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Netbooks getting phased out?

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computers
10K views 52 replies 25 participants last post by  Noollig 
#1 ·
It would appear that I really missed the train on this one, was going to get a new netbook and "blue-eyedly" expected the current models to accept 12V DC as input as before... As it were the lot seems to take 19V as input just like many full-size laptops, I guess the manufacturers started cramming them full of power guzzling & more capable processors and other components to turn them into miniature laptops instead of netbooks.

Apparently the manufacturers favor only surf pads nowadays (netbooks are considered obsolete or "vestigial"), I got the advice of getting a surf pad with a keyboard dock but that's not the same for me*, surf pads include mobile operating systems that are geared towards connectivity and apps and surfing... not perhaps storing internally a PDF library and perhaps some entertainment such as movies for the kids and such...

Atleast the latest Asus model to accept 12DC appear to have come onto the market around 2009 and these are only available as refurbished from the factory or new old stock at exorbiant prices... a shame as these also include harddrives as opposed to only (slow & low capacity**) SDDs that the first models came with :(

And no, I don't like inverters. Would prefer to be able to run off a car battery + solar power setup (thus hardly the risk of damaging the equipment that could be the case if running off a car alternator or such).

Any ideas or hints?



*) maybe I'm just a neo-luddite.

**) which is why I finally thought of getting a current model as a replacement to my 2008 model to store in an ammo can in case of a rainy day...
 
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#38 ·
I got over my suspicions about the Cloud when I realized how convenient it can be. You can write something on your laptop, edit it on your tablet sitting at Starbucks then have it handy on your phone if you need to show it to someone.

I don't keep my bank records or a list of all my usernames and passwords on the cloud, but it's great for books and movies and stuff I've created that I need to share, anyway.
 
#39 ·
I appreciate the input, but aside from my suspicions about privacy and the cloud...I don't always have internet access available and I want access to my stuff at all times regardless of whether the internet is available or not. I'd rather just carry it on my person (hard drives...I currently carry 3 that combined have 3 TB storage*).:thumb:


*I've got my eye on this 2TB that I'll also carry if I buy it...
 
#42 ·
That's what I was saying a couple posts up. I suggested the asus transformer prime, it has plenty of storage, and a keyboard dock that doubles battery life. If you need more storage like you said send it to the cloud, or get an external hd. I don't understand why people are so opposed to tablets, they are smaller, lighter, faster, and completely customizable to your particular needs. Oh well. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Eventually they will be forced to adapt because netbooks are a dead technology. They are far surpassed by tablets in virtually every aspect, especially with the new iPad with 128 gigs. I don't know why anyone would need more than that considering all the storage options available now.
 
#44 ·
And I should say that I'm not against the tablet form factor, I was running a convertable laptop tablet (Grid) in 1996. Its just that the current tablets are all dumbed down to ipad standards. The processors and hardware fully capable of running a decent OS but the heads of the companies all want ipads and will only allow the designers to make ipad like devices. I actually borrowed an ipad from work last year and after jumping through hoops and workarounds and such I actually got it to display my all my google calendars, then I wanted to be able to scroll back more than a month like on android so I changed the setting and it attempted to sync until it rebooted. We have to run third party calendar apps to get copy and paste because no one else will implemented it because Apple can't do it and Apple sells more. They don't want them to be stand alone devices, they want you to have to tie them to a computer and the cloud to sell more devices, the solution looking for a problem.
Give me a blank tablet that I can load Slackware on and I'll be happy. I just stuck a 1TB drive in my netbook because I started running short on space. Booted off the DVD, selected instal everything and 30 minutes later rebooted into my new system then copied my data back from the old drive (my standard procedure is to keep my data separate during an OS upgrade). No syncing anything, no cloud access, no second system to activate it, no itunes crap needed.
 
#45 ·
Give me a blank tablet that I can load Slackware on and I'll be happy.
That's great if you're looking for a single device solution.

I prefer Apple's multiple device solution. The iPhone, iPad and Macs all work together. In my case iCloud connects at least five devices. (8 if you count a Kindle sharing books with all my iOS devices and an Android phone and some PCs.) The cool thing about this solution is that your important stuff can be accessed from the device that's most handy. Sometimes a tablet is too big, so use your phone. Sometimes a tablet is too small so use your laptop or desktop. And often a tablet is just right.
 
#46 ·
The big problem there is the cloud, if you have a lot of data or slow to no connection then your screwed. I too have multiple devices, my netbook, phone, server, etc and I sync everything but within my own network and not relying on an outside service.
The even bigger issue is limiting myself to what someone else thinks I should be able to sync. My example above, Apple isn't capable of syncing my calendar, I have too many pictured for any ones affordable service. I've started switching music to flac because I now have speakers that you can hear a difference between mp3.
A multiple device system doesn't work when you travel, why carry more than one. The reason the push to multiple devices is for $, its not in your best interest, its purely profit.
 
#47 ·
A multiple device system doesn't work when you travel, why carry more than one. The reason the push to multiple devices is for $, its not in your best interest, its purely profit.
In my case the multiple device solution is great for traveling. Back in the single machine days my single machine was a biggish laptop. It was really too big to lug comfortably through airports but lacked power and screen space to take the place of a desktop. But I made do. Now most of the time I can travel with just the iPad and iPhone. With iCloud I can usually borrow a real computer if I really need one.

And it's true four devices are more expensive than one. However the combined prices of an iPhone, iPad, MacBook and iMac are not a whole more than I paid for a high end road warrior laptop five or six years ago. And I've probably bought my last laptop. I'll keep my present MacBook until it's no longer useful and then just use a tablet on the road.
 
#48 ·
Interesting discussion that has evolved. I thought to chime in as the OP and say that I got a lightly used EeePC 904HD + external DVD station for ~90€ [came onto the market in 2008?]. It uses a 7,2V battery pack and accepts 12V input (probably up to 12,7V but I haven't tested this, 13,8V such as from a running car engine will most likely damage the internal switching unit).

Since this is a survivalist/prepper forum I thought it was self-evident from my first post that the computer would be used off-grid (or post-SHTF and when there's no wireless/cellular services nor any iCloud to connect to). I didn't intend to have one as my mainstay everyday computer when society is functioning normally, there's a gazillion of options for that (I use a miniMac and tower PC).

I'm not an Apple basher but not an Apple lover either, Macs work great if one use them for what the designers thought one would use them for. As one who still remember C64:s and DOS I get frustrated by the "built-in" limitations forcing customers a.k.a. users down certain mostly pre-determined paths when using Apple products.

I've documented my kids mostly using digital cameras and video cameras, if I can't access the bulk of that material (only some printed plus a minuscule amount shot on traditional black & white film which will last for 100+ years since it's metal embedded in plastic) then all that's lost. So it's not only access to entertainment I need, only gave that as an example. I have resource books on farming, healthcare etc. as proper physical books but of course a netbook/pad plus some portable drives would be more useful if one the move plus for the reason one could access one's "digital luggage".

But each to his/her own, there are many ways of solving post-SHTF computing; mine was getting a netbook which accepts 12V DC input directly without the need for any peripheral equipment (plus that it's small enough as to store in a sealed .50 ammo can for solar storm/EMP protection).
 
#49 · (Edited)
Since this is a survivalist/prepper forum I thought it was self-evident from my first post that the computer would be used off-grid (or post-SHTF and when there's no wireless/cellular services nor any iCloud to connect to).
I'm sorry I didn't infer that. If you're talking about having access to important books during a long term post-SHTF situation your best bet may be to do some serious triage and put the most valuable texts on paper and preserve the paper in Mylar with moisture protection.

Every machine, will of course eventually fail. A computer relying on a spinning hard drive is probably a little more vulnerable than a solid state device. You might want to augment your PC with an old fashioned non-backlit Kindle. They are tough and cheap, hold thousands of books and run for days or weeks on a charge. Kindles aren't 12 volt native, but 12V to USB adaptors are small, reliable and cheap. Get a sack full of them a few spare cables and you're good to go.
 
#50 ·
I really wouldn't recommend a netbook.

Get a tablet (anything from a Samsung to an iPad) and get a keyboard for it. It's got a bigger screen, better battery life, and you can reduce it's size by removing the keyboard. You can also charge it with standard PC USB connectors (unless you have an iPad)... if you want the best experience, the 16GB iPad 4 is hard to beat, the screen has the highest resolution of any tablet and it makes reading so much nicer (less fuzz, distortion etc)
 
#51 ·
I actually wouldnt mind going with a tablet for personal use. The problem is that I play to many video games on my computer. :(
 
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