Notepad computers for Cruising........

[sail7seas]

Kyriecat.....

 

GREAT comparison. Thanks a ton. Very helpful.

 

[Kabana]

My brother purchased an Acer one for around $300 at Best Buy last week (with windows XP) for his wife, they should have them on display, they were having a special deal on pink colored units.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9183448&productCategoryId=pcmcat164200050013&type=product&cmp=++&lid=abn_sku_2_Netbooks_SKU_9183448_TXT&id=1218049439351

[cocobird]

I just purchased the 1049 model of the Acer Aspire One (160Gb hard drive, 6-cell battery) and absolutely love it. However, if you can wait a few weeks, Acer is going to be coming out with an updated model with a 10.1" screen, see information here: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39603769,00.htm No idea what the cost will be or difference in weight/size, but it will have the larger screen and larger keyboard. Of course, in the meantime, the current models SHOULD be selling at quite a bargain clearing the shelves!

[powderhorn]

S7S,

If uploading pics is part of what you want to do....if your camera uses SD memory cards, look for a notebook with a built in SD card reader....my HP notebook has one and it makes it easier to transfer pics from my camera....less drain on the camera batteries having to transfer through a USB cable....have fun shopping!

[DebbieS732]

I'm sitting here typing on my Acer Aspire 150-1126. It's has the 6 cell battery. I love it. Very portable. The keyboard is a little small but the battery last 5+ hours. I've had it for about 3 months. Have traveled with it a bunch. The wifi works great.

 

You will get a much better deal using Amazon (that's where I got mine) than the HSN. I paid about $350 for mine but I think the price have gone down.

 

A good source of information is the aspireoneuser dot com forum. Lots of good posts. One of the biggest complaints is the lids of the dark color aspire ones' tend to smudge easily. I bought the white one and have no problems with it.

 

I would like to take mine on our Baltic Sea cruise this summer. Been trying to decide. Seems like the internet service is rather slow on the Eurodam. We usually buy internet time but if the service is poor, it doesn't seem worth taking the netbook all the way to Europe.

[kyriecat]

S7S,

If uploading pics is part of what you want to do....if your camera uses SD memory cards, look for a notebook with a built in SD card reader....my HP notebook has one and it makes it easier to transfer pics from my camera....less drain on the camera batteries having to transfer through a USB cable....have fun shopping!

I have ine built into my laptop and it is convenient when traveling. I can view my pictures while in the cabin. Most of the mini computers don't have built in readers, but they make readers with USB adapters that will plug right into the computer. It's a little slower than direct, but it will still work. They are small so don't take up much space.

[jrzebird]

Like DizzyDallasDi, I'd like to know WHO got snarly, and WHY? :confused::confused:

 

I would also like to know who got snarly, since I used my laptop in my cabin and I don't think anyone really cared, as long as I paid my fee! Come on, don't throw in a line like that and leave us dangling!:confused::confused::confused::confused:

[Pam in CA]

Pam,

You've been okay with the 1 Gig memory? I think it might be enough for what I want to do with this little netbook. I only plan to use it while traveling.

Do you load any of your travel photos in it while cruising?

I've been fine with the 1G memory as I haven't loaded software that takes up huge amounts of memory on the Mini. I transferred a bunch of photos but also brought a keychain drive with 8Gig of space for back-up.

 

Are you saying HAL got "snarly" because you were using your laptop in your cabin? Please expand on this because I'm amazed HAL would care were you used it as long as they were getting paid for the minutes. I used my laptop in my Eurodam cabin (in Nov.) exclusively and never heard a peep from anyone about it. Is this a new trend?

I heard the Internet person tell many people that they could NOT use their laptops in their cabin. As his desk was also in the library on the Amsterdam, you couldn't help overhearing. One day, I was using my little laptop in my cabin and as I went to sign off using http://1.1.1.1, the page wouldn't load so I immediately shut down the computer completely to make sure no additional minutes were used. That evening, the Internet person was supposed to be on duty from 7 - 10PM according to the daily schedule so I stopped by at 8:45. No Internet person. I waited 20 minutes but he never appeared. I stopped by the next day and explained what happened and he literally snarled at me in a confrontational way, "You know you're not supposed to use your laptop in your cabin and you do so at your own risk?" I told him that I was aware of it and I'd done it anyway. So he snarled again, "Well, I can't help you then." I got him to look up my record and even though the page hadn't loaded, I'd been signed off. So, he yelled at me some more not to use my laptop in my cabin. I was fully aware that connection speed isn't as fast from the cabin but when I did take my laptop to the Internet cafe, the connection speed wasn't any faster than in my cabin so I just ignored him. He was very unpleasant.

[Sundagger]

I'd point out to the internet cafe person that HAL says:

 

"Guests can connect to the internet on each ship in the Holland America Line fleet, either by accessing a 24/7 wireless connection "hotspot", or utilizing the resources of the Explorations Café or Internet Café located on board."

 

Any place on board (including your cabin) that you can get connected is a "hotspot". There are antennas all over the ship for our convenience.

[donnaw]

Anybody load and use remote desktop on any of these? Work slow but OK?

 

Seriously thinking that the boss needs to buy one if that is the case. He is a bit freaked about our upcoming cruise/vacation and my refusal to drag the lap top along. Not happy that my primary back up will be on a different ship at the same time and be the one checking in.

[COCat]

Sail,

 

I bough one recently and have had it on the road for two weeks. Works great. I put most of the standard applications on it (Office, Photoshop, Lightroom, Atlas program, VPN). They have all worked well with the 1 GB of RAM, but I do plan to upgarde the RAM to 1.5 GB. It has a 6 cell battery and I get about 5 hours of battery life.

 

I know Acer has new models comming out soon with a bit bigger screen. I was looking for a small, light unit to travel with and this has worked well. I think the really important thing is for you to go to a store and put your hands on it! It is a small keyboard and takes a little to get good with it. It will not replace my business notebook or my desktop system. But for personal travel it is very good.

[sail7seas]

Sounds fantastic. In my case, I am not thinking the Acer larger would be better. I'd rather the smaller, lightweight that is currently available. I think I'll get to Best

Buy and see if I can catch a bargain before the new models appear. I want light weight and think I can adjust to the smaller keyboard.

 

As to the snarly Internet Manager.......groan. I have also encountered one or two who weren't the most friendly folks on the ship (to try and be a bit polite about it.) Why would HAL have put antennas all over the ship if they didn't want us using our laptops in our cabins, on deck or wherever? I can't see they'd care. We still buy the Internet Packages. The Internet Manager should never have spoken even remotely like that but no one needs me to say so. I'm sure everyone figured that out for themselves. :)

 

Everyone has been great in giving so much help.

DH said to me last night...."What are you waiting for"? Go Buy It!! (He knew he was safe....we had just gotten 6" of snow, then freezing rain that was freezing to blocks of ice and no way I was taking the car out.) :D But, today we expect a meltdown!

 

 

[topspot]

Just saw this posted on a Tech blog about the new Acer models:

 

"The world's been waiting for details on Acer's up and coming 10-inch Aspire, and we just got 'em in our hot little hands. The Aspire One D150 lineup hits the streets of France beginning in February with the D150-0B. This €329 ($425) netbook sports a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display, and a 3-cell battery. Then in March, the D150-1B makes its appearance. An enhanced version of the D150, this device is otherwise identical, save a 6-cell battery that should be good for up to 7 hours -- the battery upgrade will set you back a cool €349 ($450). Lastly, the D150-2BG will be rocking an Intel Atom 1.66GHz N280 processor and sports integrated 3G quadband UMTS/HSDPA mobile broadband, and the 6-cell battery. Also available in March, this one has a price tag of €449 ($575)."

[CroneWynd]

If you belong to Costco, you might check there. They have both the HP and the Acer models.

[mamaofami]

Sail, which make and model do you think you're going to buy?

[sail7seas]

Until I give them a physical try-out, at the moment I am leaning toward Acer 8.9" with the 6 cell battery.

 

 

[mudscraper]

The March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports has a review of several of these mini laptops. I received this issue in todays mail. Don`t know if it`s available at news stands yet.

 

Rich

aptops.

[lulubell]

We bought 2 since we're a family of 4 and we cruise 4 times a year.

Totally love them-you will too:)

[leeanninfla]

you can buy this same thing on tiger direct dot come for $299 plus tax. please do not feed into the home shopping prices. You can even buy them at target and walmart.

[newfarmers]

Thanks.

 

Anyone know about this Acer specifically?

I saw it on Amazon....... Thanks, Bob. The price definitely is better but what about everything else that is included in the offer I posted? Is most of it incidental and not worth it?

 

I definitely want a Netbook but don't know WHICH one to choose. :confused:

 

 

 

Hi sail

 

yep, this is the one we bought and it departs with us tuesday week for our asia cruise. couple of months now and no problems so far (fingers crossed)

 

pete

[ekerr19]

Sail -

 

I have an Acer and I LOVE it. By far, the best laptop I've ever owned. :)

[sail7seas]

That settles it. Acer it is and I'll let you know how I like it.

[kyriecat]

Try it first before you make a decision. I have a regular size HP laptop with a 13.5" widescreen screen that is fairly lightweight (a little over 4 lbs). I looked at getting one of the smaller ones for traveling but the keyboard size of the Acer and others drove me nuts. I just didn't think I could get used to it. I decided my HP already has everything that I need and it isn't that much bigger than the mini computers. I might rethink it if I travel more but we only make 3-4 trips a year. Plus my HP plays DVDs so it doubles as entertainment for the plane trips so that's a bonus.

[sail7seas]

I went to Best Buy today (first chance I've had) and tried out the 8.9" Acer and I LOVE it. Went to buy it but when I checked the 'specifics' card with the salesperson, I found the best one they had was only a 3 cell battery. They tried to tell me they don't have a 6 cell battery but I insisted they do. Finally got them to check on their computer and sure enough they found it for sale at Amazon. (They had to go in a back way as Amazon was blocked from them going there directly. :D ) Odd Best Buy wouldn't carry it, isn't it?

 

So, I shall either buy it from Amazon or check our other big box to see if I can buy it locally. I drove right by Circuit City but figured they'd never have it with their going out of business sale. If I have time tomorrow before Superbowl I'll try Costco.

 

[kenish]

Good that you selected a netbook after test driving the keyboard and display. I'm glad it worked for you, some people find it untenable.

 

Circuit City's going out of business sales here in So Cal are nothing to get excited about. As you probably know, a liquidation company buys the inventory and knows how to get maximum dollar for it. The 20-40% off is below the full retail price. Things are less expensive online or even down the street at Best Buy. I'm not criticizing the CC sales though...it's intersting to see people crowding into the stores for the privelege of paying too much for non-returnable items.

 

Things could change in a few weeks as remaining items are discounted further to clean out remaining inventory so they can vacate the space.