Will a netbook drive me nuts?

ManAtHome

The 9-10" netbooks are great for travelling - around half the size of a 15" laptop and easily powerful enough for surfing, emails, and backing-up cameracards. Never had the urge to do any high-powered photo editing on the move - don't fancy taking the photo printer along, so that stuff waits until I get home.

Just don't part-ex the laptop or desktop...

donny-gal

I would want to load Office 2003, I know its theoretically out of date now, but I know it backwards, and is adequate for my needs, I also operate Outlook to get my mails. For photos usually just cropping I use the Office Picture Manager. What about small spreadsheets from Excel.
Would it allow me to update re-sync my i-pod with tunes from a usb hdd?
The keyboard size worries me as well, as a touch typist. I did go into PCW and try to keyboard and it seemed to be useable.
DG

inmypocketnottheirs

I use an NC10 when out and about, with a Dell Inspiron 1300 as my main PC.

No problem with key board size, although I do need to glance more often at the keyboard than on the Dell. I can touch type, but sometimes the wrong key does get hit!

All in all it is a great machine, if you respect it's limitations. Battery life is good, I easily get 6-8 hours out of a full charge.

I use mine for email, web browsing and word processing. I have Thunderbird installed so don't see why Outlook should be a problem. No difficulty in handling spreadsheets (relatively simple ones granted). I am using Open Office on the NC10.

Don't see why you should not be able to use Itunes and an external HDD. There are 3 usb ports, so you could connect both devices simultaneously.

Leopard

donny-gal,

Without wishing to be derogatory in any way whatsoever, a laptop with a 1.8 GHz processor and 2 GB of RAM, is not a very powerful device anyway (given what's available nowadays) and if that is what you're using now, you won't find a Wind or an NC10 much of a step down in comparison: particularly if you endow the netbook with a second gig of RAM.

It may sound petty if you're not used to it but the thing I miss most on my Wind (apart from its lack of a Firewire port) is the light-sensing backlit keyboard that Apple laptops usually have. If you're using it in a gently illuminated room (for example, perched on your thighs while watching television) or outside at night, you need to have a light source to see the keyboard. Only then do you realise just how useful the backlit keyboard of a MacBook is - and how accustomed you have become to having one.

RobTang wrote: »

and before you look at the MSI wind take a look at the advent 4211 its basicly a re-badged msi wind without the overclock button, and its bit cheaper. the NC10s with the big batteries are very nice however.

I agree with you absolutely. But both a Wind and an Advent 4211 do need a 6-cell battery to be practical. So, when you factor in the cost of buying a 6-cell battery for the 4211 and then compare this to a Wind that comes supplied with a 6-cell battery the difference is eroded substantially (if not entirely).

The main reason that I bought a Wind instead of an Advent 4211 was because at that time (about a year ago) the only way to acquire a 6-cell battery (for either) was to purchase a Wind that came fitted with one. Even those were on sale only in America, then, but I was able to find someone on eBay (UK) who had imported one from a retailer in the States and was selling it after just one month's use. So, I was spared personally the anxiety and expense of transatlantic shipping and taxes.

Now, however, MSI sells the 6-cell version in Britain.

I have to say that I like the all-black look of the Wind as opposed to the two-tone appearance of the Advent 4211 but functionally they are identical. The one to avoid is the Medion Akoya clone if that still (?) comes without Bluetooth.

tsimehC

donny-gal wrote: »

I would want to load Office 2003, I know its theoretically out of date now, but I know it backwards, and is adequate for my needs, I also operate Outlook to get my mails. For photos usually just cropping I use the Office Picture Manager. What about small spreadsheets from Excel.
Would it allow me to update re-sync my i-pod with tunes from a usb hdd?
The keyboard size worries me as well, as a touch typist. I did go into PCW and try to keyboard and it seemed to be useable.
DG

Office 2007 runs very well so I'd imagine 2003 would work just as well if not better as it doesn't have the "ribbon" taking up 1/4 the screen. Outlook runs fine too.

Spreadsheets are okay, I mean it's just the screen that's a bit of a bother. You'll be scrolling more than on a bigger screen no doubt. I think you'll get used to it like I did!

Again, iTunes works. That's all there is to say...

The keyboard is actually one of the NC10's selling point. I'm not a touch typist but not that slow either (55 WPM) so yeah it's pretty comfortable.

Leopard

... if you can live with its horrible, glossy, reflective screen.

That would certainly drive me nuts.

Marty999

Leopard wrote: »

Check out the MSI Wind before plumping automatically for a Samsung NC10. The Wind has got a matte screen, which is much more agreeable to work with than the Samsung's when you are out and about. The Samsung's is glossy and it behaves like a darkened mirror, reflecting every light source behind you: I find that infuriating, personally.

I have been trying to decide which one of these two netbooks to buy, and more or less decided on the Sammy as the battery life is 7 hours or so. I hadn't realised the screen on the NC10 was highly reflective, do other people find this a problem?

AHAR

I've found the keyboards to be more frustrating than the performance. I made a lot of typos on a Dell Mini 9 but I got on a bit better with 10" models.
Having said that, I was only using them briefly when setting things up for other people. Maybe I'd have got used to the keyboards but become fed up with the performance and low screen resolution if working with them for longer periods.

Leopard

Marty999 wrote: »

I have been trying to decide which one of these two netbooks to buy, and more or less decided on the Sammy as the battery life is 7 hours or so. I hadn't realised the screen on the NC10 was highly reflective, do other people find this a problem?

Go to a PC World, Currys or Comet, put an Advent 4211 next to a Samsung NC10 and see for yourself. Try out the keyboards, too.

Personally, I find the keyboard on a Wind 100 or Advent 4211 just well enough spaced to use quite comfortably on long journeys. And it's a pleasant keyboard to use: positive feel, nice amount of key travel and doesn't flex.

Can't tell you about battery-life with Windows because I Mac-hacked mine but under Mac OS 10.5.7 and with a 6-cell battery it is usually possible to get a good four hours when Bluetooth and wi-fi are on, about five if they're off and the screen is not on full brightness.

I don't like touch-pads much and prefer to use a Bluetooth mouse with mine.

donny-gal

Is this just the Advent 4211 or is it the 4213 too? Bigger HDD same price.

I am presuming the embedded Sim is one you can insert of your own, or not as you wish?

Is there much difference between a usb or a Bluetooth mouse? I have a small wireless usb mouse which I use with my laptop which would be used with the netbook, though I can use the pad.

I have not found a laptop that is really good outdoors at all yet though.
DG