Comments on: Netbook Mania http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/ musings and meanderings of a multi-disciplinary researcher learning about information technology use in developing regions Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:09:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Noob Book http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-324 Noob Book Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:32:20 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-324 OMG ! Cool Information. Somebody know why people love netbook more than notebook? OMG ! Cool Information. Somebody know why people love netbook more than notebook?

]]> By: melissa http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-321 melissa Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:03:32 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-321 I think there are new Netbooks coming out faster than I can really keep up with the news about them out here, and in the end it will depend on 1) how much you are willing to spend on extras for nicer features and better quality accessories and 2) How big of a screen you want. For my uses, I've settled on the Asus EeePC 1000HA, which is a 10" Netbook. The newer version includes bluetooth, wifi, and a 150GB hard drive. For others, the Samsung NC-10 is also popular, but usually runs anywhere from USD50-100 more expensive than the EeePC. However, the trackpad is significantly nicer (I can't stand the trackpad on the EeePCs). If you get an EeePC, get an external mouse. Which you should probably do for other netbooks too! But.. hmm.. the EeePCs come with a zipcase, and the Samsungs might not.. Another popular model, which these days is the only one I can find in the Dubai airport, is the MSI Wind, which, along with a few other models, is known for <a href="http://modthis.com/2008/10/07/make-your-own-349-dollar-macbook-aka-the-hackbook/" rel="nofollow">being able to support Mac OSX</a>. I also recommend that you get an external USB-powered DVD burner, since netbooks don't have one built in - the one that seems to be recommended highly for netbooks is LG's GSA-E50N, which I just got this past weekend for my slew of netbooks too! I think there are new Netbooks coming out faster than I can really keep up with the news about them out here, and in the end it will depend on 1) how much you are willing to spend on extras for nicer features and better quality accessories and 2) How big of a screen you want.

For my uses, I’ve settled on the Asus EeePC 1000HA, which is a 10″ Netbook. The newer version includes bluetooth, wifi, and a 150GB hard drive. For others, the Samsung NC-10 is also popular, but usually runs anywhere from USD50-100 more expensive than the EeePC. However, the trackpad is significantly nicer (I can’t stand the trackpad on the EeePCs). If you get an EeePC, get an external mouse. Which you should probably do for other netbooks too! But.. hmm.. the EeePCs come with a zipcase, and the Samsungs might not.. Another popular model, which these days is the only one I can find in the Dubai airport, is the MSI Wind, which, along with a few other models, is known for being able to support Mac OSX.

I also recommend that you get an external USB-powered DVD burner, since netbooks don’t have one built in – the one that seems to be recommended highly for netbooks is LG’s GSA-E50N, which I just got this past weekend for my slew of netbooks too!

]]> By: May Liitle http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-316 May Liitle Wed, 20 May 2009 14:16:28 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-316 That’s awesome!!! I look for netbook for my boyfriend.And how to choose it.Which brands is the best ?I saw many web about this but your web is the best for me.Thank you. That’s awesome!!! I look for netbook for my boyfriend.And how to choose it.Which brands is the best ?I saw many web about this but your web is the best for me.Thank you.

]]> By: Paul http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-328 Paul Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:53:02 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-328 sorry that was supposed to be : - P but wordpress turned it into a graphic. sorry that was supposed to be : – P but wordpress turned it into a graphic.

]]> By: Paul http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-327 Paul Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:52:04 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-327 http://amazon.com/xo sez: "Please note: The Give One Get One program ended on Dec 31st. The link on this page is a donation only and provides a laptop to a child in a developing country. You will not receive a laptop." : - P http://amazon.com/xo sez: “Please note: The Give One Get One program ended on Dec 31st. The link on this page is a donation only and provides a laptop to a child in a developing country. You will not receive a laptop.” : – P

]]> By: melissa http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-318 melissa Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:50:29 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-318 According to the website you can only get laptops for them, you can't get them for yourself. Anyways, the 7in Asus eeePCs also have the same long battery life. And honestly the bright sunlight probably would actually reduce the battery lifetime over time if you are actually using the laptop outdoors a lot. It is a good thing given that most rooms here are sunlight rather than artificially lit, but I don't think it's a reason to choose the laptop - the screen-size and usability of the keyboard and the stability, usability, and utility of the available software all weigh much higher as choice factors. Well, that and availability. The XO laptop simply isn't available to my target market. I'm not working with children nor in the education sector. According to the website you can only get laptops for them, you can’t get them for yourself. Anyways, the 7in Asus eeePCs also have the same long battery life. And honestly the bright sunlight probably would actually reduce the battery lifetime over time if you are actually using the laptop outdoors a lot. It is a good thing given that most rooms here are sunlight rather than artificially lit, but I don’t think it’s a reason to choose the laptop – the screen-size and usability of the keyboard and the stability, usability, and utility of the available software all weigh much higher as choice factors. Well, that and availability. The XO laptop simply isn’t available to my target market. I’m not working with children nor in the education sector.

]]> By: Sam L http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-326 Sam L Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:02:33 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-326 By no means i claim to be an expert nor an advocate of XO. A couple of things strike me as compelling (on paper) are long battery life and the screen well-adapted to bright lights Nowadays, you can actually get an XO on amazon: http://amazon.com/xo I do agree that a lack of ecosystem to drive price / quality is a red flag. By no means i claim to be an expert nor an advocate of XO.

A couple of things strike me as compelling (on paper) are long battery life and the screen well-adapted to bright lights

Nowadays, you can actually get an XO on amazon:
http://amazon.com/xo

I do agree that a lack of ecosystem to drive price / quality is a red flag.

]]> By: melissa http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-323 melissa Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:45:56 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-323 The XO Laptop is not available on the normal market (i.e. you can't buy it on amazon), has only one model, with a 7in screen, and a super tiny keyboard designed for children's hands. With it's particular marketing strategy, there's also no reason for natural market forces to drive prices down and quality (ie. features, processor speeds, included ram, disk space, etc) up. Why spend $400 on an OLPC when I can spend less than that and get a better laptop, with 160GB of hard drive space, and a decent sized keyboard and screen, more suited to adult use? And umm. Has anyone actually done a study that has actually compared the XO laptop to any of these laptops and found out that these have a more rugged build? Some of the studies I've seen have found that the wifi antennas on the XO laptop have broken off within a few weeks of use, that the trackpads have become insensitive, requiring external mice, and a variety of other problems. I think much of this can be chalked up to use by children, but the laptops I've been using do feel a lot sturdier than the XO laptops I've handled. The XO Laptop is not available on the normal market (i.e. you can’t buy it on amazon), has only one model, with a 7in screen, and a super tiny keyboard designed for children’s hands. With it’s particular marketing strategy, there’s also no reason for natural market forces to drive prices down and quality (ie. features, processor speeds, included ram, disk space, etc) up. Why spend $400 on an OLPC when I can spend less than that and get a better laptop, with 160GB of hard drive space, and a decent sized keyboard and screen, more suited to adult use?

And umm. Has anyone actually done a study that has actually compared the XO laptop to any of these laptops and found out that these have a more rugged build? Some of the studies I’ve seen have found that the wifi antennas on the XO laptop have broken off within a few weeks of use, that the trackpads have become insensitive, requiring external mice, and a variety of other problems. I think much of this can be chalked up to use by children, but the laptops I’ve been using do feel a lot sturdier than the XO laptops I’ve handled.

]]> By: Paul http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-320 Paul Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:11:15 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-320 the number of different models is expanding to fill all possible niches. the original Eee was pre-Atom; by late last year, trade rags were making fun of Asus for having dozens of different Eee netbooks and making the brand meaning completely unclear. there are now a bunch of netbooks that can be purchased with WWAN modems built in or can be expanded (ie have free mini-pci slots) like the dell mini 9 or the newer msi winds. the modem doesn't double the cost but the overall cost of the higher-end netbook is still 2x the lowest-end netbook so it's currently no cheaper than a usb modem. i expect prices will keep falling like a rock though - this is a very bad time to be basing architectural decisions on "X is cheaper than Y" (unless X and Y are network service costs, which i don't expect to change that much). btw if you were really rolling out usb solutions and not stuck on linux support, there are cheaper chinese (huawei, option) modems one could use. the falcoms just happen to be convenient for development because they are easy to use on both linux and windows. the number of different models is expanding to fill all possible niches. the original Eee was pre-Atom; by late last year, trade rags were making fun of Asus for having dozens of different Eee netbooks and making the brand meaning completely unclear.

there are now a bunch of netbooks that can be purchased with WWAN modems built in or can be expanded (ie have free mini-pci slots) like the dell mini 9 or the newer msi winds. the modem doesn’t double the cost but the overall cost of the higher-end netbook is still 2x the lowest-end netbook so it’s currently no cheaper than a usb modem. i expect prices will keep falling like a rock though – this is a very bad time to be basing architectural decisions on “X is cheaper than Y” (unless X and Y are network service costs, which i don’t expect to change that much).

btw if you were really rolling out usb solutions and not stuck on linux support, there are cheaper chinese (huawei, option) modems one could use. the falcoms just happen to be convenient for development because they are easy to use on both linux and windows.

]]> By: Sam L http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/comment-page-1/#comment-319 Sam L Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:34:27 +0000 http://ictdchick.com/blog/2009/01/21/netbook-mania/#comment-319 I must be stating the obvious: but what about the XO / OLPC laptop, with much longer battery life and more rugged build? I must be stating the obvious: but what about the XO / OLPC laptop, with much longer battery life and more rugged build?

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