Experienc with "netbooks"?

[cypressimage]

I'm not sure where to ask this question, but does anyone have any experience with netbooks? My laptop has died, and they say it will be about $300 to fix.

While looking for another I noticed the netbooks. I only need it to store my photo's while I travel then I put them on my desk top and external drive when I get home. I shoot RAW and some JPEG, so I think I need a small program to read the RAW. I noticed they seem to have 1 Meg memorey, so, it would be limited, but the 120 gig storage should be enough. Can an external hard drive be connected to load a program, or could Picasa be down loaded? I normally backup to a "Passport" while on the road. Would that be possible.

I like the idea that I could carry it in my camera backpak and while traveling it would be so much smaller.

Any thoughts as to how this would work?

[Canajun]

I'm also interested in the same thing. Then I read a thread in this forum suggesting that the video on these units are not up to par. You may have to do more research on which ones are for you. As far as loading applications. These units comes with wifi and USB so I think you're good there.

I did see an ad by Bestbuy.ca for a Toshiba n280 but so far I'm still undecided.

[cypressimage]

Thanks
I Have heard the video is not that great also,but I didn't think it would matter for what I need.
I'll check the Toshiba. Let me know if you decide, and Why.

[stuffjunkie]

I just finished doing some research on netbooks. I too was interested in the small package for travel and carry around. They only have one memory slot. You can install a 2GB stick, replacing the 1GB. This does not appear to affect the warranty. I read reviews indicating you can get Lightroom to run. This requires playing with the screen resolution settings to fool LR into thinking the screen is at least 1024x768. This results in a scrolling display. I guess it works once you get used to the scrolling. I read another reviewer loaded PS CS4. I gather it also ran...but very slowly. Still, I was very tempted. So small, so light.

I wonder if Breeze browser or Fast Stone would work w/o the screen scrolling? That might be enough for you?

For me, I wanted a laptop to run CS4 and LR etc. I didn't want a bigger laptop & a netbook...that would drive me crazy. So I went for the bigger laptop route. I'm sure there will be times I will pine for the smaller lighter netbook.

thinking while typing....Some of the smaller ultra portable are very small. (and yes $$$$) Maybe a refurbished model or a year old on deep discount? There are too many choices!

[pennypue]

I'm typing on my tiny little 8.9" Acer right now. For web browsing and emails it works well enough. It's incredibly light. I got it for being able to access the 'net, email and dowload pics while traveling.

I have not yet tried putting any RAW readers on it. But I'll be looking to do that soon. I think Ed Rader posted somewhere in another thread about netbooks that he put IRFan viewer on his.

Dell's 10" mini can have an upgrade for the 1024 x 768 screen resolution. I was looking to go that direction, but the price would have climbed to around 500 dollars. I picked up this little pipsqueak for just 201 including shipping from tigerdirect.com as a reburbished unit.

All I need is to be able to download a RAW file (not even edit it, I can do that at home) and I will be totally pleased with it.

[Canajun]

I think the original poster indicated the main use is for storage while away from main desktop. So it is acceptable not to have LR, CS4, etc. And I feel the same, since I shoot RAW, as long as I'm able to preview my files using either DPP or Picasa should be good enough.

My target price is below $300 And I've heard units coming out of Taiwan fits my criteria plus comes preloaded with XP (yet to be verified).

Things I was interested:
- wifi for internet, email
- decent size harddrive
- USB for card readers and other interfaces
- lighter power cord

[cypressimage]

Pennyue,
Let me know how RAW works. Have you tried JPEG files?

I would like to go under $300 or so myself. I have seen the XP also, but don't know whar XP.

[pennypue]

I'm certain that I could download jpegs, just not sure about processing them on LR, CS or DPP. This tiny thing has 1gb of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. That's bigger than my old Dell that I actually run DPP on. Only this is an ATOM processor. Smaller than what I had originally wanted, but considering that it cost me less than my iphone, I'm okay with that.

I think I may try working on this some tonight. I'll let you know if I get far enough to experience any success.

Oh, and it has 3 usb ports, a port for a monitor, and SD storage expansion slot, and another that will read some cards....just not the one from my 40d....The power cord is much smaller than the one I have for the dell, less than half the size and weight.

Just didn't any documentation with it. But not like I would have read it anyway. :)

[wyofizz]

Using a Netbook for post processing is like trying to make a diamond out of a turd.
The Netbook was designed for communicating.
At $200-300 that means cheap everything.
Go ahead and put all those pics on it.
Don't whine when the thing crashes and burns during processing.

Dave

[Alleh]

You probably shouldn't waste your money. No matter how much you try and convince yourself you only need it for those minimal things you will wish you had something better.

[stuffjunkie]

You probably shouldn't waste your money. No matter how much you try and convince yourself you only need it for those minimal things you will wish you had something better.

That's the conclusion I came to. I didn't want to always wish I had the other machine..

However, If you use netbooks for what they're designed for you'll be pleased!

[pennypue]

LOL. Some of you fail to realize that this is NOT our only computer.

It's just a small tool to download pics while traveling. I don't intend to do any processing. I'd just like to be able to see them before I get home and move them over to my other computer. I also have an external HD for storage of pics that aren't being currently processed, either pre or post.

But thanks for thinking I'm stoopid. *eye roll*

[Electric Monk]

Hi Penny,
I've got a Dell Mini 9 that I've upgraded to 2gb, and am quite able to not only run windows 7 ultimate (testing right now) but I'm also able to use lightroom w/ my portable hard drive to dump my cards while out in the field and for preview purposes. For quick edits, like white balance corrections, it does ok, but drags for anything else. I totally recommend it myself, considering it weights less than a 1/3 of the weight of my MKIII +70-200mm (or it feels like it anyways).

[cypressimage]

Electric,

I thought they only had 1 gig. Can you add memory, or did you buy it that way?

[Electric Monk]

Unlike the Mini 10's, the 9's are user upgradable so a quick 30 bucks and I bumped er up to 2 gig :)

[wyofizz]

But thanks for thinking I'm stoopid. *eye roll*

Penny,
Sorry if it sounded that way, it wasn't the case.:)
The thread kind of started to evolve into a processing question.
However, I still would not rely on using the drive as storage without an immediate backup.
That amount of money usually equates to cheap components.

Dave

[MaxxuM]

LOL. Some of you fail to realize that this is NOT our only computer.

It's just a small tool to download pics while traveling. I don't intend to do any processing. I'd just like to be able to see them before I get home and move them over to my other computer. I also have an external HD for storage of pics that aren't being currently processed, either pre or post.

But thanks for thinking I'm stoopid. *eye roll*

That's what I've started to use my S10 for. It's a very good photographers companion that can be used to store photos, documents, modeling examples, legal documents (for printing to a mini-printer), note taking and internet surfing when there is wifi in the area. At half the size of my MBP and 320GB 7200RPM HDD it's just as reliable storage. It cannot replace my MBP, but it does make some jobs much easier.

[MaxxuM]

Penny,
Sorry if it sounded that way, it wasn't the case.:)
The thread kind of started to evolve into a processing question.
However, I still would not rely on using the drive as storage without an immediate backup.
That amount of money usually equates to cheap components.

Dave

My Lenovo S10 is hardly filled with "cheap components" - and I upgraded it to 2GB RAM and a 320GB 7200RPM HDD. If backup is your aim, I cannot think of a better 320GB 'in the field' solution than a netbook. They retain the same USB 2 speeds and on mine my express card estata card moves data pretty quickly.

[amd is the best]

I have an Acer Aspire One 8.9" netbook and I love the thing. It is the one with and Atom 1.6ghz processor, 1gb or ram (now 1.5gb), and 160gb hard drive. I have a dual boot with windows xp home (pre installed) and Ubuntu Netbook Remix and it runs them both flawlessly. The battery life is excellent and the overall performance of the thing is pretty surprising. It will by no means replace and good laptop but it's a nice tool to own. I have PS CS3 installed on it and it loads quick and runs smooth. Haven't tried CS4 on it yet, but I know CS4 recommends at least 2GB of memory so I didn't attempt it.

Overall I am very happy with it and I picked it up from Wal-Mart for under $300. It came in handy for me this weekend when shooting a wedding. I filled and 8gb CF and dumped them to the netbook between the ceremony and the reception. Worked well.

[pennypue]

Penny,
Sorry if it sounded that way, it wasn't the case.:)
The thread kind of started to evolve into a processing question.
However, I still would not rely on using the drive as storage without an immediate backup.
That amount of money usually equates to cheap components.

DaveDave, no worries.

Mine was cheaper because it was refurbished. And be careful thinking that more expensive means better quality. I had a Saab convertible (new) that had plenty of issues. Got rid of it after two years. Went to a Toyota RAV4, nearly half the price. Three years and zero problems, except I can't seem to get the roof to go down. Still looking for that button.......

I had considered a MacAir for my purposes, but frankly it was overkill for what I needed. AND too big.

[Tdragone]

On my desk @ work right now I have the HP1151NR <- comes with verizon cell card built in) and the Dell Mini 10.

I havent played with photo stuff on them yet; but they are both quite capable machines considering this isn't the PRIMARY pc you will be working on. I like the little wall wart for the dell versus the plug + 2' cord + transformer + 2' cord that the HP has. The HP's AC plug also has to be ALL THE WAY IN in order to get AC power.. if it moves the tiniest bit then it's not drawing curent from the wall.

The HP has it's touchpad buttons in the sidel the Dell uses buttons underneath the touchpad.. making the touchpad bigger.

The Dell has a 'normal' 2.5" HDD (think user swappable) the HP has a 1.5" like an Ipod with a flexi ribbon cable going to it... you can't just swap that out.

Dell has 3 USB + HDMI + SD card slots + LAN and No removable battery
HP has 2 USB + LAN + a connector for a 'docking station' and a removable battery

We should be getting the Latitude 1200 in a week or two; which is essentially a ruggedized Mini 10 with touchscreen capability...

If anyone wants more info; let me know.

[SirStuey]

I have a Samsung netbook and can verify that it chokes with CPU-intensive tasks. Flash video and anything more than "standard" YouTube quality cause issues. But it plays back DVDs perfectly without any issues.

The RAM can be upgraded to a 2GB chip for $25-28 or so.

The HD can usually be upgraded with ease as well.

On the other hand, you can usually get a 15.4" notebook w/ speedier processor for the same money or barely $50 more.

[hollis_f]

I wonder if Breeze browser or Fast Stone would work w/o the screen scrolling? That might be enough for you?

I've just, this morning, come back from 17 days in Southern Africa where I shot just over 50GB of images. At the end of each day I copied everything to a Hyperdrive Colorspace UDMA, then from the Hyperdrive to my Acer Aspire One.

The transfer was done using Downloader Pro and I used FastStone to review the images and kill off the obvious duds. Both run pretty well. I also had LightRoom 2.3 installed, but never used it. It does run, but it's very slow.

Both the Hyperdrive and the AAO were only charged once (5 days into the trip) and both still have a lot of juice left. The AAO is showing about 6 hours (77%) battery life left (using an extended battery).

I decided I needed double backups for this trip (after a friend lost 4000 pics from a Jobo GigaVu in Namibia). The Hyperdrive is amazingly fast with a UDMA card, but having two of them seemed a bit OTT. Using the Netbook was great - secondary backup and a pretty good screen for reviewing images.

I'm very happy with the performance of this combination and I shall be using it again on my next trip.

[arla]

Good to know Hollis, where you shooting RAW or JPEG's? Just curious, trying to decide if a netbook might be a good laptop for me, and then get a proper desktop for real tasks, been years since I had a desktop (but years since I wasn't traveling every week for work). Spending more to get a 15" screen that isn't actually very good for photo editing vs the nice form-factor of the netbooks is my debate right now, just not sure whether I need to really push for the latest/fastest Atom processor, or if that's not going to make much difference at all.

[hollis_f]

Good to know Hollis, where you shooting RAW or JPEG's? Just curious, trying to decide if a netbook might be a good laptop for me, and then get a proper desktop for real tasks, been years since I had a desktop (but years since I wasn't traveling every week for work). Spending more to get a 15" screen that isn't actually very good for photo editing vs the nice form-factor of the netbooks is my debate right now, just not sure whether I need to really push for the latest/fastest Atom processor, or if that's not going to make much difference at all.

All raw images.

My netbook is only for travelling where the big laptop just can't go. I really wouldn't want to try processing images on it, LR was installed 'just in case'. It was about the same price as another PSD but has the advantage of the bigger screen and the ability to connect to the net (handy when sitting in airport lounges where WiFi is normally available).

[Karl Johnston]

Rather than buying a whole computer, perhaps consider one of these mass storage and preview devices. .
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015020
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015084
espon p3000
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015080
Hyperdrive Space 160GB
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015016

[hollis_f]

Rather than buying a whole computer, perhaps consider one of these mass storage and preview devices. .
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015020
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015084
espon p3000
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015080
Hyperdrive Space 160GB
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=3015016

The Hyperdrive is an excellent device, especially the new UDMA version. I wouldn't touch the Epson's though - firmware is on the HD. If you have a disk crash you're donald - the unit has to go back to Epson.

But - a netbook is about the same price as these PSDs. And it has similar storage capabilities and similar battery life. Where the netbook wins is in being able to do so much more than a PSD. It has a much better screen (actuallu usable for culling of duds) and is able to connect to the Interwebs for proper mobile browsing and email.

The only real advantage of a dedicated PSD is the size

[cdifoto]

My netbook is only for travelling where the big laptop just can't go.
So ironic, considering the purpose of a laptop is (or at least was) mobility. :D

I've thought about netbooks but I've decided that I'm going to stick with my full size laptop. At the end of the day, saving 2-3lbs doesn't make much difference when you already have 50lbs of camera gear.