netbooks

[CanuckMariner/Nomad]

Some suggestion for the folks who haven't got the Acer Aspire One yet:

Get the 6 cell battery as it is good for 5-7 hours instead of 1.5 hours

Get the 160GB hard drive instead of the 120GB and partition it so you have a 45GB C Drive for software and a 100 GB for data (145GB is what a 160GB ends up as)...in case you get a virus or something while using a WiFi Hot Sport during your travels.

Also the unit can be upgraded to 2 GB RAM but I haven't seen a factory one just yet. You can retro fit it after the first year as warranty is void if done before. Keyboard has to come off and is a bit tricky, take about an hour to do. 1GB should be plenty!

I use a modified Jeniko (http://www.jeniko.com/cfl800-floor-mount-p-1.html?sessId=644e6efa518443ef1cea03afe984b3fe) Mount for mine as I use it for communications (emails sent\received while making a pit stop for fuel, food, water, etc. at the numerous WiFi Hot Spots around. Mainly used for GPS so I can see more (10" screen) and get a 3D view of the canyons and a fly over as well.

 

[offroad_nomad]

Did you bolt it to the floor or some other method and possibly pics too? Thanks.

I use a modified Jeniko (http://www.jeniko.com/cfl800-floor-mount-p-1.html?sessId=644e6efa518443ef1cea03afe984b3fe) Mount for mine as I use it for communications (emails sent\received while making a pit stop for fuel, food, water, etc. at the numerous WiFi Hot Spots around. Mainly used for GPS so I can see more (10" screen) and get a 3D view of the canyons and a fly over as well.

 

[CanuckMariner/Nomad]

I got the floor mount with it, as a friend (Targa88) initially saw it on eBay, but with shipping it was actually easier and cheaper direct from the company, plus they used USPS instead of courier, so no duty to Kanukistan.

I removed the floor mount off the laptop mount telescope and cut the upright portion of the bracket off as in the first photo. Then drilled a 3/8" hole slightly off centre (gives slightly more flexibility in adjustments) in the horizontal centre piece. I am not finished this as yet, but you can get the idea. The second photo shows how I intended to mount it to a piece of 1" angle iron with another drilled hole and 3/8" bolt.

I have two bolts capping the forward end-rails that allow my passenger seat to slide and intend to drill corresponding holes to accommodate these two bolts to hold the angle iron just under the passenger seat so it can still recline and slide forward. In this way I make no new holes in my truck, I hate that. Like to keep it as stock as possible. More mods here...http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18525

 

[haven]

I wanted a computer to test Microsoft Windows 7, the successor to Vista. I was particularly interested in Windows 7 on modest hardware, such as we find in today's netbooks.

Short answer: the beta Windows 7 works fine on netbook hardware

Long Answer:

As luck would have it, Fry's had a sale on a barebones system from MSI. So I became the proud owner of a MSI Wind PC. In essence, the Wind PC is the system board from the Wind U100 netbook in a desktop case, and powered by an AC adapter rather than batteries. This is called a barebones system because it has the system board populated with processor and support chips, but there is no memory, hard drive or DVD. On sale, it cost $106.

I raided my parts bin for a USB keyboard, mouse, a 3.5 inch SATA drive and a DVD-RW drive. I found a 2GB SO-DIMM memory module, and added it. Online, I found a 19 inch Samsung LCD monitor for $85, and ordered it.

I grabbed a beta copy of Windows 7 from Microsoft's web page. If you're interested, the deadline for downloading for free is February 10. The test version is supposed to expire on August 1, so you'll have several months to test the new version.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

I'm happy to report that Windows 7 loaded on my cobbled-together system with no problem at all. I have not tried all possible functions of the computer (the 7.1 surround sound audio, for example). But the basic computer functions perfectly. The built-in Intel GMA 950 chipset graphics work fast enough to let Windows 7's fancy graphics features to work.

I paid about $185 for my Wind PC and the monitor because I found good deals and had some spare parts to use.

If you were to buy all the parts I used today from an online discounter like Newegg or ZipZoomFly, you'd pay about $375:

MSI Wind PC barebones system $140
19 inch 1440x900 LCD monitor $125
3.5 inch 320 GB SATA drive $50
DVD-RW drive, SATA $20
2 GB DDR2 667 SO-DIMM laptop memory $20
USB keyboard $9
USB mouse $8

If I had to pay $375, I think I'd also look at discounted dual core PCs from major manufacturers like Dell, HP, Gateway, Acer, or Asus. You can find a package with PC and monitor from these companies for less than $400, and you get a warranty and easier resale.

I'd also look at the Asus eee Box, a model similar to the Msi Wind PC. MSI has announced a new model of the Wind PC, packaged so it can be attached to the back of a monitor. This creates a PC version of the iMac.

The best is yet to come. The model Wind PC I bought has the Intel N270 single core processor. Coming soon is the Intel Atom N330 dual core, which runs complex programs like Photoshop faster. Intel and nVidia have new graphics processors that will speed up the handling of graphics as much as 5 times over today's netbooks. So in a few months, I expect to see a much nicer Wind PC desktop, with a total system price still under $400.

My experience with the MSI Wind PC has convinced me that cheap desktop PCs are about to cause problems for the bottom line of computer manufacturers. The days of the $750 mainstream PC are over.

 

[mountainpete]

More info on this subject:

Dell mini 9 hacked to run Apple OS X

 

[haven]

Sam's Club (the membership store that's part of the WalMart empire) is now offering the Dell Mini 9 with 8GB SSD for $245, delivery included. This is a new unit, not refurbished.
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=425662

This price is $55 cheaper than the price Dell is asking for the same netbook on the Dell web site, and Dell charges for delivery! This low price will put pressure on other netbooks with a 9 inch display, such as the Asus 901 and Acer Aspire One. Maybe the era of the $199 netbook is closer than we realize!

I've read rumors that Dell is about to announce a second generation of the Mini. The new machine will have a 10 inch display, multi-touch touchpad (using two finger "gestures" like the iPhone does), and bigger keyboard. It's not clear if the Mini 9 will continue to be sold when the Mini 10 is released.

 

[haven]

Laptop Magazine has tested six mainstream netbooks with 10 inch display. The systems tested include Acer Aspire One, ASUS Eee PC 1000HE, HP Mini 1000, Lenovo IdeaPad S10, MSI Wind U120 and Samsung NC10. A seventh mainstream machine, the Dell Mini 10, was not available at the time of the test.

The machines have similar hardware, and pretty close performance. Five of the six machines were priced between $340 to $365. The Samsung cost a whopping $499, too much in my opinion.

Overall, Laptop Magazine gives the top spot to the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE. It's a little heavy at 3.2 lbs, but that's because the 1000HE has a battery good for 7+ hours of computing.

http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/10-inch-netbook-faceoff.aspx?page=1

 

[Maximus Ram]

Thanks for the update on these Haven. I am still looking at the Acer, but am waiting for them to release the 10" screen. Plus I wonder if one can get the 5800 mah battery for a longer run time.

 

[JeepN95YJ]

Just bought the Acer Aspire One with the 8.9" screen and 160gb harddrive and 3 cell battery at Radio Shack for $149 plus a 2 year contract for $60/mo for AT&T 3G service.

My local area is supposed to be 3G but for some reason I have connected via EDGE. Not sure what is up. Not really literate in these matters. Seemed very slow at first, but seems to be working better, now. I don't have everything hooked up yet.

Still need to learn how to load software without a disk drive.

 

[AndrewP]

I just bought a ASUS Eee PC 1000HE

Just got it yesterday and it's quite a decent little computer. $374 at Amazon, though it looked like they raised the price to $440 just after I ordered.

160G Harddrive

1G RAM

10 in screen

9.5 hour battery (so they say)

Anyway, it's very small and portable, and I'm hoping it has enough juice to run Topo USA with a USB GPS receiver. If anyone has run a USB GPS with a Netbook, I would like to hear your experience.

 

[daverami]

I just bought a ASUS Eee PC 1000HE

X2!

I put all my GPS mapping stuff on it and software that I have for my Yaesu 7800. Hope to do a trial nRoute here soon, and I'm trying to figure out Oziexplorer.

Love the screen and the touchpad scrolling. Got used to the smaller keyboard pretty quick.

It doesn't have an optical drive but you can get an external one for it. I use a compact portable HD and copied the CD's with software I wanted to load from my desktop PC, then just plugged it in and installed from there. Worked great.

 

[JeepN95YJ]

Still need to learn how to load software without a disk drive.

Just got my Office 2007 Professional version loaded. A simple cut and paste affair with my 4gb memory stick that came with the netbook.


Next up will be my MS Streets and Trips.

I've also got an old version of Delorme TOPO. Version 4.0 I believe from back in 2001. I might give it a shot to see if it will load on XP.

 

[Outdoorsben]

IMO anyone using a netbook in their vehicle should use the SSD version instead of the HDD version. With that being said I chose the HP Mini 1000 for my netbook. The keyboard is on par with the best in the netbook catagory. I've got roughly 40gb of space on my netbook now. I've loaded up Delorme Topo 7 so it's ready to go at all times. With the SSD I don't have to worry how violent of a trail or road I'm on. The only downfall to the HP is the 3cell battery. HP is coming out with a 6cell in the upcoming month.

All netbooks are roughly the same. There are few things that seperate one from another. So purchase the one that fits best in your application. If I was never going to mount mine in a vehicle I would have gone with the NC10 hands down.

 

[RAV4fun]

I just used a company deal to get a Dell Mini 9 for $199. It's got Ubuntu loaded, but only a 4 gig SDD. I'll likely up the RAM to 1 gig and the SDD to at least 16. I'll be using it mostly for remote diagnostics on damaged HDDs at work...and as a living room surfer at home.

 

[Outdoorsben]

I just used a company deal to get a Dell Mini 9 for $199. It's got Ubuntu loaded, but only a 4 gig SDD. I'll likely up the RAM to 1 gig and the SDD to at least 16. I'll be using it mostly for remote diagnostics on damaged HDDs at work...and as a living room surfer at home.

You can just get a 16gb or 32gb SDHC card for it, since it has an SD card slot.