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Can anyone recommend a netbook?


Neil Hunt

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My ubisurfer was on linux which was supposed to be a more secure system , it has a RAM of 128MB , has an embedded Sim on the Vodafone Network , using GPRS , so should work where a mobile phone would work , and has Wi-Fi capabilities , it also has a SD slot for memory as well , but apparently the new ubisurfer is now using Windows , which might help in some way , cant think what it might be though .
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I've got a Samsung NC10, and it's great. It has a battery life of around 6 to 8 hours, depending on what you use it for. I use it for just getting email etc., and it lasts several hours.

That was important to me as we don't always camp where there is electricity.

 

Not only that, it is quite small and light, and easy to tote around to find a wifi hotspot, if you're not parked in one.

 

best wishes and good luck

Wendy

PS I bought it on Amazon, and you can get an incar 12 volt charger for a few quid as well.

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Have to agree on the NC10 had one for 2 years been brilliant, Superseded now but the new model's spec doesn't look any different.

 

I would steer clear or Unisurfer & the like as they use normal phone network and every time you call up a web page it is first routed to their server in Canada then the data is compressed and sent over the mobile phone network. Not all sites will work using their compression & some are barred by their network.

Also if they go bust you have an expensive door stop.

 

 

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Alan D - 2010-10-03 10:31 AM

 

Well it looks like I have the new Ubisurfer working for the first time as I am using it for this post. I struggle with all new gadgets so I m sure the more proficient amongst you could master this notebook a lot quicker than I will. So we shall see how it progresses but so far it seems to work. It is a little slower than my laptop but it is a fraction of the size and weight and that is what I am looking for at the moment.

Alan.

Pleased to hear your Datawind Ubisurfer is actually working.

Mine went in the bin a long ago.

 

Their sales pitch regarding "internet for free" can be misleading, as the basic package restricts you to a very short time per month (only for UK, you have to purchase time when abroard) and you can not carry any unused time forward.

The major problem is web accessability, I was constantly either not being able to connect or lossing network once connected with the message "Network Busy" being the commonest function.

Every time "Network busy" came up meant you had to retry and start afresh.

Make sure you use it on a regular basis or you will constantly need to be contacting Datawind to reestablish your service.

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It seems Neil has induced quite a lot of controversy and the thread has gone off line sometimes from his original query about the Ubisurfer. All you experts out there are so computer literate and are getting superb results from your different pc`s that this little gadget will not be suitable for your use. Judge wants speed of light, yes perhaps but this device costs just over a hundred quid and is clearly not for him. I bought it for its small size, but not so small that I can`t type or read it. And all these replies about other small notebooks, correct me if I am wrong, are not comparing like for like. I simply have trouble logging on to Sites/Mcdonalds etc after lugging my heavy laptop from one end of the Site to the other to find out I cannot connect. For all you experts out there thats fine for you but it does not work for me. The difference with this little gadget from all these other opinions is it claims to work from a phone signal as well and if I can connect from the comfort of my MH, thats what I am looking for. I have had it working from home WiFi and hard wired in and on the phone signal which gives 30 hours credit per month. If there was something this cheap that kept everyone happy I`m sure we would all have had one long ago.

I am not defending this device, certainly not, as I have only just bought it and for all I know it may not be what I want but with the upgrade from the original, which some replies may have purchased it might justify a small space in the locker, we shall see. Thanks Flicka for the advice.

Alan.

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I don`t have problem, Neil specifically mentioned the Datawind Ubisurfer and it came in for a lot of stick from users who may have purchased this product a while back. I have just bought the new latest version and attempted to set the record straight from my point of view.

Alan.

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Guest JudgeMental

threads tend to ebb and flow..there is room to discuss everything within a topic?

 

I want a laptop replacement with large HD etc... not just a tool for internet, I have a blackberry that does that quite nicely and fits in my shirt pocket.

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Alan D - 2010-10-04 7:04 PM

 

I don`t have problem, Neil specifically mentioned the Datawind Ubisurfer and it came in for a lot of stick from users who may have purchased this product a while back. I have just bought the new latest version and attempted to set the record straight from my point of view.

Alan.

 

Good luck to you and the new ubisurfer , i hope it is good enough for you and your needs , my sim is now not working , i could have paid for the next 3 years use but i didnt think it was worth it , i will however keep it in the van and if my laptop lets me down i can still use it as a back up on wifi .

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Thank you Woody, I assume your sim has stopped working because your 12 months free credit has expired. There is an offer of a further 3 years credit available, which I thought about, but I will hang on and see how I get on with it first , taking your comments into consideration.

Alan.

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duffers - 2010-10-04 6:53 PM

 

As I read the initial Post

Neil was asking for advice on / recommendations of

Netbooks

 

As I read the other posts thats pretty much what he got

 

don't understand your problem Alan

 

:D

 

I have to agree, in fact the subject title is "can anyone reccomend a netbook" cant get any more specific than that :-S

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Hello All

 

I have been avidly following the thread and found it very useful and do appreciate people responding and sometimes putting their head on the block by acknowledging their own purchases.

 

I've found it a more complex decision to make than I thought partly because you end up considering facilities and circumstances you had not originally thought of. When I read about the Ubi-surfer in the CC mag I thought it sounded cheap to buy and use and had greater and easier connectivity -an ideal solution then - but wondered if it was as good as it sounded as I had not been aware of it before.

 

It would seem a simple decision after moving on from this to buy one of the netbooks recommended at around £200 from Acer/MSI/HP/Samsung (and I had now also started to think I could store music as well as an email/web information gathering tool).

 

Yesterday I had a look around the mobile phone shops at tariffs for net book connection and this seems to have a complicated and costly price structuring. (You buy credit that you lose if not used within the month as one example)

 

Bought a couple of magazines to 'clarify things' which then only put more factors to consider in the mix. From experience I know that once the object of desire is in your hand you get on with it and forget all the chasing about but the overwhelming range of choice is definitely a headache.

 

 

 

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Thanks for all your help bought a Samsung netbook in the end. Was tempted by the apple ipad but thought a. - expensive, b. - battery life limited. Also have had Ipod where battery went west so curbed in my desire for what seems like a marvel.

 

Samsung seems just the job, getting used to using it next thing to do and possibly buy a dongle.

 

 

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