I'm thinking of getting my wife a netbook. What would you recommend?
Asked by
phoenyx (
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December 12th, 2009
And why would you recommend it?
I’ve done some research already, but I’d especially like to hear the experiences of people who actually own them.
She is going back to school and would primarily be using it for her college classes (using the internet, taking notes, writing papers, etc.). She’d like something that she could type comfortably on. It would be nice if she could watch hulu or movies on it (streamed).
She is familiar with both linux and windows.
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14 Answers
Asus has been making netbooks longer than any other company, so they are slightly ahead of the curve in terms of features.
I’ve heard that the HP Mini’s have some of the best keyboards to comfortably type on (of course, Asus may have increased the size of their keyboards as well; I haven’t looked into this in quite a while).
If keyboard comfort is important, I’d suggest taking her to a store that has several netbooks on display, so she can try them for herself and see what feels best.
Many cell phone providers offer majorly discounted or free netbooks. Don’t go for those. They make you sign a contract and you’ll have to pay 40–50 a month for wireless data for the netbook for 2 years. It sounds like your wife will just be using wifi at her school so it would be cheaper in the long run to just buy it outright.
Samsung N140 – outstanding keyboard.
Let me give you some great advice; stay away from the $299 netbooks, they are virtually useless except for the most basic tasks as they contain tiny “Atom” processors that bog down with just a Youtube video. They are more suited for preteens.
Personally, I would have to go with the Aspire One.
1) The keyboard is actually better than many desktop keyboards I’ve used (though that is a matter of preference).
2) They benchmark a bit better than most other 1.6GHz Atoms. I don’t know how, but they are not as slow as some people think. By comparison, my neighbor’s HP netbook is sluggish as hell despite having the same CPU and chipset and every Asus I’ve tried has been even slower, though I hear the 1000H-series isn’t bad as the other Asus ones. I actually run games on my AA1 and most of them run pretty smooth.
3) They are a good bargain. Well-built, full-featured, and cost less than most aside from the Asus. Last I checked they ran about $350 for a 1GB/160GB/WinXP model, though I haven’t shopped around since I got mine so they may be cheaper now.
If you don’t mind spending a little more, try an Aspire 1410.They are not much bigger (11.6” screen, still only an inch thick, and about 3 pounds) but better graphics, about twice as fast, can handle a full 4GB of RAM, larger hard drive… basically a full-on laptop minus the optical drive.
The 1410 better than a netbook, about the same size, and the street price on them is about $400; less than many netbooks!
@Pretty_Lilly – I have yet to have that issue on mine, though I have seen an HP Mini 1000 choke on videos. Then again, read point #2 above.
I have an Acer Aspire One and I am pleased with it. It was a great tool for me as long I was a studing ( I graduated only about 1,5 month ago) , it has never had any crashes (thank God) and now that I find myself obligated to travel across Europe (mainly from Greece to the UK and back) thanks to it I stay connected with my family and friends and up to date when it comes down to my science.
Don’t the screens are too small. Get a cheap notebook. 15” screen will be much more useful.
@UScitizen I find that once you get that big, you are almost defeating the purpose of a portable system. I mean, they might be fine if you weigh 300 pounds and thus have a lap like an end-table and don’t mind the weight but personally I thought that the point of a netbook over a laptop was the portability that many current laptops lack.
That said, that is why I also recommended the Aspire 1410 and it’s larger screen with a higher resolution as an alternative. I agree that a 10.1” screen isn’t for everybody, and while I love my 8.9” (allowing for a smaller, lighter system) I can see how other people would loathe it.
I’ve bought and returned four of them because I found them to be too slow and small. I stronly suggest you make certain it fits her needs and let her play with one before giving
it to her.
Good point. I only chose my AA1 was after having a little hands-on time with a few different makes/models and finding it to be the best of the bunch.
As for slow, I never expected it to be fast anyways and was pleasantly surprised that it was faster/more powerful than I thought it would be. The real key is not to overload it with crap; I run mine lean and mean.
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