Contemplating netbooks

Having played around a bit with Tristan’s EEE PC, I am considering getting a netbook computer myself. My old iBook is not very portable and, while the big screen and keyboard it offers have advantages, there is considerable appeal in a machine that could be a default content of my backpack.

Do any readers have experience with particular netbooks? I would be looking for something that is tolerable for writing emails and blog posts on, and good for surfing the web. Long battery life would be an advantage, as would an operating system that does the most common tasks well.

I won’t be buying anything for a couple of months, at least, due to a bit of a financial crunch, so machines that look promising and have not yet been released are also worth mentioning.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here.

7 thoughts on “Contemplating netbooks”

  2. My husband bought a MSI Wind a couple of months ago and loves it. It’s lighter than my MacBook Air, the keyboard isn’t too small for grown up-sized hands, and if I’m not mistaken it’s got the biggest screen of all the netbooks out there right now.

  3. Do you really need to be online even more often?

    There is definitely something to that. The alternative next gadget in line is a digital SLR. The major reason I have held off from buying one of the Digital Rebels is that I am hoping for a full-frame sensor in an affordable body.

    It’s lighter than my MacBook Air, the keyboard isn’t too small for grown up-sized hands, and if I’m not mistaken it’s got the biggest screen of all the netbooks out there right now.

    A very small size is the key feature I am looking for: something as big as the 7″ EEE PC but lighter would be ideal.

    The thing I most dislike about the EEE PC is how finicky it is about connecting to wireless networks. You need to try the unlocked ones one-by-one and it will often fail to connect to a particular network two or three times before it actually manages to do it.

  5. I think the Wind is bigger, more powerful, and more expensive than I would want, though I can definitely see how it would be ideal for some people.

    Thanks for the link.

  6. Using an 7″ EEE PC for a couple of days has reminded me about everything that is good about my 14″ iBook. Foremost among those things are Mac OS X and effective wireless connectivity.

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