mini laptops

stingray_316

l'm after a mini laptop and could do with some help if possible. Could someone tell me best places to look for them price wise and what l need to look at on the specs that makes them a good laptop. l had a look at a few today and they had linex not windows xp what is the difference !

Little_John

linux is an alternative to windows, one of the problems with it is limited options when it comes to some software but it is a faster system than windows so it does have advantages. Getting used to linux after useing windows for your life can be difficult.

I guss your looking at netbooks if they are comming with linux and not windows, you can get windows xp netbooks but they tend to be either more expensive or lower spec than the equivilent linux version. Windows has a licence that has to be paid for linux is free to use so they increase the specs on the netbook. My linux EEE PC 901 cames with 20GB of storage the windows xp version has 12GB. I bought the linux version and then put windows on it, I need windows as some software I use won't work on linux.

stingray_316

Little_John wrote: »

linux is an alternative to windows, one of the problems with it is limited options when it comes to some software but it is a faster system than windows so it does have advantages. Getting used to linux after useing windows for your life can be difficult.

I guss your looking at netbooks if they are comming with linux and not windows, you can get windows xp netbooks but they tend to be either more expensive or lower spec than the equivilent linux version. Windows has a licence that has to be paid for linux is free to use so they increase the specs on the netbook. My linux EEE PC 901 cames with 20GB of storage the windows xp version has 12GB. I bought the linux version and then put windows on it, I need windows as some software I use won't work on linux.

l do not know much about running of computers as you may gather. l just want a netbook that l can use to get the internet, download photos, receive photos, send and receive e-mails etc. So will linux do all this as when l asked someone at pc world they said something about not being able to receive e-mails with linux or am l getting this all wrong. Will linux do the same as windows does if so l might go for one of these netbooks because as you say they are cheaper. If l do go for a linux netbook what will l have missing that windows xp has... l'm confused..:o

Little_John

There is software available for linux that allows the sending and receiveing of email my EEE PC came with some pre installed.

Linux compared to Windows is difficult to describe, you can get pretty much everything they just have different names and getting used to them and the way things are stored is the difficult bit. there are alos a lot of different versions of linux so I can't say that the acer aspire one will have this as I don't know what version of linux it comes with. But the basics are all the same sort of like windows xp home and xp pro most people never see the differences between the two.

Things like web browser firefox no internet explorer
microsoft office you need to use open office
games are there

The best thing is to go to PC world and have a play on the linux ones and see if you can get allong with them.

totalsolutions

It's out the new Samsung NC20

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2236055/samsung-releases-nc20-netbook

Also check out the NC10 model.

Mobeer

First decide how portable the machine needs to be. A bigger screen might sound nicer (Dell Mini 12, Samsung NC-20) but it probably means more weight and certainly larger dimensions. On the other hand you might find some of the smallest machines to be too small.

I have been considering:
Dell Mini 9 - cheap, with Linux, 8 GB storage
Samsung NC10 - pricey but probably the best quality, with Windows XP
Acer A150 - somewhere between the others, with a choice of operating system


For hardware I would recommend:

Processor : Intel Atom (or Via Nano in NC-20 posted above)

Memory: 1 GB

Storage -
What will you use the PC for? If you want to carry around lots of files then look for a machine with a hard disk (60+ GB) to store your MP3s, pictures, documents etc. If you want to have net access and carry around a smaller range of documents then 8 GB SSD storage is ok.

Battery life - longer is better, but also maybe heavier

Can you try the machines in store to see what their keyboards are like? With small size comes small keyboards and some might be better than others for you.

Linux vs. Windows XP
Both operating systems have web browsers, email, office suites available.
XP offers Internet Explorer for fussy web sites, iTunes and a lot more familiarity.
Linux is the cheaper option

stingray_316

Thanks for all the replys. l'm off into town later so will look about' so what kind of price range should l be looking for and best places to look.

stingray_316

Would also like to know what is the difference with solid state drive and hard drive as it seems with SSD mini laptops seem to get 4/8 or 16 GB yet with hard drive you get 80/ 140 GB upwards. So SSD does not have as much but why and whats the difference..:o

asininity

SSD drive have no moving parts are silent require less power but are more expensive. Hard drive have moving parts which can be a disadvantage in something used on the go are easier to break use more power but have more storage for your money. Depends on what you want to do. For netbooks imo its SSD everytime.

stingray_316

Got one from pc world today, it's a Advent 160GB HDD, 1024mb ram, 10.2" screen with wireless webcam and bluetooth should be £279 but on offer for £249 which l thought was ok.. l hope so

Little_John

The Advent 4213? I just can't see the battery info if its 3 or 6 cell but it does have built in sim card slot.

I agree with asininity over SSD, the whole idea of the netbook is occasional use while on the move so should be lightweight, small, decent battery life and robust. SSD improves battery life and isn't susceptible to shock they are also lighter in weight.