I've been agonizing over various makes and models and configurations, but, of course, what decided things for me, in the end, was what was available on my local craigslist.
I've been waltzing around a Dell Mini 9, with Windows 7, 2 GB RAM, and a 16 GB SSD (no webcam) for several days, not being able to connect in person with the seller, who lives very close to my house. My chief hesitation on that one ($240) was the weirdly-configured keyboard and the sellers assertion that I 'should' be able to get more than 2 hours out of the battery.
Joe, thanks for your input the other evening.
Then, yesterday, I noticed that a local guy was selling one of these. He purchased it new from Fry's on August 14th, used it a couple of times, and decided it was too small for his needs. He advertised it repeatedly for $260, and I bought it from him today for $250.
I read a lot of reviews and it seemed to have the best combination of low-weight, sufficient power, OK webcam, and friendly keyboard layout, that I'm willing to live with the 1 GB of RAM (for now) and 3-cell battery (rated at 3 hours 15 minutes, for 'normal' use).
What helped me to decide was a half-hour at my local Costco, where I was able to try out both the Acer and an HP.
Why now? To take to Spain, in a little over a month.
Joe and I both have that one... It's a nice machine.
ReplyDeleteI didn't buy the Dell Mini 9 - I got the Acer D250.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be working well - battery meter showed over 3 hours.
Installed Firefox and played with some of the pre-installed oddities.
Looks like it will be fun.