http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/ Netbook Reviews Forum - Discuss netbooks, deals and more here en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:46:34 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/techforums/misc/rss.jpg http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/ http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/off-topic/4840-4g-64gb-ipod-touch-review.html Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:05:24 GMT Apple's September 1st event was an overall letdown for me. I was expecting high capacity iPod touch and nano models, iOS 4 wasn't released early for the iPad, and I could really care less about the Apple TV. The sad part was that I think the new hardware is actually pretty solid. The iPod nano is truly deserving of that name and the square multi-touch screen looked like a better way to navigate through music. Additionally, the iPod touch received a much needed update by including Apple's nice high pixel density display, the A4 processor, 802.11n wi-fi, two cameras, and a boost in battery life (up to 40 hours of audio playback, 7 hours of video).

My main complaint was that I already had a 120GB iPod classic and I wasn't going to shell out $400 on a 64GB iPod touch. I would have gladly spent $200 on a 32GB music only player (I have an iPad to run apps) or $400 on a 128GB iPod touch. It was looking like I was going to have to wait another year before upgrading my iPod. Traditionally, I upgrade my iPods about once every two generations. I purchased the 3G 40GB iPod in 2003, it broke down and was replaced with a 4G 40GB iPod in 2004, I saved up my money and purchased a 5G 60GB iPod in 2005 (I didn't consider that too soon of an upgrade as I didn't have to buy the 4G 40GB iPod, it was replaced with Best Buy's warranty), and then I purchased a 1G 16GB iPod touch in 2007 only to sell it the next year and get a 120GB iPod classic. Either way, I normally purchase a new iPod model once every 2 years/generations.

I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't holding to my "tradition" this year but then someone I work with offered to buy my 120GB iPod classic. They had a 2GB 2G iPod nano that they purchased 4 years ago that bit the dust. They were going to plop down $180 on a new 16GB iPod nano until they said "how about I buy your classic?" They offered me the same $180 that they were going to spend on a new nano so long as I included my iSin eVo 4 case, USB cable, and stock earbuds with black foam covers.

I took them up on their offer as I really like the new design of the 4G iPod touch and $180 isn't bad for a 2 year old player especially considering I paid $225 for it back in 2008 through my campus bookstore (all iPods, except the touch, were 10% off if you spent $100 or more on books). That equates to a $22.50 loss for each year of owning it, not bad at all.

At first I contemplated buying the 32GB 4G iPod touch but I knew that capacity wouldn't last me long. So I pre-ordered the 4G 64GB iPod touch from Apple's website, it should be here in 10 days. The total cost came out to $244 on my end I didn't think that was a bad deal. I went with Apple's free standard shipping (I believe it is FedEx 3 day ground) as the arrival dates didn't change for the methods of shipping. I didn't feel a need to spend $10-$16 more just to get the iPod touch on the same day, September 15th.

So I will let you all know how it goes. I am kind of anxious to get some close, first hand experience with Apple's high resolution display and to try FaceTime. I don't know anyone else with a 4G iPod touch or iPhone 4 so I will likely have to use Apple's FaceTime line. Yes, Apple setup a FaceTime line so that people could try out FaceTime on their iPhone 4 (and 4G iPod touch) so that they wouldn't have to wait for others to adopt the new hardware. Expect a full review on the 17th or 18th of September. ]]> Off Topic ThisIsNot http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/off-topic/4840-4g-64gb-ipod-touch-review.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/general/4602-looking-buy-netbook-read-first.html Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:24:18 GMT Many people come here to the forums looking for advice regarding netbook purchases. That is great but many experienced members here end up answering... Many people come here to the forums looking for advice regarding netbook purchases. That is great but many experienced members here end up answering the same questions over and over again without input from new members. The best thing you can do is go through and answer these questions before asking us which netbook to buy:

• Screen Size - which screen size were you looking for? There are essentially three sizes out there: 10", 11.6", and 12".
• Battery Life - One of the most important aspects regarding a netbook is how long it can last on a single charge. How much do you need for you usage? Remember to keep in mind that manufacturers' estimates are about 1-2 more than what you will likely get in real world situations.
• Processor - Do you have a preference for something Intel or AMD?
• Productivity Tasks - Are you going to just "surf" the internet or do you plan on working in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint? What other productivity programs would you want to run?
• Video - Is this just going to be used to playback standard definition videos or do you want to playback HD content as well? What about YouTube? Most netbooks are fine with 360p YouTube videos but need hardware acceleration for 480p and higher.
• Other Multimedia - Do you want to run iTunes, Windows Media Player, or something else to playback music? What about photo or video editing? Will you be encoding a large amount of music on this or will it strictly be used for video/audio playback and photo viewing?
• Pre-installed Operating System - Do you want to stick to the ways of old with Windows XP or do you want a Windows 7 flavor? Maybe you want to break away from that and go with a Linux distro.
• RAM - How much RAM do you want pre-installed in the netbook?
• Hard Drive Size - Is 160GB enough or do you want 250GB or more?
• Wireless Connectivity - Are you fine with the standard 802.11g wi-fi or do you want to go all out and get a model with 802.11n and bluetooth?
• Brand Preferences - Many people prefer one brand over another. This normally comes from years of experience with particular brands.
• Buying Preferences - Do you want to strictly stick to in-store purchases or would you mind buying online?
• Try Them Out - One of the best things you can do is go down to your local electronics store and try their models out. It doesn't matter if you are going to buy from them or not, you will still get to experience the hardware. Personal experiences are much more valuable than user opinions.

]]> General ThisIsNot http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/general/4602-looking-buy-netbook-read-first.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4597-labor-day-netbook-deals.html Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:22:15 GMT Hope you're all enjoying the 3 day weekend. Here are some great deals on netbooks during this labor day weekend. I'll start off with my favorite best buy on the list: ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201PN-PU17-BK 12.1-Inch Netbook - Black $438.57: Quick Specs: Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz, Nvidia ION 2, 12 inch 1366 x [...]

More... ]]> Netbook News Chris http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4597-labor-day-netbook-deals.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/general/4593-cant-get-line-wireless-ok.html Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:29:43 GMT Asus PC1000HE,,settings or ? won't allow a connection to www. Have been in touch with Linksys, Roadrunner and everything is OK but the Asus settings or who knows what, is preventing a wireless connection.
Would greatly appreciate any help.
Thanks ]]> General riteon http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/general/4593-cant-get-line-wireless-ok.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/off-topic/4518-bose-quietcomfort-15-headphone-review.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:13:59 GMT I was recently on the market for some new headphones. I had a pair of Bose TriPorts that were purchased all the way back in 2004. There was a large... I was recently on the market for some new headphones. I had a pair of Bose TriPorts that were purchased all the way back in 2004. There was a large amount of gunk on the right ear driver and I accidentally punctured it when I was cleaning it one day. The right ear pad was also torn and held together with black electrical tape. Needless to say, it has been time for new headphones for about a month.

My budget was $300 as I wanted some quality noise canceling models. The reason for this is that my office has a large amount of white noise (from all the fluorescent lights) that drives me nuts and it eventually bleeds its way through any headphones that I have. I work night shifts in the field once a month as well and things can get pretty noisy out there. My older TriPorts were sound isolating but a bunch of noise would still get through meaning that I had to crank up the volume on my iPad or iPod.

I also wanted over the ear models. I don't like on ear models as they can never really stay on and they tend to have smaller drivers. Additionally, earbuds and in-ear models were simply out of the question. I have tried those in the past and they don't stay in my ears at all. I can take some nice, $300 foam tipped in ear monitors, properly pop them in, get up, take 10 steps, and they pop out. I like the older, larger design of having large cans over my ears. It surrounds me from outside noise, they are extremely comfortable, and they have big drivers to really push the music.

I searched for a long time before I narrowed down my choices. Reviews pointed to some Sony models but the ones with noise canceling that was actually worth it were up at and past the $400 price point. Essentially, I was constantly driven to two models from two different manufacturers: Bose QuietComfort 15 and the Monster Beats by Dre. Both have been getting rather nice scores with the QuietComfort's edging out the Beats by a couple of margins in professional online reviews (ie not user comments on Amazon.com).

I had been searching and someone at work actually ended up buying the Beats a couple of weeks ago. So I actually had ample time to test them. Overall, I was not impressed. I was expecting the headphones to be bass heavy and for the noise cancellation to work better than others. After all, these headphones were made by Monster and "designed" by Dr. Dre. I was disappointed by the large amount of plastic that these headphones use. I am sorry but $300 headphones should not contain a large amount of creaking plastic (yes, the plastic creaks). The noise cancellation did not work as I suspected either. The results weren't bad but they left a lot to be desired. I could still hear the annoying hum of the fluorescent lights in my office as well as a bunch of other little noises.

I also felt that the audio quality left much to be desired. The highs were OK but I felt like the mids were neglected. Additionally, the lows (ie the bass) was not thumping. Instead, it was rather subtle and felt muddy. It was almost as if the artists were playing behind a thick plastic window. Sound was still coming through but not as clear as if you were standing directly in the room. I tested the headphones using by my iPad (which has many videos with 64kbps-128kbps audio) and my 120GB iPod classic (most music is encoded at 256kbps VBR AAC). Either way, I was just disappointed. The sad thing is that the Beats come with some great packaging. Opening them up is a true experience almost as if you are treating for buying them.

So, about two weeks ago, I decided to head down to the local Bose store. I really liked my TriPorts and I can't fault them for the ear pads breaking down after 6 years of heavy usage or for me puncturing the right driver. In fact, I think that they produced better quality than the Beats and the TriPorts can be picked up for half the price. I tried out the QuietComfort 15's in the store before deciding to take them home. Bose actually has a 30 day money back (that is full money back, no re-stocking fees) guarantee where you can return a product within 30 days of owning it without any questions. That was enough to lure me into buying them as I had no pressure to actually like them.

Well, after two weeks of using them, I came to a conclusion. ]]> Off Topic ThisIsNot http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/off-topic/4518-bose-quietcomfort-15-headphone-review.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4498-best-selling-netbooks-august.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:52:53 GMT The best selling netbook for August is the Acer AO532h-2588 at $279.99 which means it's the third time in a row a new company has taken the lead as the best seller - last month it was the ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU27-BK. In any case, for a netbook at just $279.99 the Acer was [...]

More... ]]> Netbook News Chris http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4498-best-selling-netbooks-august.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4497-samsung-nf-series-netbooks-announced.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:24:11 GMT Samsung has just released their NF series of netbooks - the NF110, NF210 and NF310. The Samsung NF310 is has the best specs with an Intel Atom N550... Samsung has just released their NF series of netbooks - the NF110, NF210 and NF310. The Samsung NF310 is has the best specs with an Intel Atom N550 1.5 GHz CPU, 10.1 Inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and Windows 7 starter. The price? Only $399 - this is awesome folks. You can get the [...]

More... ]]> Netbook News Chris http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4497-samsung-nf-series-netbooks-announced.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/introductions/4480-newbie.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:32:55 GMT Hello , my un is riteon and this is my first post. I recently bought a Asus pc1000he and am trying to get my feet wet. I am sure this forum will help... Hello , my un is riteon and this is my first post. I recently bought a Asus pc1000he and am trying to get my feet wet. I am sure this forum will help my becoming familiar with net books. I have already seen that MS has tampered with XP and not for the better.I will have to learn how to load my goodies with usb flash devices.
Thanks for your time ,,,have a good evening. ]]> Introductions riteon http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/introductions/4480-newbie.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/off-topic/4479-western-digital-wd-tv-live-plus-hd-media-player.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:10:57 GMT Upon hearing Apple's horrific iPod refresh today (except the Touch which is a nice update) I stumbled upon a device that I've been looking to solve my problem: Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player

According to what I can gather, this system will EASILY (and cheaply) meet my single goal from such a system: simply play all my ripped dvds (in 100% quality as VOB files and accompanying directory structure). That's it. No AVI files, no MPG, no music, no streaming Netflix...all I want is basically a giant jukebox to play all my dvds (I own hundreds).

Sure, it's not that tough for me to go into my cabinet (sorted alphabetically) and find a movie...but sometimes it's just nice to sit on the couch and scroll through with your remote till you find something.

Do any of you have comments about this inexpensive $119 system?

My continued thoughts are below:

1)I wish it had built in WIFI...pretty annoying that I need to go blow $45-$60 on a G network USB card!

2)I hear the menus suck...big time...but all I ever ever ever intend to use it for is my dvd collection. Should I still consider buying?

3)Likely I will not stream the dvds...I will just plop them on a 2TB USB drive and plug it in directly. Streaming large files, even in this day with G home networks, still has plenty of problems even though in theory G should be plenty fast for dvd/vob files (example: if your 1.5 hour movie is 5GB large, your G network should definitely (in theory) be able to transfer 5GB from 1 computer to another in 1.5 hours).

4)From my very simple goal (dvd jukebox), do you have a better suggestion that is under $150? No, no Apple products please. No, no computers. I'm looking for something just like this unit (remote control and small box).


http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/librar...779-705043.pdf is the link to the user guide if you want to peek at it...too bad I don't see anything about actually how to navigate my dvd collection...and/or how the collection appears on the screen (tree structure? pretty pictures? etc)

Thanks in advance!

-Eric ]]> Off Topic ericinboston http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/off-topic/4479-western-digital-wd-tv-live-plus-hd-media-player.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4078-hp-mini-5103-gets-dual-core-atom-n550-treatement.html Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:16:30 GMT It was only a few days ago that the dual core Atom N550 1.5 GHz processor was announced; however, now we have two netbooks announced that will... It was only a few days ago that the dual core Atom N550 1.5 GHz processor was announced; however, now we have two netbooks announced that will feature the new processor. First it was the Acer Aspire One D255, but now we have the HP Mini 5103 jumping into the ring as well. In fact, [...]

More... ]]> Netbook News Chris http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4078-hp-mini-5103-gets-dual-core-atom-n550-treatement.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4077-netbook-deals-month.html Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:16:30 GMT I've put together a list of the best deals I've seen on netbooks so far this month and my favorite pick is the well built and nicely priced Toshiba Mini NB255 at $280.24: Quick Specs: 1.66 GHz Intel N455 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB HD, Win 7 Starter (see full specs) Toshiba Mini NB255-N245 [...]

More... ]]> Netbook News Chris http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4077-netbook-deals-month.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4076-acer-d255-netbook-feature-dual-core-atom-n550-processor.html Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:55:49 GMT Well, that wasn't long. Just a few days after officially announcing the dual core Intel Atom N550 processor we have the first netbook that will be featuring it - The Acer D255. The netbook is currently available for $399; however, it's oddly only available from the Home Shopping Network at this time. I'm sure we'll [...]

More... ]]> Netbook News Chris http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/4076-acer-d255-netbook-feature-dual-core-atom-n550-processor.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/general/4029-want-buy-netbook-november-please-help.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:14:29 GMT Hey guys, last year I was thinking about buying a Netbook around the same time, end of summer early fall. I decided not to and to stay with my... Hey guys, last year I was thinking about buying a Netbook around the same time, end of summer early fall. I decided not to and to stay with my inspiron 1520 laptop for another year. The Main reason that influenced my choice to wait was the fact a new processor was going to come out for Netbooks at the time, as well as Windows 7.

Now I am reading that yet ANOTHER more faster Dual core processor is on its way for Netbooks by the mid fall of this year.

I was about to buy a Samsung N210 when I read that information online and again...I am waiting now.

This time I hope that they don't announce something ELSE to come in a few months after November-December that makes me wait yet again...

I'm the kinda person who likes to buy his machines top of the line when I do buy them, but then I don't like to upgrade until 4-5 years later.

My ispiron 1520 is currently my main computer and it does everything I want it to do wonderfully. I bought it at the beginning / mid of 2007 around April... and had it maxed out in every setting possible which ended up costing me a solid $2000 with 3 year warranty.

To this day almost now over 3 and a half years later the machine plays games perfectly fine on high-medium settings, and has more than enough power to run all my applications with ease...the main problem is its super heavy weight!

So this is why I am considering buying a Netbook later this year.

I need a machine that can do some basic computer functions and that I can carry round everywhere I go.

Things I will be doing are

#1 Microsoft word, power point, excel, and office.
#2 Internet browsing
#3 Movie watching
#4 Note taking in class
#5 carrying it around everywhere

and other basic tasks like that.

I do need a netbook that is as light as possible with about as much power as It can have for the price.

My budget at the time will be roughly

$400

Hopefully The new processor makes netbooks a bit faster than they are now, and maybe able to run a bit more complicated applications and programs than they do now. My hope is to have an ultra light long battery life portable computing solution for all my basic tasks outside gaming and editing video / photos.

I hope the new processor makes it possible.


I would like to ask you guys what do you think of the new dual core processors that netbooks will have?


Will they make a netbook much more powerful than it is now?

Will 2GB of ram still be required to run programs and applications smoothly on most netbooks once this new processor is out?

Will the netbooks finally run DDR3?

Also please let me know via comment if you have any further information you believe will be useful to me in making my decision.

Thanks :) ]]> General alazar14 http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/general/4029-want-buy-netbook-november-please-help.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/asus/4028-memory-upgrade-1015peb.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:21:39 GMT I was wondering if anyone here knows which is the correct memory upgrade for the Asus eee PC 1015PEB. I have been searching high and low to find... I was wondering if anyone here knows which is the correct memory upgrade for the Asus eee PC 1015PEB. I have been searching high and low to find information but not even websites like crucial dot com have that specific model listed yet in their memory finder apps.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! ]]> Asus Schnarps http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/asus/4028-memory-upgrade-1015peb.html http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/3959-intel-releases-dual-core-atom-processor-netbooks.html Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:11:20 GMT Intel continues to pursue advancements in netbook technology and this time they do so with the official release of the Intel Atom N550 1.5 GHz... Intel continues to pursue advancements in netbook technology and this time they do so with the official release of the Intel Atom N550 1.5 GHz processor. The N550 will also allow people to use DDR3 memory as well. No netbooks are currently available with the processor yet, but there should be some later this year. [...]

More... ]]> Netbook News Chris http://www.netbookreviews.com/forum/netbook-news/3959-intel-releases-dual-core-atom-processor-netbooks.html