I May Have Found Writer Netbook Nerdvana

I’m a computer nerd, but the focus of my nerdhood has been netbooks since the first tiny EEE pc came out. I owned it, in white, at the 7 inch intro size. I wore it out and later gave it away.  After that came the Lenovo S10 at 10 inches and several others—the Acer Apsire One, which would have been close to perfect if not for a buggy system restore and nearly impossible to replace (and unreliable) plug that liked to short.

I’ve been a Fujitsu gal since forever, and all my full sized notebooks are Fujitsu now. Ahmed and I both love their Lifebook tablet series. My last purchase was a gorgeous little mini tablet from them, and I did love it.  Still do, but Max tripped me in the kitchen and sent it sailing through the air. Even with the case cracked, it still zooms along happily with duct tape on the frame. But I decided, what with me living on netbooks, to replace it anyway.  I bought a Haanspree Haansbook that turned out to have been used in some… err… interesting and not cool ways. Returned that sucker tut suite.

Enter my latest obsession. Where has this been all my life?

The HP Mini 300-11037NR
3GB 160 ghz Nvidia Ion
Windows 7 Premium and a Dual Boot Windows 8

For the absolute first time in my nerdy obsession with netbooks, I have something that actually exceeds every spec.  The battery life was repped at 6.25 hours, but I’ve gotten 7 twice without draining it. (In fact, the last check showed it had 25% remaining when I plugged it back into AC power.)  If you are a Verizon person you may recognize this as their broadband netbook.  Mine is not a Verizon purchase, but has identical specs with the exception of the upgrade to 3GB.  *Note: I was not gaming or watching a lot of video during the battery usage. Mostly online surfing, but with several tabs open while also running virus software and Open Office.

It’s 12” with an 11 inch screen that is ultrabrite and absolutely gorgeous.  But that’s not the best part.
Are you a writer?  If you are a writer, go find one. Buy via a direct warehouse if you must (I did). Because the keyboard is a thing of wonder and miracles. Slightly concave horizontally, it’s full-sized and a joy.  The ‘1’ key is JUST slightly smaller, but this is barely noticeable and I have not had reach issues.  Slightly springy, but with amazing reaction, the slight scooping of the keys keeps fingers resting and somehow discourages slippage without being particularly obvious. 

I type very fast. VERY fast. This is the most comfortable keyboard I’ve ever used.  The F keys across the top are small, but that actually works for me, since it allows the rest of the keys space vertically and I use them only occasionally, and not with my fingers on the “home keys.”  My fingernails tend to get absolutely ridiculous in length, and the curl is keeping them from sliding underneath adjacent keys, too.  Not a bonus for guys, probably, but you have no idea how much damage strong nails can do—I was purchasing keys in bulk on one of my larger, 17” laptops. 

So far having Windows 7 Premium (which would overload a netbook with a smaller capacity) is more of a joy than I expected, as well.  And man, this thing is FAST. Even with that relatively weenie 160 ghz, it uses marginally less grunt power, so it zooms along.  The screen being full-size, and the ability to change resolution (disabled in Basic and Starter) is a giant bonus.

Negatives? Like most slick netbooks (the surface is super-shiny) the trackpad is pretty sensitive.  I got used to it quickly, and don’t actually use mouse commands as often as most… I prefer keystroke shortcuts.  Like most Nvidia and truebrite screens, the color leans toward blue… but in Premium 7 adjusting and tweaking is easy.  I am also dual-booting with Windows 8.  I don’t care for it, which is a bummer, since early reports looked good.  Unfortunately, FWIW, Windows 8 is shaping up to be another Vista.  Some of the experimental (new, but let’s be real) options are cool, but the interface sucks BIG-TIME, the Desktop configuration looks childish, and a lot of “improvements” feel like massive steps backward.  I’ll be removing it and sticking with 7.

Otherwise? The perfect writer’s computer.  About as close as it gets.

Decisions... Decisions

I'm really, really bad at decisions. The little stuff? No biggie. The big stuff? Ask Ahmed. He's fifteen seconds from a domestic assault charge every time I have to make one. Bless his black heart, he hasn't belted me one yet.

So anyway, I obviously still have my massive desktop-replacement-laptop, upon which I am banging out this post. But my netbook-- the second one that I loved-- finally gave out after being over-used, over-crammed, and having rootbeer spilled all over it. I'm still putting it in for repair but it will live on as my back-up. And this computer will eventually become an at-home-stationary-workhorse... which it sort of is already, but I've needed to use it this month.

Why haven't I replaced both? *sigh*

I almost did. I know for sure I have to have a new netbook. Portability is a must for me, since I really like to get out of the house to write. And to be honest, with my first eee PC at 7" I fell in love with the smaller, tighter screen and keyboard. Unlike most, I prefer a smaller keyspan. My Lenovo s10 was the perfect size, but an earlier model. Now I want to replace it with something similar, but at least 2GB and fast as poop through a goose.

In college I used Macs and liked them-- but hated how much of a hassle it was to share files. I have avoided them since... but I know things have improved vastly since then. Dorking around on ebay I've seen a lot of airbooks and I'm tempted to buy a used one for a trial period. But not yet convinced.

One thing I know for certain is that I'm getting a tablet pc for my birthday, which is the end of May. That gives me two months of indecision and annoyance... more than enough time for me to bite my lip, tinker at box stores, read reviews, and drive Ahmed nuts while he stands there, credit card in hand, tapping his size 13 AAA foot at me. It's going to be a fun 10 weeks.

Meanwhile... for the love of all that is sacred... if you have a netbook you love, are an Apple loyalist who knows about sharing files, or a tablet you want to rave about/ rant about/ share about... please do. The more info I have the easier this is going to be.

Netbooks and Nine Cells and Chargers, Oh My!

Netbooks grow more popular all the time, and many of my friends in the writing community have jumped to this small, light, convenient alternative to a bulkier laptop. I had the first EEE by Asus, with the tiny keyboard and 512mb of RAM. I loved it, but upgraded to my Lenovo S10, which has 1GB and 180mhz, and runs XP faster than my tricked out HP laptop.


Recently I purchased a 9 cell battery for $65 on ebay. The big complaint from many nay-sayers has been battery life, and it's a legitimate one. I, personally, use my netbook in places that generally have a plug available, but it's nice to sit on the harbor and type away while the seagulls screech. With my new 9 cell I have significantly increased the portability and power.

The 9 cell DOES stick out a bit in the back, but it's almost like having a foot. Not noticeably. It's worth mentioning that buying on ebay usually means buying from sellers who do constant shipping. Make sure you specify the color or check the listing carefully so you don't end up with a mis-match.

The battery came with claims of "12 hours of life." This was an exaggeration. Working with all guns blazing-- word processor, two or three large programs like Dreamweaver and/or Paint Shop Pro, Wifi, using Digsby, I get somewhere around 7 hours of battery life. I'm just writing, with everything else shut off, I get 10 hours. It would be very rare for me to write or do anything light non-stop for that long, so keep in mind... estimated battery life is not accurate, even at minimum use. But also keep in mind how long you actually stay on, and what you're doing with your netbook.

The new 9 cell took nearly 12 hours to charge the first time and now takes about 6-8 hours when it's close to dead. My 3 cell (which came standard) takes about an hour or less. I carry both with me. Combine the minimum 7 hours of the 9 cell with the average 3 1/2 to 4 with the original 3 cell-- both during heavy use-- and I'm carting 10 hours or more with me-- no plug.

For me, this is about as good as it's going to get. Even on a marathon writing day-- which would be light use, and therefore get me closer to 14 hours-- I'm not going to do that much before a charge would be necessary. Even on days when I am away from the house from morning til night, I can go plugless and fancy-free.

YAY!

The Netbook Revolution

In spite of all the nay-saying that met the first Asus EEE mini, which I only this morning sent off to its new home, netbooks are not going away. Originally they were more commonly known as "mini pc's." First users were intended to be children, but like the Alphasmarts before them, nerds and writers quickly took over and embraced them for new purposes. Before the manufacturer's knew what had happened demand completely shifted focus. We wanted the tiny size but better keyboard, screen, memory.

That original mini was, for me, the first 7 inch Asus EEE with only 512mb and a teenie screen and keyboard. Both the smaller screen and keyboard were fine for me, but I discovered my dependence on the portability grew steadily, and before I knew it I was hungry for more RAM, speed, space, and options. Enter the Lenovo s10 netbook, which was only 2 ounces heavier, but came with a full screen and keyboard, plus a full gig of ram. Not only that, but 180mhz makes this little model blazing fast.

Rated just a hair behind the MSI Wind, largely thought to be the best netbook, I prefer the Lenovo simply because it's light, was very inexpensive, and leaves a smoke-trail behind it that none of my full sized laptops could ever match. If I could redesign it the only features I'd change would be the location of the CTRL key, longer battery life (though it hasn't yet been an issue... we all want batteries to last for 8 hours), and a less smudgy surface. If only they'd had it in pink! I got the only model in my state and it was black.

My baby really does take good care of me. This may be the coolest gift EVER.

Honestly, if you are a writer you need a netbook. Why? It weighs barely more than 2 pounds, so you can sling it into your purse. Ideal for surfing, writing, and light tasks, these little work-horses almost force us to write rather than goof off. They require USB or SD storage, since they have no floppy or CD/DVD drives, also saving space and weight.

For serious... they should come with "best seller in progress" printed across the lid.