Just picked up a new mini lap top (net-book)
A gateway from verison
Gonna get used just for work purposes
I’ll try and let ya know how it is once I use it a bit
Rusell
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I looked at those and decided that I needed a full sized laptop screen due to my vision, which ain't bad but ain't good. I'll be interested to see how it works out for you.
So far I really like it for what I do.Battery life is really good.The screen is a bit small but I can work with it ok.What I really like is being able to log on to the net almost anywhere.Russell
I bought an Eee PC netbook last summer for three bills. It runs XP (my choice) on an Intel Atom chip, so not much learning curve. Obviously it comes with a wireless card and all that jazz, but I don't have high speed up here at the house so I'm using it with an external dial-up modem which cuts the speed down to 26kbps. Still works quite well. If I go sit in MacDonald's parking lot, I can check an hour's worth of mail in about ten seconds....
The thing is very light and easy to carry around. Like you said, good battery life. I don't have great eyes but I'm okay with the smaller screen on this. It's a 10" diag. (wide-screen format).
It's also loaded with capacity; 150 gig IIRC. Can't imagine what I'll ever need all that for, but then when I bought the 'big' computer up in the office, I couldn't imagine what I'd ever do with the 1.5 gig it came with.
Main thing is you need an optical drive if you want to install software easily other than by downloading it from the web. I managed to install a simple program using a thumb drive, but it was a PITA: first had to copy the software cd to the thumb using a full-sized computer, then stick the thumb into this thing, then kick it in the butt manually to do the install since there's no such thing as 'auto run' for thumbs. Took me a while.
My sis sent me a plug-in dvd reader/writer for my b-day; that makes this just as functional as a full sized laptop for about 1/3 the price. The drive came with dvd burning software and a movie player (which the netbook did not come with), so now I can waste even more time at the diningroom table watching movies when nobody's talking on BT, LOL.
Can also be used for movie viewing in the truck on long road trips with my son. The screen is a lot bigger than the usual portable DVDs, and it has a headphone jack.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
I bought an Eee PC netbook last summer
We bought one for our daughter's birthday last June. It's been a great machine for her (16 yo high school student).
We got around the lack of a CD drive by installing MagicDisc (http://download.cnet.com/MagicDisc/3000-7970_4-10383679.html), a freeware utility that allows you to read/run cd images (ISO files, typically) as a virtual drive. I needed to install printer drivers so that she could use our networked Dell color laser printer. Dell had an installation disk available on-line, but only as a CD image. MagicDisc allowed me to run the downloaded CD image right from the hard drive without having to actually burn a CD.
Bob
I paid $29.99 for my net book with a 2 year contract from Verison.The contract is 39.99 a month but my company pays for that.It is running xp also.I am looking for an optic drive just for the reason you say. Also looking for a single sheet scanner/printer for use on the road.So far I think i am going to like this little toy.Russell
The drive my sis sent me is an LG External Super Multi DVD Burner/Rewriter. Quite small and slim; and it has a drawer slide instead of a flip-top. Whole thing fits nicely into a jacket pocket.
It runs off either USB power alone or with an AC/DC adapter. This netbook powers it from one of the three usb ports with no problem, at least when it's plugged in. I don't know how fast it would drain the battery, tho; haven't tried that yet.
The drive also came with software to handle all the different formats of DVDs and CDs, plus a movie player and a fancy little program called 'Light Scribe' which purports to be able to burn graphic images onto the top face of the disc. I have yet to try that out, too.
I'm thinking now that I finally have something that can burn DVD's, I'll be able to make back-up copies of the movies I've bought over the last few years. Not quite sure how to do that, tho; they won't copy properly to the hard drive on the computer. I get erratic sound and no picture.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Look for a program called AnyDVD. It will crack the encryption on your movies and allow you to play them from a hard drive.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Look for a program called AnyDVD. It will crack the encryption on your movies and allow you to play them from a hard drive.
Is that Freeware, Shareware, or commercial software? Is it safe to download that from the web?
I checked yesterday with the guy at my local Videotron store; he says its legal to make archive copies of movies I own--not ones I rent, of course--but I have to keep them in the same household with the original disc. In other words, one is not supposed to make copies then leave one at home and take the other to the cottage.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Also looking for a single sheet scanner/printer for use on the road
Scanner: Visioneer
Printer: Pentax Pocket Jet (they have scanners, too).
Thank you.Now I know where to start looking.Russell
Truly portable printers aren't cheap.
There are 2 kinds right now- inkjet and thermal. HP and Canon have inkjets and Pentax has the thermal.
The inkjets are pretty big for "portable" and they use ink... the ink can freeze or simply dry out. Ink normally isn't cheap. HP has a Bluetooth option.
The Pentax isn't cheap- but if you get the Bluetooth model you are truly wireless. It is small- about 1.5" square and 9" long. The 300 dpi model prints nicely. The drawback is the special paper... but you will never have spilled or dried ink.
You could fit a netbook/laptop, a Visioneer Road Warrior/Pentax scanner and a Pentax Pocket Jet into a small laptop bag and scan/print anywhere.
I have the Road Warrior scanner and the Pentax printer. If I pay for a 3rd party driver, I can print via bluetooth from my phone.
It is commercial software that Hollywood really doesn't want you to use. Thank Sonny Bono for that, and by that I mean I hope he's burning in...
Anywhoo, that software can be downloaded from the web. They changed their business model, so they are now offering a year of "service" instead of lifetime use of the product. Basicly it means that if Hollywood comes up with a cool new encryption method after your subscription runs out, you won't be able to update to the new decoder without paying something more.
Tu stultus es
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
I hope the makers of REAL PLAYER burn right along beside. What a crock.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
Is that the one that was stopped by injunction recently? What's your beef with it?
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
My beef is the hijacking of your files (wma's) when RP installs and converts them to RMX or other extensions that can not be unlocked w/out a security key from the ORIG. comp they were copied on. Real Juke Box won't allow play back on another device with out purchasing the program subscription all over again.So if the mother B comp. is toast, so are your audio files on the drive.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
Ooohm, that's a bit scary.
Don'T think this netbook has RP in it, but I know the big 'puter upstairs does. I almost never used it, tho. WMP is set as default player for sound. I forget which player I used for movies. Haven't watched a movie in the office in quite a few years.
Does RP always take over and convert all audio files on the HD, or only if you use it to play them?
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
I don't remember. I just know I got rid of it ASAP once I found it held my music hostage.
AOL had some thing going on with RP and flashed a "you must have RP enabled to ....." And the DW went and loaded it again. It took some of my PICTURES that time and changed the file extensions so Irfanview ( my default viewer) then could not open them."Invalid path or file name" or "File not found" Or "Windows cannot open this file"Thieves I tell ya.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB
Thanks, I'm gonna go flush it.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Sonny Bono has already paid for more crimes than any one man could commit in a single lifetime--remember, he had to put up with Cher for most of his adult life....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
if Hollywood comes up with a cool new encryption method after your subscription runs out, you won't be able to update to the new decoder without paying something more.
Which raises another question: The movies I own are mostly older ones, stuff published to DVD in the 90s and early 00s. How many different encryption keys have Hollywood come up with in that period? Would a single program such as the one you suggest be able to handle them all?
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
It will handle them easily. You would run into the issue if you were an avid movie ripper always trying to convert all the latest flicks. Then you might possibly have an issue with certain releases.In other words, no, you would have no worries.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Thanks. The newest movie I own is The Reader which I think is 2008. Got it for $6 from Videotron who apparently weren't renting it often enough so they sold their surplus copies. Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, with a very good young German boy playing the younger version of the Ralph Fiennes character. Won an Oscar or something, IIRC.
If you haven't seen it, you should.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....