Favorite netbook?

[valen]

What's the best netbook? Discuss. : D

How many of you run vmware on your current book?

[streaker69]

Re: Favorite netbook?

What's the best netbook? Discuss. : D

How many of you run vmware on your current book?

Best netbook for what?

Doesn't Tom's Hardware Guide cover this kind of discussion?

[facon12]

Re: Favorite netbook?

For just general use im a big fan of the eeepc 1000h, it is a normal hard drive instead of ssd which I like simply because of storage capacity. I have yet to have any problems with it and i like how easy the eeepc line is to modify (built in gps and bluetooth ftw). I dont currently but did run sunxm virtual box on mine with an upgraded 2 gigs of ram and it ran fine. I couldnt do a lot in the virtual machine but if i was just testing an image or something like that it was great. The only beef I have is that the advertised battery life is not even close to accurate for me, however thats true of pretty much any laptop/netbook out there that ive run in to. Overall ive had a great experience with mine though.

[The Dark Tangent]

Re: Favorite netbook?

For just general use im a big fan of the eeepc 1000h, it is a normal hard drive instead of ssd which I like simply because of storage capacity. I have yet to have any problems with it and i like how easy the eeepc line is to modify (built in gps and bluetooth ftw). I dont currently but did run sunxm virtual box on mine with an upgraded 2 gigs of ram and it ran fine. I couldnt do a lot in the virtual machine but if i was just testing an image or something like that it was great. The only beef I have is that the advertised battery life is not even close to accurate for me, however thats true of pretty much any laptop/netbook out there that ive run in to. Overall ive had a great experience with mine though.

I've got a Vaio P, very sleek and sexy, has about everything you could want. It is using an older 1.3Ghz processor (Atom) but the newer models in Japan have the 1.6 already. Some people are reporting success overclocking them to about 1.8.

The downfall for me is that it comes pre-loaded with Vista. An XP upgrade made the system much much faster, but the power management software from Sony will not run under XP, so it is now running hot and the batt live is about 1/2 what it used to be. Windows 7 runs fine on it, and Sony will release drivers for it, so I'll just hold out. I read reports of people working on getting OS/X working on it, as well as all the various Un*x flavors.

The screen resolution is too insane to view without getting a headache, but the 128gig SSD is nice, GPS, 802.11n, etc. Even has a built in EVDO modem that people have hacked to re-flash into HSDPA/EVDO WAN mode. Cheap it is not, but it is a do-all replacement if you can love with 2ggigs max ram and the price tag.

[noid]

Re: Favorite netbook?

I'm rockin' the AspireOne. I follow Tnkgrl's blog (I think she's a Defcon attendee too) and she's doing a ton of cool stuff with the AspireOne. I upgraded the drive to a PATA drive. I'm currently doing the embedded GPS and Bluetooth mods. I'm gonna finally wrap it up with a touch screen mod. Its definitely a good hacking platform.

Right now I'm running Windows 7 beta on it because I heard that it ran slicker than shit on netbooks and frankly, they're right. After I get tired of Win7 I'm probably gonna turn it into a Backtrack box.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Favorite netbook?

when i had a screen issue on my Fujitsu and ordered an eeePC 1000H i found out that it was the same size (and almost the same weight) as my old Fujitsu. heh, when the eeePC came with a broken screen, i just returned it and repaired the old laptop.

converge and i have that Fujitsu (the Lifebook P-series) and it's goddamn fantastic... it includes an optical drive and TV-out, two things that most netbooks do not. sadly, they use the mini-DIMM for RAM and that's crazy expensive to upgrade, but i plan on still using it until it absolutely kicks the bucket.

[g3k_]

Re: Favorite netbook?

I personally have an eeePC 1000hd, which I regret getting, instead of the 1000h. I purchased mine at Bestbuy and it had a bunch of nerfed hardware in it that I have to manually replace (like the crappy wireless card)

I love the little thing, but until I get the stuff replaced in it, I can't really do what I intended to do with it. I've used my friend's 900 to crack wireless and general tomfoolery and its a pretty awesome tool :3

[sintax_error]

Re: Favorite netbook?

My tax-return based contribution to stimulating the economy: Eeepc 901-bk001. With a few minor upgrades, naturally. With easily modifiable innards, and a keyboard that's comfortable to me, what more can one ask for?

A couple of friends are using the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, which is roughly the same size and weight as the 901 and are very pleased with them in their own configurations. Takes a little more modding out of the box for their needs, but still a nice machine.

I think "What's the best netbook?" is way too subjective a question to get a real answer. My instinct is to respond with "That's going to be unique to each person. My preferred configuration may not suit Deviant, or DT, but who knows, it might suit g3k or Noid." There simply is no "best" netbook, it's a matter of opinion, needs, and personal preference.

[barry99705]

Re: Favorite netbook?

I'm running a slightly modded eeepc 701.

[char_guerilla]

Re: Favorite netbook?

sintax_error:
I think "What's the best netbook?" is way too subjective a question to get a real answer. My instinct is to respond with "That's going to be unique to each person...

Second that. Some people can roll with a 89% or smaller keyboard, some can't.

I've had an eeePC 701 since October 2007 or so. It has a tiny keyboard and screen, but it was hard to beat for the price and 2lb weight. I run a netbook remix of Ubuntu on it, put some more ram in (I didn't get the model with the soldered-on ram, thankfully), and have enjoyed having it.

Added a 10-inch Acer Aspire One to the collection when it came out in Febuary - even though it weighs an extra pound and is more bulky than the eee, I've pretty much shelved the eee at this point in favor of the Acer. Less eyestrain, larger keyboard, 160 gig hard drive. It came with Windows XP; I installed Fedora 10 so it'll dual boot, though since then I've pretty much been just using Fedora. Had to switch out the wifi driver to the older madwifi one, but other than that, worked out of box just fine in Fedora. Have most of the same tools and functionality (wifi monitor mode, wireshark, gcc, et all) and a battery that lasts 6 hours over the eee's 2.5 or so, which means I'm not anchored to an AC outlet. Overall, it's the best compromise I've found - heavier, but with much more functionality and far less eyestrain. And it's still lighter and smaller (and cheaper) than a regular laptop, which is the whole point.

If you're in the market for a netbook, I'd recommend a pilgrimage to a retailer that actually has a few, so you can see what fits best. There's a lot to balance - fortunately, there's a lot of variety.

[g3k_]

Re: Favorite netbook?

If you're in the market for a netbook, I'd recommend a pilgrimage to a retailer that actually has a few, so you can see what fits best. There's a lot to balance - fortunately, there's a lot of variety.

Double check with the communities for whatever netbook you plan on buying, because like I said the Bestbuy edition of the 1000hd came with nerfed hardware. Had I bought it on Newegg, I would have gotten the Aetheros card ;/

I forgot to mention that I'm also running Xubuntu, using the Array.org custom kernel.

[valen]

Re: Favorite netbook?

Great feedback from all of you. I just wondered what all of you were sporting, so I can see what the likely options are. Hah, a pilgrimage - a great way to describe such a trip.

I would really like to be able to run at least one OS in VMware. How probable is this on a 1.6 atom with 2 gigs of ram? I've heard it runs fine on a via c7m with the same ram. Do you guys have any experience this this? Thanks.

[barry99705]

Re: Favorite netbook?

Great feedback from all of you. I just wondered what all of you were sporting, so I can see what the likely options are. Hah, a pilgrimage - a great way to describe such a trip.

I would really like to be able to run at least one OS in VMware. How probable is this on a 1.6 atom with 2 gigs of ram? I've heard it runs fine on a via c7m with the same ram. Do you guys have any experience this this? Thanks.

That's something I've not tried with mine, probably wouldn't run too well though.

[Melesse]

Re: Favorite netbook?

At great personal risk of flames and hellfire, I resurrect this thread. It also seemed appropriate since new netbooks have come out in the 3 months since it was last posted in.

I've been considering which netbook to get this summer before DC17, and have narrowed it down to three choices.

Toshiba NB205 - http://blog.laptopmag.com/hands-on-w...-toshiba-nb205

Reasons I like it - Hot all metal body, full sized keyboard, long battery life, same color as my Element (I'm big on matching, my other laptop is copper colored, earth tones all the way!)

Reasons I don't like it - A little expensive, but for the longer battery and full sized keyboard, worth it. Stupid Toshiba logo and textured plate mean no place for stickers on top. *sigh*

Gigabyte Touchnote T1028 - http://www.slashgear.com/gigabyte-t1...osted-0640227/

Why I Like It - Convertible tablet netbook for around $600? Hells yea! Stellar color scheme, b/g/n

Why I don't like it - $600 bucks? That's why I paid for my current laptop. Currently available, but I can't find it anywhere but ebay. Only 3 hours of battery life, it appears.

HP Mini 1000 Mi

Why I like it - Supposedly a very nice keyboard for typing. Only $280, so I'll be a lot less reticent about tearing into it. Widely available.

What I don't like - Glossy screen, <3 hour battery. Irritating trackpad.

The HP mini 110 is coming out in a couple days, very similar to the mini 1000, but with a Matte screen instead of the all glass glossy crap. That might replace this once I see some words being written on it.

I'm going to be buying one of these in the next month, I'm leaning towards the T1028, but I'll admit, that's because I've had a hard on for tablets for years with no real reason why.

I'm also trying to figure out the wireless chipsets used in each, but am having trouble finding that particular information, though an expresscard slot would be an acceptable alternative. Additionally, installing new wireless cards is not out of reach I suppose.

M.

[Rover]

Re: Favorite netbook?

I went with the Dell Vostro A90 - the updated version of the Dell Mini 9. They were running a $199 deal a while back, so it was hard to pass up.

After adding 2GB or RAM, a higher speed SSD and OS X, it makes a snappy little MacBookMini.