New Toy!
So, the wifie and I got ourselves a Netbook for Christmas, or, rather, we tried, but between sellouts, discontinued models, and worthless rain checks, it was yesterday before we actually laid hands on the darn thing (and it wasn't even the same one we'd originally picked).
However, we did get a nice PC: an ASUS EEEPC 1015 model from Best Buy.
It "only" has a 160 GB hard drive, but considering I'm not going to be editing video on a netbook, and I've NEVER been able to fill a hard drive that size without extensive video files, I think we're safe (my music collection is under 40GB, and the stuff I actually like all still fits on my 30GB iPod).
The wifi is FAST. I have a university-issued high-end Dell notebook, which is about as high-powered as any laptop I've ever been allowed within 20 yards of, and this little netbook smokes it on download speeds (but certainly not in RAM, processing power, etc.).
Only 1 GB of RAM, but I can upgrade that easily enough. No optical drive, but an external is in the post as I write this. 1.67 GHz processor, with 256 MB video memory. We'll see how that goes.
It looks like it will run Office 2007 and SPSS handily (it already runs OpenOffice and several other freeware programs beautifully, allowing me to write, listen to iTunes, and look stuff up online all at once). I doubt it will do Second Life, but I may download it just to see. I'd hate to try to actually use Second Life with this itty bitty screen, though.
The chicklet keyboard is nice - there is DEFINITELY a learning curve compared to a full-sized keyboard (even a full-sized laptop keyboard), but the "chicklet" style keyboard makes it feel more like full-sized. I understand this is a personal preference thing, but it's my preference :), and luckily, the beautiful angel wife and I are in agreement about this.
I don't like the rocker-style "two buttons that look like one" mouse button below the track pad (is that what you call the thing you use for mouse-stuff on a laptop? Touchpad? I can't believe I'm drawing a blank on it).
3 USB ports, plus an SD card port, a port to connect it to a full sized monitor (get a USB mouse and keyboard and you have a de facto docking system). And the webcam has an "off" switch that covers the aperture, in case you're scared of serial-killer hackers watching you check your email :) (Hey, there was a TWO PART Criminal Minds episode about this! It's important!)
The power plug that goes into the computer is tiny. Miniscule, like what you'd see on a cell phone. That worries me, but I guess I'll just have to be careful. I always have to replace the power cord at least once in the life of the laptop, anyway. This one just looks delicate, which is out of place, because the rest of the computer looks quite rugged, especially given its small size.
I'm not sure what I think of Windows 7 Starter. It doesn't seem to suck as much as Vista, but they've moved a lot of stuff, like where you go to turn off the Windows Aero mouse theme (pet peeve of mine), and I don't see any real reason. You're in the control panel, so why do things like "Add or Remove Programs" suddenly have different names than what they've been called for the past 15 years? Head-Desk!
Oh, and the speakers? Sweet! That expensive university-issued Dell's speakers never sounded "good" to me, but this little netbook has "good" speakers - it ain't a Bose Acoustic Wave, for sure, but it's much better than I'd expected.
All in all, I am really pleased with this little machine. Sure, it has all the standard "new PC" goofs (if you haven't changed your mouse theme from Windows Aero to "None," you'd be amazed at the speed difference it makes when the computer doesn't have to RENDER SHADOWS and ANIMATE EVERY ACTION on the fly every time you click something ... whiskey tango foxtrot?) that have to be beaten out of it with Jayne's "chain of command," but I have to do that every time I get a new Windows-based PC, and the computer itself is very nice.
I've only had it for two days, so this definitely not a torture-test review, but I have to say I like this little 'puter, especially for the price ($259) and weight (2.8 pounds, without ammunition :)
However, we did get a nice PC: an ASUS EEEPC 1015 model from Best Buy.
It "only" has a 160 GB hard drive, but considering I'm not going to be editing video on a netbook, and I've NEVER been able to fill a hard drive that size without extensive video files, I think we're safe (my music collection is under 40GB, and the stuff I actually like all still fits on my 30GB iPod).
The wifi is FAST. I have a university-issued high-end Dell notebook, which is about as high-powered as any laptop I've ever been allowed within 20 yards of, and this little netbook smokes it on download speeds (but certainly not in RAM, processing power, etc.).
Only 1 GB of RAM, but I can upgrade that easily enough. No optical drive, but an external is in the post as I write this. 1.67 GHz processor, with 256 MB video memory. We'll see how that goes.
It looks like it will run Office 2007 and SPSS handily (it already runs OpenOffice and several other freeware programs beautifully, allowing me to write, listen to iTunes, and look stuff up online all at once). I doubt it will do Second Life, but I may download it just to see. I'd hate to try to actually use Second Life with this itty bitty screen, though.
The chicklet keyboard is nice - there is DEFINITELY a learning curve compared to a full-sized keyboard (even a full-sized laptop keyboard), but the "chicklet" style keyboard makes it feel more like full-sized. I understand this is a personal preference thing, but it's my preference :), and luckily, the beautiful angel wife and I are in agreement about this.
I don't like the rocker-style "two buttons that look like one" mouse button below the track pad (is that what you call the thing you use for mouse-stuff on a laptop? Touchpad? I can't believe I'm drawing a blank on it).
3 USB ports, plus an SD card port, a port to connect it to a full sized monitor (get a USB mouse and keyboard and you have a de facto docking system). And the webcam has an "off" switch that covers the aperture, in case you're scared of serial-killer hackers watching you check your email :) (Hey, there was a TWO PART Criminal Minds episode about this! It's important!)
The power plug that goes into the computer is tiny. Miniscule, like what you'd see on a cell phone. That worries me, but I guess I'll just have to be careful. I always have to replace the power cord at least once in the life of the laptop, anyway. This one just looks delicate, which is out of place, because the rest of the computer looks quite rugged, especially given its small size.
I'm not sure what I think of Windows 7 Starter. It doesn't seem to suck as much as Vista, but they've moved a lot of stuff, like where you go to turn off the Windows Aero mouse theme (pet peeve of mine), and I don't see any real reason. You're in the control panel, so why do things like "Add or Remove Programs" suddenly have different names than what they've been called for the past 15 years? Head-Desk!
Oh, and the speakers? Sweet! That expensive university-issued Dell's speakers never sounded "good" to me, but this little netbook has "good" speakers - it ain't a Bose Acoustic Wave, for sure, but it's much better than I'd expected.
All in all, I am really pleased with this little machine. Sure, it has all the standard "new PC" goofs (if you haven't changed your mouse theme from Windows Aero to "None," you'd be amazed at the speed difference it makes when the computer doesn't have to RENDER SHADOWS and ANIMATE EVERY ACTION on the fly every time you click something ... whiskey tango foxtrot?) that have to be beaten out of it with Jayne's "chain of command," but I have to do that every time I get a new Windows-based PC, and the computer itself is very nice.
I've only had it for two days, so this definitely not a torture-test review, but I have to say I like this little 'puter, especially for the price ($259) and weight (2.8 pounds, without ammunition :)