Computer advice needed

[Petrol & Powder]

I can detail strip and reassemble a Remington Model 51 pistol and a Berretta 92 on the same bench at the same time but I'm about dumb as a brick when it comes to computers. I need help.
I'm looking for something that is small, like a tablet, but has a keyboard, like a laptop. I know I can add a keyboard to a tablet but I'd rather have it attached.
I don't need blinding speed, I don't play video games or watch full length movies on a computer. I do need to have some type of E-reader (like Kindle, Nook, etc.) and I need basic internet ability to check e-mail, surf websites and GPS mapping would be a cool plus.
I kinda like the size/price of the Kindle Fire but it lacks a keyboard. I don't want a full size laptop because I need to carry it while traveling.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Dale in Louisiana]

I had an ASUS netbook that was exactly as you describe. Mine ran Windows 7, cost around $250. It had a 3/4 size keyboard, on-board hard drive, a battery that would last for hours, and built in wireless.

Being a Windows machine, you can download Kindle for Windows as well as other programs that will support e-books.

You might want to check out Amazon on-line, or Tiger Direct or NewEgg or any of a dozen other vendors.

dale in Louisiana
(iPad, MacBook Pro, iEverything Else)

[454PB]

I bought an Acer Aspire netbook for my wife three years ago, she uses it everyday for several hours, and we have had zero problems with it. While not nearly as light and small as a tablet, it does everything you want to do.

[Petrol & Powder]

Sound good. Thanks!

[Petrol & Powder]

I bought an Acer Aspire netbook for my wife three years ago, she uses it everyday for several hours, and we have had zero problems with it. While not nearly as light and small as a tablet, it does everything you want to do.

that's cool too. Any guess on how heavy they are?

[boltaction308]

If you dont know much about computers, you are far better off getting a Mac. You can get a laptop and add a normal PC monitor and keyboard for use at your desk.

[khmer6]

PM me. I can help you find a product that fits you. (I'm not a salesman) you might be looking into a convertible. Lots of new product for 2013. Haswell and clover trail has brought power consumption to a new age.

[fortysomething]

I don't know if it fits your use or budget, but you may want to check out the MacBook Air. They have a small one with an 11.6" screen and very thin. Made with travel in mind. I am sure there are Windows-based tablets or computers that would work for you as well, but I haven't shopped those in a while.

[grumman581]

I don't know if it fits your use or budget, but you may want to check out the MacBook Air. They have a small one with an 11.6" screen and very thin. Made with travel in mind. I am sure there are Windows-based tablets or computers that would work for you as well, but I haven't shopped those in a while.

"Friends don't let friends buy Macs..."

Now, having said that, I would also have to say that I am not a fan of of the user interface of Win8 either. I was perfectly happy with Win2K and the further we go along, the more difficult it is more me to massage the user interface so that it still looks kind of like Win2K.

[Skipper]

Check out the Surface:

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-...th-windows-rt/

[Petrol & Powder]

The MacBook Air is beyond what I want to spend. I like the size/cost of the ASUS and Acer makes, but don't know much about them. Got a desktop at home with Wi-Fi in the house so the netbook would be a second device at home and a primary when on the road.
All good intel. THANKS!

[grumman581]

I have found that quite a few websites do not handle touch screen devices all that well. I have an iPad (it was a gift from my brokerage company for investing a certain amount in a brokerage account) and as such, I have a bit of experience with it. There is NO WAY that I would actually BUY an iPad. It is not a replacement for a PC -- which is kind of sad since Apple started out with a decent operating system (UNIX) and then lobotomized it to take all the useful things out of it. They even removed the mouse driver out of the version that they put on the iPad, so even if you have a Mac bluetooth mouse, it won't work with it. I view the iPad as basically a replacement for a portable DVD player, but without the capability of actually being able to play DVDs (unless you convert them to a video file on a REAL computer and then transfer them to the iPad). Although the display is nice, it's too small to read without zooming in on many web pages and then you have to pan from side to side to read the text.

I have also used Android smartphones and they are a bit better, but the screen is too small for my old eyes. Then again, I think that the iPad's screen is also too small. It kind of sucks -- the screen is too small to read with old eyes, but it's too big to carry around in a pocket. If I'm only going to be gone a couple of days and don't expect to need to get anything productive accomplished, I'll just take the iPad and smartphone, but if I foresee actually having to do something useful, I'll take a real laptop with me -- one with a real keyboard and real mouse / trackball.

Whether you use an iPad, Android tablet, laptop, or smartphone, you can put an e-book reader application on it and read various e-book formats. If I'm going to be outside in the bright sun, I prefer one of the black-and-white type Kindle devices. Their battery lasts long enough that I'm unlikely to even bother bringing a charger with me. It is a bit smaller than an iPad and is probably the maximum size that will fit in a jacket pocket. It's light enough that your coat won't noticeably hang low on one side either. But it is basically just an e-book reader. Although it has a rudimentary web browser in it that can display static pages, actually interacting with those web pages is painful.

With a PC based laptop, you can actually accomplish real work, but the battery might not last long enough for a long flight. That might not be an issue for you since many aircraft have electrical outlets under their seats these days.

If you are willing to pay a little more money, there are some rather lightweight laptops with smaller screens (albeit with good resolution). I have used one of these, but I had to wear reading glasses to make the fonts large enough to be able to read them. Some are called "netbooks" and save weight be eliminating or reducing the size of various things. With a smaller screen, it uses less power, thus they can get by with a smaller battery pack. The reduced size of the screen and the reduced size of the battery pack both save a noticeable amount of weight.

There is no one solution that will fit all your needs. You just need to determine what is most important to you and whether you can live with the disadvantages associated with it.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

then ...

[Petrol & Powder]

Grumman581 - I think you hit the nail on the head. I've played with an ipad or two but found the touch screen to be a pain when navigating web pages. I have a work iphone issued to me and that screen is fairly useless for reading text. So a slightly bigger screen and something with real keys seems to be the way for me. I don't know much about netbooks but from what people are saying, they seem to be where I'm heading. Thanks for the input.

[khmer6]

Macs would be out of the question as a secondary budget device. The idea of the surface rt is nice but not having a real computer operating system is a killer. There are some nice 10-12" touch screen windows 8 pro convertible tablet/networks out there. Touch screen with a physical keyboard. If you do end up getting a network, at least make sure it's running the latest Intel atom processor. The clover trail. I got to test drive a prototype of the HP elite pad 900 a few months ago. Really nice feel to it, I was blown away by the new atom (I had followed it since it's infancy years ago) I had expected it to be super slow, but the prototype cpu was pretty snappy. I thought Intel might up juiced it up for a prototype, but when I got a production model it was the same experience.

[Dale in Louisiana]

"Friends don't let friends buy Macs..."

Now, having said that, I would also have to say that I am not a fan of of the user interface of Win8 either. I was perfectly happy with Win2K and the further we go along, the more difficult it is more me to massage the user interface so that it still looks kind of like Win2K.

Haters gonna hate...

Low budget: That Acer Aspire One starts out at around $250 on line. I had one. Used it as my 'road machine' at hotels for a couple of years so I didn't have to unlimber my company laptop. Both were running Windoze, the Aspire was running W7, the company machine XP. Now the company-supplied machine has been 'upgraded' to W7.

The iPad was never meant to be a replacement for a laptop. I tried using it to replace my Aspire netbook. It did not make the cut.

After twenty years in the Windows world I went back to Apple. I'm very happy there. MY MP Pro dual boots is I have an aneurysm that makes me want to run Windows at home.

But for our original poster, I heartily recommend that Acer Aspire.

dale in Louisiana

[theperfessor]

I have an iPad, iPhone, and several computers. The best distinction I can make was what a friend of mine said. iPads are not content generators, they are content readers, great for reading data but pretty lame on generating it. No real spreadsheet or word processor app that's worth a diddly.

I love my iPad, but it's pretty limited compared to a real computer. And w/o a USB port it sucks trying to transfer data.

[grumman581]

Haters gonna hate...

Perhaps, but one thing that you have to remember -- liberals are more likely to own Apples than Windoze machines... You don't want someone mistaking your for a braindead liberal, do you?

Given a choice, I'll take a UNIX machine... I started with UNIX back in the days when we just had VT100 terminals... The Apple O/S could be a good one if they hadn't intentionally lobotomized it because they wanted to protect the users from themselves. I guess that kind of explains why it is used by more Democrats...

[grumman581]

I have an iPad, iPhone, and several computers. The best distinction I can make was what a friend of mine said. iPads are not content generators, they are content readers, great for reading data but pretty lame on generating it. No real spreadsheet or word processor app that's worth a diddly.

I love my iPad, but it's pretty limited compared to a real computer. And w/o a USB port it sucks trying to transfer data.

I installed a spreadsheet app on it and although it does kind of work, it's a real pain in the butt to use. You have to zoom nearly to the cell level to do anything and you can't just tab between cells. I had thought that it might be useful for a calculator for measuring lead hardness, but I eventually just setup an old out of date laptop attached to a scanner as a dedicated lead hardness testing machine.

[MtGun44]

Macs are fascist. If you do it the way that they will allow you, and do WHAT they
will allow you, you are fine. Otherwise, impossible. Win 8 is heading in that direction, try
HARD to get a Win 7 machine, it is great. I have a HP Mini 400, not super fast but
small and light. Like my brother's IRRITATING iPad but with a keypard and stand
built in. Wife has laptop too and Galaxy tablet 7 inch. Galaxy tb 7.0 is useful but
limiting, limited compared to a PC, expecially if you can actually type and want a
real keyboard.

Macs work but REALLY are irritating. My way or the highwasy is their worldview.
I like the freedom and occasionally near-anarchy of the PC world. You can get a
PC to talk to and link to and run ANYTHING. Libs use MACs and Repubs use PCs
is not entirely true but there is a grain of fact there. If you like the gov't taking
care of everything (and telling you how to run your life) you'll probably like a MAC.

Try hard for Win 7, Win 8 is a phone app trying to be a MAC Os. ICK. I have
set up two systems for non/limited computer folks and really, really dislike the
Win 8 overlay user interface. The tools are still there once you get thru the top
layer of carp but it is NOT an improvement. Unless you think a PC is a phone.

Read the perfesser's comments - dead on. If you enter data and create content
an iPad sucks, same for Galexy Tab 7, they both view pix well, browse and email
"OK". If you are competent on the desktop and want portable size, and full
capability, the Mini HP or other brands are the way to go. Do not confuse a
Kindle of any kind with a computer, it is a reader and computer funtions are
limited to selling you stuff thru Amazon.

Final point, like any government system (they are not, but are behave like) MACs are
twice as espensive, roughly.

Bill