Netbook experts, what is a good netbook?

[cool breeze]

I'm supposed to have a laptop for a class and might as well pick up a netbook for myself (finally).  What I need is a small screen, good battery life, low price, small charging cable/power supply, sold at stores (like best buy) (actually, screw classes this week, online is usually cheaper with more options even with fast shipping) and modest at playing (old, or Torchlight) games.  So, any recommendations?

Bonus question: what is a good, small mouse to get? Is that microsoft folding arc mouse using the bluetrack tech?

[MCD]

Is that microsoft folding arc mouse using the bluetrack tech?

nope.

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/tracklanding.mspx

[Howard Alan Treesong]

HP 311 is the current alpha and omega of gaming-capable netbooks

[Human Snorenado]

HP 311 is the current alpha and omega of gaming-capable netbooks

.

[Van Cruncheon]

HP 311 is the current alpha and omega of gaming-capable netbooks

.

.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Speaking of, Prole, what's the current haps on hacked firmware?

[Van Cruncheon]

last one i installed "upgraded" the ion le to the actual ion it is, and i have nay checked since.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Awesome - if you have a link, let me know and I will slap that bad boy on there.

[cool breeze]

HP 311 is the current alpha and omega of gaming-capable netbooks

Seems like it's around $400, which is reasonable.  thanks.

[cool breeze]

How is Windows 7 on netbooks?

[AdmiralViscen]

Thanks for the heads up on the mouse.

last one i installed "upgraded" the ion le to the actual ion it is, and i have nay checked since.

This happens automatically if you install Windows 7 right?

[cool breeze]

checking out some pictures of the hp mini 311, it looks a bit larger than average netbooks.

[Van Cruncheon]

Thanks for the heads up on the mouse.

last one i installed "upgraded" the ion le to the actual ion it is, and i have nay checked since.

This happens automatically if you install Windows 7 right?

nope. you need to get the hacked firmware for the 311.

[Van Cruncheon]

checking out some pictures of the hp mini 311, it looks a bit larger than average netbooks.

it's 11" instead of 9/10". it also has 1366x768 res instead of 1024x600, which is awesome.

[cool breeze]

yeah, but just from comparing dimensions it seems roughly the same size as my old laptop.  It seems like something I would get if I wanted more performance out of the netbook.

I'm looking at the hp mini 210 now because I got the mini 110 for my mom a year or so ago and thought it was really nice outside of the mouse pad.  This is a case where I really just want a netbook for what a netbook is sold as, that is, internet and school work.  I see the 311 can play modern games, which is cool, but I don't know how much use I'll get out of that.  By modest gaming performance I was more talking about games from the late 90s, Diablo 2, emulators, etc.  I haven't tried any games on the mini 110 so I don't know if even that was competent at playing older games.

[Van Cruncheon]

get the hp 5101, then. it doesn't have the ion, but it has an hd option.

[Arbys Roast Beef Sandwich]

Oooh the 5101 looks nice. My recommendation would be the Toshiba NB205. Solid as a rock and has a pretty competent keyboard. 1024 x 600 only though.

[Van Cruncheon]

nb205 is also great, and has sick battery life

[cool breeze]

get the hp 5101, then. it doesn't have the ion, but it has an hd option.

hp 210 has an hd option for $50 more.  hp 5101 does looks really nice though, though, it's still quite a bit more expensive than the 210 even with an hd screen.  5101 reminds me of an old IBM laptop I had that really liked because it had a nipple mouse thing. 

[Van Cruncheon]

5101 has an aluminum chassis and island keyboard

[cool breeze]

the 210 also has an island keyboard! it also looks to have a better touchpad than the 110.  Just setting up the 110 for my mom made me want to die using that tiny touch pad with buttons on the side.  Keyboard wasn't too hot either.

the only thing I'm sure of right now is that I'm getting that microsoft bluetrack mouse.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I'm looking at the hp mini 210 now because I got the mini 110 for my mom a year or so ago and thought it was really nice outside of the mouse pad.  This is a case where I really just want a netbook for what a netbook is sold as, that is, internet and school work.  I see the 311 can play modern games, which is cool, but I don't know how much use I'll get out of that.  By modest gaming performance I was more talking about games from the late 90s, Diablo 2, emulators, etc.  I haven't tried any games on the mini 110 so I don't know if even that was competent at playing older games.

You said "Torchlight" and despite its "netbook mode" that does require modest 3D graphics.

[chronovore]

My clunky, dying PowerBook has been hastened to an early grave by women dropping it on the floor to land on its old-style power adapter plug. I had two adapters, and two women broke them over the course of nearly as many days.

Between Apple wanting 9000 yen for a replacement adapter, and/or 20,000 for its dying cooling fans, another 10,000 or so for its dead battery, and forgoing the dents it has acquired as a result of this spate of skydiving incidents, I'm probably looking at a new netbook as a replacement. Windows7, here I come!

[Cormacaroni]

get new women while you're at it

[AdmiralViscen]

Thanks for the heads up on the mouse.

last one i installed "upgraded" the ion le to the actual ion it is, and i have nay checked since.

This happens automatically if you install Windows 7 right?

nope. you need to get the hacked firmware for the 311.

Could you link me to some instructions please? I bought one last week.

I have Windows 7 Ultimate on it, if that matters.

[cool breeze]

I'm looking at the hp mini 210 now because I got the mini 110 for my mom a year or so ago and thought it was really nice outside of the mouse pad.  This is a case where I really just want a netbook for what a netbook is sold as, that is, internet and school work.  I see the 311 can play modern games, which is cool, but I don't know how much use I'll get out of that.  By modest gaming performance I was more talking about games from the late 90s, Diablo 2, emulators, etc.  I haven't tried any games on the mini 110 so I don't know if even that was competent at playing older games.

You said "Torchlight" and despite its "netbook mode" that does require modest 3D graphics.

The 311 is considered modest or good then? I've seen videos of it running cod4 well considering limitations.  Are the 9/10 inch netbooks considered poor by comparison?

[Van Cruncheon]

Thanks for the heads up on the mouse.

last one i installed "upgraded" the ion le to the actual ion it is, and i have nay checked since.

This happens automatically if you install Windows 7 right?

nope. you need to get the hacked firmware for the 311.

Could you link me to some instructions please? I bought one last week.

I have Windows 7 Ultimate on it, if that matters.

http://www.notebookforums.com/post3111926.html

[border]

Are there any ion-based netbooks that have particularly good OSX compatibility?  I looked up the HP 311 and it looks like a pretty big hassle (have to use external WiFi card and hack your way around touchpad support).

[AdmiralViscen]

Thanks

[AdmiralViscen]

Prole,

Step 6. Windows98 prompt appears type HPBQ189.EXE and press Enter. Next press G (this is not an option on the screen) screen will pop up with non vista as option 0 or vista as option 1. Press 1 and exit to prompt.

Should 7 users still select Vista?

[Van Cruncheon]

press 1, yes.

[cool breeze]

I got the hp mini 210 and it's pretty nice. Seems smaller than the 110 and it has a nice keyboard and mouse pad (with multitouch, surprisingly).  Windows 7 starter sucks balls, though.  You can't even change the background  

I have the CD/DVDs of Windows 7 upgrade and MS Office.  Is there a way I can install them without needing an external dvd drive?

oh, and I find it hilarious that Bing is the default search provider with Ask.com is the only other one.  You have to search out a way to use google.

[Arbys Roast Beef Sandwich]

Yeah Windows 7 Starter is fucking distinguished mentally-challenged. IIRC my buddy at work had to do some registry hacks just to change the wallpaper.

[cool breeze]

I care more about not being able to change to a black color scheme.  I used black on my home PC and have since XP because it helps my eyes.  This shit is so bright, even when brightness is turned down.

[chronovore]

I got the hp mini 210 and it's pretty nice. Seems smaller than the 110 and it has a nice keyboard and mouse pad (with multitouch, surprisingly).  Windows 7 starter sucks balls, though.  You can't even change the background  

I have the CD/DVDs of Windows 7 upgrade and MS Office.  Is there a way I can install them without needing an external dvd drive?

oh, and I find it hilarious that Bing is the default search provider with Ask.com is the only other one.  You have to search out a way to use google.

Whenever I have to install something to a no-drive PC, I stick the ROM in another machine on the same network and then share the optical drive. Connect to that shared drive from the no-drive PC, viola. Slow. Ugly. But it works.

[AdmiralViscen]

Fuck, the rapidshare link in the guide Prole posted is toast. Does anyone have that file?

[AdmiralViscen]

I found another source for it, but when I try to run HPUSBFW it says Permission Denied, Administrator rights required to run this tool. I'm on the admin account, the only one installed on the laptop.

[MCD]

right click --> run as admin?

or right click --> properties --> compatibility --> always run as admin

[Arbys Roast Beef Sandwich]

This is AMAZING:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=eep&cs=6097&eep_orig_cs=6097&oc=DKCWMN1&link_number=17970705

SYSTEM COLOR Alienware M11x, Cosmic Black
PROCESSOR Intel® Pentium™ SU4100 1.3GHz (2MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1 Year Basic Plan
MEMORY 2GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz
HARD DRIVE 160GB SATAII 5,400RPM
MOBILE BROADBAND No Internal WWAN Antenna Installed
ALIENFX COLOR Quasar Blue
AVATAR Alienhead 3D
PRE-INSTALLED GAMES Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
WALLPAPER Alienhead 3D
VIDEO CARD 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M
LCD PANEL 11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) WLED
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
Adobe Reader Adobe Acrobat Reader
NETWORK CARD Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card
AUTOMATIC UPDATES Automatic Updates: On
WEBCAM 1.3MP Web Cam
Standard Nameplate Trigger Standard Nameplate

[OnkelC]

I recently ordered a Thinkpad X100e, which should be a decent netbook sized thingie as well.
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/landing_pages/thinkpad/2010/X100e