Hunt for a mini laptop/netbook

[Zxar]

So after much looking through the forums I think this is the only place I can actually post this topic. My topic is very mixed idea'd but, I'll get to straight to the point.

I'm in search of a mini laptop or netbook. (or whatever they are called now-a-days) I keep searching but, I keep finding features that are way out of my spec range, or don't even relate to my search entirely. (example: I pulled up a whole list of some kind of extension cards for motherboards)

I really only have a few requirements.

<10 inch screen,
reasonably priced,
2-3 usb ports,
Ethernet port,
2-4 GB ram,
2.5 hdd/ssd bay desired (but not required)
decent battery life, (or extended battery pack compatibility)

That's really it. Extra features are just flavor but not necessary. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks.



And the break down for those who read more than the first set of lines.

I've been getting into c++ programming a bit now that I've been working on mechanical/electrical engineering ideas. (hobby of mine) However, I have a laptop (16in screen) that I want to leave at my desk, so I need something much smaller and more portable. I leave it at my desk since I don't have a desktop, and it's the family computer.

The netbook I'm looking will mainly be used to set up as a portable monitor hub and paper workstation. Plug it into a port, monitor a projects sensors etc without needing to design or purchase specific hardware for the job. Like, I can buy an aftermarket ECM/PCM for my car and use a usb adapter to have this netbook monitor and program it.

I've seen these new "tablet pc's." Some of them meet the requirements I look for, but since I've been out of the computer technology loop for so long (sold my self built desktop in 09 to buy my ps3) I know nothing about these, and just the term tablet turns me off from doing a lot of research besides the basic 'specifications list'. Let alone if they are able to be reformatted with another operating system like ubuntu. I absolutely hate tablets and for the longest time I hated smart phones before I finally upgraded to one. (in late 2011)

I want the netbook to have a 2.5 drive bay so I can load a HDD or SSD into it for extra space but I learned there are adapters that I can just plug HDD's or SSD's into them and turn them into large USB drives. but that drops some of the overall portability I mainly desire for this project eccentric device. But if I can't find something with a 2.5 drive maybe I'll just duct tape an ssd to the top or something.

In the end it all really comes down to where I can find what I'm looking for. Since it seems like the market it veering towards tablets and large screen super high speed laptops. while the latter would be nice, it doesn't fit my needs. So I'll go back into searching, and thanks to any who took the time to read this whole thing, and maybe even have any suggestions.

P.s. Sorry for the horrible forum post formatting, I would have made it neater but I know nothing about forum code, or anything more than posting links in html...

[maestrobwh1]

I am not aware of anyone currently making a netbook anymore. Used, they are on e-bay all over the place.

Sounds like you want an Asus EEEPC 901. There is a slot under the door which can have the second mini pci-e SSD drive removed, have a pci-e to zif adapter put in for an actual hard drive (these adapters are all over e-bay, along with an adapter that can use a CF card as a HD.

I love this machine: I actually have 2, one that is a pure LINUX machine (ubuntu/KNOPPIX). The other one is not exactly pristine (hinge door is a bit loose) but is not beat up and has XP on it. Both have the atom 1.6 GHz processor, and have been maxed out at 2 GB of RAM.

You can pick one up on e-bay for $99 or less. They are really rugged.

[mips]

10.1",
Asus Transformer Book T100
Asus 1015E
Lenovo Flex 10
Gateway LT41P / Packard Bell ENME69BMP-28052G50nii

Increasing the screen size to 11.6" will give you more options including the various ChromeBooks.

[mastablasta]

indeed it might be better to go with 11.6" unless it really needs to be super small.

also Atom can handle 2GB RAM max., while AMD low power CPU can go up to a lot more. E-450 are good but now i think they have new E series. the draw a bit more power than Atom but with larger batery it's not an issue.

as for tablets - good cheap 7" ones are ASUS MEMO 7 HD. Asus Phonepads is also descent. and if you are in USA Nexus 7 are good. if you need a 10" one look again for Asus models and Nexus.

for netbooks look at Lenovo, Asus, HP and maybe Acer (some models work with Ubuntu).
it's kind to hard these small ones that work nicely with Ubuntu. or so i found when i searched for one. they either had weak battery, weak CPU or didn't work well with Ubuntu.

[J_Me]

I've been looking for a netbook(10.1" screen) aswell, it seems to me that if you want something thats upto date cpu wise you need to look at the touch screen tablets(with added keyboard) price is around $300-$400. The only problem about these things for me is that they seem to solder and glue them together so you can't upgrade the parts yourself.

[mikewhatever]

This is an odd thread. Why would one be hunting for a netbook, when you can simply buy this one (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00COQK8QY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00COQK8QY&linkCode=as2&tag=eriyvewoo-20) or, say, that one (http://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-X200CA-DB02-11-6-LED-Notebook/dp/B00CPIF63G/ref=sr_1_2/178-9873821-6272537?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1386793598&sr=1-2&keywords=ubuntu)?

[Zxar]

The main reason it needs to be small is the fact that I need something that would be pretty much dedicated as a work/hobby hub. Space is of the utmost importance for my plans. Any extra space taken up by a laptop would cause less space for other things, let alone increase haul size.

After a few suggestions I looked into a few 10.1 screen laptops as well. They add about 1/2 inch of size in length and depth but I might be able to manage them. But like I said, space is important it's why I was hoping netbooks were still around. I only remember them because an old friend had one from work, I played baulder's gate II on it at the time, but 6-7 years later, I can see all the functions that a netbook like that would be able to offer me right now.

But thanks for the suggestions. Helped me learn how netbooks kind of vanished while I was out of the technology loop. D:

[mips]

You do get smaller devices but they run Android, probably on ARM cpus.
http://www.newegg.com/All-Laptops-Notebooks/SubCategory/ID-32?ScreenMin=4.3&ScreenMax=9.9