Netbook for a grad student.

July 12, 2009 11:45 AM

Netbook for a grad/med student: what should I get? (Long list of desired features inside)

So I'm starting into an MS in public health research and will hopefully be entering med school at some point in the near future, and I'm looking for something portable to do the following:
- take lecture notes that may include diagrams
- annotate power point slides
- Read, manage, and annotate PDF files, preferably with zotero, preferably in a way that can have a shared library with my main computer running XP.
- Run small-scale statistical analyses in SPSS/Excel or programs that will open/manipulate those files.
- General browsing, word processing, e-mail, &c.

From that list of things I'd like to do, I've come up with the following features I'd like my netbook to have:
- Touch screen, preferably one that folds back to make a tablet
- Complete keyboard
- At least 1 gig of RAM
- Very long battery life (>6hrs)
- Windows (or at least the ability to use/manipulate Office files & SPSS databases
- fast booting time
- WiFi, USB ports, sturdy construction &c.

Do netbooks exist with this set of features? Where can I find them? Will I need to sell a kidney?

posted by The White Hat to shopping (13 comments total)

They definitely exist and you can find them on Amazon or anywhere.

I just ordered this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-N120-12GW-10-1-Inch-White-Netbook/dp/tech-data/B0021AG0RY/ref=de_a_smtd

haven't gotten it yet so i can't speak to the quality, but it has everything you want except the touch screen/tablet. That may cost extra, and you may need to get a physically larger machine.
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:58 AM on July 12

I believe that the Fujitsu Lifebook series makes touchscreen models. They won't be super-cheap, but may fulfill your requirements
posted by chrisamiller at 12:27 PM on July 12

The feature that seems like it would be hardest to find is the touch screen. Most netbooks have a fairly standard set of specs (the same processor, 1 gig of RAM upgradeable to 2, Windows, WiFi, 3 USB ports...), and those typically don't include a touch screen. However, Asus is supposed to start shipping the T91, which looks like it might meet your demands, within the next few days.

I have a Samsung NC10, myself, and it does everything you want your netbook to do, though the battery life isn't quite 6 hours.
posted by capsizing at 12:37 PM on July 12

None of the decent ones have touchscreens.

Complete keyboard and long battery life pretty much leaves you with the Samsung N110, N120 or Asus 1000HE. 1005HA.

Personally I like the Samsungs better (try them out yourselves), but the new 1005HA claims a 10+ hour battery life
posted by wongcorgi at 12:46 PM on July 12

Fujitsu makes an excellent tablet, although they are really more like compact laptops than netbooks. Their stuff is expensive but high-quality, in my experience. The U820 is netbook-sized, but seems to be a netbook-sized laptop rather than a true netbook.
posted by pravit at 12:55 PM on July 12

It really sounds like you're looking for something like the ThinkPad tablets--I don't think I've seen a tablet netbook that meets your list of requirements.
posted by pullayup at 1:07 PM on July 12

The Asus EEE T91 is the only atom-based tablet that I know of, and starts shipping soon. However, its battery life is only about 5 hours. I don't know if they will offer batteries with a larger capacity.
posted by JauntyFedora at 2:33 PM on July 12

Remember, Netbooks are great, till you need to write long documents. The keyboards are almost always too small for extensive typing (at least from what I have seen) Keep that in mind if you intended to write papers on it.
posted by OwlBoy at 3:08 PM on July 12

As for the keyboard, it really is a question of getting used to it. I usually only hear people complain who do not have a netbook themselves.
posted by Brennus at 3:25 PM on July 12

I've been waiting and waiting myself for someone to come out with a tablet netbook (tablet as in capable of inking and handwriting recognition; netbook as in under 3 lbs, under $500). So far as I can tell, it doesn't exist; there are some ultralight Tablet PC convertible laptops out there, but they're still larger/heavier than a netbook and are very pricey.

The annotation and diagram-capture functions you describe are going to require something with active digitizing, which tablet PCs have and the netbook-sized "tablets" out there with touchscreens aren't going to offer. (jkontherun has a good explanation of the difference.)
posted by Kat Allison at 3:28 PM on July 12

The Lifebook U820 mentioned above meets all your criteria, but the Fujutsu Lifebook series aren't netbooks - they're more expensive than that. I'm planning on getting a U820 in the next couple of weeks. That said, I think that most people wouldn't want something that small as their primary computer - the keyboard is too small for touch-typing. It does actually have really good battery life, though.

You're not going to find anything at the intersection of tablets and netbooks, though - tablets are always significantly more expensive. I've been using UMPC tablets for years, and they're always quite a bit more than netbooks.

I would recommend the next larger Lifebook, if a touch screen is really a required feature for you.
posted by me & my monkey at 6:11 PM on July 12

Thanks for all the great tips! The lifebook is a little out of my price range as it stands. I think I'm going to go with the CTL 2go Classmate, which has special software to get around some of those active digitizing issues Kat Allison was talking about. My only concerns are the small keyboard (though I have smallish hands) and the sluggish hard drive (I'd much rather have an SSD anyway). I want to try one out, but it looks like most of the brick and mortar joints don't have outlets here in the rural backwoods.
posted by The White Hat at 8:40 PM on July 12

Always Innovating's forthcoming touchbook is supposed to be a netbook whose screen literally detaches to form a separate tablet. I think it's a SSD + SD card. Supposed to start shipping in July, but it sounds like they're still getting it together. It's gonna run Linux, too, which is a plus for me but if there are Windows specific apps you need, that would obviously be a problem. Looks very breakable!
posted by Mngo at 1:11 PM on July 18