of cables. I don't do too much PC gaming, so a high-end computer is useless for me now. I have a console for gaming. People just want to go online, type documents, and do other simple things often. There is no need for a fancy laptop. I hope to get a netbook very soon for myself. :KS

[init1]

I'm going to get a lot of disagreement out of this, but...

The stupid things are toys, decent for goofing around but no good for serious work. Most laptops are like this to some extent, but netbooks are just extreme. They're almost as useless as iPhones.
How are netbooks useless? My old laptop is as powerful as a netbook, and it's certainly not useless.

[mxboy15u]

I really have yet to run into anything my Aspire One cannot do. I run gimp, Xara, simple games, surf the web, watch videos, do homework and real work. The keyboard is usable, the screen in usable and a USB mouse makes it perfect. I love the portability, the durability and the overall convienience of being able to put it on my lap...for real, not these glorified flat desktops that laptops used to be.

[MaxIBoy]

How are netbooks useless? My old laptop is as powerful as a netbook, and it's certainly not useless.

There are four categories of things you could do with a computer.


Word processing, spreadsheets, etc. You need a good-sized keyboard and a good-sized screen for this, but a powerful computer isn't necessary.
Graphics, sound editing, CAD, image editing, and so on. Depending on the task, you may need a powerful computer to do this stuff. The keyboard isn't such a big deal, but once again, you need a big screen to do it properly.
Home server, firewall, embedded device, jukebox, etc. You could do this on a 486, no need to buy a new computer for it.
Serious number-crunching. Raytracing, virtualization, simulation, stuff like that. The more powerful, the better.

I'm guessing your old laptop works well under the first category. However, a netbook would be problematic with its small screen and keyboard.


I find it totally believable that netbooks are okay "once you get used to them." However, I'd argue that if you're used to an obstacle, it's that much more liberating when you don't have to deal with it anymore. If you're used to working on a netbook, just try going back to a good-sized screen again, and a good keyboard. You'll find its easier on the eyes and on the fingers, and you'll be more productive.

[mxboy15u]

But I have not really noticed the size of my screen, and the keyboard on some netbooks is very good, the 1000HE is very close to full size. I type all day on mine and it does not bother me one bit. Some of the EEE pcs have terribly small keyboards that are unusable.

[gn2]

you don't get it. we're comparing laptops to notebooks NOW. you can argue till you're blue in the face about what's coming out in the near future, but for this discussion it doesn't matter.

In the original post the subject of netbook capability was raised.
Therefore the move to 330+Ion hardware is very relevant to the discussion.

Also, I very definitely do get that one can only buy what's available.
Which is why I bought an Asus F9E rather than an Acer Aspire One, I just got tired of waiting.

But for those who are prepared to wait and for those interested in hardware developments, the 330+Ion could be worth waiting for.

Personally I would choose a fanless Arm.

[gymophett]

Hmm. I may get one now.

[geekygirl]

I have gone through a couple of netbooks now, only to return to a 'normal' laptop.

I went from an EeePC 900 8.9"(the Celeron version) to an EeePC 1000H 10"(nice little machine, but definately underpowered) and now own a Vaio TT 11.1" (with a dual core CPU, 4G of memory, lighter than the 1000H, and is still uber portable with over 5 hours of battery life..)

Great idea, but they are definately not a real ultraportable notebook (until I bought a TT, I thought the 1000H would do...pfft!) and people are always confusing the two! (Most annoying at airports when people ask me about my 'netbook' until I say it is not, I even had one guy argue that it was....lol)

The way I see them is a good addition to a solid base station at home/office like a decent desktop or a larger less portable laptop. Not really a complete computing solution, although some people are happy with them for that, I just have more demands than them (VM's, compiling large amounts of C++ etc etc on the road)

[Rokurosv]

I want one but the whole ARM netbooks are tempting me. I think the release date is around August. Cheap, long battery, HD capable and they're super thin and look sexy.

[CJ Master]

I want one but the whole ARM netbooks are tempting me. I think the release date is around August. Cheap, long battery, HD capable and they're super thin and look sexy.

I keep hearing about these.... Link? Wikipedia somewheres?

[cdwillis]

I use my Asus 1000HE as my main computer. It does everything I used my older laptop for.

I love the keyboard on it. I got used to the screen size and keyboard really quickly.

The battery life is great and I can actually travel with it.

I know it's not going to play Crisis, but I play older gamers like Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War or Diablo II.

I just don't see the point in paying twice as much for a laptop just to do the things I do on my netbook.

[Rokurosv]

I keep hearing about these.... Link? Wikipedia somewheres?

So far videos and a few articles now and then, hope they don't delay them :S

http://www.osnews.com/story/21031/ARM_Shows_Prototype_Netbooks

[t0p]

The main problem with netbooks is that some idiot decided to call them "netbooks". So loads of people think they're just dedicated web-surfing machines like those awful gadgets some idiots tried to sell to the world a few years ago.

The netbook is actually an ultra-portable notebook... capable of doing anything a regular notebook can do, only slower and more stupid. But also really really portable.

[gn2]

The main problem with netbooks is that some idiot decided to call them "netbooks".

I think it's a good name.
It's a lot easier to say than "lightweight ultra-portable low specification coffee shop posing accessory"

[insane_alien]

i use one as a carputer/emergency laptop. works a treat.

[lancest]

I think the netbook term is liberating.

The term netbook distinguishes these cloud computing devices from notebooks. Critics want to diss netbooks because of their modest computing power but they can't so easily (since a new class of devices has been coined).
These devices are just for basic tasks really.

I think the move to cheap computing has liberated hardware to some degree. We are going to see more with ARM.

With this you find detractors like MS and Intel seeking erase the "netbook" concept in the industries mind. (As usual these Wintel companies seek to control - but been forced to play netbook ball and don't like it.)

[pmlxuser]

just much slower.

depends on what you are doing. Mostly its fast as the normal laptop

[pwnst*r]

I think it's a good name.
It's a lot easier to say than "lightweight ultra-portable low specification coffee shop posing accessory"

lolz

[Dragonbite]

Netbooks are great until the iPhone comes out with a 8.9" model. :lolflag:

[Orlsend]

Netbooks are great until the iPhone comes out with a 8.9" model. :lolflag:

Still then you be able to take videos or to copy and paste :D

[will1911a1]

Affordable and portable. I have a desktop for heavy use. For light browsing (and occasionaly transferring files via sd card) my Eee is perfect.

[Wes7]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it? Is it just a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity? Does it have the same capabilities as a normal laptop? Someone explain. :P
My little 10 year old sister is begging for a $250 pink Acer Aspire One.
I just don't get it.

Using the internets, and the portability. Good computer if you have Ubuntu installed :)

[blackened]

Netbooks are great until the iPhone comes out with a 8.9" model. :lolflag:

When you get one, please be sure to post pictures of you talking on it. Make sure you use the ear opposite the camera so it doesn't eclipse your face with its I'm-a-lappy-no-a-phone-no-a-lappy confusednessness. I think progress has asked me to get the heck outta the way. :P

[Dragonbite]

When you get one, please be sure to post pictures of you talking on it. Make sure you use the ear opposite the camera so it doesn't eclipse your face with its I'm-a-lappy-no-a-phone-no-a-lappy confusednessness. I think progress has asked me to get the heck outta the way. :P

Maybe it'll come with a free iBluetoothHeadset?

[LowSky]

Netbooks are great until the iPhone comes out with a 8.9" model. :lolflag:

They actually are.... (http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/apple-prototyping-iphone-lite-and-macbook-mini-media-pad-for?icid=sphere_blogsmith_inpage_engadget)


http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/04/verizon-macbook-mini-rm-eng.jpg

[nythacker]

There are four categories of things you could do with a computer.


Word processing, spreadsheets, etc. You need a good-sized keyboard and a good-sized screen for this, but a powerful computer isn't necessary.
Graphics, sound editing, CAD, image editing, and so on. Depending on the task, you may need a powerful computer to do this stuff. The keyboard isn't such a big deal, but once again, you need a big screen to do it properly.
Home server, firewall, embedded device, jukebox, etc. You could do this on a 486, no need to buy a new computer for it.
Serious number-crunching. Raytracing, virtualization, simulation, stuff like that. The more powerful, the better.

I'm guessing your old laptop works well under the first category. However, a netbook would be problematic with its small screen and keyboard.


I find it totally believable that netbooks are okay "once you get used to them." However, I'd argue that if you're used to an obstacle, it's that much more liberating when you don't have to deal with it anymore. If you're used to working on a netbook, just try going back to a good-sized screen again, and a good keyboard. You'll find its easier on the eyes and on the fingers, and you'll be more productive.



Well, if you REALLY want to get work done on a netbook, plug it to a full-sized usb keyboard, a usb mouse, and an external monitor and you should be a happy camper.

Just my two cents...

\\:D/

[3rdalbum]

@garythegoth: They still won't be any great shakes.
Even an E1200 Celeron beats an Atom 330 easily (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intelatom-vianano_8.html#sect1).

Well..an ATOM cpu has atoms, and a celeron CPU has celery...which is also comprised of atoms, but since those atoms are busy BEING celery, the celery-on might actually be slower at the same saltiness.

[JohnFH]

Well, if you REALLY want to get work done on a netbook, plug it to a full-sized usb keyboard, a usb mouse, and an external monitor and you should be a happy camper.

\\:D/

Do you usually take a monitor and keyboard with you when you go camping? :)

[3rdalbum]

Do you usually take a monitor and keyboard with you when you go camping? :)

It's not much more weight to lug around than if you'd brought a full-sized laptop with you.

[blackened]

Do you usually take a monitor and keyboard with you when you go camping? :)

If by "go camping" you mean pitching a tent in my living room, watching every episode of firefly back to back, and making myself sick on cheetos, then yes, yes I do.

[nythacker]

Do you usually take a monitor and keyboard with you when you go camping? :)

The point is, you can get work done on a netbook unlike some other people on this thread that argue otherwise. My suggestion is merely an option which can be done easily on a netbook if you wanted to use it as a desktop replacement to get work done on it.

[vexorian]

Netbooks are great until the iPhone comes out with a 8.9" model. :lolflag:
Except of course you'd only be able to run iphone apps on it, and only apps that are approved by grand master apple.

---
I have used my netbook for word processing, programming and spreadsheets and presentations, I was a big PC computer guy before then, and it took me about a week to get used to.

Obstacles? Sure, but notice something: The size, weight and price of a laptop are also big obstacles... There's no point in being able to use a laptop just like your PC if its battery will die after less than 2 hours or you simply can't take it with you to all places where you go. I imagine a laptop would be such burden I would only bring it with myself when I am absolutely sure I'll need it, my netbook is different as it is so easy to take I can always do it "just in case"...

I don't think anybody actually uses laptops for number crunching. I did use my netbook for solving code jam problems after the on site, and was surprised runtime didn't get that bad, a time multiplier of 3 isn't as terrible as it sounds.

Anyway, conclusion is, if you can't live without a huge screen, can pay for a laptop and feel like lifting a big thing plus reserving all that luggage space for it and you don't mind low battery life go then a laptop is a better choice for you than a netbook.

[Firestem4]

Pretty much nothing new to add. Im thinking about getting one just cause its fully portable. Lot easier than busting out my full fledge 19 inch widescreen sony vaio. :P

Lol I am in the same position. I have an HP Pavilion Dv9600. (The big monster of a 17" widescreen, full 102/104 keyboard+numpad) lol. Its an awesome laptop but not very portable.

I wanted to get a netbook to bring with me to work as I am an IT Tech and it would be great for just pulling out, setting up, and working with.

I ended trading an older, larger Dell laptop ( with my dads nearly as old Dell XPS M1210, which is a hybrid net/notebook. 13" screen and a 9 or 10 cell battery so it has very long life. It fits in my motorcycle bags too so I can stuff it in there (or even my jacket really) and come to work..

So the point of a netbook is portability, as most people have said. If you need to do graphics or CPU intensive stuff. That is what a desktop is for.

[SunnyRabbiera]

For one of my friends a netbook would be a good idea, he doesnt have a lot of space and a regular desktop would be too impractical.
A laptop is nice, but when you are low on funds a netbook is very useful.

[meeples]

i'd love to see a benchmark of the AAO vs the cheapest laptop someone can find, i bet the AAO wins.

[gn2]

To put things into perspective, an Atom 230 has a significantly lower performance in most benchmarks than (even) a Celeron 220.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Intel-Atom-Efficient,1981-15.html

Any Atom netbook will have lower performance than any half decent current model full size laptop.

Where some netbooks have an advantage is the read speed of the SSD.
But fast booting doesn't make for a good computing experience.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Atom+N270+%40+1.60GHz

[Macchi]

Netbooks offer high portability and very good functionality at low prices.



Nothing new. But remember that there is a trade off for most things in life and portable computers are no exception to that rule. You can always manage the limited resources according to taste, needs, and according to your wallet.

Don't forget that a modern netbook would be a dream-machine if you moved it back in time for 5, 10, 20 or more years ago! I used to do number-crunching and serious simulations in very expensive workstations that only had a fraction of the computing power than this little and cheap eee (that I am holding on my lap in the livingroom floor). The most serious bottleneck for scientific and real-world applications is often brain-power.

[fiendishlyclever]

just much slower.

Not as slow as with ******* on. I use my netbook all day at work in preference to my work issued windows machine. It is perfectly usable if you don't mind the pauses in windows. It goes like the wind with Ubuntu on.

[arashiko28]

Yeap, they are cute, it's like a baby compared to all other computers. But I don't like it because of it's small screen. I like to watch and enjoy videos on my 15.4" HD wide screen. I've tried a lot of those small ones, and... nope, I'll stay with my 6.5 pounds of wide screen HD and 5.1 dolby surround. :P

Yes, I love my laptop.

P.D.: If I need anything smaller, I always carry around my PPC. And can get to the internet, chat, watch presentations, movies, music, and open documents, besides, it has a good camera too :D

[S0VERE1GN]

i have the white apsire one, and i loaded ubuntu 8.10 onto it using a mem stick. it runs super fast, i can word process, browse the internet, and it has a 160 gb hard drive so i could save music on it if i wanted to. youtube playback is a little choppy, but besides that its awesome, and i love it for in class in college. i can even play risk on it :-D

[dcstar]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it? Is it just a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity? Does it have the same capabilities as a normal laptop? Someone explain. :P
My little 10 year old sister is begging for a $250 pink Acer Aspire One.
I just don't get it.

People found that the convenience of Internet connectivity on their phones was outweighed by the reality that most apps/sites work far better on larger screens (in size and resolution), so they wanted something with Laptop-like capabilities but smaller than Laptop size (as well as cheaper) - so these things evolved.

Conventional Laptops have far more resources (and cost) than a lot of people need given the requirements that they have from a device that will give them portable access to a network, so now there are devices that are far cheaper than Laptops and serve the current needs of a lot of people - Netbooks.

[Manigoldo]

I still have to warm up to the idea. Spending money is usually a bit of an issue though I can understand if it would be used for work. Still waiting for something that is a little more attractive, though thats just me being fussy about them. Won't deny that it is practical but still rather carry my laptop around anyway

[Clancy_s]

They are neat and cheap, but what's the real point behind it? Is it just a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity? Does it have the same capabilities as a normal laptop? Someone explain. :P
My little 10 year old sister is begging for a $250 pink Acer Aspire One.
I just don't get it.

For me - a screen with an internet browser and wireless connectivity that's small. I have a VAIO that weighs 600g, a vast improvement over a laptop. I use it when travelling by plane (or motor bike) when size is a real issue and all I want is the browsing and wireless connectivity.

A totally unscientific review of peeps around me suggest there's a gender split on this (I'm female) because of the size issue. An 80% standard size keyboard works fine for my size 6 hands and I care more about 600g vs 1.4kg than most of the guys seem to.

[richg]

Convenience. Last year I went to Florida for a week carrying a nine pound laptop to transfer digital photos each day and stay in contact with family & friends. It was a pain to carry with me during the day.

In June I head to Florida with a Asus 4G net book/mini laptop. It is ancient, at least a year old. Very light and excellent wireless connections. Much much lighter and a nice secure Linux OS. Built in web cam with a working Application that did not need any work under the hood. I can record video & sound depending on the situation. I carry a small USB web cam for convenience. When I get home, I transfer all the photos and videos to my desktop and process the stuff.

The old laptop has been retired.

Rich

[bboston7]

Their great to bring to a coffe shop to finnish up that term paper you've been putting off.

[Dharmachakra]

you don't get it. we're comparing laptops to notebooks NOW. you can argue till you're blue in the face about what's coming out in the near future, but for this discussion it doesn't matter.

I hope you took a few deep breaths in the past week and realized how ridiculous this post was.

I use a twelve inch laptop. It's nice and small, just like a netbook, but doesn't suffer from some of the downfalls of one.

I got an Ideapad S10 for Christmas and I have to say that it is one impressive piece of equipment. The portablity point is kind of pointless for me, since I used a small laptop anyways.

[Hutom]

If the issue is portability then netbooks are fine. They are light weight and small enough to fit in your wife's handbag. The trade off is you have to bear with an ultra small screen. Ram is OK but not very sure about the capacity of the processor. Technically, most of the ordinary jobs done with a laptop can also be done with a netbook. But if you are thinking of some serious text editing, forget it; the screen is way too small to **** you off. They are good for net browsing and classroom projections. Also I am not too sure about the the longevity of hardware.

[drawkcab]

I just picked up an eee pc 900a along with a larger faster ssd for about $220. No way I'd pay $400, but for $200 it gets me a nice little portable system to travel and commute with. Most days, and certainly most trips, I don't need my gaming laptop.

[Dragonbite]

I hope you took a few deep breaths in the past week and realized how ridiculous this post was.

I use a twelve inch laptop. It's nice and small, just like a netbook, but doesn't suffer from some of the downfalls of one.

I got an Ideapad S10 for Christmas and I have to say that it is one impressive piece of equipment. The portablity point is kind of pointless for me, since I used a small laptop anyways.

I do too, and thought the same thing. Mine doesn't include an internal ROM drive and that lightens things up a lot (external available) and includes FireWire which the netbooks don't usually include.

Only 2 things I'd like to change for this system, other than the obvious max out of RAM; longer battery life (1-2 hrs is not enough) and make it cool looking (grey metal/plastic just doesn't look so cool, even with the domed ubuntu stickers (https://usshop.ubuntu.com/product.php?code=09%2095102&catid=2) over the Dell logo on the lid)!

[MuShoe]

Do netbooks need to run a specific netbook OS?

I've been thinking about getting one of these, but am concerned about the netbook version of Ubuntu being more "restrictive". For instance, can I still apt-get applications that I use on my desktop or still run simple windows progs under wine?

how stripped down and restrictive is the Netbook remix of Ubuntu?

[RandomJoe]

Do netbooks need to run a specific netbook OS?

No. At least not all. I have an ASUS Eee 1000HE that's running a vanilla version of Ubuntu 9.04. Worked great right from the start, no tweaking. Even the wireless, which impressed me - that's a first for me. (Hm, I can't say if the built-in camera works. I don't use it, so have never tried it...)

The only "issue" with straight Ubuntu is the screen size, of course. I stripped down the menubar, then moved it to one side. It still has the essentials, and I have the full height of the screen to work with.

I've never tried the netbook release, can't say anything about it.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

Afterall you ain't really be doing heavy duty stuff on it.

Second thing I did with mine was compile ALSA drivers :P


Netbooks are also pretty much the only notebook computers left that treat sleep mode nicely. I was really excited to learn that my HP one wakes as soon as the lid is opened. (As it should be). I was so excited I entered / exited sleep about 5 times successively by just opening and closing the lid and it WORKED! Even broadcom held it together.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

If by "go camping" you mean pitching a tent in my living room, watching every episode of firefly back to back, and making myself sick on cheetos, then yes, yes I do.

You need one of these:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/diy-geodesic-media-pod-forged-from-cardboard-filled-with-shame/

Edit:
Oops! Forgot I already posted in hunting down that link.

[drawkcab]

You need one of these:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/20/diy-geodesic-media-pod-forged-from-cardboard-filled-with-shame/

Edit:
Oops! Forgot I already posted in hunting down that link.

That is a LOL! (especially the serious music) :p