Mini Notebook or Laptop

[gotwake]

HP is now claiming 24 hours for one of theirs. (pricey)

My Macbook can do 4 hours no problem.

Not sure on the mini's.

Don't be misled with those claims from HP and Dell. The Dell laptop that lasts for 19 hours has a 9-cell battery which is rated for 9 hours, but needs to be partnered with a 12-cell battery slice which sits under the notebook. I'm not carrying around a 14" laptop that weighs that much. To me all of the netbooks are crap. I guess if you just want to use it for playing movies for travel. The 13" Macbook last for 5 hours and the new 17" Macbook Pro is less than 7 lbs and lasts for 8 hours. I agree with NudeDiver, if you ever try a Mac, you will never go back

 

[Hoosier]

For my personal laptop, I have the Sony Viao Mini. It is about 1.5 years old, has 11 inch screen and the battery lasts about 4 hours or so on the original battery with consistent use for docs and wireless internet. The extended battery is about $200 and gets 6 hours +. I like mine but like all Sony's the name is what increases the price.

Wow, Sony is impressive.... I have to look at it, but the new Samsung must be attractive as well before finding out the price range.

The 13" Macbook last for 5 hours and the new 17" Macbook Pro is less than 7 lbs and lasts for 8 hours. I agree with NudeDiver, if you ever try a Mac, you will never go back

Don't get me wrong. My first notebook was Powerbook 5300cs. I paid over $2100 even with an academic discount about 12~13 years ago.
It is still running.

But, I moved to PC due to the compatibility issue (statistic SW and file transfer (without breaking format)). I know MS OS can't beat Mac OS that is much more stable, but even though I can get many major MAC SWs free from the work place, it is still expensive and hassle for me.

BTW, my first PC was Apple II and then MAC LC II (still has it).

 

[luckydays]

Wow, Sony is impressive.... I have to look at it, but the new Samsung must be attractive as well before finding out the price range.


Don't get me wrong. My first notebook was Powerbook 5300cs. I paid over $2100 even with an academic discount about 12~13 years ago.
It is still running.

But, I moved to PC due to the compatibility issue (statistic SW and file transfer (without breaking format)). I know MS OS can't beat Mac OS that is much more stable, but even though I can get many major MAC SWs free from the work place, it is still expensive and hassle for me.

BTW, my first PC was Apple II and then MAC LC II (still has it).

Not a Mac user here and I have nothing against them. But back when I was buying my first computer it seemed that a PC was just easier to deal with. There was more software available or compatible with the PC so that is what I bought. Now I am just to lazy to switch even if it is a nice line of computers.

As for the Sony, the machine I got was around $1800 a year and a half ago. I use it for work so it is a write off and small enough that I can take it all over and not be burdened by my older laptop (heavier than a brick). I would not recommend it for an average user unless needing a small laptop is vital. Like lots of commuting or travel.

 

[mrfixitchapman]

Right now I'm using an Aspire One. Bought at Walmart.com. Bought memory upgrade and the big battery pack, not sold that way in stores. I use it for day-to-day usage and I have an Earthmate GPS antenna and software kit. It is small enough to use in the car or pickup truck. I use a USB portable 250gig hard drive for big files and videos. I can load them on to the portable hd and sync to the netbook for viewing.

So far, so good, but the DVD drive had to be left out to make the little critter as small as it is. I have a friend who bought one without Windoze, using Ubuntu instead. Works for him.

YMMV

My 2psi

DC

 

[Brandon]

I just recommend an Asus EEE pc for my sister, who was looking for much of the same features you are. Throw GIMP on there, and you've accomplished your photo editing goal. Her EEE pc arrived about a week ago and she's thrilled with it - hard to beat for $500 (after adding more RAM and an external DVD drive).

PC/Mac/Linux/whatever - use what you're most comfortable with. They all have their ups and downs.

-B

 

[Hoosier]

Not a Mac user here and I have nothing against them. But back when I was buying my first computer it seemed that a PC was just easier to deal with. There was more software available or compatible with the PC so that is what I bought. Now I am just to lazy to switch even if it is a nice line of computers.

.

I agree with you on that point....

Right now I'm using an Aspire One. Bought at Walmart.com. Bought memory upgrade and the big battery pack, not sold that way in stores. I use it for day-to-day usage and I have an Earthmate GPS antenna and software kit. It is small enough to use in the car or pickup truck. I use a USB portable 250gig hard drive for big files and videos. I can load them on to the portable hd and sync to the netbook for viewing.

So far, so good, but the DVD drive had to be left out to make the little critter as small as it is. I have a friend who bought one without Windoze, using Ubuntu instead. Works for him.

YMMV

My 2psi

DC

I know that Sam's used to sell a big bargain mini notebook (Asus) as well, but their battery life wasn't impressive...

But, how about the battery life on yours?

I just recommend an Asus EEE pc for my sister, who was looking for much of the same features you are. Throw GIMP on there, and you've accomplished your photo editing goal. Her EEE pc arrived about a week ago and she's thrilled with it - hard to beat for $500 (after adding more RAM and an external DVD drive).

PC/Mac/Linux/whatever - use what you're most comfortable with. They all have their ups and downs.

-B

Again, how about the battery life? Thanks in advance,

 

[Brandon]

It's supposed to be 4-9.5 hours, depending on the model and usage. She has the 1000HE version if you want to check it out in more depth. Reviews are excellent all around.

-B

 

[Hoosier]

It's supposed to be 4-9.5 hours, depending on the model and usage. She has the 1000HE version if you want to check it out in more depth. Reviews are excellent all around.

-B

Brandon,

Thanks..... It looks like what I am looking for.... 8~9 hrs battery life....
I hope the battery life will last at least two years....

Definitely I will check it out.... Super!

 

[Hoosier]

Samsung also announced N110 and N120. NC10 is on sale as well..

It looks great, but N270 CPU compared to N280 CPU on Asus....
I am wondering if there is any big difference on the speed.

It seems that the main factors to concern are a CPU and keyboard size....

Any opinion?

 

[orionnt]

I recently picked up an Acer One Netbook and its perfect for travel. I got the version with windows, and I get an average of 3 hours of battery life when doing tasks like searching the web, etc. They have an Extended Life battery that will allow up to 8 hours battery life available as well. The netbook is roughly the size of a half sheet of paper, and the Power brick to charge it is very small as well.

It has no DVD player, so u cant watch movies on it unless you rip them to it. It is perfect for traveling if you just need something to search the net, check email, and backup or edit photos.