A Bargain .. A 10 Inch Netbook @ 88.888 Baht

[dave2]

i have 2 old notebooks an asus and an acer both working perfectly and ive thought about buying a little 10 inch netbook that i could carry around easier

and maybe use it in coffee shops / bars etc so for the past week ive been looking at netbooks all over chiang mai

imagine my surprise when i saw a price ticket for a samsung nf 208 in pantip plaza at 88. 888 baht

and the same one in computer plaza for 8.900

which one would you buy : )

just joshin ... dave2

ps .. im almost settled on this little asus @ 9600

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I would buy the one with the brightest and largest screen and nicest keyboard.

All other specs are so close together it doesn't really matter much. Do get 3Gb of memory in it of course if you're going to be running Windows 7. If not then 2 Gb is plenty.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Also I'd get a better chair at my desk.

[dave2]

re .. Do get 3Gb of memory in it of course if you're going to be running Windows 7.

why ? is windows 7 and 2 gb ram not powerfull enough for these little things ?

Also I'd get a better chair at my desk

ok ... this is more glittermans style but wil it do ?

dave2 ; )

[WinnieTheKhwai]

re .. Do get 3Gb of memory in it of course if you're going to be running Windows 7.

why ? is windows 7 and 2 gb ram not powerfull enough for these little things ?

I guess so. But memory is so cheap that I'd just put 3Gb in. Of course you won't be running very heavy apps.

But I'm not running very heavy apps right now, and Win 7 manages to eat up.... the following:

So I'd still say you're safer with 3Gb.

[vagabond48]

Thanks for the info on the Asus.

I am in China right now and have been pricing the Asus 1015PX and they want about 12,500B for 1015PW with only 250GB but it comes with a 2 year Global warranty not the normal 1 year. How about this one 1 or 2 year global warranty and which OS are they offering?

[CMX]

I recently shopped for a 10" and think that the price is right. For one thing, that Atom N570 is a dual-core (slow anyway).

However, being able to expand from 2 to 3 on the ram is a question about expandability - ask first the cost. An open slot is unlikely, and if so, you'll have to replace rather than add.

Of course, the OS is up to you, but most of these come with dos. A lot of locals I know go over to Linux, Ubuntu or something. Finding legit and complete win 7 included is rare as birds' teeth, though "starter 7" type win's are around. But I've not seen even those under 10k with the other specs you show.

[dave2]

wtk and vagabond

ill try to answer two questions here

wtk ... i saw the asus again at it city and good speed in pantip plaza and they are both running win ultimate and it looks good

cmx .. re .. Finding legit and complete win 7 included is rare as birds' teeth

the only place ive found with i think genuine w 7 starter already installed is siam tv by the moat

but i might be wrong !

have pic but thai visa not uploading again : (

dave2

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I believe you.

Yes, Siam TV would provide a legal Windows 7 Starter. For personal use there aren't too many drawbacks to using Starter Edition.

But a modern desktop Linux will also work well. I'm a little disenamoured with the latest Ubuntu though, I think they bit off a little too large a bite and the current 11.04 version I wouldn't really call stable. If they called it a 'technology preview' instead of 'a new release' then all would be fine.

[IanForbes]

I have a 5 year old Asus laptop and it never gave me a minute's problem. But, as my daughter discovered when I brought it back to Canada, it had an illegal copy of Windows XP.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I have a 5 year old Asus laptop and it never gave me a minute's problem. But, as my daughter discovered when I brought it back to Canada, it had an illegal copy of Windows XP.

And you didn't discover that when it didn't come with a Microsoft installation CD and card with the serial number, and when the saled dude asked what kind of stuff you would like to have installed on it, with every piece of software in the world on offer for free? You just thought 'hey that's a really good deal'? (Which I suppose it is, of course.)

( Also, normally when you keep XP updated with all Windows Updates it starts nagging you when it can't 'activate' itself. )

Note: what actually is a really good deal is Windows 7 Starter Edition. Or Windows 7 Home Basic; this exists only in some third world ( ) countries including Thailand, to allow a really attractively priced but legal version of Windows, as an alternative to pirated copies.

Note: One more thing worth noting: Windows 7 Starter has a maximum memory limit of 2 Gb. So it won't do you any good to add more memory when running Windows Starter. Windows Home Basic will allow up to 4Gb.

[CMX]

Since it was only for travel, I settled for the 10" Acer Aspire One, N550 Atom, 2Gb, 320GB HDD, and official MS Starter. It has a camera, blue teeth, an Android OS, MS Word Starter (I use a download of Open Office, which is less kinky - and am playing with G-Docs from the cloud) , and Wifi. Got it some months ago at Pantip.

Nothing of which to complain so far, but I paid 11 then. Yours sounds a better price. (I pay a fortune (860 baht/mo) for AIS 3G at home in town and it is limited to 5GB before reverting to unlimited EDGE, but with their Aircard dongle, using the same chip, I can get EDGE+ all over Thailand.)

[vagabond48]

wtk and vagabond

ill try to answer two questions here

dave2

did you happen to ask how long the global (international) warranty is for?

[dave2]

vagabond ... re ... did you happen to ask how long the global (international) warranty is for?

yes ... it city said it was for 1 year and i believed the girl !

good speed said the same

but said all software installed by them is guarranteed for three years and any available upgrades were free as well

... so he said : )

ive still not decided which netbook ill buy or who ill be buying from out of it city and good speed but one of them will have nearly 10.000 baht in the till very soon

regards ... dave2

[WinnieTheKhwai]

vagabond ... re ... did you happen to ask how long the global (international) warranty is for?

yes ... it city said it was for 1 year and i believed the girl !

good speed said the same

but said all software installed by them is guarranteed for three years and any available upgrades were free as well

... so he said : )

I would not go that route these days, getting it loaded full with illegal crap. Note that this software warranty likely means that if you screw up the system in some way, they'll re-load everything, so taking everything back to the state it was in when you first left the store. That may not be an option if you have a lot of files and settings on it. So software wise I'd take it much easier and stick to a legal version of Windows or Linux, and then just the applications you need; most of them have free versions these days.

ive still not decided which netbook ill buy or who ill be buying from out of it city and good speed but one of them will have nearly 10.000 baht in the till very soon

I have good experiences with Good Speed. I'd pick them, they should be a little cheaper then IT City.

[dave2]

wtk.

thanks for your thoughts on the software but as this will be just a spare throwaway it wont matter if they

wiped it coz any new pics would be transfered to my asus daily as well as my ext hard drives so that wouldnt be a problem

i went to airport plaza to get the money for my new toy today and stupidly went up to it city

they have a new samsung in with a much narrower border round the screen and its a lot smaller than the white one in my original post

and i liked it ... what do you think of the specs of this one as apposed to the asus ?

regards ... dave2

[WinnieTheKhwai]

wtk.

thanks for your thoughts on the software but as this will be just a spare throwaway it wont matter if they

they have a new samsung in with a much narrower border round the screen and its a lot smaller than the white one in my original post

and i liked it ... what do you think of the specs of this one as apposed to the asus ?

Specs are virtually the same. Same CPU, both don't have enough RAM so both of them you will want to bring to at least 2 Gb or more.

The absolute biggest difference between them by FAR will be how well you like the feel of the keyboard, and the look of the screen. (brightness, glossyness etc.) That's largely personal preference of course. Try to type a bit on both of them, and view some pictures and text on both screens.

As for the old Samsung vs the new one, the main difference seems to be that it's physically slightly smaller, so less of an edge around the screen and keyboard, like you already mentioned. The CPU is also slightly faster, but VERY slightly; not a difference you'd likely notice.

[dave2]

wtk.

thanks for the advice

ive decided on the NC108 samsung but the only black one i could find anywhere was in it city in ksk

and i thought the head honcho software installer there had bad attitude

when i asked him about software for some reason ?

so ive asked good speed to call me when they get one in

dave2 ... patiently waiting ... zzzzzzz

[ignis]

dave2 on or maybe off topic, how on earth can you see anything on a 10" screen ?

Friend has bought a 13" and if I use it my eyes and head are bad within 15 odd mins.. he is 22 year younger then us thought that was the reason..

I have new trifocals glasses last year but 10" screen how on earth can you manage ?

[dave2]

ignis.

re ... dave2 on or maybe off topic, how on earth can you see anything on a 10" screen

i dont know yet but im 62

can read newspapers my asus and acer from 3 feet away

and ive never been in an opticians in my life

so im assuming i wont have a problem by making the text big enough to read

if i do ill just buy an external moniter

the new samsung will only be a spare for outside / traveling use

regards ... dave2 ... praying im right : )

ps ... thai visas not uploading pictures again : (

[CMX]

dave2 on or maybe off topic, how on earth can you see anything on a 10" screen ?

Friend has bought a 13" and if I use it my eyes and head are bad within 15 odd mins.. he is 22 year younger then us thought that was the reason..

I have new trifocals glasses last year but 10" screen how on earth can you manage ?

Glasses, glasses, glasses. It is annoying, but I've used different glasses for computers, reading, and small-screen reading for some years - all common cheap 'reading glasses' that are available with numbers of power shown on them, such as 1.5, 2.5, 3, and so forth. They scratch easily and are throw-aways, but work well. Since I tend to lose them and one's eyes can change, it's a good compromise. I find myself searching the bargain tables all the time.

These small 10" machines are handy for some things such as lightweight travel, yet I also have to take the power supply - and the machine's special reading glasses, perhaps 100 baht.

[Spoonman]

Dave2: most of these netbooks are very similar in specs, I would choose one with a matte screen, makes for better viewing in brightly lit/sunny environments.

WTK: how do you fit 3+ GB of ram into a netbook that only has one ram slot , do they sell 4gb SoDimm sticks these days ?

[WhiteCadillac]

88. 888 baht? You mean 8888 baht? Ah it's an error for sure.

Google consumer reviews for all the items u are buying.

[Spoonman]

88. 888 baht? You mean 8888 baht?

If you look at the picture it's one of those generic price tag things where you black out parts of to create your price.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

so im assuming i wont have a problem by making the text big enough to read

if i do ill just buy an external moniter

Ah, one note on that if you take Windows Starter Edition: It will support connecting to an external monitor, but it will not support extending your desktop across both screens so you can have both of them on. Just a small point.

[CMX]

Dave2: most of these netbooks are very similar in specs, I would choose one with a matte screen, makes for better viewing in brightly lit/sunny environments.

WTK: how do you fit 3+ GB of ram into a netbook that only has one ram slot , do they sell 4gb SoDimm sticks these days ?

To refine this point a bit more, if one selects a model with Win 7 Starter, it is probably a good idea to get a 2 Ram model as well, and then not worry about it, as 2 is all you can use. Also, more ram (3 or 4) might help some with a full Win OS, but a bottleneck is still the Atom. At this end of the market, IMHO, more than 2mb is not likely to be worth the bother, except for shared graphics apps.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Agreed. Go with 2MB. ( DIsregard what I said earleir on trying to stuff 3Gb in there. )

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Eh, 2 Gb I mean. I fell into a worm hole and got transported back 20+ years.

[dave2]

spoonerman.

re .. Dave2: most of these netbooks are very similar in specs, I would choose one with a matte screen, makes for better viewing in brightly lit/sunny environments.

your right .

matt screens went out of fashion years ago just after i bought my asus and one reason im buying a netbook now is because theyve just come back

my acer works pefectly but when i went to vientiene last year i couldnt edit any pics outside because of the reflections and its almost as bad in my room here

and thats why i hardly ever use it

wtk.

thanks for the tip but im going to try and get good speed to put in w pro or ultimate if i can ? ... if not .... no sale : (

ps .. i found a black one today in the samsung shop next to it city in airport plaza but when i asked the beautifull little girl to install something ..... ohhhh cannot ! ... no sale : (