Netbook for travels

ktk

My daughter is off to Borneo for a year, living in the rainforest. She needs to keep her luggage light, and will not have electricity all the time.

She needs a robust netbook that will hold its charge and tolerate the damp! It will also be her main means of communication with home!!

Any suggestions, please?

pogofish

Netbooks largely ceased production back in 2012/13 when other forms of portable device overtook them - Why would you want to send her-off with a geriatric machine..?

ktk

Thanks for the insightful comment! Obviously what I am looking for is an alternative to a laptop, that is portable, light and robust. If these small laptop-like things are no longer called netbooks, then I am so sorry to have offended you. Hopefully, someone will be less judgemental, and more helpful.

agrinnall

Pogofish must be having a bad day! While the original type of netbook is no longer really current the term is still widely used by many computer retailers, as a simple search using the term 'netbook' will quickly show. Basically she wants what you describe, and if you go to a retailer and refer to it as a netbook they'll know what you mean. To quote Techradar in March 2016: "There are well over 100 different Chromebook and netbook models currently on sale in the UK."

She might want to consider a Chromebook as they seem to have greater functionality than when they were first introduced and are a viable alternative to a small format computer running Windows.

ktk

Thank you agrinnall. I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations, as I am reluctant to take advice from my nearest PCW!

Robin9

I like my Kindle Fire.

Your daughter is the best person to ask.

ktk

Thanks Robin9. What she is looking for is something to replace her laptop, not a tablet, as she with have to do research and write reports. She will be at a field study centre.

hans_2

Dell Chromebook 3120

More for comparison

ktk

Thanks Hans. She says she needs Windows so that she can use Word and Excel without being online. I think that you have to be online with Chrome, but am happy to be corrected.

Your comparison link doesn't seem to work. Could be me!

BadBehaviour

Have a look at maybe an Asus Transformer.

http://www.laptopoutlet.co.uk/asus-transformer-book-10-1-2-in-1-laptop-tablet-intel-atom-z3775-2gb-32gb-emmc.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAlNbEBRCv9uy4j4SWrgwSJAB5MqJFNxvZxqNQGu-jrR32baETVG-L2sHlr2E2NAYx2WEOvxoCjdbw_wcB

agrinnall

ktk wrote: »

Thanks Hans. She says she needs Windows so that she can use Word and Excel without being online. I think that you have to be online with Chrome, but am happy to be corrected.

I understand that's no longer the case, although I'm not sure whether Office can actually be loaded locally on a Chromebook, others may be able to advise.

You're right to be very wary of relying on PCW staff, if you want to see a range of options I would suggest a visit to your nearest John Lewis. If you decide to buy from them it'll also come with 2 years warranty.