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EeePC good for student?

QuarterMasterQuarterMaster Registered User regular
edited April 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
I've been attending college since the beginning of last fall, and my shoulders are starting to protest the weight of my current laptop. So recently I've been looking into the EeePC, among some other ultraportables. I would rather not spend anything over $350, since I have a good lappy that I will keep at home, and use the other exclusively for taking notes/carrying around. Basically, I'm wondering if a 4G EeePC would best suit my needs, or whether one of the others that I'm looking at would be better for academia. Thanks!

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    Synthetic OrangeSynthetic Orange Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    If it's just for taking notes, then the EeePC is a nice affordable option.

    Synthetic Orange on
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    QuarterMasterQuarterMaster Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    It seems like a good little computer. I especially like the quick boot time. The biggest things holding me back are the (very) small screen and the lack of OneNote, which I used almost exclusively on my other laptop. Is there any kind of alternative for Linux?

    QuarterMaster on
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    Synthetic OrangeSynthetic Orange Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    It comes bundled with OpenOffice, but you can just install windows on it.

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    corcorigancorcorigan Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    There's a new version with a more acceptable screen size coming out soon I believe. I'm not sure writing essays on a 7" screen would be too easy.

    corcorigan on
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    SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I know they're at least twice the cost, but since you mentioned OneNote, have you looked at any slate tablets?

    Spoit on
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    dkembledkemble Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    If you are going to be using it for just note taking and light assignments (no more then 2-3 pages) then it should be fine. Anything more and it's a bitch to type on.

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    HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I bought one at launch and found it to be a huge disapointment.

    I've shelved it for a long time, and I'll probably bust it back out again in a month or so when I have some more free time. The distro it originally came with was very limited, and after the initial work-arounds to open the OS into a more full-featured desktop, the system chugged. Other distros weren't an option yet, because many of the drivers were proprietary.

    If I went back to it now, I'd imagine that support on all fronts is better. For first party, there's probably a sizable amount of new software up for grabs. From third party, hopefully there are a handful of Eee-oriented light and medium distros available now.

    So, I'd say check into the other distributions that are available and designed with the Eee in mind before making the leap. It's a decent piece of hardware, but the packaged software is rubbish to any real techie.

    HadjiQuest on
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    SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    oh, and there's a thread about the EeePC in the tech forum http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=48424

    Spoit on
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    QuarterMasterQuarterMaster Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Thanks Spoit, I've been reading through that. Generally, people seem to have favorable impressions of the Eee. I think I might go for it, since I can get a refurbished 4G Surf on Amazon for $290. I've also found an online (almost) equivalent to OneNote, which should work until a decent replacement for Linux comes out.

    corcorigan: While the larger screen/keyboard of the 900 would be nice, the higher cost is a turn off. I might as well get something with better specs for that price.

    Spoit (re: tablet): I had looked into it briefly, but it's not something I'd use. The whole point of using a computer to take notes (at least for me) is that my handwriting is horrible. :)

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    MunacraMunacra Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    It's pretty awesome to take notes, surf the web, write the occasional essay, and pay my bills.

    So yes, if you want to use it for basic stuff, it's awesome. Upgrade the disk space and get more RAM. It's pretty cheap to do so.

    Munacra on
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    tony_importanttony_important Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Oh, I hate to highjack, but my girlfriend just got one of these and I was wondering if they support the higher capacity SD cards?

    She has the 4Gb model if that helps.

    tony_important on
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    BroloBrolo Broseidon Lord of the BroceanRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    tony_important wrote: »
    Oh, I hate to highjack, but my girlfriend just got one of these and I was wondering if they support the higher capacity SD cards?

    She has the 4Gb model if that helps.

    Yes, they'll support SDHC cards. I have a 16gb in mine.

    Brolo on
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    tony_importanttony_important Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Rolo wrote: »
    tony_important wrote: »
    Oh, I hate to highjack, but my girlfriend just got one of these and I was wondering if they support the higher capacity SD cards?

    She has the 4Gb model if that helps.

    Yes, they'll support SDHC cards. I have a 16gb in mine.

    You are my new best friend.

    tony_important on
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    QuarterMasterQuarterMaster Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    So, I noticed they had these on Amazon "refurbished" (open box?) for $290. Should I jump on that, or stay away? They have a 30 day return policy, but I don't want it to go *poof* after that runs out. :-/

    QuarterMaster on
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