Netbook with higher resolution screen

thepedster said:
By the sounds of it you saw the ipad and wanted to justify it anyway you could? Fair enough, but just admit thats what you wanted in the first place!

I just checked the res of the ipad screen: 1024X768, 4:3 bit backwards isn't it?
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Actually I didn't! I derided the iPad from the word go! However, after getting a new laptop (13" MBP) I realised that what I wanted was something more comfortable to use, and I felt the MBP just isn't worth £905 (it's being collected by TNT today to go back to Apple for a refund). I had a hard think about it and it then seemed apparent that the iPad might actually be the best tool for the job!

Re. The screen, because you can use it either way, means you can have both a 1024 or 768 vertical resolution, which is much higher than a netbook since you can't use them sideways. Less vertical scrolling, yay!
 
mrochester said:
...and your point is...?
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If your original post was you need something for very light browsing/email while on the sofa. Then fair enough. But you didn't.

I have an iPod Touch and its great for checking mail looking up a website while on the sofa, having a coffee etc. The iPad will the same. Bigger screen would be great. But beyond very light tasks, a small 13" laptop, with extended battery, full keyboard, DVD is vastly better.

My brother in law is getting is dad a iPad as he does nothing heavy, just email (one finger typying) and browsing, and he has us plagued fixing his ancient PC. Be interesting to see how he gets on.
 
OspreyO said:
If your original post was you need something for very light browsing/email while on the sofa. Then fair enough. But you didn't.

I have an iPod Touch and its great for checking mail looking up a website while on the sofa, having a coffee etc. The iPad will the same. Bigger screen would be great. But beyond very light tasks, a small 13" laptop, with extended battery, full keyboard, DVD is vastly better.

My brother in law is getting is dad a iPad as he does nothing heavy, just email (one finger typying) and browsing, and he has us plagued fixing his ancient PC. Be interesting to see how he gets on.
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I do need something for light browsing/email while on the sofa. I've tried using my iPhone, but the screen is too small for that to be comfortable for the more extended use. My use is *only* browsing, email (receiving, never sending!) and light IM, and it must be a comfortable device when I'm sitting on the settee with my feet up.

I had considered that a netbook might be suitable for this, but it ultimately has the same pitfalls as a standard laptop in that it needs a flat surface for two handed use, or you have to hold on to it with one hand if it's not on a flat surface. The vast majority of netbooks also have the problem of having a very low vertical resolution, which means you end up having to get a much bigger device to get a decent resolution, and again, it needs to be comfortable to use when I'm lounging on the settee! This was the purpose of my original post, to see if anyone knew of a netbook (10" screen or so) with a vertical resolution higher than 600pixels, but other than a seemingly discontinued Sony, there is no option. As such, for the purposes of screen resolution, size and comfort, it looks like the iPad is the best idea. Hopefully it'll live up to that!
 
Personally I think a 768px horizontal width isn't going to be too good, yes, less scrolling vertically but you'll have to scroll horizontally instead or put up with rearranged pages (most websites are designed with 800 or 1024px screen widths, forums are about the only exeption as they can be far more dynamic.

Personally it sounds like you want something like the Sony P series, probably a little expensive however. Yeah you're ging to have to scroll a little bit more in the normal way but other than that sounds perfect.
 
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MasterSystem said:
You're going to be disappointed with the iPad compared to a 13" MBP for actual functionality and not epeen.

My 2 cent.
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Well the MBP actually had too much functionality for what I need... GarageBand, iPhoto, iMovie, all needlessly adding to the expense, and things I will simply never use. That's why I decided that £905 for a device that I simply use to browse, receive email and IM was just too much, and hence it has gone back. £429 for an iPad, which is good at those things, is far more palatable!
 
I really don't get this iPad fettish. I have an iPhone, and I have a Toshiba Portégé M700 tablet PC running Windows 7. Yes, its a resistive single-touch screen, but even so I rarely use the touch element unless I'm using it as a proper design-tablet using the pen ala typical desktop wacom.

The battery (well extended battery) gives me around 5 hours of use, but I still mainly use it as a laptop not a tablet, and I very rarely turn the screen round so that it faces outward.
 
In the interest of fairness, I have just bought a netbook! An HP Mini 210-1003SA to be precise, from John Lewis, reduced to £249. I can take this back within 28 days for a full refund if I want since the price is already reduced (rather than being subject to a 10% restocking fee for the full £300 price). The iPad will be arriving on the 28th May, so I can compare the two, and decide which one I want to keep.
 
my asus 1201n has a resolution of 1366 * 768, £400. best dual ion I have played with.
with 7 premium too, it even runs COD ok.
 
My Asus eeepc was £200 and it poos all over the ipad in terms of functionality and performance. It's just as easy to carry around and has an almost full size keyboard. Oh, and it's less than half the price. The touchpad does brilliant two finger scrolling, middle clicking, and 4 other functions can be assigned to the four corners. I've done a back button and right click, now browsing anything is seamless, even with flash.

The only reason I can see to buy an ipad is because of the marketing and appearance. It looks pretty sweet but it's a foolish purchase as it stands, especially for almost £500 quid. No way. Saying that, I have the 1001HA and the carbon effect makes the whole thing look pretty cool. I think it looks cooler than the tired iphone design (but larger of course).

My netbook is also very upgradable for the future. I've been very pleased with the purchase, it does everything I ask of my desktop PC except gaming. I've even done basic photo editing on it no probs. In fact, I'm typing comfortably from it now, dread to think how long typing this post on the ipad would have taken, and how uncomfortable it would be doing it on my lap.

As above, if you're trying to justify purchasing an ipad by other means, don't bother, just admit you wanted a flashy apple marketed gadget to show to your mates. If you actually bought it thinking it was the best choice for the job, you're unfortunately mistaken. That is my opinion anyway.
 
I'm very happy with the Compaq Mini 311 I brought the other half recently, streaming mkv's wirelessly to the tv downstairs via the hdmi port is a huge bonus.
 
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