notebooks

bermary

What are peoples opinons on those 10.1 netbooks with intel atom processors, grandson after one just to surf the internet, keep in touch with relations in Canada through webcam and just general computer things, seen quite a few at around the £200 mark,would they be ok for doing the things he wants or are there better out there for same price

Hammyman

For what you are wanting to do, they'll do the job. Not the fastest thing in the world. Just try the keyboards first. One model, the original Asus EEe, I couldn't use because the right shift key was minute. The next generation of that model had a larger shift key. The Samsung N-summat or other which is £199 at PC World is a good buy and has a long lasting battery compared to the Dells.

If it comes with 1GB RAM you may want to consider upgrading it to 2GB but other than that, they're OK.

david81_2

If you are only planning on surfing the web or chatting online then a notebook would be perfect for that.
They have a good processer and usually come with 1gb of RAM. If you are only going on the net that should be more than enough.

Of course for around 350-400 you could get a decent laptop that does more or less the same thing but you usually get a better webcam with laptops and more memory which will help run things a little faster if you plan to use more programs like MSoffice

Wannie_2

Would never spend £200 on one of those toys. Picked up a nice MSI Refurb(as new) from Argos Outlet for £130. Easy to upgrade the RAM when necessary.

They have a Dual Core ACER, but I would not be keen on having to remove the keyboard in order to perform maintenance.

Is there any reason why you would choose a Netbook? Is portability of importance?

Wannie_2

david81 wrote: »

If you are only planning on surfing the web or chatting online then a notebook would be perfect for that.
They have a good processer and usually come with 1gb of RAM. If you are only going on the net that should be more than enough.

Of course for around 350-400 you could get a decent laptop that does more or less the same thing but you usually get a better webcam with laptops and more memory which will help run things a little faster if you plan to use more programs like MSoffice

??

Not getting your post.. Neither on a technical basis nor money saving.

Good processor?
£350 to £400 for a laptop??

debitcardmayhem

My Samsung N140 (with 2Gb upgrade) is fine, good battery life, non-reflective screen and runs well with 7 starter, (remove samsung bloatware) and very acceptable with ubuntu , typing this on it now down the pub.

pogofish

They have plenty limitations certanly but if your needs can fit in, they are actually very usefeul tools and the huge battery life and connectability when on the move is something really useful. I use mine for mainly online stuff, e-mails, basic word processing, e-books and as a sort of electronic contact sheet/sorter for my photos - don't plan on any serious image work though.

The best thing I did was put-in more memory, then get a set of reasonable disc/system management tools - that keeps it ticking along nicely.

At home, the netbook sits in a corner and mainly gets used as my download station or to control an old A3 photo printer whose drivers don't get-on with 64bit, whilst I get on with other stuff on my main PC.

For software, I tend to look for free, compatible but less resource-heavy versions of major applications and so far, I've not had any problems.

NeverAgain_2

There may not be much in it, but I reckon Samsung netbooks are better made than most of the others in the £200-£250 price range.

Mine runs Windows 7 and had become very slow and clunky, but this free software: http://www.iobit.com/ascdownload-promo.html has got it running good as new.

In fact, I think it's now slightly faster than new.

jaydeeuk1

I have a samsung n150, with the atom n450.

Got it from ebay pc world refurb for £110 (but came new with out box)

Don't spend any more than £130 on a single core, or any more than £150 on a dual core.

Other than that, they're ideal for what your grandson needs. Absolutely pointless spending £350- £400 on a laptop if thats all it will be needed it for.

Mista_C

Wannie wrote: »

??

Not getting your post.. Neither on a technical basis nor money saving.

Good processor?
£350 to £400 for a laptop??

In laymans terms think of a netbook (the thing you're looking at buying) as a laptop-lite. Laptops are designed (for the most part) as a portable version of your desktop PC. Netbooks are a kind of trimmed down laptop designed for ultra portability and offer the most basic needs of mobile computer users, internet, email, word processing.

David81's point, I believe, is that if all your Grandson intends to do is use it for the things you mentioned in your original post it will be fine but if he wants to play games, browse media (Adobe Flash for instance) heavy websites it might not be up for a job and could cost more long-term than going for a laptop in the first instance.

david81_2

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wannie
??

Not getting your post.. Neither on a technical basis nor money saving.

Good processor?
£350 to £400 for a laptop??

In laymans terms think of a netbook (the thing you're looking at buying) as a laptop-lite. Laptops are designed (for the most part) as a portable version of your desktop PC. Netbooks are a kind of trimmed down laptop designed for ultra portability and offer the most basic needs of mobile computer users, internet, email, word processing.

David81's point, I believe, is that if all your Grandson intends to do is use it for the things you mentioned in your original post it will be fine but if he wants to play games, browse media (Adobe Flash for instance) heavy websites it might not be up for a job and could cost more long-term than going for a laptop in the first instance.

Thats right Mista, Was gonna reply but you said exactly what I was going to say!
Wannie, sorry for not being more clear