netbooks

Looking for a netbook...need very good display, should be G3, solid, reliable. long battery life and as much bang for the buck as possible...I have not been impressed with mainstream offerings from the usual suspects...any suggestions?

 

I don't think you will find everything you need in a Netbook. Intel and other companies go to great lengths to pare down the electron burn of their products, but Netbook OEM's nullify this by putting in some pretty hugely crappy batteries. Not only do you get crappy battery life, but you also get a slow CPU and a small screen.

You want:

A very good display
3G connectivity
Solid and reliable
Long battery life
Bang for the buck.

You want an iPad 3G.

It doesn't have a lot of bang for buck compared to an equivalently price laptop, but its killer app is its battery life, not to mention it can do everything a Netbook can, but WAY better.

 

Korr: What if he wants Flash? (YouTube, Xtube, etc...).... iPad won't do that.

 

He didn't list Flash as a condition of purchase, so I excluded it.

 

no hard disk on board ... so very difficult to carry data with u ...

 

have looked at the ipad...not what I am looking for...many of the reasons have been listed...

 

64 GB of onboard...please define data.

 

Um...due to what you listed, the iPad is the clear choice. But if you are that stupid, might I suggest an Etch A Sketch?

 

Damn, you Apple people are brainwashed...lets start with no keyboard on the ipad...lets continue...its made by Apple...there is nithing the ipad will do that a netbook won't do better. oh yeah there is that premium pricing thing...looking for a netbook, not a tablet....

 

It turns out Korr is *far* from an "Apple person"!.... He and I have "debated" the topic herein on a few occasions and while he can be a little, shall we say "cynical", he's far from a fanboi...... [I do agree the etch-a-sketch comment was a little OTT, but as I've also said before, just ignore it......]

I don't have one (!), but brief usage and now many reviews suggest the built in kbd is a *lot* more usable than suspected - Certainly the reviews are saying it's fine for emailing etc - Sure, you wouldn't want to write a novel on it, but you've got the real kbd for that.

Saying "there's nothing the iPad can do that a netbook can't" tells me you haven't checked it out - I'd put it the other way round and then add all the stuff an iPad can do *easily* in addition. And we won't even start on the subject of screen quality.

As for price; "Premium quality, premium price."

Just my 02c, cheers,
Ian

 

To each his/her own iPad is flashy and can do well on some things ... and JailBraking it makes it even more useful.


but no flash, no USB port, no SD socket, no front camera, Bluetooth is crippled and works only with the "made for apple" meaning you will pay more for this BT piece .... a few things that you should check before jumping to it. The do sell Apple adapters for USB/SD though

 

Indeed on the first part - It's certainly not "all things to all men", and neither does it pretend to be. Mind me asking how it's more useful after jailbreaking? [FWIW, I jailbroke my original iPhone "back in the day" - It added "custom ring tones" (!) and the like..... But on the later versions I haven't felt the need - I suspect the same may be true of the iPad once they get a few releases done.]

Did I mention I don't have one yet

Cheers,
Ian

 

I write software and Apple gives you a sandbox to play with sometimes you need to access system stuff which of course if your are not jailbroken you can't. There is quite a good set of tools in Cydia which do this and you have a nicer set of tools of course not Apple approved. Another one: MX-tube let's u watch you tube and save the video locally for off line viewing, if you are hiking way up on the mountains there's no net coverage there I usually pull down a bunch of videos for later viewing.

 

Yet another debate with each side only stating what supports their view.

I hate Apple in general. Let's get that out of the way. Still, as Korr said off the bat, the iPad is the right solution. None of the objections above are valid. However, there are other objections, or hurdles. But, solutions exist for all of them.

Here we go with the objections and my responses:
---------------------------------------------------------
No front camera: So freakin' what? Who cares? Really? Do you use a webcam extensively? If so, yes, this is a dealbreaker. For the 100% of people I know, lack of a camera is not an issue. Video conferencing is just not that common. I can see grandpas and grandkids doing it, except gramps usually can't even figure out how to turn on the computer, let alone use the software! If you have used your webcam for 15 minutes all of last year, perhaps you shouldn't be basing your decision on that.

No flash: To be honest, you probably won't miss it. If you really must have it, there are lots of ways to set up remote access to your PC on the iPad. Simply do that, and watch it remotely via the iPad. This is completely overblown for most people, though. What do you do, spend all day watching porn? Playing games? If so, ok, maybe the iPad won't cut it.

USB, SD etc.: There is the camera connection kit for putting pics in directly from USB, SD. $22 I think. There are numerous solutions (free) for transferring up to 200 mb files back and forth between the pc and the ipad. There is cloud storage. What is the problem?

Keyboard: It's perfectly usable. I am typing a novel on mine. Instead of whining or complaining, check it out. Even if you don't like it, there are numerous dictation programs and bluetooth keyboards. Unless you are a very prolific emailer, you generally don't use the keyboard much--the gestures and swipes and taps get you around perfectly.

Apple's walled garden: For those who don't program, it's a non-issue. For those who do, simply don't support Apple. Program for other environments and make them better. Hopefully one day they will drive a stake into Apple's heart. Until that happens, the consumer has a right to choose the products that allow him to get work done and be productive, at a price point that is affordable. That choice is made every day, both against Apple and for Apple. I don't see what the problem is?

Storage: 32 or 64 gb and cloud storage is all anyone could need.

Finally, price. It's high up front, but you can get just about every functionality for free. Google docs is coming to it, so you don't need to buy the office thingamajig. If you do buy the Apple product, it's a lousy 30 bucks. The case is $40. The camera connection kit is $22. $92 for all the accessories you need, unless you must have the keyboard as well...in which case you can add on the cost of the nice shiny keyboard as well.

I have a rule not to spend money on software for the iPad or put money in Apple's pocket via their iTunes rentals. I have found tons of free stuff that allows me to do everything on the ipad. If you exercise the same discipline, there's no reason to let it cost you anything beyond the initial purchase price. I use the free demo versions of games (not really into gaming all that much) and I get my own movies and I watch them using vlc's free media player. I use remote solutions for flash content. If something is truly compelling, I will pay for it but so far I haven't found anything.

I do buy books but I would have paid more if I bought paperback versions and I don't think you can attribute that as a cost of the iPad.
------------------------------

Get the 32 gb version and use the savings to buy the accessory items or find them cheaper on ebay. As noted above, jailbreaking it makes it even more useful.

Once you get used to that battery life, you will just laugh at the rest of the offerings out there. To properly evaluate the iPad, don't look at lists of features. The PC industry has us brainwashed into comparing mhz, storage size, refresh rates, ports, and a host of other crap. In reality, we just know if a computer does things at an acceptable speed in which case we don't even notice, or not, which is very annoying. The iPad does things at a perfectly acceptable speed, whether it's throwing pictures up on the screen or showing you the document as you scroll and type. It's hardware is fine. You don't curse at it as you wait for anything. So, specs-wise, it's fine.

Beyond specs, really, you want to just get stuff done, right? Write stuff, read, watch movies, email, pictures, slideshows, documents, etc., etc. So, consider all the things you do on a computer. Can you do them on the iPad as well? Unless you are editing movies or building linked spreadsheets, the answer is yes, you can do it all on an iPad. It's a great casual computing device.

Netbooks are a joke in comparison. The Samsung Galaxy holds promise and I am looking forward to buying one when it is available, but so far the iPad has no equal. Forget 3G, unless you often find yourself without WiFi access. You should be able to hop on to free wifi most of the time in most urban settings.

My issue with the iPad is two-fold
1. iTunes. Everyone involved with that disaster needs to be shot. I just use it to back up my stuff, once a month or so. I friggin' hate iTunes.
2. The iPad is too big to carry. I hope the Samsung can fit into a large pocket. I really like having my hands free and I don't want to be a hipster with a bag slung over my shoulder. No thanks. I don't wear watches and I like having my hands free and I don't want to carry a big screen that can crack.

When I need to check something online quickly, or want to browse blogs or type up my book, or want to show someone pictures, or watch a show I missed, I reach for my ipad and it's great. I use it dozens and dozens of times each day while I am at home, and I take it with me if I know I won't be walking around much and I will need a web-enabled device, perhaps to share pictures or work on my book in a park or something.

When I need to work on complicated spreadsheets, or edit my kids' movies, I use the laptop. I also use it to pipe out content to my HDTV. I use my laptop twice a day, each session is between 40 minutes and 2 hours. I generally don't take it with me, unless I am going to a business meeting.

When I am just going to be out and about, I use my phone if I must, and I actively try to avoid texting or surfing or being on the phone in public.

 

iPad sucks.

 

+1

Thanks for that - I could maybe "nitpick" a few points, but "+1"

You and many others! "It's not for everyone", but as you noted you don't *really* have to use it.... However, it does "satisfy" the masses who use it "as intended" - It's when you want deviate that the wheels tend to fall off IME (?)

As I've said before, the "Walled Garden" ensures a "nice" user experience for most, but OTOH can be "frustrating" for others - I can argue both ways.

*Interesting!* - I just read that 'iPad V2' is gonna have a ~7" screen - Apparently, there are many who think like you..... [Or would even that be too big?....]

Cheers,
Ian

 

iTunes sucks even when you use it as intended. I cannot imagine how that crap made it into production. It really, really bites, and has made me genuinely angry with Apple. So many options missing, that even a 2nd grader would find obvious.

7 in screen. Well, I don't know what number works, specifically, but I think there is a need for something that can be put in a pocket, yet provide a bigger screen than a phone. At 7 in, I think it fits into a pocket but is sticking half out. And it's big enough to crack the screen easily.

Perhaps the answer lies in flexible, foldable screens. When they become a reality, you can carry it folded and unfold it to the size you need. Or have it rolled up, and unroll the amount you need. Either that, or holographic displays. Or I don't know what.

Until that happens, though, my communications, computing and media needs are met by the ipad and laptop and phone. It's not ideal, but I get everything done reasonably efficiently.

 

fish, just step up and buy the Alienware Laptop from Dell. 11.6in LED screen, 500G Hard Drive, 8GB ram, excellent graphics and great screen. decent battery. IF you can afford a F, you can afford this.

 

Yeah but some people I know have had terrible luck with Alienware products since Dell bought them out.

as a side note my Dell netbook's hard drive seems to be failing. Its been making a clicking noise lately.

 

The Ipad can't connect to a wired printed, doesn't print natively or multi task, nor does it run any programs except apps you download from the app store.

I have two, they are fine as a mobile device but simply cannot do what a netbook can - by a very, very wide margin.

The Ipad is incredibly limited at present time.

Maybe in 3 years when everything is in the cloud, the product matures, and web based programs are more touch screen friendly (they are made to work with a pointer from a mouse, not your finger on a 10" screen).

The touch screen is okay, but it doesn't work well with many programs, and it certainly is slower.

Even the browser is crippled, it runs mobile app versions of the web sites.

They are next to useless without a connection to the net.

I like my ipad, but could not do without a netbook/laptop.

Best deal right now is an hp netbook from version.