Looking at netbooks for my brother

[gorcorps]

Had some questions as I don't really know much about them:

1.) Do they all pretty much come with a windows OS now? I remember when the Eee PC was first coming out it didn't have an OS (IIRC) which made it so cheap. Now it seems they have either XP or some starter edition of windows 7. I just need it to run office.

2.) Is there one brand that's better reliability and usability wise over the other? What I need is something with VGA or any video out so he can plug into his current monitor to get some work done on a non-tiny screen. I was looking at the Eee PC because it seems to have a fuller sized keyboard which would be nice as he might not have to use an external kb for homework.

3.) Are there any decent deals on refurbs? I see quite a few new ones under $300, but if I could find any under $200 that'd be awesome as long as they still have video out and all.

 

[Brainonska511]

1. Not sure on this front, but you can always just get one and then load Ubuntu's Netbook edition on and use OpenOffice.

2. Not really. They all seem to be cookie-cutter products with very few things to actually differentiate from one-another. I wouldn't consider using one of those machines as a replacement for a real computer though. They are more like light, on the go, internet access machines so that you don't have to carry a heavier laptop.

3. You could check stuff like the Dell Outlet to see if they have any minis available for cheap.

 

[gorcorps]

I just looked at some dell minis, and they have nearly the same specs as the netbooks I was looking at... so I'm not sure how that would be more suited for my uses over anything else. I mean he doesn't need it to run anything except a browser and word, so really I don't need much.

 

[Brainonska511]

I just looked at some dell minis, and they have nearly the same specs as the netbooks I was looking at... so I'm not sure how that would be more suited for my uses over anything else. I mean he doesn't need it to run anything except a browser and word, so really I don't need much.

I only suggested the Dell Mini netbook b/c of Dell's Outlet store. They tend to have a wide selection of stuff at very low prices compared to new stuff.

I wouldn't want to use a netbook as my only machine though, even if I was only browsing or word processing. They are awfully slow, even for such basic tasks. If I didn't want to spend a lot and wanted a full-featured computer, I'd look at the CULV computers, such as the U series IdeaPads from Lenovo or any of those other ultra-thin/ultra-light consumer grade notebooks (usually found in the $3-700 range.