The Best Mini Laptop

College Life
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<p>So, in deciding to purchase another laptop, my attention has turned to mini’s. Sure, the screens are small, but the portability and cheap prices are definite sellers. Considering that I’m going to buy this for my last year of undergrad and grad school/beyond, durability is also an issue. Personally, I’ve many documents (but use usb drives), and a decent amount of music. That’s all that would occupy my computer space.</p>

<p>The problem is, that I’m too impressed by multiple mini laptops and cannot reach a conclusion. Here are a few that I’ve heard of–hopefully one of you gurus can enlighten me as to wish is better (or at least best fits my needs):</p>

<p>*Acer Aspire One.
*Vye Mini-V S18P.
*Belinea S. Book 1.
*HP 2133 Mini-Note.
*Samsung Q1 Ultra.
*ASUS Eee PC 901.</p>

<p>What should I go for?</p>

2

<p>Hmm alright, you have a bit of an outdated list!</p>

<p>Here are a few of the BEST (IMHO) choices: <in no=“” particular=“” order=“”></in></p>

<p>1) MSi Wind –> I own one personally, and it has the biggest/most active community behind it. Very easy to hack (mine is dual-booting Windows 7 and OS X right now, just to give you an idea). Get the U120 or the U123. There aren’t a lot of differences between them - check out some reviews online, I guess.</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> MSI Wind U123-001US 10.2-Inch Blue Netbook - 6 Cell Battery: Electronics](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Wind-U123-001US-10-2-Inch-Netbook/dp/B0026FCIB6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245391045&sr=1-9]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Wind-U123-001US-10-2-Inch-Netbook/dp/B0026FCIB6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245391045&sr=1-9)</p>

<p>2) HP Mini 2140. This is remarkably new, and has a lot of great features for about $450. Probably the priciest of the ones I am recommending, but the specs speak for themselves. I’ve heard that the HD 1366x768 display is stunning, so definitely try to get that, if nothing else about this netbook speaks to you :)</p>

<p>[HP</a> Mini 2140 Notebook PC (FM839UT) specifications - HP Small & Medium Business products](<a href=“http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06b/321957-321957-64295-3841267-3955550-3872994-3872996-3950521.html]HP”>http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06b/321957-321957-64295-3841267-3955550-3872994-3872996-3950521.html)</p>

<p>3) Asus EEE PC 1000HE. GREAT keyboard. I mean, really phenomenal. And the battery life is to die for - I mean, 9.5+ hours?!? Pretty much unheard of except in Asus. Very reliable, very durable. Also has a great community behind it.</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> ASUS Eee PC 1000HE 10-Inch Netbook (1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, Bluetooth, XP Home, 9.5 Hour Battery Life) Blue: Electronics](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/10-Inch-Netbook-Processor-Storage-Bluetooth/dp/B001QTXL8C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245390990&sr=8-2]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/10-Inch-Netbook-Processor-Storage-Bluetooth/dp/B001QTXL8C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245390990&sr=8-2)</p>

<p>4) If you want something a bit bigger (in terms of screen real-estate). Samsung NC20 - 12" screen (as opposed to 10.1" for the others up above). I was actually going to get this one, since I was supposed to give my MSi to my cousin. Ended up keeping it, but still an excellent netbook (if it can still be called that at 12"…). Okay, so this is pretty much the most expensive, at ~520. Worth it? Up to you.</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Samsung NC20-21GBK 12.1-Inch W Mini Notebook (1.3 GHz VIA Nano ULV Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 6 Cell Battery, XP Home) Black: Electronics](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NC20-21GBK-12-1-Inch-Notebook-Processor/dp/B00284CBKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245391147&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NC20-21GBK-12-1-Inch-Notebook-Processor/dp/B00284CBKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245391147&sr=1-1)</p>

<p>Whatever you do, don’t bother with the new editions of the Dell Mini 10’s - their chipsets are just bad, and apparently a lot of issues have arisen that really shouldn’t be there.</p>

<p>Good luck in your search, and PM or post again if you have further questions.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for all of the great information!</p>

<p>I’m definitely moving towards the HP Mini 2140. Although a bit pricey, it has great specs (and a webcam which is a good add).</p>

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<p>I was gonna say HP Mini too. The keyboard is probably the best out of the pack.</p>

5

<p>The thing about these netbooks are, you actually have to test them to get a feel for how they are. While the HP has the largest keyboard, I find that (keep in mind my hands might be relatively large, I’d say a good 7-8 inches in length) the border of the netbook ends in the “awkward zone”, typing on it has half of my wrist on the laptop, half off, which is, at least for me, very, very, uncomfortable. Also, keep in mind the fact that the trackpad buttons are on the left & right sides of the trackpad (not below), which may seem awkward at first.</p>

<p>The Asus EEE, on the other hand, even with the smaller keyboard, felt fine, since it had more “wrist room”.</p>

6

<p>I have the Acer Aspire One. While I love it, it simply does not have the processor speed to substitute for a real laptop. But I love the six hour battery life and the display. The keys are normal size, just closer together.</p>

<p>I’ve heard great things about the HP.</p>

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<p>Netbooks are really freakin slow! </p>

<p>you should get a 2-gb ram or even 3 if possible. Try to download the upcoming new Windows edition, Windows 7. These computers come with Windows XP and Windows 7 is perfect for Netbooks!</p>

<p>I got the MSi Wind with Windows 7 and its perfect!</p>

<p>i used the have the HP Mini. Good computer, nice keyboard, but the extended battery is REALLY EXPENSIVE (6 cell).</p>

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<p>^ What are you talking about? The Atom processors aren’t that slow…</p>