Laptops Netbook purchase advice needed - totally confused as all look the same to me!!

N

nishantgandhi

Disciple
I'm searching for a Netbook. Budget is on the lower side of 20k, preferably close to 15k. Key usage will be casual browsing and downloading.

Must haves:
1. Portability and long(er) battery life - as I wish to tug it along for my weekend road trips
2. WiFi
3. USB ports
4. Good after sales, support and warranty (as I suffered A LOT on my Compaq laptop)
5. Screen size - Minimum 10 - the higher at this price, the better it is!

Nice to haves:
1. HDMI port

Models that I could find thru Google and corresponding prices on Ebay:
1. Acer Aspire One AO532h - Rs. 19,790
2. HP Mini 210 HD - Rs. 21,799
3. Samsung N210 - Rs. 18,950
4. MSI Wind U100 - Rs. 13,490 (Cheapest - but I have no idea about this brand)
5. Dell Inspiron Mini 10 - Rs. 19,999

I dont need too much hard disk space, since I have external portable HDDs. So that feature is not a deal breaker.

Key questions:
1. Should I go for Linux, Win 7 or Win XP?
2. 3 or 6 cell battery?
3. How important is PineTrail?
4. Is buying through Ebay safe? The only reason to buy online would be to avail discount (I'll of course check out the models physically at Croma etc.)

Are the above prices correct? Is there any better (reliable) shop in Mumbai that I should purchase from?
 
Go for the msi wind. I think MSI notebooks in India come with a 2 yr warranty v/s 1 yr by everyone else. MSI makes computer components, motherboards, graphic cards etc, and is a tier one manufacturer. They've got a pretty good rep too.

When it comes to netbooks, the performance is all basically the same. The ones with the newer atom processors cost a bit more, and perform a bit better, but they're not speed demons by any means.

Get a Linux based one if you're comfortable with that. Win7 will run without Aero, making it look mundane, and XP isn't ageing well. Linux would be more resource friendly, and would also look cooler than windows..plus you'll get everything for free, office, gimp etc.

I think most netbooks only come with a 3 cell battery, and I'd rather have that than be burdened with the extra weight. I believe a 3 cell battery on a netbook would last for atleast 6-8 hrs, which is enough for day long computing.

Buying through ebay seems safe, especially with all the buyer protection ebay has. And the warranty is handled by the company anyway. But I'd rather go and pick it up from a store instead of waiting a week to get it in the mail. Don't buy it from Croma though, I think all their products carry only a 1 yr warranty, even if the manufacturer is offering longer warranty periods.
Theres a Navi Mumbai based dealer (buygamingstuff) on Techenclave who was offering MSI notebooks some time back...scroll through the deals in Dealers Paradise, and you should find it...contact him if you've got more questions. I believe he'd be able to list on ebay as well, and you'd be able to talk to him before you made the purchase..something I always prefer. Or you could just go to his shop.
 
have ordered one dell mini10 from ebay's deal of the weak for a friend @14990 +the free monsoon gift
he was inclined toward dell and hp
about warrany dell has a good onsite warranty and it is said to be better than others
hope this help you.
 
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