Inexpensive Netbook/Laptop for Note-taking, etc - $100-150?

[ElectroPulse]

Hello, all!

Alright, I'm gonne be headed off to college in about a month (finally!).

Anyway, the laptop that I got last year is a brick, far too heavy and bulky to carry around (XPS 17"), and I'd like to get an inexpensive one for note-taking, browsing the internet, programming (I'm going into computer science), etc. Gaming (like Minecraft) would be nice, but for that price range I know I can certainly forget about anything other than Minesweeper (besides, my mobile gaming role is filled with my XPS).

Anyway, could anyone recommend me something? I'm probably going to throw Lubuntu, or some other light-weight OS, onto it, so it doesn't need to be at all powerful (not sure how much processing power is required by compilers and other programming-related software. I'm guessing very little, since the Raspberry Pi was originally intended for that use).

Several I've seen have been less, but they would be just too slow... And of course, there are a lot that are more than my price range. Finding one in that range has proven a bit difficult...

Solid state storage would be nice (could just close the lid and grab it without worrying about the hdd head scratching the platters), but I know that I couldn't hope for anything larger than 8gb or so (an SD card slot would be nice for storage).

Requirements:
Size: More than 7"... 10.1" or more.
Storage: Ehh, probably 8gb or more. SD card slot would be a HUGE plus (almost a requirement... consider it more of a requirement with lower main storage capacity).
RAM: 1gb or more (preferably 2gb or more)
Pre-installed OS: Doesn't really matter...
Batery life: 4 hours or more (maybe 3 or more)
CPU: Preferably some sort of dual core processor

Thanks!

 

[soccerballtux]

I have one that gets 7.5 hours battery life on lowest brightness (~5 highest), used it for exact same thing. I have a thread in FS/FT on it if you search you'll find it. It's boxed up and ready to ship...

I wouldn't recommend linux on it, drivers. Also don't install any windows updates, slowed it way down.

Solid state not necessary on the Atoms. They can't process much faster than the HDD can provide.

 

[s44]

Erm, there's a separate notebook forum.

While you're here, though -- you can't expand the budget to get a TF300+dock? Having zero heat, zero noise, and literal all-day (multi-afternoon) battery life is just indescribably great.

 

[ElectroPulse]

Ah, sorry about that, I was in a hurry and did a quick page search for "netbook," glanced through the forums (probably didn't spot "laptop" since it had "SFF" before it), and went into "Mobile Devices," since I figured a netbook could be classified as such. Could a mod please move this?

Anyway, thank you for the replies.

Unfortunately the TF300 alone is more than $100 above my budget, add on the price of a dock, and at that price I'd prefer just getting a low-end laptop.

As for SSD, it isn't for the speed... it's more of for the durability. With my laptop I always try to move it slowly so that there isn't as much of a risk of the heads getting scratched. I'll check out you thread, though!

 

[lupi]

you might still catch one of the acer aspires on clearance for under $200.

 

[Zaap]

If you live in or near a big city, craigslist.

Tons of people selling their netbooks they barely ever used for cheap.

 

[soccerballtux]

Ah, sorry about that, I was in a hurry and did a quick page search for "netbook," glanced through the forums (probably didn't spot "laptop" since it had "SFF" before it), and went into "Mobile Devices," since I figured a netbook could be classified as such. Could a mod please move this?

Anyway, thank you for the replies.

Unfortunately the TF300 alone is more than $100 above my budget, add on the price of a dock, and at that price I'd prefer just getting a low-end laptop.

As for SSD, it isn't for the speed... it's more of for the durability. With my laptop I always try to move it slowly so that there isn't as much of a risk of the heads getting scratched. I'll check out you thread, though!

HDDs well engineered actually. Have multi-G ratings-- OK to turn, even toss laptop onto bed while running. Not best practice, but if done gently it's OK

 

[Rottie]

Forget about Netbook they are dead for 2012! I am sure you will need a good 7 - 10 inches tablet…Android tablet can be cheap like 200 buck!