Fennec foxes are insanely cute.

January 8, 2010 8:05 AM

Should I bother upgrading the RAM in the 7" netbook that I've just purchased? Plus a bonus question about Firefox/Windows CE.

I've recently purchased a 7" netbook running Windows CE 6.0 (~$100 USD brand new!), which I plan to use almost exclusively for reading E-books (txt & pdf) & comic books (cbr & cbz files usually). I will probably also bring it along on trips (to check E-mail, etc), instead of my 17" widescreen laptop. It will arrive with 128 mb of memory, but from what I can gather by looking at similarly spec'd notebooks, the memory can be upgraded to 256 mb. I'm wondering if I should bother doing this considering the netbook's limited use. Logically, I know that it can't hurt, but (a) it would be extra $$, (b) I'll have to figure out what sort of RAM will work on this thing, (c) I'll have to open it up and install the new RAM (I'm pretty comfortable inside of a desktop, but I've never opened a notebook). So should I bother?

Also, the system will come with a mobile version of Internet Explorer (for which I have an admittedly irrational hatred) and I'm wondering if anyone knows of a version of Firefox that would run on Windows CE 6.0 (Fennec seems like my best hope, but I can't find anything definitive that states it will work on Windows CE)? Here are the specs of the netbook:

Processor Type: VIA ARM 32bit CPU
Processor Clock Speed: 300M Hz
Processor Model: VIA-ARM VT8500
RAM/Technology: DRAM
RAM Installed Size: 128 MB
Display Diagonal Size: 7" TFT HD
Max Resolution: 800x480
Graphics Type: Integrated Graphics
Hard Drive Type: NAND Fast Flash
Hard Drive Capacity: 2GB
PCMCIA Expansion: 1x SDCard slot (supports SDHC)
Ports: 3x USB 2.0,1x SDCard slot,1×RJ45
Wireless Connection: Wifi
Wireless Protocol: 802.11 a/b/g
Operating System: WinCE 6.0

Thanks in advance!

posted by eunoia to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

I seems a while back, Opera developed an SDK for CE, but I can't verify if any of the Opera offerings work on CE. But, it might, in case you haven't tried yet.
posted by General Malaise at 8:27 AM on January 8, 2010

1) Yes, do it.
2) It's should be very easy. I have an 1000HE Asus and I upgraded it to 2GB of RAM, no worries. 2 minutes and a screwdriver. My assumption is that yours will be similarly easy to do, as most of the netbook makers have actually made their product easy to upgrade and encourage it.
3) As far as what type of RAM you'll need, I've always gone over to Crucial and let them do the heavy lifting with their "advisor" or "scanner". Spot on every time, be it PC or mac. You may want to shop around for a better price, but at least you'll know what type you're looking for.
4) Not a Windows CE guy, can't help you with the last one.

Have fun storming the castle!
posted by willmize at 8:30 AM on January 8, 2010

Given the specs, I'd be suprised if the RAM weren't soldered to the board. No upgrading or replacing in that case. But if you tell us the make and model we can be more specific.
posted by reegmo at 8:32 AM on January 8, 2010

As far as the RAM, it's not hard to figure out what kind you'll need. And usually, it's not too hard to pop it in, even on laptops. It's generally just a little flap on the bottom that you unscrew and pop open.

For figuring out what kind you'll need, I tend to use NewEgg's Finder, even if I don't end up ordering from them.
posted by SNWidget at 8:33 AM on January 8, 2010