[NCLUG] Netbook

[DJ Eshelman]

Keyboard is critical, IMHO!

I recently returned a very nice Lenovo IdeaPad because the right shift 
drove me crazy.  A shame too, because the weight and dimensions of that 
unit were great (battery life was about 3 hrs- the Asus is the best for 
battery life).

Alternatives are the Dell Mini and the Acer Aspire.  The Dell has a 
better warranty available, but really- a $300 laptop doesn't really need 
a warranty, does it?

If you have a Sam's club membership I know they are selling both there 
for a good price ($289 and 299).
You can order the Dell with Ubuntu installed - in fact give us a call if 
you want us to order one for you customized.  We're the largest Dell 
reseller in NoCo so we get some interesting deals on customized systems.

TechSmart:  498-0808

-DJ

Sean Reifschneider wrote:
> On 09/22/2009 07:31 PM, Brian Wood wrote:
>   
>> Personally I'd go with the EeePC, I have one and love it. It also happens to 
>>     
>
> Evelyn and I have Eee 901s that we got before a trip earlier this year as
> basically disposable laptops for that trip in case we lost them.  And
> in my case it was half the weight of my laptop (Evelyn's laptop is around
> the same weight).
>
> Since then I really haven't used it because of the keyboard layout.  The F
> and number lines are each shifted from my normal layout and I found that
> very painful.
>
> I've wished I had gotten an Acer Aspire One, because the keyboard looks
> like a better layout.  Though part of the reason I went with the Eee was
> it was one of the few I could get with Linux rather than Windows, and
> even though I intended to do a re-install anyway, I decided I wanted to
> "send a message".
>
> The HP also seems to have a nice keyboard.
>
> The one I really want is the Sony Vaio P, which is extremely light and has
> a trackpoint and a reasonable keyboard (I've tried it when I was at CDW in
> Chicago).  But, even if you can find one for a good deal on ebay, they
> still aren't nearly as disposable as the Eee.  You can sometimes find them
> for $550 on ebay, but that's rare.  New they're $900 and up.  1.5 pounds
> though.
>
>   
>> The problems with the netbooks are small screens and non-standard keyboards. 
>> If you are a touch typist you may not like the KBs.
>>     
>
> I am a touch typist and while the Eee was a very small keyboard, I didn't
> have that much of a problem with it except for the first two rows being
> shifted.  Though I think I would have been much more comfortable with a
> slightly larger keyboard, and definitely without the moving around.
>
> That said, I'm trying to decide if I am going to replace my Eee before this
> trip I take to Canada, where I'd be just as happy not carrying all this
> client and personal data across the border (and back, being the main
> consideration).
>
> Sean
>   
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