inspiron duo, i pad or a laptop? I am looking to buy an inspiron duo, an i pad or a laptop (w/4gb ram and 500gb hdd). I do understand the differences between those three items I mentioned, but I wanted to hear some opinions on which might be a better option for now.I own a netbook but I am pretty bored with it; no CD/DVD drive, somewhat slow when multitasking, maybe a bit small...With a normal laptop I can do everything I could not do on the netbook and more.On the other hand I am interested in getting an inspiron duo to replace my netbook and at the same time getting a tablet, and it also looks neat. I'm concerned about the battery since it cannot be exchanged.As for the i pad I am not sure, it looks cool but I am not fond of apple products myself... inspiron duo, i pad or a laptop? I am looking to buy an inspiron duo, an i pad or a laptop (w/4gb ram and 500gb hdd). I do understand the differences between those three items I mentioned, but I... » Read More inspiron duo, i pad or a laptop? I am looking to buy an inspiron duo, an i pad or a laptop (w/4gb ram and 500gb hdd). I do understand the differences between those three items I mentioned, but I wanted to hear some opinions on which might be a better option for now.I own a netbook but I am pretty bored with it; no CD/DVD drive, somewhat slow when multitasking, maybe a bit small...With a normal laptop I can do everything I could not do on the netbook and more.On the other hand I am interested in getting an inspiron duo to replace my netbook and at the same time getting a tablet, and it also looks neat. I'm concerned about the battery since it cannot be exchanged.As for the i pad I am not sure, it looks cool but I am not fond of apple products myself... « Show Less
1531293
owned dell duo back in late December, daily user great little machine...only con I have is battery time about 3hrs...Audio station ($50) a must have if you decided to go with dell duo
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Well if you are bored with you netbook, because it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, slow at multitasking and a bit small I wouldn't get the inspiron duo to replace it because it is pretty much the same thing. It doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, it is a bit slow and it is small at 10.1 screen. I would get the inspiron duo instead of a ipad for sure though, because it is almost the same price and it seems like you can do more with it like for instance use flash, plus it comes with a keyboard when you don't want to touchscreen type everything. But for you, it seems a laptop might be the best choice. But the inspiron duo is really cool when it flips. :) Well if you are bored with you netbook, because it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, slow at multitasking and a bit small I wouldn't get the inspiron duo to replace it because it is pretty much the same thing. It doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, it is a bit slow and it is small at 10.1 screen. I would get the inspiron duo instead of a ipad for sure though, because it is almost the same price and it seems like you can do more with it like for instance use flash, plus it comes with a keyboard when you don't want to touchscreen type everything. But for you, it seems a laptop might be the... » Read More Well if you are bored with you netbook, because it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, slow at multitasking and a bit small I wouldn't get the inspiron duo to replace it because it is pretty much the same thing. It doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, it is a bit slow and it is small at 10.1 screen. I would get the inspiron duo instead of a ipad for sure though, because it is almost the same price and it seems like you can do more with it like for instance use flash, plus it comes with a keyboard when you don't want to touchscreen type everything. But for you, it seems a laptop might be the best choice. But the inspiron duo is really cool when it flips. :) « Show Less
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I upgraded both the ram and the hard drive to a solid state drive.But bewarned it takes ddr2 ram which cost twice as much as ddr3 ram.Also I recommend getting this macbook because it heats up very fast and barely can run a 1080p YouTube video.You're better off saving you money for a better laptop.
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Thank you for the response. What do I need on the Laptop. Not very Computer literate, bet you could tell that. :-)
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I'm sorry, I don't know what that is ... but if you find out, and you end up deciding on this laptop ... I am thinking about selling mine. It's awesome, but I am disabled and have a very hard time lifting it and working with the mouse and external cd dvc drive i got for it. Mostly lifting it, though. I want another hp envy that is smaller (although the big screen is nice!) I've used it a handful of times. Of course I would sell it at a discount, and if I sell it on ebay (I have 100% positive reviews), you could get a square trade warranty for it. Let me know. And if you telp me what 10 point multi-touch is, maybe I can actually answer your question. Thanks. I'm sorry, I don't know what that is ... but if you find out, and you end up deciding on this laptop ... I am thinking about selling mine. It's awesome, but I am disabled and have a very hard time lifting it and working with the mouse and external cd dvc drive i got for it. Mostly lifting it, though. I want another hp envy that is smaller (although the big screen is nice!) I've used it a handful of times. Of course I would sell it at a discount, and if I sell it on ebay (I have 100% positive reviews), you could get a square trade warranty for it. Let me know. And if you telp me what 10... » Read More I'm sorry, I don't know what that is ... but if you find out, and you end up deciding on this laptop ... I am thinking about selling mine. It's awesome, but I am disabled and have a very hard time lifting it and working with the mouse and external cd dvc drive i got for it. Mostly lifting it, though. I want another hp envy that is smaller (although the big screen is nice!) I've used it a handful of times. Of course I would sell it at a discount, and if I sell it on ebay (I have 100% positive reviews), you could get a square trade warranty for it. Let me know. And if you telp me what 10 point multi-touch is, maybe I can actually answer your question. Thanks. « Show Less
507384
It honestly doesn't really matter. It's all about your preference on which one is the best. If you're talking about the quality and speed, then try and find one that has a 2 g/hz processor or above. I personally like dells, they are a very reliant computer. Plus, they have a very cool look to them. But, to me, if you're willing to spend some money, MacBooks are the way to go. Not only does the software not crash, apple has always had very good products. The only draw-back to it is the cost. So, in conclusion, it's all about what you're willing to spend.
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@E - thanks. So many things coming out at once, I just wanted to be sure I would waste my time if it operated like an iPad. I love my ASUS Notebook G50VT and want to expand my options.
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I'm curious to know what you chose and how you feel. I'm having this same problem right now. I bought the touchsmart, and it's on the way. But I'm thinking I should have considered imac. Every mac customer loves them, i'm told they last better, perhaps I should pay more for the less equipped machine.For us we primarily use the computer for websurfing, email, word processing, spreadsheets, and picture storage and minor editing (pics of our toddler for grandparents) We're as basic as they come. I have an ipad, she has an hp touchpad, we have an hp netbook, and we have 3 iphones in our family. So we're an eventually split apple/hp household. The question becomes what should i home base computer be? I'm curious to know what you chose and how you feel. I'm having this same problem right now. I bought the touchsmart, and it's on the way. But I'm thinking I should have considered imac. Every mac customer loves them, i'm told they last better, perhaps I should pay more for the less equipped machine.For us we primarily use the computer for websurfing, email, word processing, spreadsheets, and picture storage and minor editing (pics of our toddler for grandparents) We're as basic as they come. I have an ipad, she has an hp touchpad, we have an hp netbook, and we have 3 iphones in... » Read More I'm curious to know what you chose and how you feel. I'm having this same problem right now. I bought the touchsmart, and it's on the way. But I'm thinking I should have considered imac. Every mac customer loves them, i'm told they last better, perhaps I should pay more for the less equipped machine.For us we primarily use the computer for websurfing, email, word processing, spreadsheets, and picture storage and minor editing (pics of our toddler for grandparents) We're as basic as they come. I have an ipad, she has an hp touchpad, we have an hp netbook, and we have 3 iphones in our family. So we're an eventually split apple/hp household. The question becomes what should i home base computer be? « Show Less
2161418
Hi Dianne, thanks for the answer, but I dont use my Corby, as I found it to be utter JUNK,It was useless in picking up the wi-fi, I finally bought a 8" net book HD, quad core, has every port one needs, loads up super fast & works any where I need to use it, plus it only cost a mere £85,it`s even better than my 7" samsung tab2,that has no extra ports, one must use only S/sung bits.so that`s 2 tablets I have since dumped.Top names are never the best,that`s what you pay for? Thanks any way, my corby + the cover, plus my Tab 2 with blue tooth cover/key board is up for sale !!Good luck, & good bye. Sonny. Hi Dianne, thanks for the answer, but I dont use my Corby, as I found it to be utter JUNK,It was useless in picking up the wi-fi, I finally bought a 8" net book HD, quad core, has every port one needs, loads up super fast & works any where I need to use it, plus it only cost a mere £85,it`s even better than my 7" samsung tab2,that has no extra ports, one must use only S/sung bits.so that`s 2 tablets I have since dumped.Top names are never the best,that`s what you pay for? Thanks any way, my corby + the cover, plus my Tab 2 with blue tooth cover/key board is up for sale !!Good... » Read More Hi Dianne, thanks for the answer, but I dont use my Corby, as I found it to be utter JUNK,It was useless in picking up the wi-fi, I finally bought a 8" net book HD, quad core, has every port one needs, loads up super fast & works any where I need to use it, plus it only cost a mere £85,it`s even better than my 7" samsung tab2,that has no extra ports, one must use only S/sung bits.so that`s 2 tablets I have since dumped.Top names are never the best,that`s what you pay for? Thanks any way, my corby + the cover, plus my Tab 2 with blue tooth cover/key board is up for sale !!Good luck, & good bye. Sonny. « Show Less
1750501
I have a Dell Duo. Lag isn't that bad depending on what you are used to and what you do. Scrolling is smooth 90 percent of the time in excel and IE. Yes, it is a atom, but it is a dual core atom. But yeah, the best choice is the EP121. The EP121 has these advantages over the Dell Duo. 1.)SDXC/MMC card slot 2.)lighter by 1 pound 3.)Wacom pen input 4.)CPU benchmarks about twice as fast 5.)potentially double the ram 6.)faster graphics performance 7.)HDMI for video out 8.)SSD is much quicker. I tested the EP121 at windows boot to desktop and it was 20 seconds. 9.)Reliability: the SSD will not fail because of vibration or g-forces. Hard Drive Failure is likely the #1 reason why mobile computers that have them fail. 10.)bigger screen 11.)comes with a folio case for propping it up in 3 different angles/orientations 12.)MVA screen on EP121 has much better viewing angles than the Duo screen. The Dell Duo has bad vertical viewing angles and ok horizontal viewing angles in my experiance. The problem is that in portrait(in tablet mode), your vertical viewing angles are your horizontal viewing angles and so it is hard to share with someone else in portrait 13.)thinner: .66 inch vs 1 inch 14.)larger screen:12.1 inch vs 10.1 inch 15.)physical buttons accessible in tablet mode like Ctrl-Alt-Delete/window switcher, volume rocker, virtual keyboard activator, etc 16.)strengthened glass called Gorilla Glass cons 1.)maybe about 20% less battery life(Asus quotes 3 hours and Dell quotes 4 hours). In my experience though. The Dell Duo gets around 3 hours but I might be abusing the slow processor a bit with what I do with it. them fail. 2.)No physical attached keyboard in convertible form factor 3.)Hard Drive is 64GB/32GB vs. 360GB on Dell Duo 4.)Price
475544
My (current) laptop is a Dell Latitude that comes in right at 1.5 inches thick. It's a snug fit but there is plenty of give in the padding. I'm able to get both the laptop and my ipad (with leather foldover cover) in the laptop area with no problems. It's snug, but then you want it to be snug.
551618
Netbooks are good for basic web surfing or typing, but not for games. I have an Asus 1000He for about 3 months now. I tried many games on it. Most of them run very slowly or don't start at all. I think it can handle games before 2000, but that's about it. You should consider a bigger laptop with a discrete graphic.
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Don't do it. I read a post from Cnet.com that reviewed a Atom 1.6 / 1.8 processor powered netbook with Vista and 1 GB of RAM and it was a slug. If memory serves me right it was a Dell. I have XP Pro on the MSI Wind with 1 GB or RAM and it has worked fine so far. But this is a loaner and I've only had it for 48 hours. So far I very impressed. I'm going to turn it loose in my middle school this week and see how it fairs with students and staff.As for Vista, it would make these little books to slow for their designed purpose of being netbooks. Though I have Vista on my personal laptop and love it, I just think it is too much for them. But someone might find a way to make it work. Don't do it. I read a post from Cnet.com that reviewed a Atom 1.6 / 1.8 processor powered netbook with Vista and 1 GB of RAM and it was a slug. If memory serves me right it was a Dell. I have XP Pro on the MSI Wind with 1 GB or RAM and it has worked fine so far. But this is a loaner and I've only had it for 48 hours. So far I very impressed. I'm going to turn it loose in my middle school this week and see how it fairs with students and staff.As for Vista, it would make these little books to slow for their designed purpose of being netbooks. Though I have Vista on my personal... » Read More Don't do it. I read a post from Cnet.com that reviewed a Atom 1.6 / 1.8 processor powered netbook with Vista and 1 GB of RAM and it was a slug. If memory serves me right it was a Dell. I have XP Pro on the MSI Wind with 1 GB or RAM and it has worked fine so far. But this is a loaner and I've only had it for 48 hours. So far I very impressed. I'm going to turn it loose in my middle school this week and see how it fairs with students and staff.As for Vista, it would make these little books to slow for their designed purpose of being netbooks. Though I have Vista on my personal laptop and love it, I just think it is too much for them. But someone might find a way to make it work. « Show Less
1439331
No DVD/CD players in Netbooks One of the reasons they are cheaper[I have 2 and am happy with them but you need an external drive if you want to play games/movies] If that usage is important buy a laptop.
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I'm a med student myself, actually already an MD here in my country, but plan in taking my step 1 this june... anyways, I have to recomend ASUS, the laptop has 5 stars build quality as well as performance! I actually bought the ASUS UL80vt, and fits perfectly to my lifestyle, and just so you know, that 12 hr battery thing is for real!!! you should get the ul80vt instead, its quite faster and better at multitasking than the ul30A-x5 since it has turboboos technology, also the screen is 14.1 and comes with DVD drive, which you may not use as much, but I prefer to have it than not.... BTW, go with the Silver model, it looks nicer!!! happy shopping!, let me know what you went for! I'm a med student myself, actually already an MD here in my country, but plan in taking my step 1 this june... anyways, I have to recomend ASUS, the laptop has 5 stars build quality as well as performance! I actually bought the ASUS UL80vt, and fits perfectly to my lifestyle, and just so you know, that 12 hr battery thing is for real!!! you should get the ul80vt instead, its quite faster and better at multitasking than the ul30A-x5 since it has turboboos technology, also the screen is 14.1 and comes with DVD drive, which you may not use as much, but I prefer to have it than not.... BTW, go... » Read More I'm a med student myself, actually already an MD here in my country, but plan in taking my step 1 this june... anyways, I have to recomend ASUS, the laptop has 5 stars build quality as well as performance! I actually bought the ASUS UL80vt, and fits perfectly to my lifestyle, and just so you know, that 12 hr battery thing is for real!!! you should get the ul80vt instead, its quite faster and better at multitasking than the ul30A-x5 since it has turboboos technology, also the screen is 14.1 and comes with DVD drive, which you may not use as much, but I prefer to have it than not.... BTW, go with the Silver model, it looks nicer!!! happy shopping!, let me know what you went for! « Show Less
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I would suggest checking into the MSI Wind. I personally haven't had the pleasure (or possibly horror, but let us hope not) of using any of these products yet but I am looking into them for the same reason as you. Currently I am leaning towards the Aspire One, but I have gone back and forth with the MSI Wind. The Aspire does offer CF slots which are fairly cheap to expand. Also if you are technically inclined you can replace the hard drive to which it is equipped with an Ipod (ZIF) hard drive. With all of that said rumor has it that the Dell "E" is being released on the 15th of August with a base price of $299 USD. The most important qualities for me are a lengthy battery life (which the aspire does not have with the included 3 cell battery, ~3 hours) and a solid comfortable keyboardfor extended typing sessions. Good luck in your quest!
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Mine was "good to go" - I had a second laptop and I used my URL to copy files, documents, etc to the Dell. My problem came much later. It was a VERY good laptop for what I used it for. I am away from home days at a time - I wanted a second laptop so I could keep one with me - leave the other at home. Mostly e-mail, on-line banking, games. I had my D610 about a year (I purchased it "refurbished"). About a month ago I stared getting error messages and freezes ..then it crashed. I took it to the shop and they could not fix it. While I had it I used it A LOT and it was a very good second laptop. I am now considering a NEW ACER notebook for about $200. My first was an ACER and it is nearly 8 years old and very reliable.
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The laptop has 2 ram slots, i just put in mine 2x4gb crucial memories and works like a charm, before i had only the 4 gb original hynix memory in it. Also you have 2 hdd drive bays which is a rare thing into a laptop especially at this price so you can easily put in a ssd drive to speed up the system. @Lemas I don't know what problems are you experiencing but I had 0 problems with it I used windows 8 and i just upgraded to 8.1 without any problems and i am using it for more than 6 months now and is my main work laptop so it runs almost 24h/day.@Rudy yeah having a big touch pad you can easily move the cursor around so i suggest you use a mouse and shutdown the touch using FN+F7 keys. The laptop has 2 ram slots, i just put in mine 2x4gb crucial memories and works like a charm, before i had only the 4 gb original hynix memory in it. Also you have 2 hdd drive bays which is a rare thing into a laptop especially at this price so you can easily put in a ssd drive to speed up the system. @Lemas I don't know what problems are you experiencing but I had 0 problems with it I used windows 8 and i just upgraded to 8.1 without any problems and i am using it for more than 6 months now and is my main work laptop so it runs almost 24h/day.@Rudy yeah having a big touch pad... » Read More The laptop has 2 ram slots, i just put in mine 2x4gb crucial memories and works like a charm, before i had only the 4 gb original hynix memory in it. Also you have 2 hdd drive bays which is a rare thing into a laptop especially at this price so you can easily put in a ssd drive to speed up the system. @Lemas I don't know what problems are you experiencing but I had 0 problems with it I used windows 8 and i just upgraded to 8.1 without any problems and i am using it for more than 6 months now and is my main work laptop so it runs almost 24h/day.@Rudy yeah having a big touch pad you can easily move the cursor around so i suggest you use a mouse and shutdown the touch using FN+F7 keys. « Show Less