RAV4fun
Observer
I thought about that too...I'd have to remember where I read about how to stop Ubuntu from refinding, mounting, and announcing the remount everytime you wake it up from sleep mode...
should be the cheaper way to go though...
hhmmmmm
netbooks
- Thread starter haven
- Start date
I thought about that too...I'd have to remember where I read about how to stop Ubuntu from refinding, mounting, and announcing the remount everytime you wake it up from sleep mode...
should be the cheaper way to go though...
hhmmmmm
Root Moose
Expedition Leader
For us Apple people, the rumour mill is saying there is a 10" iPod touch type machine coming that will be analogous to a netbook. The iPod touch and iPhone run Mac OS X after all, I'm expecting big things in this format. Estimated cost is $800 so higher than the typical net book.
jeffryscott
2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
Or, you can buy a 300 MSI Wind (or the Dell Mini 9) and hack it very easily to run OS X. I did that with a Wind and it is a great little Mac, so far the only thing that doesn't work is the microphone for iChat, but a software hack is coming, or a $20 USB dongle fixes it. The Dell is even more compatible, but comes with the small SSD, 8.9" screen and the MSI has a 10 inch screen, and standard 2.5" 160gb hard drive. I have a 99% functional Mac running 10.5.6 that I can carry in my book bag for school, or fit in a pocket of my work bag.
I want to try a Dell, as I like the design better ... Ideally, I'd love to get the HP 2140 as the industrial design and keyboard are beautiful, but getting OS X on it is a bit more of a challenge. That all said, I can't wait to see what, or if, Apple does something as it will be a game changer in this market.
Outdoorsben
Observer
Don't hold your breathe for apple to put anything out on the market. Apple's products are expensive and they will NEVER make a netbook to fit in the $400-$500 market.
jeffryscott
2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
I've been an Apple user since the early 90s, can't say they aren't inexpensive, but the quality is worth the price in my opinion. While looking for the netbook, I was looking at all the PC hardware in the 13-15-inch range. To me, there was no comparison between the physical build quality and the industrial design of the MacBook and the rest. Prices weren't substantially higher for the Apple, considering what you get. The MSI Wind I bought is a cheap piece of plastic, but it serves a purpose. If/when Apple comes to market with something in this size, I would be willing to pay a premium for the hardware, as no doubt lots of other folks would too judging from Apple's profits and bank account.
Rumors galore right now of 10-inch screen orders by Apple ... so, likely something is headed our way, just don't know when or what. And no, it won't be $400, but, it will no doubt be interesting.:drool:
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Root Moose
Expedition Leader
Rumours on the street are something in the $800 range.
Please, let's not get into the Mac vs PC debate. It is un-winnable regardless what side of the divide you are on.
Please, let's not get into the Mac vs PC debate. It is un-winnable regardless what side of the divide you are on.
Outdoorsben
Observer
I agree with this comment 100%. That's why I won't respond to the previous comment. In the end a computer all takes us to the same place, the internet.
craig
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
It seems like a reasonable thing, but the reality is that laptop HDD are more than robust enough to work inside a vehicle. There are thousands of carputer users on mp3car.com and the collective experience there indicates that a SSD isn't necessary.
Personally, I've had both a carputer and a UMPC inside my truck for 5 years and 70,000 miles now and haven't experienced any hard drive failures, skips, misses, freezes, etc. Netbooks and UMPCs are designed to be toted around. Most of them have shock mounted hard drives already. Modern hard drives are used inside of iPods w/o a problem. I thought I'd need an SSD and worried about my HDD for years before feeling truly confident that it wouldn't fail.
Craig
Outdoorsben
Observer
You are correct that many drives have an anti drop system where the HD shuts down if it feels like it's being dropped. Perhaps it's just because I work with computers on a daily basis where I feel more comfortable with an SSD because I know it won't fail or have the potential to get mashed around. Ipod's use flash memory not a hard drive. A lot of UMPC's and MID's use flash memory as well.
Root Moose
Expedition Leader
Generally agree with this. Being an IT geek I was going to RAID 1 my 2.5" drive in the nav computer I am building. But for the price of it a single SSD makes more sense at this point in time. IIRC ~32GB SSDs are very approachable provided that is enough space for what you are doing.
craig
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
iPods use 1.8" Toshiba HDDs (e.g. http://www.command-tab.com/2007/03/11/upgrading-ipod-hard-drives/)
In my experience, and it may not apply to everyone, field hard drives fill up very rapidly with maps, music, and photos. I'm upgrading from 80gb to 160gb next weekend.
SSDs will work too, and I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from putting one in. I just want to make sure people don't think it's a requirement when experience has proven otherwise.
In my experience, and it may not apply to everyone, field hard drives fill up very rapidly with maps, music, and photos. I'm upgrading from 80gb to 160gb next weekend.
SSDs will work too, and I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from putting one in. I just want to make sure people don't think it's a requirement when experience has proven otherwise.
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Outdoorsben
Observer
I was more talking about the nano not the main ipod. Sorry bout that I guess we were both right/wrong. Anyways, there are TONS of online storage for pictures such as photobucket, flickr, and picasa just to name a few. Or you can use free online storage such as a-drive. I have about 40gb of flash memory on my netbook. Now I don't take stunning photo's so my pictures don't take up as much space. It would make an interesting thread to see how much space is used/needed on everyone's expo netbook/laptop.
Root Moose
Expedition Leader
FWIW, I view using a netbook (or embedded computer for that matter) as a transient storage device. The only permanent thing on it is the OS, software and map data. Everything else can be burned to DVD or copied to CF/SD for storage or uploaded to home base once network bandwidth is found again.
Working this way you don't need a big hard drive. I have topo maps for all of Canada from the SK/MB border to all points east. It occupies about ~20GB so that is workable with a 32GB drive.
Of course, if you can afford bigger space then go for it.
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jammyauto
Adventurer
How about washboard? Have you traveled in Baja or Death Valley at all? We travel these areas frequently and have driven hundred of miles continuously on washboard that makes the entire vehicle shake so bad that I'm just amazed all the windows are still intact. Do you think a HDD netbook mounted to my center console would be functional in such an environment?