jramble: December 2009 Archives

More on the mini clementines

December 8, 2009 10:45 PM | No Comments

For all those who have been wondering, here are the differences in the sizes between a regular clementine and a mini clementine.

I should have included a grape too.

Choosing a netbook

December 8, 2009 10:08 PM | No Comments

I was offering recommendations for purchasing a netbook as a present for Christmas (ssshhhhhh, don't tell) and thought I would post it in case it would be helpful to anyone else.

There are a gazillion different models of netbook out there but most of them have roughly the same specs. They mostly all have a 160 or 250GB harddrive, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter Edition. They mostly all have wired 100BT networking and at least WiFi 802.11g. Some of them will have WiFi N. They'll all have two or three USB ports and an option to connect an external monitor. They all have some sort of webcam. Most of them will use either the Intel N270 or N280 processor and have Intel 950 graphics. And, oddly, each manufacturer will have a zillion different models that are very similar.

Since they're all very similar I think the three most important things to look for are finding a good manufacturer, a good keyboard and good battery life. Some people talk about the screen too but I've kind of found them all to be about the same in newer netbooks. I definitely wouldn't go any smaller than a 10" screen. Most new models are 10" or greater anyway so it's not really an issue any more. Either Intel N270 or N280 processor are fine. They say that for most netbook uses most people won't know the difference. Either Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter are ok although if given the choice between the two I would go with Windows XP Home because it's not as stripped down as the Win7 Starter. If given a choice between XP Home and Win 7 Home I would definitely choose the latter but I doubt anyone is given that choice!

So, what to look for:

Battery: They usually come with either a 6 cell or 3 cell battery. With the 6 cell you can expect 7 to 8 hours of battery life and with the 3 cell: 3 or 4 hours.

Keyboards: They are still smaller than a regular keyboard but only slighly (mine is rated at 92% size) and are easy to type on. The trick is to make sure you like the key style to type on. I can't really type on the 'chicklet' style for instance. Also, watch for the placement of the extra keys: backspace key and arrow keys. On some keyboards I've found them in unusual spots or different sizes and found it awkward to type quickly.

Brands: My netbook is an Asus and I'm partial to them but other good brands would be HP (which apparently has a sizable Canadian precence so if a repair is needed there's a better chance it will be fixed in Canada) and Acer or MSI are also highly rated in the netbook world. Toshiba has a good name in laptops.

As for specific recommendations, I would suggest these from the ones they currently have for sale at Futureshop (they'll have different colours):

Asus Eee 10.1" Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Netbook (1005HAB-BLU003X) - Blue - English
$329
This is roughly the one I have. Is uses the slower processor than mine but does have 6 cell battery.

HP Mini 10.1" Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Netbook (110-1118CA) - Black
$380
This model has the 6 cell battery

MSI Wind 10" Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz 9-Cell Netbook (U123-003US-IBN2801G1) - Blue - Web Only
$349
This one uses the slightly faster N280 processor and has a 9 (nine) cell battery. It's only available over the internet though.

Toshiba Satellite 10.1" Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz Netbook (NB200-00C) - Blue
$429
It has the faster processor and a 6 cell battery. It uses the 'chicklet' style of keyboard.

Acer Aspire 10.1" Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz Netbook (AOD250-1821) - Black
$299
This is a very common model. It has the 3 cell battery so will only last about 4 hours between charges but has a nice keyboard.

Of course in 8.6 seconds all the models (and the URLs) will change so it will be a whole new ball game...