Mini Notebook or Laptop

[Hoosier]

Hi

Do you have any mini notebook or laptop for travel?

I bought my Lenovo notebook about 1 1/2 year ago, but the battery can only last 30~45 min. I don't know it is an ordinary life span though. It is less than what I expected. :depressed: The replacement will be $90 range even from eBay. I had better get the new mini laptop that can last 3~6 hrs......


When I took an international flight (12 hrs) last month, I saw that one guy was watching the movie almost 6 hrs with his Mini Notebook. I was quite impressed at its battery life, but I couldn't have a chance to ask what brand he has.

Any insight and review on mini notebook in the current market?

It is OK for a basic photo editing on the scuba trip?

I don't expect that much from the Mini series. But, what I want is to check email, surf, googling, PDF, photo edit, Bluetooth (Skype), Youtube, DVD/Movie watching, and GPS SW running.

Thanks in advance,

 

[RonFrank]

I just saw a mini-laptop for $299, and that included the OS (Vista Home).

I'm going to look into this, but unfortunately don't have info beyond the specs. I think this was an Acer brand, but not 100% sure. Next time I'm at Staples/wherever I'll take a better look. We were in a bit of a hurry.

 

[Hoosier]

I saw one as well.. It is Lenovo brand... I might not get it again from Lenovo that seems to use the cheap battery cell from China, not Japanese one. (No wonder, Lenovo is chinese brand). A typical battery life made with the cheap cell doesn't last long even though it shows the similar battery life at the beginning. All eBay based battery is in this category.

How about Atom processor? Any experience?
I prefer MS OS based computer to Linux.

 

[tc]

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.

 

[luckydays]

My mom has a Lenovo that we bought for xmas from TigerDirect.com. The computer was about $300. Battery life is crap for the one that came with it (she says about an hour). The replacement battery is about $100 and supposed to last 6 hours. She also says that the netbook runs hot. I did not think so but I only played with it for less than 30 minutes.

 

[luckydays]

Oh and the one she has does not have a DVD. You can transfer through a usb port or over the net but no dvd.

 

[Hoosier]

My mom has a Lenovo that we bought for xmas from TigerDirect.com. The computer was about $300. Battery life is crap for the one that came with it (she says about an hour). The replacement battery is about $100 and supposed to last 6 hours. She also says that the netbook runs hot. I did not think so but I only played with it for less than 30 minutes.

That is all true as a current Lenovo owner... I am typing this with a darn hot Lenovo....

 

[Damselfish]

I have a Asus EE PC thats 1-2 years old, runs Linux. I do love the size of the minis, great for travel mostly to access the web and email. I don't like hauling a laptop anyplace. The one I have however, has it's issues. The button on the trackpad doesn't work half the time, and the keys often miss as well. It started doing that after not all that much use and it's not like anything was dumped on it. And, the battery life is poor. Now, I got this one for free so it's worth at least what I paid for it but as I recall that model was around $400 at the time.

 

[NudeDiver]

I have a Powerbook G4 with 12" screen. It's great for travel. New battery gets about 3 hours. Carry a couple of extra batteries and you can make most flights with it, short of the really long hauls.

I wouldn't consider any Windows-based machine, no matter how cheap it is - unless all I ever used it for was to watch DVDs on airplanes (and never connected it to the Internet).

 

[luckydays]

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.

I like the netbooks for size portability but if I only get an hour with the battery and I have to lug extras around, I would be happier with my notebook.

In comparing my Sony vs the Lenovo I would say that the Sony is around the same weight and thickness but is just about 2 inches wider (to make up for the larger screen size).