Netbook... anyone tried?

[MachIII]

Anyone considered Asus N10Jc?

http://www.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=sE6BZu0cKC76taij

ASUS N10Jc
WinXP Home
Intel® Atom® Processor N270 : 1.6 GHz 533 MHz, On-Die 512K Cache1GB Ram
160GB 2.5" 9.5mm SATA,5400rpm
10.2" WSVGA Color-Shine (Glare-type)
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9300M GS with 256MB VRAM
1.3 Mega Pixel web camera (optional)
Built-in speaker, microphone, WLAN & Bluetooth
256MB Vram
1.4kg, 3cell
8 in 1 card reader, SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,mini SD w/ adapter,MS-Duo,MS-Pro Duo via adapter

Tag at $999.

Any comment. It looks good but not sure whether can work well with CS4?

 

[diediealsomustdive]

Anyone considered Asus N10Jc?

http://www.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=sE6BZu0cKC76taij

ASUS N10Jc
WinXP Home
Intel® Atom® Processor N270 : 1.6 GHz 533 MHz, On-Die 512K Cache1GB Ram
160GB 2.5" 9.5mm SATA,5400rpm
10.2" WSVGA Color-Shine (Glare-type)
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9300M GS with 256MB VRAM 1.3 Mega Pixel web camera (optional)
Built-in speaker, microphone, WLAN & Bluetooth
256MB Vram
1.4kg, 3cell
8 in 1 card reader, SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,mini SD w/ adapter,MS-Duo,MS-Pro Duo via adapter

Tag at $999.

Any comment. It looks good but not sure whether can work well with CS4?

There's a graphics card! So it might just work better, might, I don't know.

Anyone care to comment?

 

[TheChef]

Anyone considered Asus N10Jc?

http://www.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=sE6BZu0cKC76taij

ASUS N10Jc
WinXP Home
Intel® Atom® Processor N270 : 1.6 GHz 533 MHz, On-Die 512K Cache1GB Ram
160GB 2.5" 9.5mm SATA,5400rpm
10.2" WSVGA Color-Shine (Glare-type)
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9300M GS with 256MB VRAM
1.3 Mega Pixel web camera (optional)
Built-in speaker, microphone, WLAN & Bluetooth
256MB Vram
1.4kg, 3cell
8 in 1 card reader, SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,mini SD w/ adapter,MS-Duo,MS-Pro Duo via adapter

Tag at $999.

Any comment. It looks good but not sure whether can work well with CS4?

This is expensive. Get a laptop 14.1-inch screen laptop instead. At this price or even slightly lower, you can get a much faster laptop (well-known brands like Compaq, Toshiba, etc.) which is able to accomplish any task that you throw at it in a zippy fashion. I have tried almost all the most popular standard Netbooks in the market and I find them slow....very slow. The Harvey Norman sale is now on. Go and try it out yourself!

 

[localhost]

Intel® Atom® Processor N270 : 1.6 GHz 533 MHz, On-Die 512K Cache1GB Ram

as long as u see this. it means slow. Atom processor can only do light work (light surfing, typing words documents etc).

 

[localhost]

http://www.intel.com/en_AP/Consumer/Learn/family-internet-devices.htm#/Mobile-mids_netbooks/

listen to the introduction about atom processors. Dun get this if u are into graphics editing.

 

[sloth]

Hi, thought of getting a netbook but am afraid that it may be too slow to handle some of the task.

For traveling only, and not the full fledged CS4 stuff, I am looking for ability to say download RAW photos and using PS Elements 6.0 to do initial processing - batch convert the day's shots to jpg basic.

Speed is not the essence, of course it cannot take 12 hours, but reasonable time like maybe 1-2 hours to download say 150 shots and do initial processing. Or would starting up Elements hang the netbook?

Or put it another way, would today's netbook be similar in performance to 2-3 year old notebook, like IBM Lenovo T41?

Thanks for any insights.

I can't speak for Elements, because I am a long-time user of Photoshop Lightroom (1.4.1, haven't upgraded yet). EeePC 901 with 1GB of RAM, 8.9" screen.

I was covering an event overseas once and only brought the netbook. I admit I shoot JPEG for events, but the netbook was actually quite ok downloading about 900 photos from the camera, and rendering standard previews. I needed to do basic fixup work, exposure, WB, crops, things like that, and the netbook was actually quite tolerable. Then I export everything to medium sized JPEG for their slideshow to play back during the event (they used a different computer for that).

LR is excellent because it allows me to do all my work and then batch everything, including the rendering, while I eat/shower/s#@t, etc. and it all completed in a reasonable time. I think it took about half an hour to 40 min for the initial download of 900 JPEGs. Bring a small external mouse, it will really make your work easier.

You can bet I wished I had my Macbook though.... I think it would be no exaggeration to say that the aluminium Mac beats the pants off the netbook in terms of LR performance

My advice would be to get 2GB of RAM. Most netbooks come with 1GB but can be upgraded for at most $40-$50. This investment IS worth it. I finished the job on 1GB of RAM, but some day I'll upgrade it to 2GB. I really should have done so earlier.

I don't regret bringing the netbook.. with so much junk to carry, my shoulders thanked me for sparing them the extra kilo for the Mac. It is not the best possible tool for the job but I felt it was adequate. Patience is the key. Eat slowly while it is processing

 

[diediealsomustdive]

I can't speak for Elements, because I am a long-time user of Photoshop Lightroom (1.4.1, haven't upgraded yet). EeePC 901 with 1GB of RAM, 8.9" screen.

I was covering an event overseas once and only brought the netbook. I admit I shoot JPEG for events, but the netbook was actually quite ok downloading about 900 photos from the camera, and rendering standard previews. I needed to do basic fixup work, exposure, WB, crops, things like that, and the netbook was actually quite tolerable. Then I export everything to medium sized JPEG for their slideshow to play back during the event (they used a different computer for that).

LR is excellent because it allows me to do all my work and then batch everything, including the rendering, while I eat/shower/s#@t, etc. and it all completed in a reasonable time. I think it took about half an hour to 40 min for the initial download of 900 JPEGs. Bring a small external mouse, it will really make your work easier.

You can bet I wished I had my Macbook though.... I think it would be no exaggeration to say that the aluminium Mac beats the pants off the netbook in terms of LR performance

My advice would be to get 2GB of RAM. Most netbooks come with 1GB but can be upgraded for at most $40-$50. This investment IS worth it. I finished the job on 1GB of RAM, but some day I'll upgrade it to 2GB. I really should have done so earlier.

I don't regret bringing the netbook.. with so much junk to carry, my shoulders thanked me for sparing them the extra kilo for the Mac. It is not the best possible tool for the job but I felt it was adequate. Patience is the key. Eat slowly while it is processing

Thanks for the insight.

I think lots of people who responded are those who says "atom, slow, don't" and do not have actual experience using them, they spoke anyway.

When I am out there I would probably be with 40kg of dive gear and underwater photography equipment. Any weight saving would be very much welcome.l

A favour I would like to ask from you - could you shot a few shots in raw, say for experiment sake, 20 shots, and do a basic batch conversion, using default settings to jpg basic?

I envisage 100-150 shots on raw per day and basic conversion.

 

[nixontkl]

just to share, I have a EEE 901 which i brought with me to thailand for the Bitec motor show.

it only have 12Gb hdd internal so i lugged along a spare 80Gb 2.5" portable hdd, i shot raw+jpeg(fine) on D700, transfer/copying of 700+ photos (x2 for the number of files, nearly 16Gb of data) from the mem card on a card reader thru the netbook onto the portable hdd took less than an hour.

didnt do any PP as i got no PP program in the netbook, only got acdsee2.5 pro for viewing and light editing (but never edit)

 

[sloth]

Thanks for the insight.

I think lots of people who responded are those who says "atom, slow, don't" and do not have actual experience using them, they spoke anyway.

When I am out there I would probably be with 40kg of dive gear and underwater photography equipment. Any weight saving would be very much welcome.l

A favour I would like to ask from you - could you shot a few shots in raw, say for experiment sake, 20 shots, and do a basic batch conversion, using default settings to jpg basic?

I envisage 100-150 shots on raw per day and basic conversion.

Sure.. I've never done any timed tests as well so I'm curious.

I took 38 of my existing RAWs, about 12MP each. Not familiar with JPEG Basic but I assume it is similar to our small JPEG (about 2000x1500 pixels) so I set up Lightroom to convert with quality 80, 2000x1500 output. This should be more than enough for preview use or slide shows. Took 10 minutes, 15 seconds. I'm guessing you could probably do 150 in under an hour

Lightroom uses the CPU very efficiently too - normally, a Hyperthreaded (HT) single core Atom seldom seems to be able to get 100% on both threads simultaneously, but Lightroom manages to.

 

[diediealsomustdive]

Sure.. I've never done any timed tests as well so I'm curious.

I took 38 of my existing RAWs, about 12MP each. Not familiar with JPEG Basic but I assume it is similar to our small JPEG (about 2000x1500 pixels) so I set up Lightroom to convert with quality 80, 2000x1500 output. This should be more than enough for preview use or slide shows. Took 10 minutes, 15 seconds. I'm guessing you could probably do 150 in under an hour

Lightroom uses the CPU very efficiently too - normally, a Hyperthreaded (HT) single core Atom seldom seems to be able to get 100% on both threads simultaneously, but Lightroom manages to.

Hi Sloth,

Thanks for the test. So a netbook with base configuration can do basic download, and conversion for preview purpose. One hour or even two is something I can live with, just make sure I start it then go shower, and dinner. No more dip in the pool, I assure you, 3-4 dives later dry land feels good.

I have sufficient input and have made my decision to go with a netbook for weight saving. Perhaps carry a spare hard disc (which I bring anyway) so I can have 2 copies of the shots.

My current favourite is the Lenovo S10, for the simple reason that my day job laptop is a Lenovo X61, or perhaps an Acer, since I am also a fan of Acer.

Thanks to all.

 

[Lubber Duckie]

Source: http://www.slashgear.com/acer-aspire-one-751-116-inches-atom-z520-may-launch-0142477/

Operating System Genuine Windows ® XP Home Edition
Genuine Windows Vista ® Home Basic

Processor & Chipset Intel ® Atom ™ processor Z520, supports Intel ® 32 Architecture
Mobile Intel ® Express Chipset US15W

Memory channel with a single SODIMM slot
DDR2 667/800 MHz SDRAM memory interface design
SODIMM slot: Supports 512 MB / 1 GB / 2 GB SODIMM for total system memory up to 2 GB

Screen 11.6 “HD 1366 x 768 (WXGA) pixel resolution, high-resolution (200-nit) Acer Crystal Brite ™ LED backlight TFT LCD
16:9 aspect ratio

Drives 2.5 “HDD 9.5 mm
Multi-in-1 Card Reader

Audio Dolby ® Headphone
High-definition audio support
Two built-in stereo speakers
MS-Sound compatible
Integrated Digital Microphone

Communication Acer Video Conference:
Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam, supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite ™ Technology
WLAN: Acer InviLink ™ 802.11b / g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp ™ wireless technology
LAN: 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet
WPAN: Bluetooth ® 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
(Manufacturing option - not all models)
WWAN: UMTS / HSPA to 850/1900/2100 MHz and quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), upgradeable to 7.2 Mb / s HSDPA and 2 Mb / s HSUPA, receiver diversity and supports Equalizing to 2100 MHz
(Manufacturing option - not all models)

Dimensions & Weight 284 (W) x 198 (D) x 25.4 (H) mm
1.25 kg with 3-cell battery
1:35 kg with 6-cell battery

Black diamond color
Sapphire Blue
Ruby
Mussel White

Battery & Power 30 W adapter with power cord
24.4 W 2200 mAh 3-cell Li-Ion Battery
• up to 4 hours of battery life
(actual duration depends on application and configuration)
57.7 W 5200 mAh 6-cell Li-Ion Battery
• Up to 8 hours of battery life
(actual duration depends on application and configuration)

Keyboard 86-/87-/91-Tasten completely Acer FineTip great keyboard with inverted “T” cursor layout
Multifunctional Touchpad Display:
• Circular-motion scrolling
• Pinch-action zoom
• Page flip
10 function keys, 4 cursor keys, 2 Windows ® keys, hotkey controls, integrated numeric keypad, international languages are supported
Power button with LED
Start Buttons with LED: Bluetooth ® *, WLAN / WWAN (* manufacturing option - not all models)

3x USB 2.0 ports
1x Monitor (VGA)
1x Headphones / speaker / line-out j
1x microphone-in-line
1x Ethernet (RJ-45) connection for Internet
1x mains connection

Storage bag options
Additional Lithium Ion Battery
Additional power supply
External HDD
External optical drive

Maybe you should wait for this one with a better resolution, should be out before the next IT show.

 

[azul123]

Source: http://www.slashgear.com/acer-aspire-one-751-116-inches-atom-z520-may-launch-0142477/

Was keen on this until HWZ mentioned there was no HDMI and pricey. More such 11.6" screens coming Dell Mini-11 is one and likely cheaper.

../azul123

 

[acpical]

Two months back, I was seriously considering between the Asus N10J and Lenovo 230 (forgot G or Y, but it costs about $1,000).

I even took a measurement and placed a paper of the same size on my office desk to make sure that I can live with it the entire day.

The difference in footprint size is not that great and the weight difference is about a few hundred grams.

However, the Lenovo specifications were much better, graphics card aside. And both costs the same.

In the end, though, I didn't buy either. The thought of my boss knowing I keep a notebook to track my investments in the office is not appetising, especially in this climate.

 

[sloth]

Hi Sloth,

Thanks for the test. So a netbook with base configuration can do basic download, and conversion for preview purpose. One hour or even two is something I can live with, just make sure I start it then go shower, and dinner. No more dip in the pool, I assure you, 3-4 dives later dry land feels good.

I have sufficient input and have made my decision to go with a netbook for weight saving. Perhaps carry a spare hard disc (which I bring anyway) so I can have 2 copies of the shots.

My current favourite is the Lenovo S10, for the simple reason that my day job laptop is a Lenovo X61, or perhaps an Acer, since I am also a fan of Acer.

Thanks to all.

You're welcome all the best with your adventure..

 

[diediealsomustdive]

You're welcome all the best with your adventure..

So after all the discussion and pondering, I finally plunged in for a pearl white Lenovo S10 on Sunday 14 June 2009 at Challenger IMM. The good guy there bundled in 2GB of Ram (final) and 3-year warranty at no additional cost.

So began the usual setup-your-computer-routine, and finally last night I put it to the test:

- download using Photoshop Elements 6.0 images from a multi-card reader 87 NEF+jpg normal files from a CF card (camera D300), batch rename. Did so quickly.
- in Elements 6.0 "process multiple files" batch convert the same 87 NEF, execute auto contrast, save jpg basic. Did so in (estimated) 30-35min. Perhaps saving as jpg normal or high would take longer, but I suspect not much.
- did some basic PS on selected shots, like in camera raw set colour temperature, tint, clarity, vibrance and saturation, and in PS Elements Adjust Color Curve, Unsharp Mask, remove red-eye, save as jpg. No discernable delay.

Overall happy to report that the system is working as I had expected. The netbook subjectively performs as fast as my previous laptop Lenovo T41 and only slightly slower than my current X61. I believe I waited longer to convert by batch similar number of CRW files (from Canon S70) using T41 in 2005.

Will test with RAF (Fujifilm S2 Pro) when the opportunity arises. Using it for RAF is the main reason - my underwater rig is based around an old workhorse S2Pro.

The only hitch is with windows explorer - crashed on me a few times last night. When I shut down I realize Windows Update did some downloading and could be the reason why the CPU was 100% utilized when those crashes took place.

 

[wrx_sti_22b]

I want to sell off my brand new uncollected Acer Aspire AO531h netbook. It has 160gb hdd & runs on Intel Atom N280 1.66ghz chip.

 

[antacid]

i installed LR on my girlfriend's Lenovo S10 and it works pretty ok. A little slow, but nothing that makes you want to throw the laptop against the wall. The only downside is that the screen is a little too small to work with LightRoom as the application takes up lots of real estate with the many sidebars and scroll bars. but definitely good enough to review your pictures and do some jpg conversion while you wait for your flight.

 

[Randius]

i installed LR on my girlfriend's Lenovo S10 and it works pretty ok. A little slow, but nothing that makes you want to throw the laptop against the wall. The only downside is that the screen is a little too small to work with LightRoom as the application takes up lots of real estate with the many sidebars and scroll bars. but definitely good enough to review your pictures and do some jpg conversion while you wait for your flight.

You can try to squeeze out a little more space by hiding all the unnecessary panels and also the taskbar. I am also running LR2 on my S10 and I find viewing photos in both Library and Develop modules still acceptable. The problem comes when trying to select specific areas to process due to the small size.

 

[sloth]

So after all the discussion and pondering, I finally plunged in for a pearl white Lenovo S10 on Sunday 14 June 2009 at Challenger IMM. The good guy there bundled in 2GB of Ram (final) and 3-year warranty at no additional cost.

So began the usual setup-your-computer-routine, and finally last night I put it to the test:

- download using Photoshop Elements 6.0 images from a multi-card reader 87 NEF+jpg normal files from a CF card (camera D300), batch rename. Did so quickly.
- in Elements 6.0 "process multiple files" batch convert the same 87 NEF, execute auto contrast, save jpg basic. Did so in (estimated) 30-35min. Perhaps saving as jpg normal or high would take longer, but I suspect not much.
- did some basic PS on selected shots, like in camera raw set colour temperature, tint, clarity, vibrance and saturation, and in PS Elements Adjust Color Curve, Unsharp Mask, remove red-eye, save as jpg. No discernable delay.

Overall happy to report that the system is working as I had expected. The netbook subjectively performs as fast as my previous laptop Lenovo T41 and only slightly slower than my current X61. I believe I waited longer to convert by batch similar number of CRW files (from Canon S70) using T41 in 2005.

Will test with RAF (Fujifilm S2 Pro) when the opportunity arises. Using it for RAF is the main reason - my underwater rig is based around an old workhorse S2Pro.

The only hitch is with windows explorer - crashed on me a few times last night. When I shut down I realize Windows Update did some downloading and could be the reason why the CPU was 100% utilized when those crashes took place.

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your results with PS Elements.

 

[diediealsomustdive]

Ok something I didn't anticipate - I was lazy and hooked up everything with keyboard, monitor etc to run my experiments. Then it occurred to me that maybe the screen resolution will give me trouble, so I unhook everything and tried using it as it is intended - as a small notebook. Lo and behold, camera raw can't be use - insufficient resolution to show the whole screen! So back to the drawing board - no camera raw, but my guess is that I should still be able to run batch processing on elements without opening camera raw...

I will keep you posted on my little (so far, mis-)adventure.