Sub notebooks?

[collector1939]

Anyone here using a sub notebook? Libretto U100, etc?

What are you using and what is your thoughts on the system
looking for a sub notebook but actually want to hear from someone that has actually used and lived with it, not a online review.

thanks

[isaaus]

I have used Libretto U100 in past. Before that i had Vaio X505E(the super slim with pathetic battery and performance).

Well they are good for just office tasks, meaning word, xcel, presentations and that`s pretty much it. ULV processors are good and doesn`t heat up that much.

I can give u few points to make sure ur purchase is satisfactory.

Test the machine before buying, Its easy to get used to laptops but when you are spending 4K+ on something makesure its 100% satisfactory in terms of comfort.
Test the fan, sometimes they are annoying as hell.
MAKE SURE you have the means to change RAM, if it is soldered onto the motherboard and no slot then you are pretty much stuck and can`t update it if it is necessary in future.
Test the screen if it is too glossy or not glosst enough.
Test the resolutions on the screen, like U100`s standard resolution was kinda stressful on the eyes.
Either makesure u add the machine to the insurance or have extended warranty.

Cheers

[Krinos]

I've been using a Panasonic R3 (10.4") for the past 3 years. Champion of a laptop, pretty well suited to my needs in that its light (less than a kg), good battery life (real world when brand new was about 6-6.5 hours per charge, rated for 8.5, down to about 2.5-3 hours now after 3 years of use) and does anything to do with lectures, post-grad lab work and now invoice and accounting. Absolute shite for games though, but then that's to be expected for something that weighs less than some HSFs.

Having such a small laptop is pretty goddamn handy, fits in my manbag (messenger bag, A4 sized) with room for a lot of other stuff. For non-work use its easy to whip out on the fly - if I'm driving about the GF usually whips it out and goes to citysearch or what not to pick somewhere for food or book movie tickets online. Most times its actually faster to boot the laptop to do any of the above than using the built in browser on my PDA phone (Dopod 810). Some people have a hard time typing on a 10.4" chassis keyboard - I don't personally but if you have sausage fingers you'd be well advised to bump up to at least a 12". The touchpad is barely usable, I generally use a MS presenter 8000 but in a pinch I can make do.

Pretty useless for an entertainment piece - the mono speaker is godawful and flat on the bottom of the laptop (can't hear it if its on a flat surface) and the screen is too small for more than one person to watch a video at a time. Pretty good on flights though, the fat battery life is good for a couple of movies.

With respects to my specific brand/model, Panasonics are tough as bricks, I can and have stood on mine, had it loose in the boot with other stuff and spilt drinks onto the keyboard and then cleaned them up by spraying spray-and-wipe in to chase it and it keeps on truckin. Has a pretty strong latch and an almost clam-shell cover so it never pops open when I don't want it to, and nothing falls in to scratch the screen by accident. No built-in bluetooth is a bit annoying - I use a pcmcia bluetooth card ever since the usb dongle one got lost god knows where. Obviously since its such a small laptop it doesn't pack a built-in optical driver, but I have an external that I bring around when I need it (in this day and age of wireless and 4GB flash drives not that often). Looks-wise its nots as stylish as say a VAIO, but the size is always an attention-getter.

Imported mine from Japan (http://www.conics.net) for a bloody bargain ($2400 in 2004, including an external DVD burner) and I see the current model can be had for even less nowdays, and it even comes dual core. Japanese domestic warranty only is always a worry, but I didn't have any problems in my first (warranty-covered) year, and its been fine ever since (aside from said spill fixed by spray-and-wipe). Having a hard time justifying replacing it with the newer model - dual core would push through excel calculations a lot faster but its still pretty good to go, would be as-new with a replacement battery and a bit more RAM (sitting on 768).

[ewok85]

I've been using Lenovo B5-sized laptops for about a year now - amazing things.

For example a new X61 - Crisp screen, plenty of speed, amazing battery life (almost 8hrs), light and smaller than an A4 sheet of paper. Even an older X41 is a good deal - you can prolly pick them up cheap off ebay - whack some ram in and off you go.

Gets my thumbs up