[SOLVED] Can anyone recommend a mini netbook?

RandomTroll · 05-24-2012, 02:54 PM

I want a small computer to carry on a trip. I'd like something even smaller than the 10" netbooks but with a keyboard. There's lots of junk. Many come with CPUs I don't know and run Android or Chrome. I'd prefer Linux: can Linux run on them? Has anyone had a good experience with any of them?

elliott678 · 05-24-2012, 03:30 PM

Pretty much anything under 10" these days is an ARM based system, which can be tricky to change or modify the OS, they aren't even keeping up with the modern tablets as far as hardware, they are quite slow. I have had an EeePC 901 since it came out, it is pretty much my ideal size for a netbook and was my main computer up until a month ago when I decided it was time to retire it before it totally wore out. I decided since they no longer make the 9" form factor with reasonable hardware and the 10" ones aren't anything special hardware wise to justify the larger size, I'd move up to something more in the ultrabook category, with a used 12.1" Thinkpad X200.

So, right now your best bet for anything resembling a usable netbook is going to be a 10" model, since that is what the market has decided it wanted.

cortman · 05-25-2012, 01:00 PM

Smaller than 10"? That just sounds like you're being hard on yourself.

I have an Acer Aspire One 722 with an 11" screen, and it is beautifully light, portable, and quite thin. It's a little picky about distros; but Fedora and Ubuntu both worked pretty much out of the box and Crunchbang and Bodhi both could have worked with a little fixing.

rovitotv · 05-25-2012, 09:49 PM

I have had a few small form factor computers including eeePC 901, Mac Book Air, and HP dm1-4050us. My favorite has been the HP dm1-4050us with the Mac Book air a close second. I think 11" screen is a good size for me personally and I didn't want a crap CPU. The Mac Book Air was very much over priced and difficult to get Linux on, unless you want to run in a virtual machine. But the HP dm1 is perfect at $500 and with a i3 CPU it goes plenty fast. The HP dm1 runs Ubuntu 12.04 pretty good but I have not gotten the external monitor to work yet. Good luck.

I just got the external monitor to work by updating the bios to F.13 now the external display works so at this point all the hardware works perfect! HP now sells the HP dm1-4170us for $499.99 what a deal!

rokytnji · 05-25-2012, 11:25 PM

I am getting this back from my wife. I gave it to her. It is tough,durable and I picked it up for $120.00 US from Ebay about over a year ago. It is very Linux friendly. The reason I got it back is I bought her a Lenovo Ipad for her instead today. It comes with a velcroed on leather built in handle. I picked up a 6500 mah battery at Amazon for it (open box item) for $10.00. I also have eeepc's 701SD and dual ssd eeepc 900 also. But the M&A Companion is my favorite netbook.

http://www.macomp.com/companionpc.asp

This is not mine. Just showing it to you.

RandomTroll · 05-27-2012, 03:00 AM

Thanks, all. I considered one a few years ago and looked at some ASUS EEE machines,which seem no longer to come that small. I had never heard of the M&A machine: it looks good, especially if it holds up in classroom use, its apparent principal market. The $148 on eBay seems like the only one I can find. They sell new for $325 - perhaps that's a prop price for the tax write-off: one of Apple's early coups was getting the IRS to allow them to write off the retail price of computers donated to schools: a high retail price and a high-enough tax rate could make it pay to give them away.

rokytnji · 05-27-2012, 11:37 PM

Just got it back today from the wife. Windows Xp freaking blue screening. So I am running off of external SD flash card (16 gig class 4) for now.

The tablet I bought for the wife here is a
http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ideapad.../dp/B005UBT7LW

should be here next tuesday.

This Laptop like I said is super Linux friendly. My M&A Companion PC running AntiX 12 (soon to be released as final, this is last testing version before release)

Code:

:~$ inxi -z -F
System:    Host: biker Kernel: 3.3.5-antix.1-486-smp i686 (32 bit) Desktop: IceWM 1.3.7 Distro: antiX-full 01 February 2012
Machine:   System: manda product: Intel powered classmate PC version: Gen 1.5L
           Mobo: N/A model: N/A Bios: American Megatrends version: CM94515A.86A.0024.2008.0715.1716 date: 07/15/2008
CPU:       Single core Intel Core CPU N270 (-HT-) cache: 512 KB flags: (nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3) 
           Clock Speeds: 1: 800.00 MHz 2: 800.00 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Intel Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller 
           X.Org: 1.11.4 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1024x600@53.3hz 
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 945GME x86/MMX/SSE2 GLX Version: 1.4 Mesa 7.11.2
Audio:     Card: Intel N10/ICH 7 Family High Definition Audio Controller driver: snd_hda_intel Sound: ALSA ver: 1.0.24
Network:   Card: Realtek RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller driver: r8169 
           IF: eth3 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 46.0GB (-) 1: id: /dev/sda model: SAMSUNG_HS030GB size: 30.0GB 
           2: USB id: /dev/sdb model: Multi size: 16.0GB 
Partition: ID: / size: 15G used: 3.8G (27%) fs: ext2 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 60.0C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A 
Info:      Processes: 88 Uptime: 14 min Memory: 200.3/2016.1MB Client: Shell inxi: 1.8.5

Wireless is N based internal USB .

Code:

$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0db0:6877 Micro Star International RT2573

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/firmware-ralink (Micro Star International rt2573 is basically a raylink wireless chipset.

elliott678 · 05-27-2012, 11:47 PM

It is a shame those have a 1.8" drive with a ZIF connector, a fast Intel SSD would make that a really awesome netbook, but they don't seem to make them with that connector.

Larry Webb · 05-27-2012, 11:54 PM

I am using an Acer 10 now and am most impressed with the battery life (approx. 3.5 hrs).

NyteOwl · 06-01-2012, 05:18 PM

I have seen a Toshiba Libretto running Linux. Older architecture but impressive little rig if you can find one these days.