<p>Youch. That Dell Latitude E4300 is $1300. It no longer sounds like me. ;)</p>
<p>no-- justamom-- you can get an 11" one for 500 on the Dell website, I just looked…only 3 pounds…might just be perfect…(now, if Costco has it…) </p>
<p>missscarlett-- so it’s fast enough and the screen is big enough to really see?</p>
<p>I can see it fine with my 50 yr old eyes :-).<br>
But again, you can try it from Costco. There really are no loopholes; just keep the packaging and take it to a store. Do a google search on Costco return policy; they are great! Actually there didn’t used to be a limit on electronics either, but people abused it. They would get a TV or computer or something, and then a year or 2 later, they would say they weren’t satisfied anymore, and then ‘upgrade’ to a newer model. But 90 days with no questions asked is pretty good. If you order furniture from Costco online, and you don’t like it after you get it, they will come and pick it up free, and refund all you money including shipping Again, no questions asked. i know that from experience!
I heart Costco.</p>
<p>I am on my Acer right now, and can see it just fine. I’ve had it since February, and probably dropped it a dozen times with no problems. It goes everywhere in my purse with me. Love it! I did have to replace my power cord, got one on Amazon for $20.</p>
<p>AND you can buy a casket on Costco.com, I see…I wonder if the 90 day return applies… hard to resist (computer, not casket…)</p>
<p>For notetaking in class, and internet surfing, my D selected a netbook that she researched pretty heavily…ASUS Eee PC 1005HA…10 hour battery life, 160 GB hard drive. She has been very happy with it, but it has only been 10 weeks. ($360?) It looks like a makeup case when it’s closed.</p>
<p>For major computing in the dorm, she opted for a Dell desktop ($750?) that had more horsepower, memory, etc than laptops that were twice the price. It has a 19 inch flat screen - great for movies, and a haupage tv tuner to watch TV. </p>
<p>She lugged around a Dell laptop for 4 years of HS…it was fine, and was the one her HS recommended and supported. They are still pretty heavy for hauling to class, and she’s comforted that if one computer is on the fritz for some reason, she has the other.</p>
<p>I think if you are after light computing, a netbook could work. I didn’t mind the display or the keyboard.</p>
<p>I have a little Dell mini laptop … not crazy about anything but the weight and portability. IMHO it’s slow and clunky and I hate the keyboard. The screen is just too small and I have to wear my glasses and peer at the screen. It does have a wireless card.</p>
<p>My plan was to use it for trade show travel – but it’s still heavier than I want to be dragging around the show all day. I like it for traveling as it is very compact and portable and if all I am doing is checking emails and some minor ordering tasks.</p>
<p>I think my next computer – for home and travel use – will be a full size laptop. I like the idea of the docking station so I can have a big screen, keyboard, and mouse at home.</p>
<p>I use an HP mini to surf the web when others are on the family computer and I can’t wait. As we are now empty nesters, I don’t have to wait long at all. I like the size of the keyboard–it is “almost” full size and comfortable to use. I don’t use a mouse with it and that has taken some getting used to.</p>
<p>Dell 10" netbook for $500 is not a good deal. It is just a netbook without the CD drive. If you want a screen this small, get an Acer or HP netbook, Costco had them for $260-300. There was even a “package” with an external DVD drive, mouse and a case for the netbook for $400. Those netbooks have a different type of processor than regular laptops, called Intel Atom, and they can’t run Vista (I think), so they all come with Windows XP (that was a plus for us since H can’t stand Vista).</p>
<p>The 13’’ Dell Latitude is what my boss has. It has a monster-size hard drive, it is uber-fast and powerful. He docks it at work and takes it on the road because he needs all of his files when he is traveling. If you are like him and don’t want to have 2 computers with duplicate files, get a small laptop and a docking station. If you prefer your road computer not to store your sensitive e-mails, pictures and documents, get a netbook that can be used for travel purposes and keep your laptop/desktop at home.</p>
<p>I love the new Acer Aspire AS1410 - It’s part of the new low energy consumption laptops in a netbook size. 11.6" (same as the Acer Aspire ONE) for about $400.</p>
<p>Technical Details
1.4GHz Intel Core2 Solo ULV SU3500 Processor
2048MB DDR2 667MHz Memory (easy upgrade to 4 Meg), 250GB SATA Hard Drive
Acer Crystal Eye Webcam, Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N, 1 HDMI port (YES Hi Def out)
Windows Vista Home Premium (SP 1), 6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh) (Now Windows 7)
11.6" HD WXGA Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit Display, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD</p>
<p>Dell has one too, it’s just hard to find on the website. It’s an inspiron 11z - 11.6" screen, 3.06 pounds, great screen, fullsize keyboard. configured, it’s about $400-500. You can get it upgraded with dual processors, 6cell battery, etc.</p>
<p>I have an MSI Wind netbook with 9 hours of battery life. Very fast, 3 lbs, runs the full MS Office 2007. Keyboard is 93% of full size, screen resolution is sharp. Bought on amazon for under $400 back in August. My 5-yr old Dell laptop was on its last legs, and after I thought long and hard about my computer use, I decided the netbook would really work for me (I have a desktop at work). It was internet ready right out of the box and configuring it for our home wireless network took five minutes. I did not buy a separate dataplan; free or pay-as-you-go wireless hotspots work just fine for my purposes. My H has an HP mini netbook, from Verizon, with the dataplan , which he likes a lot, buthe’s jealous of my battery life :)</p>
<p>We got an Asus eee- great for vacations, simple surfing… Sure beats lugging a laptop around for free wireless and the 10" screen size works well. Had a laptop, the the netbook, then a laptop, back to the netbook as son got to take the laptop. I always use a mouse with a laptop/netbook, doesn’t take much space and sure makes life easier. Desktops at home. Be sure to get “N” connectivity for wireless.</p>