Time to replace netbook is drawing near...

[roguerower]

My Asus 1101 has been serving me well for 2 years but it's getting a little long in the tooth and the Atom inside has problems with youtube, hulu, netflix, etc.

I have been looking to replace it but haven't been able to nail down the device to do it with. At first I was going to replace it with a Transformer, however with the impending release of the T2, I hesitated. Now that the T2 will be released on Wednesday, the idea has once again popped back into my head.

Option 1: Transformer 2 with keyboard accessory. After all of the rave reviews on the T1, the new T2 should be a pretty significant improvement with the new hardware inside. Couple that with Asus' ability to put out a premium product (netbook, motherboards have all been Asus, no problems) and the eventual release of ICS onto the T2 and it's a solid contender.

Option 2: Thinkpad X120e. The Thinkpad would be an upgrade to what I have now. Faster processor, faster graphics (Intel GMA500, ugh), matte screen, nipple mouse (I LOVE DA NIPPLE MOUSE!!!), etc. And it would be cheaper than the T2 w/ Keyboard. That said, I don't really need a full laptop since my screen time on a laptop these days is limited to media and internet browsing. If I ever end up doing work on a laptop, my company will issue me one.

Option 3: Splurge a little and get an actual laptop. Get something capable of playing a couple of older games, little bit larger screen for better movies, etc. Not needed, but an option.

Like I said, my main use for a mobile platform at this time is media (standalone and web-based), internet browsing, skype, and maybe the odd word/excel document. Battery life needs to be pretty good (6+). Pricing:

T2: $499 + $150 (keyboard)
X120e: $579 (Win7 Pro & 4gb ram upgrades)

 

[Zap]

You can get something with an AMD E-350 APU, like the Lenovo X120e you mentioned or the cheaper HP dm1z. It is slightly faster than a dual core Atom with ION, but has better battery life than Atom with ION. It can do just about anything you were looking for, unless you do Netflix because they use Silverlight which AFAIK doesn't do GPU acceleration with the E-350.

Next step up is a "real" notebook. There are a number of them that are thin/light and using various low end Sandy Bridge CPUs which would work well for anything you throw at them short of hardcore gaming. Some of them start really cheap, or can be had really cheap on sale. For instance I got in on a half price sale ($350, regular $700) for a Samsung Series 3 with ULV Core i3, 11.6" screen, under 3 pounds. Only drawback is lousy battery life of maybe 3 hours, but that's from Samsung putting a tiny battery in to make it under 3 pounds. Extended life batteries are available which doubles battery life while making it just over 3 pounds. Bigger... maybe something like a Dell Vostro V131. Many people deride it for having a lousy screen, but really it isn't that bad if you aren't the obsessive type and just adjust the angle right. They start at $500 regular price for a decently appointed Celeron (which is still a dual core Sandy Bridge). The notebook is thin, with 13.3" screen and gets... 9 HOURS of battery life. There are many other thinner/lighter notebooks out there which won't break the bank. I think Samsung makes the Series 3 with a few other screen sizes. Lenovo (you say you like the "nipple mouse?") makes a LOT of them, albeit at prices from affordable to OMG! Asus makes some, as does MSI. Acer has their TimelineX series, some of which have discrete graphics.

 

[Shawn]

http://www.target.com/webapp/wcs/sto...k/-/A-13821981

?

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

My Asus 1101 has been serving me well for 2 years but it's getting a little long in the tooth and the Atom inside has problems with youtube, hulu, netflix, etc.

I have been looking to replace it but haven't been able to nail down the device to do it with. At first I was going to replace it with a Transformer, however with the impending release of the T2, I hesitated. Now that the T2 will be released on Wednesday, the idea has once again popped back into my head.

Option 1: Transformer 2 with keyboard accessory. After all of the rave reviews on the T1, the new T2 should be a pretty significant improvement with the new hardware inside. Couple that with Asus' ability to put out a premium product (netbook, motherboards have all been Asus, no problems) and the eventual release of ICS onto the T2 and it's a solid contender.

Option 2: Thinkpad X120e. The Thinkpad would be an upgrade to what I have now. Faster processor, faster graphics (Intel GMA500, ugh), matte screen, nipple mouse (I LOVE DA NIPPLE MOUSE!!!), etc. And it would be cheaper than the T2 w/ Keyboard. That said, I don't really need a full laptop since my screen time on a laptop these days is limited to media and internet browsing. If I ever end up doing work on a laptop, my company will issue me one.

Option 3: Splurge a little and get an actual laptop. Get something capable of playing a couple of older games, little bit larger screen for better movies, etc. Not needed, but an option.

Like I said, my main use for a mobile platform at this time is media (standalone and web-based), internet browsing, skype, and maybe the odd word/excel document. Battery life needs to be pretty good (6+). Pricing:

T2: $499 + $150 (keyboard)
X120e: $579 (Win7 Pro & 4gb ram upgrades)

Why would you pay so much for it? You can get it with both of those for a measly $430 plus shipping. Link. Link 2.

Now go buy it. :thumbsup:

You can also get the Acer Aspire One AO722 for $200 at Target. The drawbacks in comparison to the X120e is the build quality is a lot lower, it comes with 2GB DDR3, the CPU is slower by a good margin, and the IGP is a bit slower. It also comes with Win 7 Home Premium instead of Pro. If you have $450 that you can easily spend on a laptop go straight for the X120e.

 

[OS]

costco is selling a C60/4GB/500GB AO722 for $250

 

[OS]

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3489288

 

[roguerower]

@Zap: True, I could probably find a cheaper notebook with a lower power Sandy Bridge processor, but if I move into the SB realm I feel like I might as well go with something that has the trimmings plus the basics. The netflix problem with E-350 is slightly disturbing, has there been any news of a patch or fix? As for the nipple mouse, I was referring to the pointing mouse found in the keyboards of Thinkpads. I had one on my Dell in college and I found it to be easier to use than a trackpad.

@Axel: Thanks for the links, I'll take a closer look. I have the money right now.

@OS: Thanks for the input on the A0722, but I'm not that hard up on money that I'm willing to consider one of the lesser netbook setups.

 

[roguerower]

No one chimed in on the Transformer Prime...

 

[roguerower]

Alrighty, pulled the trigger on the X120e for $460.

 

[podspi]

Nice :thumbsup:


The E-350 can handle Netflix, it just can't handle HD Netflix.


Eventually Silverlight 5 will go gold, at which point Netflix should enable GPU-acceleration, at which point I expect (although who really knows) pretty much any Bobcat-based machine should be able to handle HD as well...


Honestly I can't wait... I'm sick of my CPU fan spinning up when I'm watching Netflix :twisted:

 

[Emulex]

i got a used macbook air $500 old one 1.6ghz with ssd. love it - use the heck out of it. i wish it had better than ION graphics but man for a lay it on mah belly and watch tv and reddit - can't be beat. The trackpad is GOD. I should go scrounge to see if i can score one of those fancy new ones for $600. (the air i got had 1.5 years left of applecare when i got it).

why can't someone make a decent trackpad for windows laptop?