Netbook Challenge ( Sub-$400/long battery life )

Drswords

I am currently shopping for a new netbook. I have needs to fufill that a larger laptop wouldnt be able to do for me such as portability etc...

Here is the list of what I am looking for:

1. Must be under $400
2. Must have a minimum maximum battery life of 10.5 hours
3. Must have a Windows OS
4. Needs to be ultra light ( under 3lbs )

There are so many on the market that I really dont know what to look for, and what would serve me the best. I need a particularly long battery life, and I need it to be able to run my DnD stuff like the Character Builder and Maptool.

It also needs to be small enough to be used just about anywhere.

Also it would be a benefit if it could play videos for at least 6-8 hours of time ( If thats even possible ).

So what brands or makes should i be looking for here?

Djeet

No such device exists. Halve your battery requirements and you could maybe find a netbook with an extended capacity battery that'd do the job. Or buy something cheap and keep a few extra batteries.

I've heard the MSI wind u115 can last awhile (5-15 hours "depending upon usage") cause of some hybrid data storage implementation, though the 9 cell battery doesnt hurt. It also retailed for $500.

MechMantis

Go for EeePCs.

This one's 324.99 or something, and meets all your specifications.

Also, I have not seen any netbook, ever, with greater than 10.5 hours battery life.

Sideshowxela

My girlfriend grabbed a refurbished Acer Aspire One netbook off of Woot for $220 a few months ago. I think the specs say it has a battery life of 4-6hrs or something, but when she has it open and mouses over the battery it will tell her 8 hours at full charge. Came with XP, weighs just a couple pounds, is about the size of a textbook so she takes it with her to school for notes. I can't imagine other, more expensive netbooks bringing a lot more to the table than that one.

matt has a problem

MechMantis wrote: »

Go for EeePCs.

This one's 324.99 or something, and meets all your specifications.

Also, I have not seen any netbook, ever, with greater than 10.5 hours battery life.

I have one of these, this exact model actually, and it works excellently. The keyboard is nice, even with me having large hands.

Esh

Djeet wrote: »

No such device exists. Halve your battery requirements and you could maybe find a netbook with an extended capacity battery that'd do the job. Or buy something cheap and keep a few extra batteries.

I've heard the MSI wind u115 can last awhile (5-15 hours "depending upon usage") cause of some hybrid data storage implementation, though the 9 cell battery doesnt hurt. It also retailed for $500.

Actually it does, silly goose. It's the Asus EeePC 1005HA. I think they're about $350 right now? I have one and love it.

EggyToast

I bought a netbook for $220 a couple weeks ago, does all of the above but has 3 hours of battery life.

It is 2.6 pounds. Going to a 6-cell battery takes the battery life to 7-8 hours, but ups the weight to 2.9. Buying a 9-cell battery takes it over 10, but ups the weight to 3.2. So you see how the "long battery life" and "under 3 pounds" is really what the problem is.

Personally, I think it's cheaper and easier to buy a netbook and an extra battery. But an Acer Aspire One with a 6-cell battery is under $300, under 3 lbs, and has 8 hours of battery life.

Drswords

Looking at the Asus Eee Pc's ( thanks for the reccomendation )... i found the 1005PE. It claims to have a battery life of 14 hours, and the reviews said it had 8-9 hours video playback.

Its about $380... a bit on the higher price end.

But from reviews, it doesnt sound like it would handle maptool very well. Graphically its supposed to be a little bit of a lagger.

I dunno. So far the Asus Eee pc's seem to be the best bet.

Does anyone have one of these or have any personal experience with them? Are they as convienient as they seem?

Esh

Drswords wrote: »

Looking at the Asus Eee Pc's ( thanks for the reccomendation )... i found the 1005PE. It claims to have a battery life of 14 hours, and the reviews said it had 8-9 hours video playback.

Its about $380... a bit on the higher price end.

But from reviews, it doesnt sound like it would handle maptool very well. Graphically its supposed to be a little bit of a lagger.

I dunno. So far the Asus Eee pc's seem to be the best bet.

Does anyone have one of these or have any personal experience with them? Are they as convienient as they seem?

Well, I have one and so do some of the people in the thread. It should handle Maptools just fine. I can play Warcraft III on it so I don't see how MapTools would choke it. It's just using a high end Intel Intergrated chipset. Just make sure you max out the RAM and you're good.

matt has a problem

Esh wrote: »

Drswords wrote: »

Looking at the Asus Eee Pc's ( thanks for the reccomendation )... i found the 1005PE. It claims to have a battery life of 14 hours, and the reviews said it had 8-9 hours video playback.

Its about $380... a bit on the higher price end.

But from reviews, it doesnt sound like it would handle maptool very well. Graphically its supposed to be a little bit of a lagger.

I dunno. So far the Asus Eee pc's seem to be the best bet.

Does anyone have one of these or have any personal experience with them? Are they as convienient as they seem?

Well, I have one and so do some of the people in the thread. It should handle Maptools just fine. I can play Warcraft III on it so I don't see how MapTools would choke it. It's just using a high end Intel Intergrated chipset. Just make sure you max out the RAM and you're good.

Yeah, you can usually find the 2gig RAM upgrade for ~$30, and it's worth it. You want the N280 processor though, over the N270.