Need help finding a good deal on a mini notebook

[disneyvacalover]

MY DAUGHTER WANTS A MINI NOTEBOOK. Any advice? Of course she wants a pink one. I want to make sure she gets the most for her money. I also don't want to spend more than $300.00.

Any suggestions?
TIA!

 

[serene56]

CAnt help you but figured this article might help you find where to start.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/151346/mininotebook_mania_part_2.html

 

[robb01]

I can recommend the Acer One, its a solid little laptop w/ great ratings

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-A..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=116RK3FW0AFKXQSDQKRD

 

[henri + katie's mum]

I see the Acers are starting at $328 at Walmart.com.
I guess that's a good price.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...01969-module205129-rLink2&product_id=10974902

Although I think BJ's (wholesale club) had one brand (not sure which) on special last month below $300. They were gone by the time I got to the store.

 

[beccasmom]

I bought the Acer One with the 10-inch screen about a month ago and love it! I plan to take it to WDW on my next trip because it is much lighter than my larger notebook. I purchased mine from Amazon; I believe it was around $345.00. It does come in colors, but not pink - red, blue, white and black; I purchased the blue.

I tether my Blackberry to it to gain access to the Internet for files I need for work. I love my Blackberry, but typing on it for long periods is just too tedious for me and the screen too small, so the Acer is a good go-between when my larger notebook is not available. The keyboard of the Acer is small, but I have small hands so it works well for me. My netbook has the Windows OS, some netbooks use Linux, although I understand this is rapidly changing.

Here is a brief review of some of most popular ones --- including the pink one Also, Consumer Reports has a review of them in their latest issue.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/134/scobleizer-net-worth.html

 

[henri + katie's mum]

Acer 8.9" Aspire One Netbook with Intel Atom Processor N270, 1GB DDR2, 80GB HDD @ BJ's $249.99 http://shop.bjs.com/Acer-8-9--34--A...80GB-HDD_stcVVproductId66808344VVviewprod.htm

Acer Aspire One A150-1126 8.9" Netbook Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz, 1GB, 160GB HD, 6 Cell Battery, 802.11b/g, Webcam, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (White) - LU.S040B.162 @ Buy.com $289.95
http://www.buy.com/prod/acer-aspire...270-1-6ghz-1gb-160gb/q/loc/101/209027374.html

There are a lot more brands listed on Buy.com (Scroll to the botton and read carefully because some are refurbs) http://www.buy.com/cat/netbooks/66726.html

Good Luck!

 

[nunzia]

I got the Dell mini..it came in under 300 with XP on it. Cehck out dell.com. They've been running quite a few specials.

 

[PinkRhombus]

Look at the Dell Outlet. These are scratch & dents or refurbs that carry full warranties. My "scratch" was a black mark that came off with a Mr. Clean eraser.

Saves a LOT.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh

There is a pink 9-inch on there now (may not be in a few minutes though) at $239

 

[4 Little Bears]

Look at the Dell Outlet. These are scratch & dents or refurbs that carry full warranties. My "scratch" was a black mark that came off with a Mr. Clean eraser.

Saves a LOT.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh

There is a pink 9-inch on there now (may not be in a few minutes though) at $239

My dad recommended the dell outlet site to me. I ordered a mini 10 last Tuesday, and it arrived on Thursday. Same options as the new minis, but really half the price at $315.

 

[fac]

I tether my Blackberry to it to gain access to the Internet for files I need for work. I love my Blackberry, but typing on it for long periods is just too tedious for me and the screen too small, so the Acer is a good go-between when my larger notebook is not available. The keyboard of the Acer is small, but I have small hands so it works well for me. My netbook has the Windows OS, some netbooks use Linux, although I understand this is rapidly changing.

not to hijack this thread, I have been trying to find out how people use a cell phone to connect to a laptop to gain access to the internet.

beccasmom,

do you mind sharing how this can be done?

thanks

 

[fac]

OP, I saw there are many suggestions, however, you may want to look into the battery life when you make the decision. The 6 cell may be a bit heavier and more expensive, but I think the battery can last for 4 to 6 hours which is very useful for travel.

 

[fac]

one more.. and may be you know already.. but many netbooks do not come with a CD drive, not sure whether you see it as a problem, but just want to make sure you aware..
In the case of the walmart link listed above, it comes with a portable DVD-RW drive though

 

[beccasmom]

not to hijack this thread, I have been trying to find out how people use a cell phone to connect to a laptop to gain access to the internet.

beccasmom,

do you mind sharing how this can be done?

thanks

It took me a while too! I have Verizon as my carrier and have a voice and data plan on my Blackberry. I downloaded the Blackberry Desktop Manager onto my netbook - used a flashdrive to do this - and DM must be minimized in the background at all times. The newer netbooks will probably soon have imbedded mobile broadband cards - as I have on my larger Dell laptop - but at an undoutedly higher price. Here are some links that might be helpful -- let me know if you need more assistance as I have a lot of links --- gleaned from lots of research!

http://www.bbgeeks.com/blackberry-guides/the-idiots-guide-to-using-your-blackberry-as-a-modem-88140/

http://forums.pinstack.com/showthread.php?t=105066

http://b2b.vzw.com/productsservices/wirelessinternet/broadbandaccessconnect.html

http://www.3gtethering.com/what-is-3g-tethering/

 

[fac]

beccasmom,
thanks. I am going to look into those links

 

[1PrincessMomma1]

We have A Dell Mini & an Asus Mini. Both had problems. Dells CS stunk. Asus couldn't fix the notebook but they sent out a new one even though it was my daughters fault it broke. Then they called to follow up to make sure we were satisfied. A-1 IMO. The Dell problem was Dells fault and yet I had to fix it myself. The Asus doesn't come in pink but we got it at BJ's with Windows XP for under $300 with sales tax.

 

[ImprovGal]

I just picked up an 8.9" Acer One at BJ's for $229.99 (it had a $20 instant rebate at the register). It's white, not pink; but with the right sunglasses on.....

 

[nicolesap]

We just got an Eee PC at Best Buy last week for $320 and they come in Pink!! Not sure if they are still on sale this week--but it's been fabulous for the week that we've had it, and my boyfried (who of course did not get the pink one) is SUPER picky about computers researched them forever until he finally bought this one, PM me if you want the specs, and I can have him give them to you...

 

[DisneyMissy318]

Don't forget you can always get a "skin" for it and make it any color you want! As well, there are many places that can do custom designs as well as cool ones that they stock. For example - istyles.com - lots of designs to choose from - http://www.istyles.com/computing-laptop-c-448_493.html

We are looking for a mini too - thanks for the Dell Outlet info!

 

[1PrincessMomma1]

We just got an Eee PC at Best Buy last week for $320 and they come in Pink!! Not sure if they are still on sale this week--but it's been fabulous for the week that we've had it, and my boyfried (who of course did not get the pink one) is SUPER picky about computers researched them forever until he finally bought this one, PM me if you want the specs, and I can have him give them to you...

The Eee PC is by Asus. Great CS from them. I didn't know it came in pink. We've had white & black.

 

[tampabrat22]

I just bought the Dell Mini 9 a week ago from the Dell outlet for my sons upcoming bday. It's black and had the upgraded memory (1000MB) and 1.3 mega pixel web cam. I cant find a mark on it, it runs perfectly and has a warranty and total cost was $244!

There was a 15% off coupon for the Dell outlet floating around the net, not sure if it is still good but you may be able to find something here; http://twitter.com/DellOutlet