Windows 7 Starter - Good for TableTop?

[Theocrat]

Hi all -
I've been looking at a couple netbooks that cost about $300.
But I noticed that they are running Windows 7 Starter.
I like the size of those netbooks, vs a notebook or laptop. Perfect for being out and about and wanting to read a PDF.
Thus - will Win7 Starter support Acrobat 9 Full Version? What about HeroLab?
The main want for this is to be able to use it at the gaming table - the size is just perfect - no more space than what the PFRPG Core Rulebook takes up.
Thus the need for Herolab to be able to run - I suppose that if it couldn't run Acrobat 9 Full version but at least Acrobat Reader that might be OK. Again, a little Web surfing and maybe even watching a movie now an then.
Thanks, I do appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
Theocrat Issak

 

[IronWolf]

Hi all -
I've been looking at a couple netbooks that cost about $300.
But I noticed that they are running Windows 7 Starter.
I like the size of those netbooks, vs a notebook or laptop. Perfect for being out and about and wanting to read a PDF.
Thus - will Win7 Starter support Acrobat 9 Full Version?

I think it will run it, not sure the processors in them would be up to the task to run it smoothly? As for readers, I run FoxIt reader on mine with no issues. Come to think of it, I've run the FoxIt editor version as well I believe.

What about HeroLab?

I have not done this, I run it on my main PC. I can't think of a reason it wouldn't though the smaller netbook screen would likely be annoying for trying to use it for any length of time.

Again, a little Web surfing and maybe even watching a movie now an then.

Works great for web surfing. I've watched movies on mine and used it in airplanes to keep IronPup entertained. No DVD drive on mine, so I have to rip it to a file in order to play. Mine does not perform well at full-screen, it does much better in windowed mode. These are more limitations of the hardware in mine than Windows 7 starter though.

Thanks, I do appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

Were it me, I would seriously consider a lightweight full on notebook with more RAM and more powerful processor. Don't get me wrong, I like my netbook and have used it when traveling as my primary machine. But when I am at home I tend to either use my main desktop PC or grab my full-sized laptop and use it.

 

[Theocrat]

I'm mainly using this for table top playing. I don't travel, and the last time I did, it was a for a gaming convention! That and waiting for the Evol WifeFIEND - the need for a good PDF Reader. With all the PDF's I have from Paizo alone, it might make my travel case lighter.
With HeroLabs on it, even with a smaller screen it might make it manageable for use at home games, game days and conventions.

Any good cheap laptops that you might consider? I've been looking at the netbooks with Intel Atom N450 through N479 and 1GB DDR2 ram at around $300 vs a laptop with 2GB of DDR3 ram (not sure of the processor) using Win 7 Home.

 

[IronWolf]

Any good cheap laptops that you might consider? I've been looking at the netbooks with Intel Atom N450 through N479 and 1GB DDR2 ram at around $300 vs a laptop with 2GB of DDR3 ram (not sure of the processor) using Win 7 Home.

With the holidays coming up I expect to see a lot of less expensive laptops on the market. I believe newegg.com recently had an Acer on sale with a good sized hard drive, 4GB of RAM, decent processor for $399. I wouldn't be surprised to see several more retailers with pricing like that this holiday season as they try to ramp up their sales.

Granted the laptop is bigger than the Netbook, but if you are planning on primarily using this new device the larger screen might be nice. I like my netbook, but I generally only use it when I happen to be traveling or other odd times. Otherwise I will just grab my laptop and use it.

Definitely head to your local electronics store and take a look at what they have in both netbooks and laptops. Type a little on them, open some files up and get a feel for it and see which you think would serve your needs best.

 

[drothgery]

Granted the laptop is bigger than the Netbook, but if you are planning on primarily using this new device the larger screen might be nice. I like my netbook, but I generally only use it when I happen to be traveling or other odd times. Otherwise I will just grab my laptop and use it.

What I do is use a 14.1" laptop (sadly, these are pretty much gone except in business lines; 16:10 aspect ratio displays are much nicer than 16:9 as computer screens unless you've got at least a thousand vertical pixels) as my primary PC, but it's normally in a docking station connected to a 20" monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers; I only use the laptop as a laptop when I'm traveling. The docking station isn't 100% necessary (and the laptop-specific versions that let you turn off the computer and don't kill video performance tend to only exist for business-targeted notebooks).

If you like the small size of a netbook, but think it might be too underpowered, there are some relatively inexpensive (well, under $600) 11.6" and 12" notebooks with more power efficient versions of regular notebook CPUs (there used to be only expensive high-end models in the 12" form factor, but that's changed over the last few years) that you might want to take a look at.

Me, I think anything smaller than the 15.6" form factor that seems to be standard in the consumer space right now is too small to work at for an extended period, and requires an external keyboard / mouse / monitor for real work. But the 15.6" form factor is also about the biggest I'd want to go if I had to carry it anywhere more often than monthly.