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Can I justify buying a netbook?
- Thread starter NewGenAdam
- Start date
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FYI
I (OP) decided on buying a netbook, and have ordered a Dell Mini 9.
Because 1. decent OS X support 2. compact size so distinction from my Air 3. highly upgradeable, moddable, after market-able 4. good price
Thanks all for your input!
I (OP) decided on buying a netbook, and have ordered a Dell Mini 9.
Because 1. decent OS X support 2. compact size so distinction from my Air 3. highly upgradeable, moddable, after market-able 4. good price
Thanks all for your input!
Good Choice!
I've been running OSX on my Mini 9 for months now. I'll PM you my email, feel free to ask any questions. Also make sure and check out the forums at http://www.mydellmini.com
@mikey28: haha well I'd had enough of being told that a netbook would make my air pointles etc, etc, and have taken the plunge!
@Halon X: checked out mydellmini.com; seems really decent, and has advice for 3G modding the Mini 9; a challenge I plan on attacking. Ta.
@Halon X: checked out mydellmini.com; seems really decent, and has advice for 3G modding the Mini 9; a challenge I plan on attacking. Ta.
Well I don't want to make you second guess your purchase but new information has come out about the Dell Mini 10. Even I'm started to get interested now as it looks better than the Mini 9, has multitouch gestures on it's trackpad, and has the option for a 720p resolution. No info yet on a release date but this looks like a promising netbook:
Well I don't want to make you second guess your purchase but new information has come out about the Dell Mini 10. Even I'm started to get interested now as it looks better than the Mini 9, has multitouch gestures on it's trackpad, and has the option for a 720p resolution. No info yet on a release date but this looks like a promising netbook:
Thanks. I did in the process of my compulsive, pedantic, addicted research (!!) stumble across the Dell Mini 10, but since I already have an Air, I wanted their to be as large a distinction between them as possible. Personally, the 9 incher therefore suits me a little better, despite its slightly lower specs and smaller keyboard.
My sizes now go in 4 inchers: 9" netbook, 13" Air, 17" dell. Haha.
Hah you have me beat in organization. I'm trying to complete my set as well. I have 11" sony tx, 12" hp 2510p and sony G11, 13" MB and MBA, and a 15" thinkpad and dell. Only thing I need is to fill the 14" gap.
You have an accomplished collection!
My sequence is tragically destroyed by a 3.5 inch iPhone =(
But I'll survive.
Can't wait for the mini to arrive!
The chipset on the Mini 10 is not OSX friendly and will pose incompatibilities for an install.
The Mini 9 is still the best bet for an OSX netbook.
Anyone waiting for a Netbook with Nvidia chipset to run 1080p natively? It's suppose to surpass MBA performance.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/25/intel-put-the-kibosh-on-anti-ion-hubbub-welcomes-standalone-ato/
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/25/intel-put-the-kibosh-on-anti-ion-hubbub-welcomes-standalone-ato/
Netbooks are a fad. I don't think anyone uses one after 6 months.
I think the category is fueled by 4 kinds of people.
Geeks who buy any new gadget. And swear it is the best thing known to man until the next gadget comes along and they forget about the previous one.
(The) Clueless who think it is going to have same performance as a full-sized laptop. 5 months later they are still wondering why their netbook is so slow and doesn't work for some tasks.
Cheapskates who think cheaper is the holy grail. Pretty soon cheapskates own a 1" micro-book that sells for $50 and claim it is just as good as a full-sized laptop and marvel that it can do 1080p.
Trend Followers who just blindly go along with the crowd. They might hear a whisper about a netbook and, presto, they have one. Similar to Geeks, but need a social aspect to get them on board.
I think the category is fueled by 4 kinds of people.
Geeks who buy any new gadget. And swear it is the best thing known to man until the next gadget comes along and they forget about the previous one.
(The) Clueless who think it is going to have same performance as a full-sized laptop. 5 months later they are still wondering why their netbook is so slow and doesn't work for some tasks.
Cheapskates who think cheaper is the holy grail. Pretty soon cheapskates own a 1" micro-book that sells for $50 and claim it is just as good as a full-sized laptop and marvel that it can do 1080p.
Trend Followers who just blindly go along with the crowd. They might hear a whisper about a netbook and, presto, they have one. Similar to Geeks, but need a social aspect to get them on board.
I'm tempted to not disagree, simply because I enjoyed that post ^^
However, I feel I must be your kill-joy:
I don't see netbooks as an entity unto themselves; for me, they fall into the same category as their fellow computers, laptops. So I see them as not an individual fad, prone to failure, but an extension of the spectrum of laptops (which are rapidly replacing desktops).
Netbooks (which I see as a subcategory of laptops) have extended the market into new territory; exceptionally cheap and small.
Whilst their form may somewhat change, netbooks are (by some definitions) simply small, cheap laptops. And I can't envisage an end in demand for this. Certainly not before an end in demand for laptops as we know them.
Keyphrase: spectrum extension ^_^
p.s.
, get your game on!wow. that was rude.
Can I add a category?
Protective People: people who already have nice laptops and want a net-book purely to travel with and not worry about damage. Individuals who want to simply go to the local coffee house/park/campus and not worry about accidental damage to the 'book. They might sacrifice productivity for peace of mind
Yeah, this post is just ignorant.
I've been using my Eee 701 for a year now, and it's got a tiny screen and hard drive compared to current netbooks. But it's tiny and light so it's easy to take to campus, and all I need it for is the internet. I never use my real laptop anymore, because at home I have the desktop and if im going anywhere I prefer to take the Eee.Dell Mini 9
I have a Dell Mini 9 with 10.5.6 installed on it. I paid for a retail copy of Leopard to use for the install. This thing runs great. The mydellmini site is great for info on how to get Leopard onto the Mini 9.
We (my wife and I) have an iMac, a MBP, a MB and this Mini 9, all purchased this in the last 10 months. I recently returned from a 4 day business trip. I took the Mini 9 with me as I didn't want anything to happen to my MB. I have to say, I didn't really miss it. That little computer runs OSX great. Bluetooth works, WiFi works, etc, etc... None of the issues of missing drivers and the like.
I had an experimental version of two finger scroll on there. I took it off as it didn't work perfectly. That's the only complaint for me... the multi-finger gestures don't work. Hey, I can live with that.
The peace of mind of carrying around a much cheaper "mac" is great. Same great system, a lot less risk.
Have a blast with your Mini 9. I'm sure you're going to love it.
Regards,
m&c
I have a Dell Mini 9 with 10.5.6 installed on it. I paid for a retail copy of Leopard to use for the install. This thing runs great. The mydellmini site is great for info on how to get Leopard onto the Mini 9.
We (my wife and I) have an iMac, a MBP, a MB and this Mini 9, all purchased this in the last 10 months. I recently returned from a 4 day business trip. I took the Mini 9 with me as I didn't want anything to happen to my MB. I have to say, I didn't really miss it. That little computer runs OSX great. Bluetooth works, WiFi works, etc, etc... None of the issues of missing drivers and the like.
I had an experimental version of two finger scroll on there. I took it off as it didn't work perfectly. That's the only complaint for me... the multi-finger gestures don't work. Hey, I can live with that.
The peace of mind of carrying around a much cheaper "mac" is great. Same great system, a lot less risk.
Have a blast with your Mini 9. I'm sure you're going to love it.
Regards,
m&c
Not forgetting...
people who just need a super portable device for simple tasks and do not need to spend lots of $$$ to get a similar light weight laptop which would otherwise exceed their needs by few factors. Especially in the drive size, an 8GB SSD with an SDHC slot for 16GB cards etc, you dont need to carry all your data all the time.
The netbook isnt designed or sold as a machine that can do everything, but it certainly can be a very useful device. Just for traveling, Be able to send emails to friends, search web for local info, keep in touch with the office (OWA), etc.
I went with a lightweight laptop because I wanted the extra power, but for day trips and the like when maybe you just need the basics a Dell Mini9 is looking real good at $350.
netbook on cruise
i just used one on a cruise to the West Indies two weeks ago. It was great for the purpose of downloading pictures and videos we took during the trip. It also stored scans of our documents, a very useful thing to have. With a gps receiver it worked well to plot ship positions too.
It was much easier to travel with than my macbook, but much less useful. It is easier to travel with due to size, not weight.
We had to transfer the video to the macbook just to be able to play it. On the netbook the video looked like an old silent film with many lost frames.
The netbook is great for traveling light, but very limited. Yes, it will do web browsing, if you can read the small screen.
i just used one on a cruise to the West Indies two weeks ago. It was great for the purpose of downloading pictures and videos we took during the trip. It also stored scans of our documents, a very useful thing to have. With a gps receiver it worked well to plot ship positions too.
It was much easier to travel with than my macbook, but much less useful. It is easier to travel with due to size, not weight.
We had to transfer the video to the macbook just to be able to play it. On the netbook the video looked like an old silent film with many lost frames.
The netbook is great for traveling light, but very limited. Yes, it will do web browsing, if you can read the small screen.
To me 9 or 10 inches are not acceptable screen sizes, sound more like pretty good endowment measurements.
well count me out, cause I purchased a damn asus with a 16gb ssd, that should be chucked out the window instead as it freezes intermintely, awful awful avoid at all costs...you can barely browse the web and soon you ll be doing it with glasses what with the bad screens.
Just not enough HD and the speed of these netbooks is ridiculously slower than slowest. Just start it up and see how long it takes to hookup to the internet. If you like small, light, cheap, something just for checking your email, and a keyboard that you can't type on, then I say get it. Some of you may say that it feels just like a regular keyboard, but after missing a couple of keys and watching your fingers slide off the side of the entire keyboard, hopefully you'll think twice about the move...
Mm, hopefully mine won't disappoint (dell mini 9) - I think the new processors can deal with better and better video.
And although drive capacity isn't huge, the SSDs seem to improve speeds, load times; speeding up swap speed is helpful too.
Just not enough HD and the speed of these netbooks is ridiculously slower than slowest. Just start it up and see how long it takes to hookup to the internet. If you like small, light, cheap, something just for checking your email, and a keyboard that you can't type on, then I say get it. Some of you may say that it feels just like a regular keyboard, but after missing a couple of keys and watching your fingers slide off the side of the entire keyboard, hopefully you'll think twice about the move...
My mini9 running a retail copy of osx takes 31 seconds to be fully booted and the wireless connected. Yes the keyboard is small and I wish it had a 10 inch screen. However, it is anything but slow. Watching movies, checking email and surfing the web are all very smooth and quick. For these tasks its every bit as teh snappy as a core 2 mini. I have not tried photoshop or ripping movies on it but that is not what I bought for.