Gaming World Forums
General Category => Technology and Programming => Topic started by: Frisky SKeleton on March 04, 2010, 04:10:26 am
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so!
everyone else has one of these portable things while i'm tethered to a desk. i'd prefer a netbook because they're cheaper, have a way longer battery life (?), and they're so darn tiny (adorable! but mostly, functional!). ideally i'd be using it like my desktop though, which i currently use to browse the web, read pdfs, and write stuff. my flatmates all say netbooks are horrible because the screen is too tiny to read from and the keyboards are cramped (i have big man hands also).
would i be able to comfortably use a netbook to type a lot and read journal articles? a problem i frequently have on my desktop is too many windows also but i don't think that's relevant. also my desktop screen is 15" @ 1024x768
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Netbooks are good for internet and light-usage, which is mostly what you've described (apart from too many windows open). One thing to keep in mind that isn't advertised much is that they don't come with an optical drive (except for a small few). Also the screens are small but not too tiny (think about playing a DS or PSP--those screens are small and yet you can focus on them). However, once you start going sub 10 inch you might start to notice your screen real estate shrinking.
As for the keyboard almost every netbook has a different one (and a different touchpad too). Some have keyboards that are 92% the size of a desktop's. Ultimately it would be best to try the keyboard and touchpad out on a netbook before buying it as they can vary in feel, ergonomics, and quality. However, with a 92% sized keyboard you'd be able to type just fine.
A good site to check out is www.netbookreviews.net (http://www.netbookreviews.net). They've got a blog system set up and short reviews on a lot of netbooks. Another good site to check out is http://www.laptopmag.com/l/netbooks.aspx. They have much more detailed reviews on netbooks as well as some information articles.
There's a new processor that just came out, the Intel Atom N450 (Pine Trail) and pretty much every netbook that's come out recently has it. It significantly boosts battery life so if that's one of the things you're looking for I'd suggest getting a netbook with a N450. The battery life on netbooks that use it range from 7-14 hours, depending on the make and size of battery.
Anyways, that should get you started.
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I would recommend checking out HP's netbooks. Looks great, works great and have awesome keyboards.
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i bought two second hand laptops for $150 (total), they both have broken power jacks. i'm hoping that's an easy fix or i've just wasted $150.
they're both dells, a Latitude D600 and a Inspiron 640m. i'll focus on the 640m for obvious reasons. netbooks are still too new to have cheap second hand versions, or maybe they're so cheap people don't bother selling them. either way if these laptops just require a quick power jack fix then i've saved a huge amount, i'm pretty sure the 640m competes with my desktop.
new question: how do you carry a full sized laptop around without feeling like a goober?
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You don't, I took my HP 530 laptop to school for a while, but it feels like you have a gravestone around your neck (or on your back if you're a backpacker).
Macbooks are a bit lighter though.
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i bought two second hand laptops for $150 (total), they both have broken power jacks. i'm hoping that's an easy fix or i've just wasted $150.
Are you handy with a soldering iron? If so then it should be really easy, you just need to find a replacement Jack that's the right size. I used to fix broken powerbooks with the same issue, it was really easy the biggest issue was taking the things apart
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i've never soldered onto a pcb before, i've only done big chunky pieces. my soldering gun is a massive gun thing too. i figure once i get it, i should be able to make the connections to see if it powers up etc, and if everything's in good order then i may get a friend with more experience/equipment to help me out. what happens if i mess up?
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i've never soldered onto a pcb before, i've only done big chunky pieces. my soldering gun is a massive gun thing too. i figure once i get it, i should be able to make the connections to see if it powers up etc, and if everything's in good order then i may get a friend with more experience/equipment to help me out. what happens if i mess up?
you'll want a smaller soldering iron, something with a fine point too. Its not bad if you mess up, there's these things called soldering wicks that you can touch to the solder that you heat it up and it'll help cleaning stray drops. Just try and male sure you're not connecting anything that shouldn't be connected and you should be fine.
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I bought a 15" Powerbook G4 a while ago (one of the last ones before they switched to Intel) for €250 and I'm surprised at how fast it is. They're old machines but still work brilliantly. I'd go as far as to say I could use it for work full time. My sister's interested in buying a Netbook but since she wants to switch to Apple I'll see if I can get her one of these for a similar price.