Hi, all,

I hope no one will mind too much if I pose this question. I want to get my wife a new computer for Christmas and I'm thinking a netbook will suit her well. She mostly used her current laptop for web surfing (Facebook, YouTube, etc...), instant messaging and e-mail. Though she also keeps her photographs on it, and occasionally taps into a spreadsheet.

We thought about an iPad, but she has tried one and does not think she'd like it. I'm looking to spend up to $500 -- but if there is a significant increase in quality, I'd be willing to go a little higher.

Thank you!

Steve

Hi Stephen,

Its been almost two years now, but I have been very happy with my Samsung NC-10 netbook. It had one of the best keyboards, as well as good battery life and build quality. It has been replaced by newer models which I do not know that much about, but I would certainly consider another Samsung if I was shopping for a new netbook. I would also see what Lenovo and HP have to offer as well. They have been hit or miss with past models. Besides a good keyboard and battery life, I prefer matte screens if at all possible. This site tends to review a number of netbooks: http://www.laptopmag.com . There are other review sites, but this should get you started. Let us know what you decide.

Good luck,

--Ken

Hi Stephen.

I know the Lenovo Ideapad 10e and the Samsung NC-10. I'd recommend either of them. Off course, both have been replaced by newer models about which I cannot say anything substantial.

Franz

Sorry, I was too fast.

Both netbooks have excellent keyboards and long battery life. In both machines, it is easy to replace the original 1 GB of RAM by a 2 GB module.

With the Ideapads, you have to be careful: There are some that only have a resolution of 1024x576 instead of 1024x600, and the cheaper models have only a 3-cell battery (instead of 6-cell).

Franz

I was thinking about buying a netbook earlier this year just to run org-mode. After shopping around a bit and trying different models, I found that the keyboard quality was really the make-or-break factor. Some keyboards are just unusable unless you're a "hunt and peck" typist.

The keyboard I liked best was the ThinkPad x100, by quite a large margin. (I also liked the keyboard of the ThinkPad Edge, but if I recall, that was a bit larger machine -- my memory may be off though.) Apparently none of the ThinkPad x100s have stellar battery life, but recent/pricier models have improved. I'd take that tradeoff for the keyboard.

Wonder if Apple will release a netbook-class machine on Wednesday.

-- Chris

Chris Thompson wrote:

... I found that the keyboard quality
was really the make-or-break factor.

-- Chris

I concur. Keyboards, battery life and screens are what make or break netbooks, IMHO. Other features are pretty much icing on the cake if they are available.

--Ken

Thank you for the responses. I am leaning toward one of the Lenovos because of the keyboard. The Samsung that people raved about seems to have been discontinued. But I'm going to keep researching and welcome further input. Thanks!

Steve

I'm pretty happy with my Gateway 10.1" netbook. Battery life is great. But if I could do it all over, I might look at a slightly larger form factor - say 11.6 rather than 10.1. That would get me a bigger keyboard - pay particular attention to the cursor keys which may be undersized! - and a larger display. Look at the screen resolution. The res on my netbook is 1024x600 - and that really bugs me, particularly when I'm looking at webpages, which tend to have a lot of junk at the top and are thus not optimized for netbooks. I'd look for a horizontal resolution of 768 or 800. Good luck.

Steve

It probably doesn't qualify as a netbook, but I have been very happy with a ThinkPad T400s. There are lots of reviews online.

It's key physical feature is that (in imperial measurements) it has a 14.1 in screen but weighs under 4lbs.

It is being used as a corporate workhorse at my place of employment with good effect.

There are probably later models out now.

Jack

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

Hi, all,

I hope no one will mind too much if I pose this question. I want to get my wife a
new computer for Christmas and I'm thinking a netbook will suit her well. She mostly
used her current laptop for web surfing (Facebook, YouTube, etc...), instant
messaging and e-mail. Though she also keeps her photographs on it, and occasionally
taps into a spreadsheet.

We thought about an iPad, but she has tried one and does not
think she'd like it. I'm looking to spend up to $500 -- but if there is a significant
increase in quality, I'd be willing to go a little higher.

Thank you!

Steve

Hey. How about Apple's new 11-inch MacBook Air:
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air?mco=MTk0MjIwNTY
The "cheapest" is 999 USD, though.

I still own an HP Mini 2140 netbook, by the way, which I love. You should check out HP netbooks.