"mini" PC's, SSD's, and Linux

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Tyler Aviss <tjaviss-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org>

|  How do you find the
| battery life on that one?

If you care about battery life, there are a couple of things to know.

Most netbooks come with 3-cell batteries.  An extra-cost option is a
6-cell battery, doubling the battery life.

There seeem to be some newer Asus netbooks that claim very long run
times: 8.5 to 10.5 hours, if I remember.  I don't know how they do
this (LED backlights?  more cells? new battery chemistry?).  I think
they have model suffixes like HA or HE.

The next Intel chipset should make a significant difference on power
usage.

| Another I noticed today is the Dell mini 9 or mini 10, which seem to
| have some flavor of ubuntu installed.

The Dell Mini 9 is discontinued.  To bad: it had no rotating
machinery!  No fan, no disk.

The Mini 10v is logically similar (looks the same to software -- same
peripheral chips) but it does have a fan and may only come with a hard
disk.

The normal Mini 10 (not 10v) comes with GMA 500 video.  Horrible for
Linux since the open source drivers are really really bad news.
http://www.happyassassin.net/2009/01/30/intel-gma-500-poulsbo-graphics-on-linux-a-precise-and-comprehensive-summary-as-to-why-youre-screwed/


I don't have a netbook.  On paper, I like the size of the eepc 700 but
newer netbooks are all 9" and more.  What you would know, and I don't,
is how the physical tradeoffs "feel".
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