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Advice on a Netbook for experimenting.

shortylickens

shortylickens

No Lifer
Finally got my GI Bill check today, and given that all my previous classes have been paid and I am only taking one class this summer, I decided to buy a Netbook for college.
Will still be doing most of my work at home on a regular computer but I want something to take into class.

Have been looking at netbooks for a LONG time now and have a rough idea of what I want. Just need something cheap to experiment with and learn about them and I dont feel like spending a lot of money. I also wont wait 6 months just to see the latest and greatest from Apple or Google or anybody else. I dont care. I only want to spend a small amount of money to start getting into the netbook world. Maybe in a year I will splurge for a nice one with all the latest features. I will not be getting any extened warranties or service plans. That defeats the purpose of me trying to save money.

Right now I am looking at:
http://www.provantage.com/acer...s130b-021~7ACEN0K1.htm
An Acer Apire One with minimal features.
Since I wont be playing games or editing movies it has everything I need.

For someone just starting out is this acceptable, or is it too crummy even for beginners?
 
Aspire One is one of the first netbooks to come out after the originals 701's were released by Asus. It's a decent one, but for $40 more you could probably get one with much better specs.
 
Try to get one with a 10" screen. It makes a difference. And probably one without a SSD (for more HD space). So long as you're running Windows, they're all very similar. Windows 7 ran great on my MSI wind with 1Gb of ram. They can be had for around $300 with the 3-cell or around $340 with 6-cell, though I'm sure you could find better. I personally check Newegg, eBay, and Best Buy (website) to compare prices. Best Buy surprisingly can sometimes have the best deals around.

I don't know exactly what you're going to "experiment" or "learn" with it. It's basically a small, low-powered laptop.

Though, putting OS X on the Wind (or Dell Mini 9) is a learning experience. 😉 Not much of one...pretty easy.
 
Originally posted by: IlllI
if you want something cheap just to tinker with what about the dell outlet? you can get a mini 9 for less than $200 http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBO...?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh

and sometimes you can get outlet coupons for like 15% off etc
Click to expand...
EXCELLENT!
Obviously you understand what it is I want.
Yup, 209 bucks for a little practice is a darn good deal, and it comes with a 1 year warranty straight from Dell.
Good stuff. As much as I liked the brown Acer I think I can settle for a black or white Dell.

 
another thing to note is inventory changes there all the time so what you find now might be gone when you go back later to look.
 
I've tried the original 7" Asus EeePC 701, a MSI Wind and now the Lenovo S10, and I have to say that out of the three I like the S10 the best. It's got quirks but they're tolerable and the build quality is better than the Wind. The 701 was simply too small to be usable.
 
DONE! I got exactly what I needed for 209 dollars.
As an added bonus this model has a 4-cell battery, the Acer uses 3.


Interesting side note, their outlet store had 4 black, 4 white, and 583 pink laptops, purchased but never shipped.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........
Indecisive females?
Or gay nerds on a shopping spree?
 
I'm on my third. First the Asus 1000H, then the Lenovo S10, and finally the Acer Aspire One AOD150.
Of the three, I am LOVING the Acer Aspire One AOD150. I think I'll actually keep this one for a while. It really makes the previous Aspire One look like a piece of crap.
 
SHIT!!!!

Been checking their website constantly with no update to my order.
This morning I checked and it was cancelled. They did not send me an email notification. They did not call me. There is no reason listed for the cancellation.

Screw them.
I'll go out to my local Walmart and get something for 300 bucks. If it sucks I can take it back.

See you guys.
 
Originally posted by: shortylickens
SHIT!!!!

Been checking their website constantly with no update to my order.
This morning I checked and it was cancelled. They did not send me an email notification. They did not call me. There is no reason listed for the cancellation.

Screw them.
I'll go out to my local Walmart and get something for 300 bucks. If it sucks I can take it back.

See you guys.
Click to expand...

Dell outlet can be ruthless.
 
OK. I got my Acer from Staples. Am posting from it now, using Chrome.
Keyboard is small, keys are hard to press. I spent a LOT of time uninstalling crap and installing the stuff I like. Spent even more time installing microsoft updates. Even though it has a 54mbit wifi and my house has 30mbit broadband, it works very slow.
It makes a little noise because of the fan and the regular hard drive. Not noticeable though unless you listen. I'm sure my teachers wont hear me typing away in class.

I didnt know it but this Acer ships with a nice mini-mouse from Logitech. The touchpad is good too.

I still need to check my bank account to see if Dell refunded my money from the previous fiasco.
 
A bit late for shortylickens, but for anyone else wanting something dirt cheap for experimenting... Woot! has a deal (4/18 only) for $155 shipped on a refurb Asus Eee PC 900 (512MB/4GB SSD/Linux/Celeron).
 
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