Ultra Portable Laptops

[420shaggy]

I have been researching around online for a good laptop for school based a a few key features I want it to have:


Under $500 (preferably under $400)
High Battery Life
Ultra-Portable


So far I have come to the conclusion that the all around best choice for a laptop with those features is the Asus EeePc. It runs from $300-$400 depending on where you shop and can range in screen sizes from 7in-10in which is great for the portability aspect. The downsides that I have read is that the keyboard can be too small for some users (I am lanky so it doesn't matter) and that it's battery life is only around 3 hours long.
I have looked at other ultra-portable laptops, but most are $500+ or they have features that I don't want to pay for
Eg-> As a CS major I only need it to program, not for games etc.

Has anyone had experience with the EeePc that could tell me if this is a good choice? Is the 7in screen model too small to the point where it is annoying to view large websites? Also, if I replace the OS to Ubuntu is the laptop powerful enough to support the desktop effects (like the desktop cube etc) without laggy side-effects?

[psyoptic]

Some models come with Linux as the default OS. I've had a chance to play around with the Asus Eee PC 4G recently and it was pretty sweet. Not sure if it'd be able to handle all the crazy desktop effects though since the onboard graphics chipset is Intel.

[Spindel]

I have a Eee 901 so this post will only be about that model.

I love it and I think it fits what you are looking for. With Ubuntu eee I get about 6h of battery out of it, but this is very much dependent on how heavy tasks i let it id of course (i.e. just turning off the wifi gives around 1 h extra battery life).

The 8,9" display is enough since it's hard to fit a bigger screen to the Eee 901s format. It also is surprisingly clear.

I can agree that it was kind of hard to write on the keyboard initially but you get used to it.

I can also live with having only 20 GB SSD (Linux version comes with 20 GB) storage in it (worst case I can always expand the storage with 8 GB HCSD cards), after all this isn't my main computer but my travel computer to use when not at the office or at home.

I'm currently at a conference writing this post on my Eee 901. :)

PS. Xandros OS that comes with the Eee truly sucks and gives Linux a bad name IMO DS.

[LaRoza]

I think the Dell 910 would be a good choice. See my blog (for my review).

Battery life is 4 hours about, and its keyboard isn't too small. I recommend getting the Ubuntu model with a GiB of RAM. You can add a webcam and a larger drive as well.

It is not a strain to browse the web with it.

I'd recommend forgetting about desktop effects, even if you can get them to work.

[gn2]

Is the 7in screen model too small to the point where it is annoying to view large websites?

Open Firefox in a window sized at 800x480 pixels and you'll have a good idea.
(in my opinion the answer is a resounding yes, it's far too small)

For me the resolution of the 9 and 10 inch netbooks is still quite low at 1024x600.

The Asus Eee 901 or the 1000 are probably the pick of the bunch at the moment, they have far and away the best standard fitment battery of any netbook.

[sloggerkhan]

If you're going to be a comp-sci major or programmer something like an eee pc or aspire one (with at least 6 cell battery) is great for class and notes and odd job programming touchup. But it is not anything you want to be doing your serious programming assignments on. As your assignments get more complicated, you will be extremely happy to have more screen realestate for viewing documentation and code at once, or having chat windows open to work with partners. Further, with the small screen size on netbooks, you'll have a marked tendency towards bad posture.

I really really recommend a desktop with a 22"+ or dual 19" plus monitors or that you use your school's comp labs if you are planning to be a comp sci major rather than doing extensive programming asignments on an eee pc.

That said I have an acer apsire one w/ 6 cell battery and it's great. I just don't use it for my programming assignments unless they're the quick and simple kind.
(oh, and for a netbook, make sure it has at least 1024 pixel wide screen.)

[gn2]

(oh, and for a netbook, make sure it has at least 1024 pixel wide screen.)

One of the least discussed netbooks on this forum, the HP 2133 Mini-note has the highest resolution screen at 1280x800, but it's still only 8.9"

[LaRoza]

If you're going to be a comp-sci major or programmer something like an eee pc or aspire one (with at least 6 cell battery) is great for class and notes and odd job programming touchup. But it is not anything you want to be doing your serious programming assignments on. As your assignments get more complicated, you will be extremely happy to have more screen realestate for viewing documentation and code at once, or having chat windows open to work with partners. Further, with the small screen size on netbooks, you'll have a marked tendency towards bad posture.


Everyone forgets the Dell 910...

It is good, but it is not for programming. For programming, I suggest a large monitor and a good keyboard (any laptop keyboard is usually not sufficient for serious programming, let alone ones that are even slightly undersized) as well.

[t0p]

Mine is another vote for the Eeepc.

I have the 7-inch model, with 4 GB storage. I don't think the 7 inch LCD monitor is too small. It is true that most web pages are a little wider than the display, but that isn't a real problem. The solid state storage is much better than a delicate hard drive - I've dropped my Eeepc a few times now, and it still works fine, whereas a regular laptop with regular HDD would have given up the ghost.

The os that the Eeepc comes with (a customised version of xandros) is okay, I guess. But I'm an Ubuntero through and through, so I installed ubuntu on it and haven't looked back.

[sparkix]

I have an EEE 901 and love it for surfing and portability. It does have a VGA port and if you were doing a lot of typing (programming or reports) then an external LCD would kick ***. You could also get a cheap corded mouse and keyboard.

I'm very happy with mine and am looking forward to trying Ubuntu 8.10 at the end of the month. There is also a thread on here about how to tweak the EEE to get 7 hours of life on the battery.

[azangru]

PS. Xandros OS that comes with the Eee truly sucks and gives Linux a bad name IMO DS.

Boots real fast though :)