Tech Blog

[#1]

While I was watching TV this afternoon, a commercial for another tech retailer came on and the helpful sales associate suggested to the psychology student that a netbook would be a good choice for her. I almost scream out loud at the TV: No! Are you kidding me? The woman has to write a lot papers! Which then got me thinking, is there ever a case now for netbooks?

Before we get into this discussion, let's get "what is a netbook" set in our heads. First, screen size of 12" or less. Second, smaller than standard keyboard and/or smaller than "normal" keys. Third: smaller hard drives (usually SSDs) and a gig of RAM or less. When I think of netbooks, I tend to have the Eee PC, Dell Mini, etc in my head. Okay? All on the same page? Good.

Okay, so netbooks. Yeah I have one. Had it for about two years and I did really like it and did use it a good deal. For a few months. Okay, fine, I did mess around with the OS a bunch and I did turn it into a Hackintosh for a while. Still, the main problem I had with it is that the keys were too small to type for any great period of time and the screen size main my eyes go wonky in short order. Now my poor Eee PC 901 sits to the side (though it does have JoliCloud on it) while my iPad does everything that I got my netbook for in the first place.

Which brings me back to the commercial. When would you recommend a netbook? I'm not saying that a laptop has to be huge and powerful to be useful. My wife has a MacBook Air and loves it. I certainly see that a 13" laptop might be plenty for most folks. However, I think most "standard" laptops come with a full OS and enough power to get the job done. I think if I had to write papers on a netbook, I'd go nuts. Beyond the waiting for almost everything (sure the SSDs help, but only 512MB of RAM only goes so far), I just don't think a netbook could handle a semester's worth of work.

Yeah, the iPad and cheaper, small laptops pretty much killed any market there once was for netbooks. Honestly, I can't imagine recommending one to anyone, for anything. You?

[#2]

With the right specs, I'd recommend them. But those specs include 2GB RAM and Windows 7 Home or better. Which are things most netbooks lack.

[#3]

I could not possibly disagree with this more.

Before I bought my netbook, I had an HP notebook with a 17" screen and a full-size keyboard including number pad. While it was great to lug around the house, taking it anywhere was a pain.

Long story short, it went in for diagnosis (suspected motherboard failure) at (competitor) and returned sans-harddrive.

When I was planning a trip (80 days backpacking across six countries in three different continents), not taking a computer wasn't an option. I needed a way to communicate with friends and family back home (since I was going phoneless), a place to back up my folders and somewhere to write blog posts when an internet cafe wasn't available.

So to fill in the computer gap that my harddrive created, and in preparation for my trip, I bought an Asus EEEPC for $300 (before taxes) at (competitor). Windows XP, 1GB RAM, 160GB harddrive, wireless card, webcam, speakers, the works. It's rugged, easily fit in my purse, and was the perfect size for carry-on. When I lost my camera mid-trip, my only worry was buying a replacement, because I'd backed up all my photos regularly. It was absolutely perfect.

My 17" laptop is still not fixed (and likely not worth fixing; I'll be better off buying a new one instead) despite it dying over 10 months ago. I've had little incentive to bother buying a new full-size laptop because my netbook is so fantastic. Once you get used to the slightly-smaller keyboard and master resizing the screen as necessary (which takes maybe two days tops), you don't even miss having a large screen. I have two 19" monitors at work and I still don't mind going home to a tiny 11" screen.

There are some instances when it's frustrating having a small screen, like when dealing with Excel spreadsheets, but its benefits (weighing >2 kilos, having 3+ hours of battery life, and being so inexpensive to start with) far outweigh its few limitations. I use it for internet, pictures, a tonne of music, and to occasionally watch movies, and it passes all those tests with flying colours.

And when I had to churn out a paper for an 80-hour technical writing project earlier this year? No problem.

Back to school is expensive. Back to school when it's college or university even moreso. With netbooks at less than half the price of a standard-issue Dell or HP notebook, or one-fifth the price of a Macbook, they fill the requirements without breaking the bank.

It all comes down to personal preference. If you've got thumbs for fingers, or if your vision isn't good enough to regularly work with smaller type, a netbook isn't a solid full-time solution for you. But to discourage everyone from buying them doesn't make sense.

When I buy another laptop (mostly because I miss the number pad), I'll still tote my netbook around when I need a computer on the go.

And for travel? Nothin' but netbook.

[#4]

Correction: weighing <2 kilos.

[#5]

I think netbooks still have their place, but they're not as hot now as they were when they're novelty was all the rage.

[#6]

As someone with a 16" laptop and a netbook, I can see the place for them.  For people with larger laptops, it really isn't fun lugging that monstrosity around with you, especially if it's only to be used for relatively minor uses.  A netbook fills the role perfectly.  You can leave your larger laptop at home and just take your netbook.  Like that, you still have access to email, internet, etc., and you can still work on that report, but you don't have to carry around the excess weight.  And when you get home, you can simply switch back over to your regular laptop to get back to that more comfortable typing and viewing experience.

But I could not use a netbook full time.  They just aren't powerful enough for the majority of my needs and I find them too slow for me.  When my laptop was in for repairs and I had to rely on my netbook, I just about lost it.  And that was with the ability to use my full size bluetooth keyboard, wireless mouse and with the ability to connect my netbook to my 19" computer screen.  The speed is a serious issue, as is the lack of available USB ports.

Netbooks have their place and will continue to do so until tablet computers that can do the same thing come about.  With the new focus being on things like the iPad and Android tablets (i.e. not full Windows OSes), netbooks may actually stick around longer than I originally anticipated.  But for the average user, there is no way that they should ever be recommended as a primary solution (some users can get away with it, but not many, especially given that you can get full sized laptops for so cheap nowadays).

[#7]

Out of curiosity, what programs are you simultaneously using while using your netbook. I'm seriously considering getting one, but as a Moderator and student, I will be using Trillian Astra while opening about 100 tabs of internet to read, as well as Powerpoints & PDFs for school.

I'm currently lugging an oldschool 17" Toshiba Laptop with a centrino processor and XP so it can't be any slower than what I have now.

Any advice and/or experiences would be much appreciated.

[#8]

jakoby, I didn't know you were a student...

Anyhow, it can definitely be slower.  My old 4-5 year old 14" HP laptop (that is now my boyfriend's) is still faster than my netbook for many things.  If you're looking at running with lots of open internet tabs and multitasking (e.g. running IM apps at the same time), it will definitely bog down and could actually have problems operating.  At this point in time, netbooks still use single core processors (like your old Toshiba laptop, or my old HP) and they don't handle multitasking very well.  For your needs, I can pretty much guarantee you wouldn't be very happy.  But if you're willing to keep the number of open tabs down (i.e. 10 or less), it can work fine.  And a netbook on it's own can handle powerpoint and PDFs.  The only catch with powerpoints could be the video connection.  Make sure the netbook has a proper video output.

Now then, that said, Intel has come up with a dual core Atom processor which should be able to handle multitasking better, and apparently manufacturers are starting to plan their netbook refreshes with this in mind.  So you could choose to wait for those, or you could also buy a small but more powerful laptop. 

And if you want to consider other options, the Acer Timelines are small, cheap, and while not as powerful as other more expensive laptops (still much more powerful than a netbook or your current laptop), they have an impressive battery life.  All for under $550.  HP's DM3-1124CA is also a small but decently powered laptop.  For your needs, I'd consider checking out these guys instead.  If you'd like some other options, let me know what your budget is and I can find you some decent options based on your needs.

[#9]

Hey everyone...thanks for the great discussion. Sam, you got me, I think you have one of the best examples of when a netbook would be perfect. Actually I got my netbook to take with me on vacation a couple years ago so I could write and check pictures, but not lug my whole laptop with me.

Netbooks, and some of the innovations they encouraged, will live on, but I think more as really basic, simple machines for people who want something as portable as a tablet, but not a tablet.

Truth be told, I do see at least one netbook at my fav coffee place when I go there. So they still have their place. It's just my netbook's place is on a shelf.

[#10]

I actually covered this exact subject last week, also on this blog.

Are Netbooks Already Dead?