Go ahead and laugh. I responded to the news about the $500 Windows RT tablet by going to Walmart to buy a second Acer Aspire One (model 722-0473) netbook. This is the first time in my life when I've owned two computers. I panicked into concluding that, over the next couple years, the computer industry will kill off the netbook and leave the chumps only the following sorry options:
1) $800-1000 WINTEL "ultrabooks" or,
2) $500-600 tablets based on ARM microprocessors, similar to those in smartphones, that only offer a "half-internet" experience or,
3) inexpensive 7" tablets that are basically just smartphones without the ability to make phone calls. Or call them vending machines for media consumables from Amazon or the iShackle store (Apple's iTunes). Last but not least,
4) the usual overpriced "walled garden" at the Apple store, built around its notorious iShackle media store, and incompatible connectors and operating system.
None of these is an attractive choice for a no-nonsense, "bang for the buck" type of consumer. But for a camper living on batteries it's even worse. Until I learn otherwise I'll assume that the WINTEL ultrabooks use a couple Amps DC -- tech reviews never bother to say. A year ago I experienced the bliss of replacing an old laptop, that consumed 4 Amps DC, with this netbook that used only 1.1 Amps DC. (Thanks again to Thom Hoch for getting me onto the right trail.) I paid Target's loss-leader price of $200 at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
Despite the (probably intentional) misinformation in tech reviews, this netbook was capable of doing anything a non-gaming mainstream user might throw at it: web surfing, office applications, reading eBooks, Picasa editing of photographs, playing music, and high definition videos. Admittedly you wouldn't want to do computer modeling for NASA with it.
I was appalled when Microsoft announced a $500 Windows RT tablet that has:
1) A 10.5" diagonal screen. Yes it will be a touch screen, but who cares!
2) No keyboard.
3) 32 Gigabytes solid state "hard drive".
4) A subfunctional operating system that is not compatible with all previous Windows applications. Gee, isn't that why we buy Windows?
Compare this to the Acer Aspire One netbook (model #722-0473), normally priced at $325:
1) An 11.5" diagonal high definition (1366 X 768) screen.
2) A full sized keyboard for touch typing. By "full sized" I mean it works for big ol' ape-man paws, not just for Japanese schoolgirls' hands. For ape-men 10" netbook keyboards are too small.
3) 320 Gigabytes (spinning) hard drive, TEN times what that silly RT tablet has.
4) Windows 7 Home Premium, an excellent operation system.
The whole touch screen fad is overrated to users who aren't so interested in mobility, perhaps because they use their computer on a desk at home 95% of the time. Occasionally it gets carried to a library or coffee shop, and at those times it's nice that this netbook is reasonably light and small. It has the same footprint as an 8.5" X 11" piece of paper, so you can carry and protect it in any number of inexpensive items from an office supply store.
The over-hyped touch screen fad is also aimed at pre-literate kindergarteners who don't know how to touch-type. For all I know, the public schools might have abandoned the teaching of touch-typing because it was deemed politically incorrect or perhaps just too rigorous.
How long will this netbook last? Beats me. Every computer that croaked on me did so with a hard drive crash. My guess is that these netbooks will last just as long as a laptop costing three times as much because the hard drives in them are made by the same duopoly that makes hard drives for the entire world, regardless of the nominal "brand"?
Admittedly the keyboard feels cheap. But if it croaks I will just overlay it with an external aftermarket keyboard.
Some people say ol' Boonie is cynical and too hard to please. Maybe so. But that's a two-edged sword, since an endorsement by me really means something! Consider hauling your little patootie down to Walmart and paying $240 for a new Acer Aspire One (722-0473) netbook before the warehouse is cleaned out and the computer industry shackles you into buying overpriced and overpowered ultrabooks or overpriced and sub-functional tablets.
1) $800-1000 WINTEL "ultrabooks" or,
2) $500-600 tablets based on ARM microprocessors, similar to those in smartphones, that only offer a "half-internet" experience or,
3) inexpensive 7" tablets that are basically just smartphones without the ability to make phone calls. Or call them vending machines for media consumables from Amazon or the iShackle store (Apple's iTunes). Last but not least,
4) the usual overpriced "walled garden" at the Apple store, built around its notorious iShackle media store, and incompatible connectors and operating system.
None of these is an attractive choice for a no-nonsense, "bang for the buck" type of consumer. But for a camper living on batteries it's even worse. Until I learn otherwise I'll assume that the WINTEL ultrabooks use a couple Amps DC -- tech reviews never bother to say. A year ago I experienced the bliss of replacing an old laptop, that consumed 4 Amps DC, with this netbook that used only 1.1 Amps DC. (Thanks again to Thom Hoch for getting me onto the right trail.) I paid Target's loss-leader price of $200 at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
Despite the (probably intentional) misinformation in tech reviews, this netbook was capable of doing anything a non-gaming mainstream user might throw at it: web surfing, office applications, reading eBooks, Picasa editing of photographs, playing music, and high definition videos. Admittedly you wouldn't want to do computer modeling for NASA with it.
I was appalled when Microsoft announced a $500 Windows RT tablet that has:
1) A 10.5" diagonal screen. Yes it will be a touch screen, but who cares!
2) No keyboard.
3) 32 Gigabytes solid state "hard drive".
4) A subfunctional operating system that is not compatible with all previous Windows applications. Gee, isn't that why we buy Windows?
Compare this to the Acer Aspire One netbook (model #722-0473), normally priced at $325:
1) An 11.5" diagonal high definition (1366 X 768) screen.
2) A full sized keyboard for touch typing. By "full sized" I mean it works for big ol' ape-man paws, not just for Japanese schoolgirls' hands. For ape-men 10" netbook keyboards are too small.
3) 320 Gigabytes (spinning) hard drive, TEN times what that silly RT tablet has.
4) Windows 7 Home Premium, an excellent operation system.
The whole touch screen fad is overrated to users who aren't so interested in mobility, perhaps because they use their computer on a desk at home 95% of the time. Occasionally it gets carried to a library or coffee shop, and at those times it's nice that this netbook is reasonably light and small. It has the same footprint as an 8.5" X 11" piece of paper, so you can carry and protect it in any number of inexpensive items from an office supply store.
The over-hyped touch screen fad is also aimed at pre-literate kindergarteners who don't know how to touch-type. For all I know, the public schools might have abandoned the teaching of touch-typing because it was deemed politically incorrect or perhaps just too rigorous.
How long will this netbook last? Beats me. Every computer that croaked on me did so with a hard drive crash. My guess is that these netbooks will last just as long as a laptop costing three times as much because the hard drives in them are made by the same duopoly that makes hard drives for the entire world, regardless of the nominal "brand"?
Admittedly the keyboard feels cheap. But if it croaks I will just overlay it with an external aftermarket keyboard.
Some people say ol' Boonie is cynical and too hard to please. Maybe so. But that's a two-edged sword, since an endorsement by me really means something! Consider hauling your little patootie down to Walmart and paying $240 for a new Acer Aspire One (722-0473) netbook before the warehouse is cleaned out and the computer industry shackles you into buying overpriced and overpowered ultrabooks or overpriced and sub-functional tablets.
Comments
I wish the SSD drives were cheaper - fast and capacious, less fragile than a spinner. I had one of the first tablets that they made a decade ago. They were too heavy but nice and a full computer. I don't get the Apple cult either - seems like you pay more and get less.
But why would I want to switch from a universally compatible Windows world to an Android world? Wouldn't that make all my peripherals obsolete? When it's time to buy new peripherals, won't I have to worry about or make a big project out of finding a peripheral that works with my version of Android?
Sorry to sound so stubborn, Anonymous, but I think the tablet form factor is just plain silly. The clamshell is far superior. The only reason why the world thinks that tablets are valuable is that a few years ago, when the netbook phenomenon threatened the computer industry with commoditization and a "race to the bottom", Apple refused to go along; they jumped on the tablet kick and suckered their fanboyz and groupies down that direction.
Anyway you were talking about having to replace the keyboard. Turns out they are only 10 bucks. You can upgrade the memory in them for very little also.
http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Acer-Aspire-AO532H-Keyboard/dp/B003YMC29I/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1351999168&sr=8-16&keywords=asus+keyboard+aspire
Bob
I don't think upgrading the memory is necessary for the general user. 2 Gigabytes is enough.
I only wanted to mention that there seem to be a lot cheap parts for these things around the web, even at Amazon. An AC charger for 16 bucks, a battery for 17, a new keyboard for 10.
I could use the little 10 inchers, but they weren't much fun to type on. Had to use Windows Starter. Heck, one of them couldn't even survive the simple experiment of dropping a motorcycle on it. I think that market has about gone to smart phones now. :o)
The 11.5 inch with a full size keyboard is about perfect.
That's really hard to do if you don't know what you need. Even if you think you do, you could be wrong. It's luck, mostly, and discovered after the fact, like happiness.
Bob
One of the reasons why netbooks have fizzled is that the early adopters jumped on board too soon, as they typically do, when the Atom microprocessors weren't too good. Also, the netbook industry was bouncing around with different sizes until it finally stabilized at 10".
That was really too small for a full size keyboard. But the computer industry wanted to draw a firewall between the netbook and the notebook so that notebooks wouldn't be pulled down in price.
By the time netbooks were perfected with full size keyboards, 11.6--12" displays, and dual-core Atoms, the world had moved on to semi-useless tablets. What a shame.
That's why I recommend cleaning them out of these 11.6" netbooks before they are all gone.
All this stuff is a work in progress.
One of these 11.5 inch netbooks and a smartphone should be about all the connectedness I can stand for the next few years, though I'm not above experimenting with a tablet if it's cheap enough. But mostly I think of them as glorified reading devices.
By the way, I had a look at the Kindle Paperwhite. If you are content with Kindle content, it is just about perfect: a clear soft white screen, good contrast, visible in all environments, and with a dictionary, translation services, and even wikipedia only a touch away. No flashy distractions. Only $119. No need to ever build another bookshelf. What's not to like?