Netbook Advice

[Neon Ignition]

Here's my situation. I don't own a PC or laptop so most my browsing etc comes via the PS3 which isn't very efficient. I've been looking round and if I want one any time soon it has to be via Comet as I have credit there and no money (woo 3DS!). It won't be doing anything demanding so I've been looking at the low end stuff. Tablets seem to be redundant fashion accessories and the low end laptops are a bit cumbersome for me which has led me to the world of Netbooks.

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Netbooks/buy-TOSHIBA-NB520-10H-Netbook/705748

I figured it would be smart to ask far more knowledgeable people as to whether the above Netbook is any good. It's a budget pusher too.

Cheers

[charlesr]

I just removed a thread with "advise me on a netbook". It was spam though. This thread looks legit though.

[NW2013]

Most notebooks have pretty much identical specifications apart from screen size although one of the Asus machines has a dual core Atom processor and some spangly graphics chip so the choice is really which one you like the look of.

If all you want it for is web browsing you'll be fine but don't expect to be playing any sophisticated games or HD video. I've been using a Dell netbook as my main home computer for 3 years now and it's fine for my needs of web browsing and some office type things.

Tablets aren't as bad as you make out and would also do the job for browsing but they're miles more expensive than a netbook. You could also look up the Asus Eee Tranformer thing that is coming out that is like a tablet with a keyboard but I suspect that'll be in the £400 range.

[Neon Ignition]

Cheers, I'm so out the loop with these things since my age old laptop died. I've been relying on the consoles and work pc's for ages but with restrictions and outdated software it's becoming a nuisance so I figured something like this could be useful for Office, browsing, itunes and managing my wireless network. I don't do any serious PC'ing to warrant a full system. I've read to avoid Android based netbooks due to suitability to smartphones and to keep to 1GB ram. Also read the 360 HD-DVD drive can be used with them, really?

Plus I can then browse the net in Starbucks and become one of those people

[NeoStuey]

I run the full retail version of Snow Leopard on my Samsung NC10.

It runs very well.

[abigsmurf]

You can easily get a netbook with that exact spec for around £50 cheaper if you look on somewhere like ebuyer.

Bear in mind, even a dual core netbook will struggle with 1080p video unless it has a graphics chip which can offload some of the work (ATI and Nvidia cards can, intels can't)

[Baseley09]

Cheers, I'm so out the loop with these things since my age old laptop died. I've been relying on the consoles and work pc's for ages but with restrictions and outdated software it's becoming a nuisance so I figured something like this could be useful for Office, browsing, itunes and managing my wireless network. I don't do any serious PC'ing to warrant a full system. I've read to avoid Android based netbooks due to suitability to smartphones and to keep to 1GB ram. Also read the 360 HD-DVD drive can be used with them, really?

Plus I can then browse the net in Starbucks and become one of those people

Ya windows 7 will pickup the drive straight away.

[randombs]

I was just given one of these as my work laptop(£250):

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Netbooks/buy-ACER-ONE-D255-Netbook/701505

It's got a dual-core Atom 1.5GHz, 1GB ram and 250GB hard drive. The battery life is really good, too. It comes with Windows 7 starter which is pretty basic but will do what you need to. The keyboard is really nice to type on, with large keys. Also, the screen is matte, not glossy, so you don't get annoying reflections from lights.

There's no funky graphics card which helps the battery life but I imagine HD video is pretty much out, although I haven't tested this yet.

[Dirty Sanchez]

My daughter has that D255, she plays 720p divx stuff on it.

Boots up quickly, silent and loads of battery life. Wish I had bought one for myself (180 notes from Costco in the US)

[randombs]

Cheers.

It also has the option of booting into Android which is pretty naff(e.g. you have to hold the left button and swipe the trackpad to flick through the main menu screens, whereas on an Android phone you'd just swipe with one finger) but it boots quickly and, handily, shares settings from the Windows 7 install, like your wifi passwords, so you don't need to keep entering everything twice.