DTN

On woot.com right now they have a superb deal on a netbook. http://woot.com/ It is a gateway. It is very cheap.

This is the cheap netbook I've been recommending to everyone to buy as a mobile computing device while leaving the expensive computers at home. For $200 you can have the luxury of on the go computing without the responsibility of having to worry about a $1000 piece of computer equipment. These things are so cheap you could buy 5 of them for the price of a standard laptop.

Keep in mind that they are a bit slower because they use power saving processors. Even still, they are an excellent mobile computer, especially when you can now get them for $50 less then what I paid 2 months ago.

majik

Looks like a good deal to me. It'd be good for primarily internet use and documents. I wouldn't load it down with music, iTunes, or photo editing.

DTN

Actually, 2 things that these netbooks are great at are music and video. The large hard disk provides more then enough space for your entire music collection for sure, and whatever video you can fit on it.

As for word processing, I would recommend getting a spare mouse and disabling the trackpad with the FN+F5 button (under any operating system) if you are going to be using the keyboard more then for a post or two on Hyundai Aftermarket because the spacebar tends to be interpreted by the trackpad as a mouse click when you get your hand too close.

The n450 runs Linux like a champion. The difference between Windows 7 starter edition with no virus protection running and Ubuntu netbook edition is like night and day. The difference between Windows 7 with virus protection and Linux is the difference between the dark side of the moon and day. Linux requires no virus protection and because of it's modular design, it can be customized for a netbook more easily then windows. Hence Ubuntu netbook edition rox my netbook.

I definitely would not try to use it as a gaming system, but it works better then anything for personal video, music, internet, light word processing or on-the-go usage like road trips. It's battery life is outstanding which means you can use it for a long time in a car. Another thing that everyone should be interested in is that it's great for reading HMAService.com while you're out at the car, or hooking up an obd2 scan tool.

DTN

Another advantage of running Ubuntu Netbook Edition on this is that "loading it down" does not load it down. Linux EXT4 filesystem does not fragment like windows. With windows, you have to continuously defrag your system. Linux defrags itself when you move the files around. It looks for the smallest contiguous block of free space and then deposits the target file there. Whenever you move data on the hard disk, it does this. So basically, while windows gets worse with use, Linux gets better with use. The filesystem works on the a bit of planning can save a lot of time philosophy rather then the windows "just do it" filesystem.

Stocker

I think I still have an article I saved from *ahem* a few years ago. It was wild speculation, on the topic of computer pricing. $500 for a PC and $1000 for a laptop were seen as dim gleams on the horizon. Almost-unattainable. The prices in the advertisements in old computer magazines are . . . high, compared to what we have today.

Winston

DTN

sold out. hope you guys got one if you wanted it.

majik

I've got a desktop, a laptop, an extra desktop, 3 spare monitors... I have no need for a netbook, but if the price dropped to $125 total I'd probably highly consider grabbing one just for the hell of it. It wouldn't surprise me to see this happen sometime soon, ESPECIALLY if it's preloaded with linux

DTN

Around here, we can't have enough... You could always turn that spare desktop into a media center and run some dual or quad monitors on the other desktop........ just a suggestion.

i8acobra

Or you could get an Acer 11.9" Laptop with a regular processor, like my 1410 for under $500.