mini-pc

Notebook or Netbook? It's a question for the ages, or at least for anyone shopping for a new portable PC. Buy.com has the Acer Aspire One Netbook for a tantalizing $289.99 shipped. The hitch: it's a refurb.

The last time I posted about the Aspire One, it was $309.99 new. However, this refurb has much beefier specs, including 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and Windows XP instead of Linux.

The One also features a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, an 8.9-inch screen, a Webcam, and 802.11b/g wireless. It's modeled … Read more

My (new) thinking regarding Netbooks: They have their place in the world, but if you're going to spend more than $300 on one, you might as well spend $400 and get a full-fledged notebook. Anyone who agrees should check out Dell's Inspiron Mini 9, currently on sale for $299 shipped.

Available in Obsidian Black or Alpine White (other color choices are available, but add to the cost), the Mini 9 runs Ubuntu Linux and comes with 512MB of RAM, a 4GB solid-state hard drive, and an 8.9-inch LED display.

Dell gives you a host of configuration options, … Read more

In the market for a Netbook? Amazon has the baseline HP 2133 on sale for $299, down from $499. Right away that solves one of the HP's main problems: its high price. Best of all, this is a new unit--not a refurb--and you don't have to deal with any rebates.

The HP 2133 is the one Netbook I've actually reviewed, and I liked it well enough, except for two issues: price and performance. But my eval unit came with Windows Vista and a $799 price tag; the model Amazon is selling has SUSE Linux and costs $299. … Read more

Though not quite as cheap as the Asus Eee PC from a couple weeks ago, the Acer Aspire One is one of the top-rated Netbooks (there's a contradiction in terms), and you can get it for just $309 shipped--no rebates required. Hey, they gotta do something to unload these lemons, right?

I kid, I kid. While I still don't see the appeal of a PC with a tiny screen, tiny keyboard, tiny amount of storage, mediocre battery life, and limited video-playback capabilities, at least the prices are starting to get more attractive.

This particular model comes with … Read more

Are you looking for a lightweight, ultraportable PC that's easy on the wallet? Mwave.com has the Asus Eee PC 900 20G for $294 (after a $65 mail-in rebate). Ground shipping will run you about $11.

In case you're not familiar with the Eee PC, it's one of the new breed of "Netbooks" that have become incomprehensibly popular in recent months. I say that because I'm not a fan--I prefer a full-size screen and keyboard, and enough processing power to do more than just check e-mail and cruise the Web.

That said, people seem … Read more

We're waiting to get our hands on the delayed CherryPal PC, an innovative and inexpensive desktop meant to connect you to the cloud, but it's not the only mini PC vying for your attention.

Earlier this month, we reviewed Acer's Aspire X1200 and HP's latest Pavilion Slimline, two relatively full-featured desktops shrunk down to a small form factor. The Acer is the better deal on paper, though it may require some mucking about with drivers and settings before it's fully operational. A few tweaks and a BIOS update were required before we had video and … Read more

Apparently it's Miniature PC Release Week and nobody told me.

On Monday, Fujitsu officially announced the U810 mini-notebook, and on Tuesday, Stealth Computer released a mini PC that it says will fit into a human palm (well, sort of). Though I'm sure the results will differ for everyone, suffice it to say, this is a wee computer.

It measures just under 3 inches tall, 6 inches wide and 10 inches deep. The Little PC--not the most creative or specific name, but whatever--will have Intel's Pentium and Celeron M series processors, and lots of connectivity options: LAN, serial, … Read more

A few years ago, we purchased a Sony "Slimtop" PC--and it wasn't even the tablet model, so please don't ask us why. (We were trying to lose weight at the time, so maybe it was some twisted form of projection. Enough about that.)

A new Samsung mini-PC, by comparison, makes the Slimtop seem morbidly obese. The MX10 measures a scant 10.4 by 11.8 inches and, other than its thickness of slightly more than 2 inches, is smaller than a lot of laptops on the market (sans screen, of course). Akihabara News says it includes … Read more