Netbook suggestions.

[Jmarcelo]

Looking for a Net book to be a pseudo-ipad as I need to do Microsoft office documents and I like to have a physical keyboard. Any Suggestions? I want to stay under 500 bucks If it is possible.
Thanks a ton in advance Pcmech has never done me wrong!

[glc]

I don't think you can go wrong with an Asus EeePC.

[Nuclear Krusader]

A pseudo-iPad won't cost you less than 500. The MacBook Air 11" is one grand.

A good Windows netbook? There's the Asus EeePC and then there's the Asus EeePC.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by GLC I don't think you can go wrong with an Asus EeePC.

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader There's the Asus EeePC and then there's the Asus EeePC.

LOL
I 'think' maybe you should get an Asus EeePC.

[David M]

Nah...get an HP. Who needs all that reliability and customer support?

[Statica]

Or get an Ipad! Who needs a car with a usable engine anyway, a pretty body and paint is all that's needed.

Seriously though, if you are considering a tablet .. wait to see what Android 3.0's come out (The Motorola's rumored price is just not worth it .. but it might just be a rumor) .. or wait to see what updates the Ipad has for ver.2.

[Nuclear Krusader]

I think he wants to have a physical keyboard, the kind that is permanently attached to the computer. No tablets have that.

[Jmarcelo]

When I said Pseudo-ipad I really meant something that can do what an Ipad can like browsing, and running Word. Thanks for all the input though, I will definitely look at the EeePC's

[Nuclear Krusader]

For running Word, you need a real computer. A tablet's document editing capabilities are very limited.

[strollin]

You probably would be very happy with the Asus EeePC (especially if you're willing to pay up to $500 for a netbook) but just for a little different perspective, I bought 4 refurbished Acer Aspire One netbooks about 2 years ago for $200 each which was about $150 less than my son paid for his Asus EeePC at about the same time. The refurbished Acers were indistinguishable from new and have held up very well and seem to be pretty much equal to the Asus unit in performance and usability. None of the units have required any service or warranty work. The EeePC is arguably a higher quality unit but I can't find any fault with the Acers, especially considering the price I paid for them.

[Jmarcelo]

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader For running Word, you need a real computer. A tablet's document editing capabilities are very limited.

I guess Ipad Image I was going for is a little misleading. I just want a cheaper laptop for browsing and word document editing.
Any tips on a specific eeepc i should look at?

[glc]

Newegg.com - ASUS Eee PC 1015PN-PU17-BK Black Intel Atom N550(1.50GHz) Dual Core 10.1" WSVGA 1GB Memory 250GB HDD Netbook

I would consider a memory upgrade:

2GB, 204-pin SODIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 upgrades for ASUS Eee PC 1015PN Netbook, CT1539081 from Crucial.com

Also, if you need an optical drive:

Newegg.com - Rosewill USB 2.0 Slim Aluminum 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive for Mac and PC Model ROD-EX002 Black

[Statica]

Originally Posted by Jmarcelo When I said Pseudo-ipad I really meant something that can do what an Ipad can like browsing, and running Word. Thanks for all the input though, I will definitely look at the EeePC's

You really don't want your worst enemy to have a browsing device like the iPad .. It can not only, famously so, not do Flash .. But it cannot do JavaScript, Ajax, HTML 5, tabs etc etc properly either.

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader For running Word, you need a real computer. A tablet's document editing capabilities are very limited.

pages ($9.99) for iPad works with doc files .. A keyboard works just as well on the iPad .. And contrary to what $teve Job$ would have every one believe, a common keyboard works just as well as the Apple approved one. (I have a wonderful MS ergonomic keyboard connected to my IPad)

[Jmarcelo]

Originally Posted by Statica And contrary to what $teve Job$ would have every one believe, a common keyboard works just as well as the Apple approved one. (I have a wonderful MS ergonomic keyboard connected to my IPad)

Hah How unorthodox! Good Idea on that one. To glc great find i will definitely look at that one. How would i go about installing a upgrade like that in a netbook? Mobile computers are a whole new area for me.

[glc]

On my EeePC, you remove a cover on the bottom by taking out 4 screws - the hard drive and ram module are right there.

[Jmarcelo]

That's good to hear. On my moms work thinkpad we had to replace 3 wires and we had to work through the machine for about 15 minutes because of the proprietary screws. Sounds easier on a eeepc. At least I got a set of screw driver bits that allows me to take apart IBM Hard drives, shame they are mainframe and software now.. Thanks for the advice guys! I now what I'll be saving up for. Sorry to be scatter brain but the 2gb ram modules are frigging small! Thanks again.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Easier than trying to replace the hard drive on the original EeePC.

[glc]

The 4 screws are standard tiny Phillips. I use a jeweler's Phillips.

The original EeePC had a small proprietary SSD, and it was definitely a bear to change. The new ones are standard SATA notebook drives.

[Jmarcelo]

Cool I keep a good look at it. I noticed that the Nvidia ION are said to be good a browser based gaming and video acceleration. Is this any better than the other options on newegg and are there different kinds of ion cards or is there only one ION card?

[glc]

You are pushing it thinking about gaming on a netbook. The main purpose of the Ion is to take the graphics processing load off the Atom CPU for better video playback - like movies.

[David M]

Heavy gaming will never happen on a netbook.

[Jmarcelo]

Originally Posted by Jmarcelo I noticed that the Nvidia ION are said to be good a browser based gaming and video acceleration.

I didn't say I would be playing Crysis or anything on the netbook but just that Ion can Help Play games like torchlight whatever that is! I only got the light gaming idea because of a ION demo video on the nvidia site. Next-Generation NVIDIA ION Graphics Processors
Movies and word processing will be the most I do on the netbook.

[glc]

For movies, the N550 and the Ion is about as good as it gets in a netbook unless you go into the larger screen ones - and if you do that, you might as well buy a compact full-featured laptop.

[kilgoretrout]

Are you sure you really want a netbook? If you are talking $500 for an asus plus ram upgrade, plus external optical, plus bigger hard drive, you may as well get a regular laptop if you really don't need the portability that a netbook offers. Even lower end laptops will run rings around a netbook and those can be picked up for $400 on sale and in the $500 to $600 range for a very capable machine when compared to an atom based netbook. For me, a netbook only makes sense if you need the portability that the small form factor offers. In every other way, you get much more bang for your buck with a laptop.

[glc]

I don't know if he will need a bigger hard drive - it has a 250gb drive. The ram upgrade and external DVD burner are less than 75 bucks.

[MaxRat]

the AMD fusion netbooks really blow the ION out of the water and the Atom too...

The Acer ones are real nice and they are getting ready to drop at wal-mart for 198.99

they are very snappy and you can game on it...although 25fps is pushing it on games like COD....