Jump to content

Netbooks


murfster

Recommended Posts

I love to have my laptop when I travel. Many times I have gone back to the cache-mobile to look up a hint, or take a second look at the map. There is more and more advertising for “Netbooks”.

 

I’d like to know and suspect others might as well..

1. Does it work well for geocaching?

2. What kind do you have?

3. What will it not do.. or not do as well as a laptop?

4. Suggestions for those thinking of getting one?

 

Thanks

 

Murfster

Link to comment

I love to have my laptop when I travel. Many times I have gone back to the cache-mobile to look up a hint, or take a second look at the map. There is more and more advertising for “Netbooks”.

 

I’d like to know and suspect others might as well..

1. Does it work well for geocaching?

2. What kind do you have?

3. What will it not do.. or not do as well as a laptop?

4. Suggestions for those thinking of getting one?

 

Thanks

 

Murfster

 

I just picked up an MSI Wind U120 a couple months ago to bring on some trips instead of lugging around my 15.4" laptop. Here's some answers.

 

1. Does it work well for geocaching?

A: I wouldn't use it out in the woods or whatnot just due to the fact of it getting wet or dropped. I have hooked one of my laptop gps receivers to it and used the google earth realtime gps feature. Very cool I must say especially if you have the geocaching.com kml installed but unfortunately that kml file is never accurate with the locations. GSAK also works great on it!

 

2. What kind do you have?

A: MSI Wind u120

 

3. What will it not do.. or not do as well as a laptop?

A: No CD/DVD drive, the screen resolution on netbooks are 1024x600. A normal computer or laptop would be 1024x800. That difference in the height can give you some probs with some applications but no biggie at all. I can run just about anything the same on there other than I use Photoshop quite a lot and haven't loaded that since the memory is only 1g and I wouldnt want to strain my eyes editing photos on a small screen. Battery life gets me 4.5 hours vs the whopping 1.5 on my normal laptop.

 

4. Suggestions for those thinking of getting one?

A: Netbooks are designed to be for surfing the web mainly....screens are smaller than a normal laptop, the keyboard is tighter so thick fingers may be an issue to some. I bought the MSI after spending many days researching. It was the best bang for the buck when I compared it. It actually is rated #2 in wired magazine in i think it was last months issue. I didn't go with the #1 because it only had a 8gb solid state drive whereas mine has a full 160gb HD. I use it on trips to copy all my RAW images I shoot which are 15mb ea.

Another thing is that I have it tethered to my iphone which has unlimited data usage so I have internet on it wherever I go!

 

Oh one more quick thing...a big plus is the weight....weighs slightly over 2lbs with a 6 cell battery installed. Big difference for me when i travel with a DSLR camera with 3 lenses and a laptop all in one backpack.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited by jho135
Link to comment

Hi it's Keith, this is my first post.

 

Netbooks, i had a Lenovo Ideapad s10, nice little netbook much more solid then any EEEpc, or MSI.

if you are looking for a netbook i strongly reccomend the ideapad s10,, i have used ACER, MSI, ASUS and the built quality is very poor.

 

i had upgraded the memory to 2.5 gigs, and added a 320 gig hard drive. the GPS card " i added from my thinkpad x300" never worked right,

windows drivers were always a problem.

 

i founf the screen small it was a 10.2" and most apps would not fit well like mapsource.

battery life was ok 3 hrs but far form the 8-10 that would be needed for a day of caching.

 

i since sold the s10, and upgraded my iphone to an iphone 3g, "thanks murfster" and i now have geocaching 2.0 app running on it, and the motion X gps software, it is a great caching tool,, cant wait to test it out in cellular coverage.

 

so in conclusion i just feel the netbooks have too small of a screen for any mapping, the keyboards are cramped, and just add another piece of equipment that cant do everything to the stuff you will carry.

:D

Link to comment

1. Does it work well for geocaching?

A: I wouldn't use it out in the woods or whatnot just due to the fact of it getting wet or dropped. I have hooked one of my laptop gps receivers to it and used the google earth realtime gps feature. Very cool I must say especially if you have the geocaching.com kml installed but unfortunately that kml file is never accurate with the locations.

In the latest release notes (link)

 

Discontinued support for Google Earth KML to improve site performance

Link to comment

1. Does it work well for geocaching?

A: I wouldn't use it out in the woods or whatnot just due to the fact of it getting wet or dropped. I have hooked one of my laptop gps receivers to it and used the google earth realtime gps feature. Very cool I must say especially if you have the geocaching.com kml installed but unfortunately that kml file is never accurate with the locations.

In the latest release notes (link)

 

Discontinued support for Google Earth KML to improve site performance

 

Crud.....kinda find it weird that only 200 access it on a regular basis though. I love having it. I just checked and my google earth still pulls it. Wonder if it just won't update with new caches anymore.

Link to comment

How about using a Netbook for Caching Trips.

 

ie flying to a destination and using the Netbook to download PQ's and the like.

 

The programs I would load would be...

 

- GSAK

- Mapsource

- Palm Desktop

 

With this combo I could travel lighter through the airports.

 

Will Netbooks work this way and could it run Garmin NRoute with a GPS device connected to route you to cache from inside the car?

 

Binrat

Link to comment

The programs I would load would be...

 

- GSAK

- Mapsource

- Palm Desktop

I'm not sure of the purpose for GSAK and Palm Desktop (in this particular situation)? Can't you download pocket queries as GPX files? MapsSource will happily open GPX files directly? What are the other two programs for in this situation?

 

... and could it run Garmin NRoute with a GPS device connected to route you to cache from inside the car?

Yes. Just keep in mind that if the maps are one of Garmin's locked products, like City Navigator, they must be unlocked.

 

...ken...

Link to comment

The programs I would load would be...

 

- GSAK

- Mapsource

- Palm Desktop

GSAK will run OK. In fact Clyde (the author) has stated that he's keeping all dialogs under 600px so they can be seen on the smaller screens.

 

I'm interested in one of these to use in place of a PDA. Those with the solid state drives seem like they would be durable (at least as durable as a PDA) and a good upgrade from a PDA.

Link to comment
... i have used ACER, MSI, ASUS and the built quality is very poor.
That is not my experience with the ASUS 1000HA. I've had it a couple of months now and it has been rock solid, works fine bouncing around in my dusty 4x4 off-road. I find I am using it more and more and my desktop less and less. Yes, the screen is small and the keys are tight, but I soon made the adjustment. It is the perfect size and I take it with me much more than I took my other laptop. Drivers were/are no problem. Battery life is probably about 6-7 hours depending on what you are doing (mine has the 160 HD). It is slow loading Google Earth and all the stuff I have in it, but Groundspeak has removed the single most useful tool so that is not as much as an issue.

 

so in conclusion i just feel the netbooks have too small of a screen for any mapping, the keyboards are cramped, and just add another piece of equipment that cant do everything to the stuff you will carry.

:unsure:

I totally disagree. It is now the single most useful toy I have.
Link to comment
I totally disagree. It is now the single most useful toy I have.

 

You sound like the right person to ask. We're trying to move my friend GeoLund to a netbook / Garmin eTrex Legend / GSAK combination. We've got things pretty well set up and working, but we have one or two things we'd like it to do, and suspect it can... we just don't know how.

 

1) We'd like to have a map with all the caches in an area, that also shows us where WE are on the map, using our plugged-in Garmin

 

2) I think we found the best answer to this ourselves, but we're open for input. We want to see the map with ALL the caches at the same time. We found a add-in for GSAK that seems to do the trick.

 

So... how can we get the Garmin to tell the map and the map to show us where WE are?

 

Thanks!

 

Mrs.Hoagie and GeoLund

Edited by hoagies
Link to comment

I'd advise against getting one. Their low price and high versatility might seem extremely attractive, but they're quite uncomfortable to use.

 

and why is that?...can't possibly be any more uncomfortable to use than a smart/cell phone

 

i just replaced my laptop with a netbook and i am very happy with my choice, especially if you travel you give up a piece of carry-on

Edited by t4e
Link to comment

I'd advise against getting one. Their low price and high versatility might seem extremely attractive, but they're quite uncomfortable to use.

and why is that?...can't possibly be any more uncomfortable to use than a smart/cell phone

A smartphone isn't meant to mimic a real laptop. A netbook is everything on a laptop made smaller.

Link to comment

Biggest issue I have with netbooks are those Atom processors. They redefine slow, an with a decent size GSAK database you will actually be able to watch molasses flow outdoors in Winnipeg on a January afternoon. Particularly if the OEM has loaded Vista or Windows 7 on that it.

 

Look for a budget priced 12" laptop with an i3/i5/Core Duo or similar instead would be my strategy.

Link to comment

I'd advise against getting one. Their low price and high versatility might seem extremely attractive, but they're quite uncomfortable to use.

and why is that?...can't possibly be any more uncomfortable to use than a smart/cell phone

A smartphone isn't meant to mimic a real laptop. A netbook is everything on a laptop made smaller.

 

that doesn't answer my question....why is it uncomfortable to use?

Link to comment

I love to have my laptop when I travel. Many times I have gone back to the cache-mobile to look up a hint, or take a second look at the map. There is more and more advertising for “Netbooks”.

 

I’d like to know and suspect others might as well..

1. Does it work well for geocaching?

2. What kind do you have?

3. What will it not do.. or not do as well as a laptop?

4. Suggestions for those thinking of getting one?

 

Thanks

 

Murfster

I have both a Asus netbook and a Toshiba laptop. Each has it's use. When we travel I take my laptop because of it's larger screen but as far as the smaller keys someone mentioned, I just measured the keys on both computers and the keys on the netbook measure 5/8 by 5/8, the laptop keys measure 3/4 by 3/4, not much difference. I take the Asus when geocaching in case I want to grab some free wifi and look something up. The Asus is lighter and has up to ten hours run time on a charge. The Asus has good internal wifi but sometimes a good wifi signal is hard to get so I just bought a Hawking external wifi adapter that I going to try and see how that works on those weak signals.

 

BTW: I have owned several brands of laptops and I don't find the Asus to be any cheaper built then any other laptops I've owned.

Link to comment

I have an Asus netbook, too, and love it. It's replaced the old desktop and it can travel much more easily than the laptop. The laptop is way too large and clunky to be comfortable using it in the truck.

 

The keyboard of the netbook isn't all that difficult to use due to its size. It's actually quite adequate for use in the truck. (At home, it's hooked up to a regular keyboard.)

 

I figure for being out for the day, the Asus is perfect.

 

I was surprised at how great the battery lasted, too.

Link to comment
that doesn't answer my question....why is it uncomfortable to use?

Because it's too small.

 

I use a netbook now as my main traveling laptop and could not disagree more. The size is fine to use. I also do not find any speed problems. It is so much nicer to haul around than the regular laptop.

Link to comment
that doesn't answer my question....why is it uncomfortable to use?

Because it's too small.

 

I use a netbook now as my main traveling laptop and could not disagree more. The size is fine to use. I also do not find any speed problems. It is so much nicer to haul around than the regular laptop.

 

Yup. It's all just a matter of getting used to it. If all you had ever used was a netbook, and then went to use a full-size laptop, you'd also find it uncomfortable to use.

Link to comment
that doesn't answer my question....why is it uncomfortable to use?

Because it's too small.

 

I use a netbook now as my main traveling laptop and could not disagree more. The size is fine to use. I also do not find any speed problems. It is so much nicer to haul around than the regular laptop.

 

Yes this I get. I don't use a netbook because the specs just are not there for me - but I have different needs.

 

Photoshop and Lightroom on a netbook is a pretty bad idea. GSAK, email is a good idea. My 'main' Windows laptop is a Dell Latitude XT2, and it's not a whole lot bigger than the larger netbooks. Even with that I had a month of getting used to the keyboard then no problem.

 

As with any computer, see if you can try before you buy and make SURE it meets your needs overall.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...