Chasing with a Netbook

[Darrin Rasberry]

I've got an Eee PC, I believe the same model Joey mentioned, and mine runs all my radar apps just fine. Smoothing works fine on them for those that use it. I even run GR2AE on mine along with GRL3 and SL4SC and they all run fine. The volume explorer on GR2AE works fine. I upgraded the ram to 2GB on mine, but all the radar apps ran fine on it with the 1GB it came with.

I've been very impressed with my Eee PC so far, it's an awesome little netbook. I have not regretted getting it at all.

Got an Asus EEE PC 1000 HA and had the screen bust when I closed the laptop (not roughly). Got a replacement and had the keyboard arrive DOA, and (attaching a keyboard to it) I found that even with a 2 gig stick the unit didn't really do *extremely* well with GRlevel 3, although it wasn't horrible, either.

Coincidentally, my main unit blew out at the same time, leaving me computer-naked, so I invested in the Asus N10J with the Atom 270 processor. It is the *only* unit out there that is of the above poster's duly noted, otherwise absent "business quality" netbook. It has a MUCH better keyboard, comes with its own 2gig of RAM (although I replaced it with my own 2gig stick), a keyboard in better shape, and if you get the "N10J-A2" model, your own copy of Windows XP-business to downgrade from the awful Vista Business (although be careful when you load the drivers on this). It runs perfectly with all GR's, mainly due to the onboard NVidia 9800 graphics card with dedicated 256mb ram, and has MUCH nicer peripherals like a better-quality keyboard, mouse, and even fingerprint-reader that works with XP. Its 10.1 inch screen is actually brighter than other netbooks I've seen.

If you're going to chase with a smaller computer and you're up to spending $600-$700, I recommend this Asus n10j-A2 unit (or the cheaper A1 unit if you can stomach Vista Home, which is unable to be downgraded to XP without buying a brand new copy of it, and 160gig vs 320gig hd). It's good enough for me to use indefinitely as my home computer, as well

EDIT: This unit has three and a half hours battery life on XP. I've heard it is longer when Vista stays on there.

 

[Cris Schroeder]

I have been seriously looking at a netbook to replace my big, heavy, power hungry Toshiba Satellite. I have a couple of questions, maybe someone can help me out.

1st is processor Atom or Celeron...which one is better? I will be using this netbook strictly for chasing, so It needs to be able to run GRLevel3, and Streets and Trips, and IE for data analysis. Is overheating a problem with either of these?

2nd is hard drive...traditional 100+GB HD or the smaller solid state 16 GB HD? I like the idea of no moving parts. Does anyone know the pros and cons with either?

3rd is visibility in daylight...my toshiba has a very glossy screen which makes it difficult to see in sunlight. Are any of the models out there any better in this regard?

I have the EeePC 1000H with the Atom processor. I have it set up to run GR3, Delorme SA2009, Fransen GPSGate, and Adobe Flash Encoder (for streaming video, if I decide to go that route) All apps run fine. I played with the Eee over Christmas and didn't think much of it. The whole netbook market is evolving rapidly so don't get suckered into some of the low-cost deals on the early underpowered units.

I went with the 160 Gb hard drive instead of flash memory to keep the cost down and get the extra storage. There is no optical drive on the netbook and I want to use it for travel, so I'll have to load my entertainment onto the hard drive.

My other laptop is also a Toshiba Satellite. I hate the glossy screen. The Eee has a matte screen and the backlighting is even brighter than the Toshiba. I have not used the netbook in direct sunlight yet, but anywhere else the screen is easier to read than the Toshiba.

You have to keep in mind what the netbook is designed for. It is not a replacement for a normal laptop or a desktop machine. The keyboards are smaller and some of the keys have been moved to inconvenient locations. You wouldn't want to type a novel on one. But, you get a very small, lightweight package with decent capability. The 1.6 GHz Atom machine with a 533 MHz front-side bus and 1 Gig of RAM almost exactly matches the specs of my old Dell Inspiron laptop, which I used just fine before I bought the Toshiba. The netbook specs are are lower than full-size laptops but are better than many state-of-the-art machines just 4-5 years ago.

I chase in a Chevy Aveo so space is a premium. I wanted small size and light weight, at a really low cost. So far, the Eee has greatly exceeded my expectations. We'll see how the chase season evolves.

 

[Walt VanRheen]

the key to any notebook/netbook is memory. MAX the memory. Everyone, max your memory. I am getting 2gb sticks in the $25 range. I wanted to take my laptop to 4gb, but it will only handle 2. the second factor is video, the ATOM processor MB have intel video on them, which really is not that great. I am waiting for the envidia MB with the ATOM processor. I saw it at the CES show and spoke with the lead on the project. I was watching them display in full 1080p HD from this very small palm held computer and it was amazing. he thought when it comes to market, it would be in the $500 range.

 

[Jason Caster]

Has anyone tried a usb aircard or tethering with the eee? Any issues or conflicts with the built in wifi?

Anyone tried video editing with it?

 

[Dave Marshall]

Tethering to my old eee PC was fine with the Verizon USB720. So long as you pay attention as you install the associated software and don't tell it to take control of the wifi card as well, there was no trouble at all.

Graphics is where netbooks lack the most, and video editing beyond the most basic of conversion programs and the like is extremely painful to impossible. Heck some of the netbooks can't really even *play* video very well, much less edit it. If its HD or anything of good quality, forget it. You'd be much better served with a (more expensive) tablet PC with a 12" screen, or even one of the 15.4" low end Toshiba or HP full size laptops that start around $550 if you really want to edit in the field.

I ended up building a compact desktop PC and installing it under the back seat for editing and a few other tasks. It is insane how cheap low end desktops are to custom build these days.