Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug
Hello all,
I'm new here. I've been searching for a netbook to take backpacking around Europe for a year -- something in which to store music and photos, surf the net, and also on which to do my writing and editing work. No rocket science.
I've been going crazy with trying to choose a netbook. I don't have a technical bone in my body, so I'm finding it all very confusing and difficult to decide on what's best for me. I've read so many reviews and spoken to so many sales people who all have differing opinions. I would really appreciate any help I can get from you unbiased folk.
The most important things for me are:
* Weight (I'll be carrying it around for a year, so this point is crucial)
* Battery life (definitely need six cell)
* Keyboard comfort
* Windows XP Home (I've been told this is what I should go for...)
* Internet connectivity
* Durability and quality of the brand's technical support
* Price -- hopefully around the AU$400 mark (US$350)
I live in Melbourne, Australia, so it needs to be available here. The netbooks I've been considering have been the Lenovo S10e, the Toshiba NB200 and the MSI Wind U123H. The MSIs seem to be the lightest netbooks around -- true? Are any of these choices advisable? I've been warned away from HP and Dell brands...
Thanks so, so much!
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Hi and welcome!
First, go down to 1-2 stores and touch the various netbooks...bring a pen and paper and jot down which ones have poor keyboards and/or are too heavy. Believe it or not, all these sub 3lb netbooks are extremely light. You're not going to be able to tell the difference between a 2.8 and 2.6lb netbook. I wouldn't stress over that.
Next, now that you have eliminated some of the options, you are right that most netbooks that have been released in the past 1-10 months offer very similar specs. The only 2 specs you should probably think about **IF** you intend on playing a lot of movies are: CPU and Video specs. If you DO NOT intend on playing videos, then you can pretty much grab any netbook.
Third, you state that you want Windows XP...this will limit your list even further as XP is being phased out. Better buy now!!
Fourth, $350 may be a bit hard to set as your ceiling. If you increase that to $399 you should find a few more options. This should be the last configuration piece that you play with.
Internet connectivity...what do you mean? Your netbook will require you to use someone's WIFI connection unless you purchase some kind of cell phone plan. All netbooks ship with Wireless B and G compatibility...some come with N but N is so super rare that it's a moot point.
Unfortunately there is no matrix on this website to compare all the netbooks side by side in an Excel-looking grid. Yet.
-Eric