Netbook/notebook for teenager

hmac

Hi,
This is my first ever post on Boards.ie.
I'm thinking of buying a netbook or notebook (whats the difference?) for my eighteen year old. She would really only use it for the internet, mainly social networking, and for having itunes for her ipod. She would like an in-built webcam for skype. My budget is small, only 300 euro. Ideally she would like it in pink, or any colour except black. We have wireless at home. Does anyone have any advice for me? What kind of spec should I look out for? I don't want anything that's going to be frustratingly slow, but I am aware that my budget is low (recessionary times!) Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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hmac wrote: »

Hi,
This is my first ever post on Boards.ie.
I'm thinking of buying a netbook or notebook (whats the difference?) for my eighteen year old. She would really only use it for the internet, mainly social networking, and for having itunes for her ipod. She would like an in-built webcam for skype. My budget is small, only 300 euro. Ideally she would like it in pink, or any colour except black. We have wireless at home. Does anyone have any advice for me? What kind of spec should I look out for? I don't want anything that's going to be frustratingly slow, but I am aware that my budget is low (recessionary times!) Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

netbooks dont have dvd players

Overheal

.... wrote: »

netbooks dont have dvd players

A bit oversimplified. Netbooks are the much smaller laptops which usually have barebones hardware: a low power CPU, no Optical Drive (CD/DVD) and frequently have Solid State Drives, not regular Hard Drives - which are more expensive per Megabyte, but have no moving parts, which makes them ideal for something that has the potential to get dropped a lot. They dont hold a lot of data though, compared to a regular laptop which might hold 5x as much data.

Netbooks are not terribly versatile. Their major appeal is in their ultra-mobility: you could fit one in your purse. They are tiny, some are no bigger than 8 inches. You can use it for Office Applications and things but not too much else. I wouldnt want to be stuck writing a thesis on one, but it would be handy enough to take to class for Note Taking. Microsoft does a handy program called OneNote (part of Student Office) which is very good.

If all she's looking for is facebook and webcam chats a netbook would be fine. If you have a spare DVD drive in an old computer, all the better: you can buy a new Enclosure for it and that way the netbook can work with it through a USB port. This is cheaper than buying a new external DVD drive altogether.

I would look on Dell as a first port of call. You might get a discount if you buy through your place of work, too.

On a whole though Netbooks are more of a Utility to use in coordination with a Parent Desktop or Laptop (and in a lot of Deals, come bundled that way), because they are so small they arent great for long term use. The ideal solution would be to have the netbook around for lectures and things and have a larger more functional laptop in the dorm room when its time to get things done. But thats something you could always consider later. I'd start her off with a netbook.

Theres a lot of netbook options out there though so ask a few more questions before doing anything impulsive welcome aboard(s)!

hmac

Thanks for the advice Overheal. She uses the home computer alot, so a netbook would be an addition to it. She doesn't need it for school or college, just for entertainment. She knows it won't play DVD's. I think I'll look at the slightly bigger ones, rather than the tiny ones. Does anyone know of any good deals out there at the moment?

pljudge321

Samsung Nc10 300e - better battery life than the dell http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=30001&catalogId=1500001801&langId=-1&searchTerms=nc10&Submit=GO+%3E

Dell mini 10v - better looking then the samsung, worse battery, you would probably want to pick the xp version rather then the slightly cheaper ubuntu version http://ireland.dell.com/ie/en/home/Laptops/laptop-inspiron-10/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-10&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1

or for 100e more

Dell 11z - slighty bigger higher resolution scree and bigger keyboard whilst retaining the portability/lightness, worse battery life then the samsung, more powerful then the other two options, comes with vista instead of xp(not sure if this is a pro or a con)http://ireland.dell.com/ie/en/home/Laptops/inspiron-11z/pd.aspx?refid=inspiron-11z&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1

hmac

Thanks for the advice, I was thinking of the dell mini myself. Cheers!