Looking for opinions on Netbooks and if they are good enough for a a college student. My daughter's laptop just died and her car needs repairs. I can get a netbook new for under $300, under $200 if I get refurb or used. School has a good computer lab she can use for anything that needs more power (she won't like it but can manage). I just don't want to waste money on a netbook if it isn't worth it...but that will leave her without anything for at least a couple of months until we can afford a decent laptop.
Questions are:
Is a Netbbok good enough for web browsing and taking notes?
Anyone have suggestions on what to look for or experience using one that worked well?
Thanks!
NO to the netbook. We don't personally have one but several family members do and it was cool for about 3 minutes until they realized it doesn't have much memory and no CD drive and like JoW said the screen is very small.
Best Buy and Walmart have laptops on the cheap, like $350.
Put the three hundred for the netbook aside until you have enough to buy her a laptop. Toshiba makes several under $500. I got a Satellite several years ago and it is still going strong.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&ds=sh&am...
Save your money and buy her a good laptop. Buy the absolute best machine you can buy at the time.
My daughter will be a Senior in HS and last year we got her a Macbook Pro and she uses that a LOT for assignments, projects,etc.
They really need a good machine for college and don't make her rely on the computer lab... sometimes you do need to do work off times in your room, study groups, etc and you need a laptop.
I have a laptop and a netbook. I would have never used the netbook for school. They don't have a lot of power and the screen is crazy small.
What I would say is find a smaller full sized laptop. I never took my full sized Dell but I had an HP that was half the size but still had a 14 inch screen.
Most of the projects and groups you need a portable. No one uses the computer labs unless there is a program they need and don't want to pay for.
If you are wondering I graduated two years ago. My daughter just graduated this year and she would tell you the same thing.
Anyway my netbook sucks, the only reason it is still in my life is it has my mobile broadband on it. :(
My friend has one for each of her family members and they struggle on them to do just face book.
I would go full size laptop and just get one that is refurbished from a reputable person. Then you can make sure she has enough RAM and a high speed processor.
Two of mine have laptops and one has a netbook. both laptops cost around $200, wait for the push right before school starts. Walmart is usually the best place and sometimes their online deals are better then their in store deals.. No problems and no issue's.
My other dd has a netbook that I bought used for under $150 at a local pawn shop. It got her through high school and can do what you need it to do, the lack of dvd drive has never been a problem nor has storage space. She saves a lot of her documents to google doc's that way she can print them from anywhere...usually at school.
Having said that, if you can, I would aim for a lap top.
I would save the money and buy a refurbished laptop (or a new one) when you can afford it. She'll want something light and portable... and even though the Netbook meets that requirement, the screens are really small. 10 or 11 inches is really little and Netbooks don't have the expansion capabilities to hook up to larger monitors. Plus, since they're so small, the keyboards are tiny and can be quite cramped for taking notes.
Have you talked to the school's bookstore? They might have good student deals on inexpensive laptops.
Above all - I can't stress how important weight is. Make sure you get a lightweight one! So many of the cheapies are heavy and your daughter will not want to drag it around.
Call the school. Find out exactly what she needs to meet the requirements of her major. My DH bought SD a new laptop because she's going into a school of business and her 9 yr old handmedown was just not going to cut it. There are also system and software requirements for the school network. Find out what you're working with before you invest. I got my laptop off Woot.com. I'd look around at places like hhgregg (http://www.hhgregg.com/computers/cat/laptops) or newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category.aspx?Category=223&am...) to see if their computers will fill the need at a similar or more affordable price. She may be able to buy the software she needs at a student price. My SS got through college with a DELL and I forget what SD has now. I would save my money for a lower priced laptop.
Here's an article on netbooks, notebooks and laptops you might find interesting: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/notebook-vs-netbook-vs-...
Two years ago I bought my HP Laptop at Best Buy for $300. It was during the big "Back to School" sales. I recommend taking the next couple of weeks to see if one goes on sale.
I teach at a university, and I see lots of students using netbooks, laptops, ipads. I've never used a netbook or an ipad myself, but I know that this is what some students use.
laptops will be going on sale here SOON at best buy for under 400 for decent ones so wait it out and get her a full size one at best buy
OK, the counter POV . . . I have had two netbooks and love them*! They are both the Asus Eee from Walmart.com. They have great battery life which I think would be good for a college kid.
My first one, which was my favorite - I had to quit using because the power input fried and wouldn't work anymore. I did use it a LONG time and for $300 it seemed like a great value.
*NOW for my huge caveat: My 2nd Asus has a "chicklet" keyboard and I find it much harder to type. If you get one I would avoid the chicklets.
You can use jump drives and an external CD drive if you need that.
Good luck.
I don't recommend it. I got one for Christmas and am very disappointed with its performance. My husband is a computer geek and has tried everything to make it perform better. Wait for the Best Buy back to school sale and go for the full laptop.
I teach high school, and most of my students can't stand netbooks. They strongly prefer laptops.
I had a netbook and used it for going back to school. It was acceptable, but I definitely did better after getting my full sized laptop. Laptops will be going on sale for back to school soon and you should be able to find some great deals. Check out www.qvc.com. They have lots of great deals and often times you can spread out payments over several months. Dell.com will also let you build your own laptop and make monthly payments.
Get her a netbook. She needs something she can take to class and take notes on and work on in the middle of the night.
Look into the Asus netbooks. Lost of techie people I know speak highly of them.
Ditto on taking into consideration the battery life of whatever device you buy.
