Buying a netbook with Linux
Microsoft may well dominate operating system sales but Linux has a small foot in the door when it comes to netbooks, those ultra-portable devices that are big news at the moment. For a start Linux is infinitely configurable, so it suits most hardware, and comes in so many different flavours that it is bound to please everyone. We look at five classy machines that are on offer locally with Linux installed.
HP 2133
Around R5 500
HP’s 2133 was one of the first netbooks on the market – after the Asus EEE PC – and was also one of the first to offer Windows Vista as the default operating system. Which proved to be a mistake as Vista simply overloaded the machine. HP quickly revised their approach and now offers XP or Suse Linux. The model we looked at had Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 and 512MB of memory. It ships with an 8.9-inch screen and Sata hard disk of 120GB with a price tag of around R5 500.
Acer Aspire One
Around R3 500
Locally the Aspire One has a big following. It is, admittedly, a lot nicer looking than most netbooks and has a great, almost full size, keyboard. Also built on the Atom processor, the Aspire One sports Linpus Linux – which is not all that bad – or XP. The Linux version normally ships with an 8GB flash drive although it’s worth keeping a look out for one with a larger hard drive. 512MB of memory and an 8.9-inch screen make the Aspire one comparable with the other machines on this list, although you could also opt for the more expensive versions with include more memory and built-in 3G, and which could set you back more than R7 000. Which is a little more than we would pay for a netbook. The version we looked at with the specs above came in at around R3 500.
Asus EEE PC 901
Around R4 200
In many ways the Asus EEE PC started the netbook phenomenon. Its 701 machine was ultra-compact and ultra-cheap, which quickly won over consumers. In truth though, the keyboard on the 701 was way too small for most users to do much on, as was the screen. Fortunately Asus has the 901, which is bigger and better and looks the part of a real challenger. With 1GB of memory, 20GB of NAND storage – split over two drives – and an 8.9-inch screen the 901 is a real competitor to the Aspire Ones and the HPs. Asus has its own version of Linux on the machine and costs around R4 200 locally, which is a lot more than the 701 version but it is also a whole lot more machine.
Dell Inspiron Mini 9
Around R5 200
The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is one of the nicer looking machines on the market. Although also available with Windows XP, the more affordable option is the Ubuntu-based version which can be found online for around R5 200. Which puts it into the high-end of the netbooks considered in this list. Depending on the specs, however, the price could be a lot more than even this. Official Dell pricing we received put the Mini at over R7 000. The version we considered shipped with 1GB of memory, an 8GB solid state drive and the standard 8.9-inch screen. Dell lists the Inspiron on its local website but doesn’t actually allow customers to buy the machine from there for some reason.
Lenovo IdeaPad S9e/10e
Around R4 800
We’ve been long time fans of the Lenovo (originally IBM) ThinkPad notebooks so news of the IdeaPad netbook from Lenovo was enticing. Over the past couple of months the IdeaPad has shown up on numerous online shopping sites and Lenovo highlights it on its website locally. The problem is that we haven’t actually seen one yet and the ones available online are all Windows XP-based. The official Lenovo website does, however, say that a Linpus Linux version is available. We also haven’t seen the S9e version available locally, only the bigger S10e, with the 10.1-inch screen. Apart from the larger screen the IdeaPad is specced out fairly similarly to the other netbooks here, edging towards the high-end with 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive.
You could also buy one of these with Windows XP installed, but it would probably add a little more to the price tag.
These prices are ones available through online retailers and were correct at time of publishing.
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