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My netbook is starting to show its age.
It is an XP machine, and has been a reliable and useful tool for 5 years or so now, and has travelled the world with me.
However, it is missing a few screws, has a tendency to run the fan all the time, the battery life is deteriorating and it starting to feel a little 'old'.
The trouble is I love the proper keyboard and its functionality.
It has XL, Word, Webmatrix, Filezilla, Dropbox etc etc etc on it and it is small enough to be unobtrusive when I travel.
I have a dongle for t'interweb access when there is no wifi and I just couldn't bear to be without it or something similar.
So, it looks like replacement time.
Should I go for another netbook, (given that they seem to be in the twilight of their life cycle it could be cheap), or go for a completely new tech format.
I prefer the keyboard option, (a tablet is fine for browsing, but for serious stuff like spreadsheets etc it is useless), or does the MS Surface work properly as a machine to do 'Work' on?
Is there another maker of small form factor devices that would fit the bill?
Consider this...
I need it to be smallish.
It has to be able to handle Excel.
There must be a keyboard rather than touchscreen typing for data input.
Win 8 is not vitally important, but Win 7 at a minimum.
Price is not a factor (within reason).
Given the above parameters, what would you suggest?
[EDIT]
I have just had someone at the office suggest the HP Envy.
Has anyone got or used this machine?
Is it any good?
[/EDIT]
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I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
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I am of no help as all my different notebooks have always been company ones. But looking at your criterions I was wondering...
Don't you consider autonomy at all? I have been using laptops everyday for years and autonomy is really what makes a huge difference between them. And that would probably be my primary criteria if I were to buy a small unit...
Seulement, dans certains cas, n'est-ce pas, on n'entend guère que ce qu'on désire entendre et ce qui vous arrange le mieux... [^]
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I made good experiences with my Dell Ultrabook[^]. If I remember right there is another version with a smaller screen if 15' is too big for you.
I have the one with SSD, i7 and 6 GB RAM and it runs even Visual Studio, Office and several SQL servers at the same time without any problems.
cheers,
Marco Bertschi
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I'm currently using the Lenovo Yoga 13 as my main travel computer, and it's pretty good. It's a full desktop system (comes with Win 8 Pro installed), and the screen rotates for "table" mode - but I wouldn't recommend trying to hold a 13" tablet in one hand.
Overall, I'm pretty impressed with it, and it's more than capable of running the office applications.
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Thanks Pete.
Yes, that looks ideal.
A little larger than I would have thought ideal, but seems versatile enough for my needs, powerful enough for my work levels and is a little cheaper than the Envy.
I will go to PC World and get the PFY to show me both models side by side.
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I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
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This[^] is probably what I'd buy today. It needs to be this big to use Excel properly, but it is still usable as a tablet.
"The ones who care enough to do it right care too much to compromise."
Matthew Faithfull
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That's another one on the list.
More options that I first thought there would be!
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I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
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The last time I looked which admittedly was a little while ago Sony Vaio and Macbook Air were the only viable Netbook size machines I would consider. The Air is great as long as you go with SSD and have deep pockets. The smaller the Vaio the more awesome and the more expensive. I worked for a guy 2 years ago who had a 10.1 inch full HD 8GB 256GBSSD foldable thing about twice the size of my phone in each dimension. They were £2500 in Hong Kong at the time and not available in the UK so he bought one for his wife as well. Nice man 
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage."
Thucydides (B.C. 460-400)
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This[^] is my next toy.
Don't go a netbook.
[tick] I need it to be smallish.
[tick] It has to be able to handle Excel.
[tick] There must be a keyboard rather than touchscreen typing for data input.
[tick] Win 8 is not vitally important, but Win 7 at a minimum.
[tick] Price is not a factor (within reason).
Bonus: You'll be constantly asked if you like your MacBook Air.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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Chris Maunder wrote: Win 8 is not vitally important
However, "Not Win 8" is vitally important.
I played with it on a laptop over the weekend and it's a total mess: is it a desktop? Is it a tablet? Microsoft clearly thought it was a good idea to make it both, and let it jump around between tiles and desktop like a demented two-headed rabbit.
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You're talking about the OS. Yeah, Win8 is a little bipolar, but a new iteration will come out, and it will make things better. Regardless, touchscreen laptops are the future.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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I have nothing against touchscreen laptops, but I am sticking with Windows 7 on my laptop and Android on my smaller devices for the forseeable future! Windows 9 will hopefully fix the current weirdiness.
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Want! Want! Want!
How much? Oh 
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H
OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre
I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer
Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: How much? Oh
Sadly good hardware in a quality build turns out to be expensive even when done by a company traditionally known for making flimsy underspecced hardware on the cheap.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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A friend of mine gave up his tablets once he bought the Surface with keyboard. Does everything he needs (including running Office).
Common sense is admitting there is cause and effect and that you can exert some control over what you understand.
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