anyone have a 7 inch netbook????

[hotrod]

my daughter has been bent on getting an ipod. Thats fine, they are cool..
she has also shown some intrest in a mini type of netbook also, can do everything that an ipod does and possibly help her with schoolwork.. any opinions good or bad???? I would spend my money on the netbook...

[madjack]

I have neither...BUT, if I were to purchase a tablet, it would probably be a XOOM rather than the iPad...HOWEVER, before I bought either I would buy a fully equipped netbook...it's a REAL computer with twice the ability/features for half the price...the only reason I would buy a tablet is if I were a business traveler...but that's just me!!!!!
madjack

p.s. while I have none of them, I have poked at an iPad and spent some time on a Xoom...they are truly neat little GADGETS...and that's all they are to me...gadgets...........mj

p.s.s. you can get an air card for the netbook to give it full travel ability BUT it does have wifi which they probably have at school and if you don't have it at home a wireless router can be had(and easily setup) for around 50bux............mj

[parnold]

I bought a refurbished Acer 7" netbook for $200.00, and my daughter (16) had a Dell netbook. I love mine, and she loves hers!

I take mine camping with me so I can review the days photos on a screen that's bigger than the camera screen. The battery life on netbooks is great too.

I also use it when traveling to connect to the network at work, and I'm quite pleased with everything it does.

[Wimperdink]

I bought a refurbished Acer 7" netbook for $200.00, and my daughter (16) had a Dell netbook. I love mine, and she loves hers!

I take mine camping with me so I can review the days photos on a screen that's bigger than the camera screen. The battery life on netbooks is great too.

I also use it when traveling to connect to the network at work, and I'm quite pleased with everything it does.

x2 I used mine as an only computer for a couple of years. I tend to abuse computers more than the average joe and my acer has held up well. I needed a larger screen for some other stuff or i'd still be using the netbook.

[Py0tr]

I have a 7" netbook a laptop and four desktops in my classroom of 26, 9 and 10 year olds. Most of the computers are going most of the time, but the computer of choice amongst the students is the netbook. The battery stays charged most of the day allowing them to wander around while on the school network and the internet.
My first thoughts were that the screen is too small, but with young eyes that doesn't seem to be an issue.
It seems to cope very well with memory hungry applications like Publisher, powerpoint and even on-line games.
I am rather unwillingly impressed.

Personally, I'm saving up for an I-pad (quite an admission from an anti-mac man)

[hotrod]

thanks!
the ipads are cool, got to play with one a bit.. but I think we will do the netbook, she picked one out..weve been threatening to get a wireless router in the house here anyways....

[legojenn]

I have a 10.1" Acer. It does what I want it to, which is show TV shows, browse the web and manage my iTunes catalogue. I plug a regular monitor, keyboard and mouse When I am travelling, I can stay connected to the office VPN. I find that 10" is as small as I want to go. 7 seems tiny.

[myoung]

Curious. Why are you going to embarrass your daughter with an uncool device? The ridicule will stick with her for many, many years. Not a smart move, Dad.


Have a look at the Apple laptops first.

[parnold]

My daughter requested the netbook. She didn't want to be one of the "fan kids"!

[myoung]

Paul,

You never mentioned how old your daughter is or what she would like to do with a computer.

Rather than chose hardware and hope that the software matches her needs present and future, mightn't it be more reasonable to turn the order around?

Just a thought.

[nevadatear]

I just got a netbook myself. I travel a lot and much more manable than a laptop. The screen is small, but it is on an ipad as well. My son just got a ipad and he loves it (he is 31) uses it for work, but I think the netbook is more useful and of course, cheaper. And the wireless router is the way to go, that is a must!

[parnold]

Mike:

My daughter is 16, and made her own decision about the netbook. I let her use mine so she could see if she liked it. I think a real big part of her decision was the size. A girl can throw a netbook into her pocketbook.

Does Steve make a laptop that small?

[myoung]

Does Steve make a laptop that small?

Of course, you know the answer. The point is that there are many choices and it is wise to consider alternatives not just for the moment but for the foreseeable future. Too many people chose based on initial cost, IMHO.

With the advent of the App Store, the focus for many buyers has turned toward the software and the uses to which the computer can be put. Inflicting the Microsoft OS on a child is another strike against the netbook option.

[parnold]

Mike:

From what I see on the "Steve Store" apple doesn't make anything that small in a laptop. I hope you wouldn't make your daughter type out a 6 page report for school on a touchscreen!

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread...

Hotrod.. sorry for the hijacking sortof. If your daughter wants an iPad, and you can afford it, then I would recommend getting that. You know the old saying about nothing is a terrible as a woman's wrath, or whatever.. I probably messed up the old saying.. I"m not old enough.

[myoung]

If you want a physical keyboard for an iPad, there are a couple of choices. Apple makes a dock with a keyboard and a wireless keyboard. The iPad has Bluetooth so any wireless keyboard can be used with it.