Reliable Netbook?

Hi guys,

The LCD display on my 3-year old Vista laptop is going and for better portability I'd like to replace my laptop with a new netbook (12" screen).

My #1 requirement is build-quality (for reliability) and my computing needs are rather simple (albeit extremely important to my business!), consisting of 'heavy' email use as well as MS Office apps. I am not a 'gamer'.

I'd really appreciate receiving your recommendations.

Wendi

 

I'm still very happy with my 2-yr-old Samsung NC20 and will probably buy a successor model. More info here:
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=305110

 

Thanks axial, but I'd prefer a 12" (or thereabout) screen!

 

Samsung offers ~12" ultra portables (Series 3). Here's a link to one of the less expensive models:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP300...ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1320784593&sr=1-1

Also, you might want to take a look at ASUS as they offer a number of models with ~12" screens and have a decent rep for reliability:
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=772&name=Netbooks

Not sure if you're a Costco member but they have (what I consider) a really nice deal on a netbook. It's a Hannspree (not exactly a well-known brand and the processor isn't going to blow the anyone's hair back) but it does have a pretty nice 12.1" screen and the price is tough to beat. I bought 2 of these about a year ago. My sons use them, primarily for browsing, email, and MS Office apps, and they've been rock solid so far.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11681517&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4047229%204294908908&Mo=1&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

 

prius04, thanks a lot for those links! Btw, I am a Costco member and wow, that Hannsbook does look like a winner (especially with Costco's 2 year warranty)! But I'm wondering if it's robust enough for my computing needs (per my 1st post)?

Wendi

 

Wendi,

In your original post, you mentioned "heavy email use" and "MS Office apps" and both of my sons use their Hannsbooks (extensively) for precisely that (they even do a bit more with them, actually, such as Skype, etc.). One of them has MS Office Pro 2007 loaded on his machine while the other has MS Office 2010; both have had no issues doing whatever they needed to do. In fact, considering prices of a lot of these netbooks seem to have increased, generally, and these Hannspree netbooks weren't being offered by Costco for quite some time, I'm seriously considering buying another one for my wife (to replace her ASUS netbook). I just don't see how anyone can lose at that price point.

 

Prius, the Hannsbook certainly does appear to be a great deal, especially if it will perform well enough for my computing needs. Would you know if Costco now has it in their stores?

Wendi

 

Hi Wendi,

I'm sorry but I don't know for sure whether or not the Hannsbooks are *currently* available in Costco stores. Typically, if a product on the Costco.com web site is available in stores, there will be some sort of statement to the effect that, 'this item may be available in your local warehouse for a cash and carry price'. I do know, however, that they were *not* available in stores when I bought the two units for my sons last year. My suggestion would be to stop into, or call, your local warehouse; there's always a possibility that your local store might stock them.

 

Wendi, with Black Friday just 2-weeks away I think you should wait and see what surfaces!

 

Good idea - providing that my failing Vista laptop cooperates!!!

 

That being the situation, be sure to backup on a daily basis (at the very least)!

 

Yes, considering that we're so close to Black Friday (and Cyber Monday), my feeling is that Scott's suggestion is wise.

However, last year, when I was in the market for a couple of netbooks with ~12" displays, nothing much was offered with any astounding price discount over what Costco was offering. My impression was that the sort of de facto standard for netbook displays was/is 10.1" and only a few companies offered (and are now offering) netbooks with 11.6" or 12.1" displays. I noted that ASUS seemed to offer the most, followed by Acer and Samsung with a couple and HP with (I believe) one. In other words, kind of slim pickings.

Thus, although it's definitely worth waiting to see what transpires in a few weeks, I'd be looking, and hoping, for one of the 12.1" ASUS models to be heavily discounted. Still, since those netbooks are currently running in the $400-$500 range, I can't imagine that any of them will be reduced below the current price of the Hannsbook at Costco.com.

 

I could be wrong but since those Asus 12.1" netbooks use an AMD C-50 or Intel Atom CPU I doubt they can perform up to the level of the Hannsbook with its Intel SU4100 CPU.

 

Good point, Scott. Moreover, the ASUS units are considerably more expensive compared to Costco's $279.99 (plus $9.99 shipping) price for the Hannsbook (especially when you factor in Costco's 2-year warranty).

This has made me curious as to what size laptop Wendi now owns. If it has a ~15.6" display, she could probably get a *lot* more for her money if she simply bought a new, comparably-sized, laptop. Costco, for example, currently has a Lenovo IdeaPad with a 15.6" LED display, A6-3400M processor, 6GB RAM, 750GB HDD, BR drive, and integrated ATI Radeon HD 6520M graphics for $599. A related issue would be whether or not she needs an optical drive since, obviously, buying an external drive would add to the cost of any netbook.

 

Hi again prius,

My laptop is a Toshiba Satellite with a 14" display (which started flickering several months ago, progressively getting worse)! I'm often toting my laptop when travelling, so that's why I'm thinking about moving down to a 12" netbook. But I need a netbook or mini-notebook that's built well and will hold-up to the 'bumps' of travelling!

With USB flash sticks so inexpensive, I don't see any need for a CD/DVD drive as I don't watch movies on my laptop and usually download any software I require.

Wendi

 

Thanks, but it's too big - and (frankly) I am not very happy with Toshiba build quality or their tech-support.

 

Good find, JR. However, after reading Wendi's last post, it appears as if portability is of paramount importance. Since that Tosh weighs in at around 5.5 pounds, it might be a bit too heavy for continuous lugging. I suspect she would be a bit happier with something in the 3-3.5lb range.

(Nevertheless, that is a ridiculously low price for a 15.6" Tosh!)

EDIT: Whoooops! Wendi posted while I was writing this post.

 

Getting tent out and the Coleman lattern ready to get a desktop.

 

Wendi,

You say that reliability is your #1 priority. Well, fwiw my experience with laptops includes Dell, HP, and (presently) Lenovo. Three-years ago, I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad (on Black Friday at a 60% discount!) and so far I'm of the opinion that it is built far better than other laptops I've owned.

Scott

 

try any one of the Acer Aspire One series netbooks...you sure are gonna love 'em...

 

Scott,

I really appreciate your feedback as my Toshiba has had problems ever since it went past its 1-year warranty. After just 16 months I had to replace the optical drive and then my hard drive crashed after 2-years! Early this year it's LCD screen started to flicker and now its a struggle to get it working at all. Needless to say, no more Toshiba laptops for me!

Wendi

 

I'm going to suggest the HP Elitebook 8460p; Military grade tuffness standards, 32 hours battery life (severely optimised maybe), and a LED backlit 14" screen.

HP Elitebook 32 hours battery life - ZDNet

TigerDirect, Amazon, and Newegg each carry it at around $770 with an i5 processor.
Google Shopping Results for Hp Elitebook 8460p

 

Thanks for that input Searching - I'll also keep that one in mind as I await the Black Friday deals.