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Netbooks, typing and their popularity

S

slicksilver

Golden Member
Why is it that there are is a sudden influx of so many mini computers and selling like crazy? Its not like they are easy to type on. I dont get it. Are they meant for single finger typing? I for one have not found one netbook where I could type comfortably.

What are your thoughts on this guys?
 
theyre probably not getting that much use for extended typing tasks. i can type on the 1000h i have without too much trouble, but on that one the right shift key is a motherfucker (im lazy and need to remap it, whatever)

thing is though, netbooks can be had cheap and are really, really easy to carry around. i have a thinkpad t60 (trying to sell) and ive stopped using it, and its thinner and lighter than any other laptop anyone in my family has...but was still a bit of a chore to carry around very often, and way overpowered for what i do on the go. awesome machine, but the netbooks are much easier if you want to have something with you all the time and dont need al the power of a full on laptop.
 
Another thing to ask is why are notebook makers infatuated with the 15 inch form factor? A six to seven pound notebook weighs on the heavy side. Ideal weighs lie between 3.5 to 4.5 pounds.
 
Does anyone make a netbook with decent resolution?

the one I looked at had something like 1000x600 resolution and while the screen was physically small I still thought the images displayed could have still gone smaller.
 
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
 
Originally posted by: hans030390
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
Click to expand...

Can you use an external mouse with a netbook if needed?

 
Originally posted by: Just learning
Originally posted by: hans030390
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
Click to expand...

Can you use an external mouse with a netbook if needed?
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Of course. Why wouldn't you be able to? They're still computers, you know, and still have USB ports and bluetooth for other accessories.
 
Originally posted by: hans030390
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
Click to expand...

How many WPM are you able to get on that? 10?
 
I'm getting a netbook for when we start touring on my new motorcycle. Coupled with my Verizon WAN card it will be perfect as we don't have a lot of room for a regular notebook. Just my reason for wanting one.
 
Originally posted by: Hacp
Originally posted by: hans030390
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
Click to expand...

How many WPM are you able to get on that? 10?
Click to expand...

:roll:

Yeah, so it takes a little bit of time to get used to.

www.TypingTest.com gave me a typing speed of 87 WPM with 98% accuracy (1 min test, typing out the test instructions. I have never done this before).

Like I said before, I have very big hands, and have yet to see anyone that has bigger (except for maybe my some people on my dad's side of the family). If I can do that on a 10" netbook (92% full size keyboard), I'm sure almost anyone would be fine with it.
 
I don't really like the keyboard on netbooks, I think the X series of thinkpads are the perfect size if you want portable, yet functional too. Roughly the size of a piece of paper, and 3-4lbs...

Of course they cost a heck of a lot more than a netbook.
 
Originally posted by: Just learning
Originally posted by: hans030390
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
Click to expand...

Can you use an external mouse with a netbook if needed?
Click to expand...

external whatever. i had to send my motherboard for my desktop in for an RMA, so im using my netbook with my wireless keyboard and mouse, and my 23" LCD @ 1080p
 
I am starting a MBA program this summer and I am in the market for a netbook because of portability. I don't want to lug around my huge 17" Dell Inspiron so I personally want something in the 10 - 13" market, but still able to type on. I even think the fiancee's 15" HP would get old carrying around.

Goofing around with the various netbooks at the local Best Buy I do think anything smaller than 10" would be a bit too uncomfortable for any significant period of time. However the Dell 10" mini seemed to, at lest to me, have a good keyboard and decent resolution. There is a Dell 13" while not a netbook it is still on the smaller size and I think that is a great fit - however it is in a different price category.

Fundamentally I think Netbooks hit a very nice niche in the market; the best computing you can get with fantastic portability. I very well could surf the net and type things up using my Blackberry, but that would go so very old so very quick. Additionally with the price of many pre-built desktops being so cheap, one could get both a decent desktop for home and a Netbook for the same cost of a loaded 15" notebook. Having the two systems, in my opinion, would be ideal for many individuals.

 
I have a Dell Mini 9 in on eval and yeah, the keyboard is too small to comfortably type on IMO. Of the people I know with netbooks, they're using 10" models primarily because of the larger keyboard. More and more 12" models are showing up on shelves too.

I personally have no use for one as I don't require that level of portability. A 14.1" notebook is a good compromise for me.
 
Originally posted by: Babbles
. I very well could surf the net and type things up using my Blackberry, but that would go so very old so very quick. Additionally with the price of many pre-built desktops being so cheap, one could get both a decent desktop for home and a Netbook for the same cost of a loaded 15" notebook. Having the two systems, in my opinion, would be ideal for many individuals.
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I had a 14" thinkpad for a while, and stopped taking it out very often because it was a little more than I really wanted to carry with me.

I built a desktop recently and got a netbook, and take my netbook with me almost always now. Now, if you dont need the extra processing power, you can hook a netbook up to a kb/mouse and monitor at home and be set. My motherboard is on RMA so this is what im doing in the meantime, and for light work its just fine.
 
I bought a black aspire one with a 160 gig hard drive. It's mounted into my car's dashboard, audio connected through line out to aux-in in my car's stereo. I use it to watch movies on long trips or play music in playlists and have visualizations running. Using a car charger. Serves its purpose.
 
I've had an Acer Aspire One 10" for a few weeks, just took the test on www.typingtest.com, got 117 WPM with 95% accuracy. That's probably near what I'd get on a normal keyboard. I don't mind the 10" keyboards at all, then again I'm 21 and have fairly small hands.
 
if you get a netbook that doesnt have like oddly spaced keys (like the lenovo s10/s10e, or the dell mini 9) or has say a really awkwardly spaced right shift key that isnt full size (msi wind, all the asus ones basically) then it should be as easy to type on as any other laptop.

the newer ones for the most part have a decent enough key layout for touch typing , after that its all just about the size of the keys. all the acers , and hp/compaq, and the new lenovo s10-2, dell mini 10 basically have the standard notebook key layout . the newer 11.6" acers i think because they are bigger than most netbooks, its just like typing on any normal notebook.
 
But, the real reason is cost. Cheap wins. And when you combine it with portability, you are in the students' sweet spot.

Hans007 - good comment on the Lenovo netbook keybaord.
 
I just went and tried out an asus 1005ha at best buy and while I'm glad that Asus put a full-size right shift key on the board, the netbook did have a strange tendency to tilt back and forth. While the "seashell" design looks nice, someone obviously didn't do their maths and determine that the top half of the netbook was heavier than the bottom half. Combine that with a non-linear bottom edge and you're in for a fairly annoying time if you use this thing at a school desk or other hard surface. *edit* and are lazy like me and put your wrists on the support surface while you type

I wonder if you can graft the 1005ha-p keyboard onto the 1000he? 😀
 
Originally posted by: hans030390
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
Click to expand...

they atom is too slow to render flash video... meaning that netbooks are incapable of running many WEB PAGES.
I WANTED one because they cheap and SMALL and LIGHT... but I think I will stick to my 8 lbs desktop replacement behemoth, or buy a thin notebook.
 
Originally posted by: taltamir
Originally posted by: hans030390
Cheap and very portable without sacrificing a lot of usability. For basic tasks, I am able to use my 10" MSI Wind just fine, including typing. I also have VERY big hands (bigger than anyone I've met). Considering a lot of people only use computers for basic tasks (and have smaller hands), a netbook looks to be a very good option.
Click to expand...

they atom is too slow to render flash video... meaning that netbooks are incapable of running many WEB PAGES.
I WANTED one because they cheap and SMALL and LIGHT... but I think I will stick to my 8 lbs desktop replacement behemoth, or buy a thin notebook.
Click to expand...

really ? Right now I'm watching FRINGE streaming from fox.com, full screen or windowed, in HD, on my Dell Mini 10v. btw, this is over dsl wifi and windows update is downloading and installing updates at the same time.

what website won't run ? i'd like to try it out.


 
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