libby Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Having tried a variety I find the Acer 'ASPIRE 3515' one of the best. (and its not over priced.) I've used expensive laptops but find this make works well for me, you may find you have to install a particular software programme for your individual needs but the big advantage I find over other makes is the grey colour keyboard. When working in difused light such as in a M/H the light colour keys show up very well by reflecting even dim light, whereas dark keys in my other laptop are very difficult and nigh impossible to read in poor light, (being dark they absorb light) ! Because its a less sophisticated machine I did find I had a problem transfering information. I cured this by installing Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, which runs on my my other PC's as well. Another advantage of the ACER it appears to have a longer battery life than many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Libby, Does that mean you're a student, then? Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Don't be silly - just means he lives in a home! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Grumpy Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I would be interested to hear from anyone who has tried an Asus EEE using Linux as the operating system. As the pc is so small and has such a good battery life it sounds ideal for everything but possibly watching films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Mr. Grumpy - 2008-10-21 7:08 PM I would be interested to hear from anyone who has tried an Asus EEE using Linux as the operating system. As the pc is so small and has such a good battery life it sounds ideal for everything but possibly watching films. We looked at one in PC World and asked for a demo. After the third consecutive crash on booting up the salesman said "they are crap"!! We bought an Advent mini notebook with 1.6Ghz Intel processor, 1GBram 80 GB HDD, 10" screen, USB, WIFI, bluetooth and Windows XP for £280 and its a cracking piece of kit. Much better battery life than my 15.4" Advent lappy and much more portable but no optical drives so no DVD player etc, not a problem for us as we have a 15.4" flatscreen TV with built in DVD player. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 mines 16in my biddy, and its got a cd player to boot! f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. That's what they called it. I put the name exactly lest I got queries. All I know is it works OK regardless of what its called. Never been a student but always had a home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stelynn Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I bought an Asus Eee pc (701 model with a 7" screen) in June, specifically for the motorhome, due to its small size. Its easy to carry, can be hidden easily and weighs very little.I run it on Linux without any problems. It boots within seconds and finds wireless spots just as quickly. By using OpenOffice you can open Microsoft files. Its great for e-mails and browsing etc. and was recently used in France, Belgium and Switzerland without any problems.I'm very pleased with mine and have since bought a dedicated 12 volt adaptor for about £12 from Hong Kong (they were about £20 here in the UK)Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I have ordered an Asus Eee PC 901 and it will be delivered today. I have had the XP - longer battery life (up to 8 hrs). My present laptop only lasts 20 mins if I am lucky so this should be good. Tempted to have the larger hard disks but I want to carry this around with me and the other type of disk is virtually unbreakable in case I drop it. Easily expandable with a memory card or memory stick. Will let you know how I get on with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Grumpy Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Thanks for the feed back on the Asus, hopefully Dave's experience was more down to the "salesmans" abilities rather than the Asus. I will look forward to any up dates on your pc's. One of the main reasons for my interest is the small size as I would be able to get the Asus into our safe, my Advent is too large. Also the batteries on the Advent only last about 90 minutes and the battery life is under two years. I would plump for the Linux operating system as I hate Vista, too complex and memory intensive, and flash memory rather than hard disc so comments always welcome. If anyone has coupled their Asus to a sat nav system their comments would also be of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 It is definitely not Vista - they are stopping that anyway - it is XP with flash memory. Lots of reviews say the Linux is good but the battery does not last so long as the XP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonB Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 What's the news about Vista? "Stopping it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Apparently they were going to stop help for XP summer 2008 but problems with Vista has delayed this decision and they are going to bring out the next one. No idea what that will be called. Just had to break off posting this as the Asus has just been delivered! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_C Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Mr. Grumpy - 2008-10-22 9:55 AM If anyone has coupled their Asus to a sat nav system their comments would also be of interest. See: http://www.xor.org.uk/silkroute/equipment/satnav800.htm Andy_C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmover Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Hi Patrica, Help for XP has now been extended until 2014, The next version of Windows after Vista is called Windows 7 and they have started trialing it now. Anyone wanting a laptop for the motor home with the Internet in mind, wait until Aldi have the Medion 10" Netbook in again, It's a cracker. cheers EM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Don't make the mistake I made when buying my laptop 30 months ago. I bought a Dell (£1600) on the advice of a friend and it's way above what I need or can operate. In fact it's like taking an F1 car shopping to Tescos. Just after I bought mine the boss bought herself (on the advice of our daughter) a Toshiba from Comet for £600 which does all we require it to do. I should have stuck to the "KISS" method 8-) Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watsoa Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I'm intrigued Don - what is the 'KISS' methodAlan W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 watsoa - 2008-10-23 9:10 AMI'm intrigued Don - what is the 'KISS' methodAlan WHi Alan,KeepIt Simple Stupid.I keep promising myself I will but I don't.Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 My current laptop is supplied by the company, and for motorhoming it is huge and hungry. When it comes time to get my own, with motorhoming in mind, I'll get an Eee PC or one of its pretenders. Low power consumption/lon battery life, does what it says on the box, and despite the occasional failure, as with any electronic device, they are pretty reliable and becoming quite popular. I'll store all critical files off line (memory chips and USB disks) and I won't be 'as upset' if it gets stolen. As for Linux vs Windows, either would be fine for me. I think my wife would prefer Windows, for familiarity, but I'm a Unix boy through and through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Not sure if this is anywhere near what people want for their MHome laptop - but Maplins are advertising one for £139.99 It has a 7inch screen. Cattwg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance kid Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 The Toshiba Satellite Pro. 15" wide screen a good buy at about £400. Built in WI FI, 1 gig memory. Increase to 2gig for £20. Four usb ports. Truebright Screen. Superb Picture. SD slot. Worth taking a look at. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I am using my Asus EEE on here. Brilliant machine. Can be expanded with S.D cards. I have an external 160GB hard drive for all my programs and only use the internal 4GB flash drive for Windows XP Home. Linux is O/K but is very limited, as most of my software is Windows based. Do a customised install of Windows and you can get rid of all the bloatware that Microsoft thinks you need, and save a lot of disc spaceand it boots a lot faster as well. I also use mine as a Sat Nav, withAutoroute 2008 with the GPS Sensor included. It just plugs in a USB port and fixes real fast. The Autoroute is installed on a SD card so I don't have to carry the external drive. It's got Bluetoth as well so you can put all your MP3's on it and listen with Bluetooth Headphones. It's also pretty good with Video. So all in all I'm very pleased with this little beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Update as promised on the Asus EeePC 901 XP -brilliant so far. I have never had a computer that loads essentials so quickly. It found the network immediately, boots up in a few seconds, good clear screen and the keyboard is just about ok. As I touch-type I found it rather small at first but I am getting used to it. So far the battery says it will only last for about 5 hours but maybe improve after a few recharges. The software seems to be alright although I was about to run MS Office from an SSD card. I have 4 email addresses and all were up and working in about 4 minutes and the download of emails from the server (had forgotten to delete them before connecting) took milliseconds and there were over 550 on one account. Well worth the money and with two years' guarantee which can be extended to three (don't know how much though and less than 30 days to find out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I too am looking for a new Lappy. I want all the bells and whistles including CD/DVD re-writer WiFi, blue tooth etc.(Without having to plug extra bits into it) Preferably Windows XP and not Linux as there is no one responsible for this software as its freeware in the public domain. But I want it physically small. a 10" screen will do me just fine. The closest I can find is the Acer Aspire 2920 which now comes with a 250gig hard drive and 2 gig ram as standard but can have 4 gig if you ask nicely. £400.00) But its just a bit too big physically, its the same size as my existing Tosh which is OK in the camper but not as hand luggage. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I'd be very surprised if you can find a 10" lappy with a built in optical drive Clive, there just isn't room for one in such a small unit. The 10" screen is ok for web surfing and general use but it is a tad small for any serious use such as photo editing or significant scribbling. We use Jacqui's 10" laptop for coms (email, internet phone etc) and storage of photos from the cameras, other than that its J's every day machine while I still have my 15.4" Advent which did seem absolutely HUGE after two weeks with the little one. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.