Student/everyday netbook suggestions?

[Wfs0801]

I'm a new college student and I'm looking to buy a small netbook that I could use mostly for school work (papers, spreadsheets, research, etc.). I would also use it for basic internet browsing or watching YouTube videos and such on lunch breaks. I'm looking for something no more than $400. It must have Wi-Fi capabilities as I will be mostly connecting through random restaurants/stores and the school.

I was looking at the HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11z-e000 and it seemed like a perfect fit and great deal for $400, but I can't seem to find it online anywhere.

Any suggestions on other netbooks that would be comparable and/or close to the same as this one?

Thanks.

 

[Nathan Willis]

HP is not very good. Lenovo is much better and is the top manufacturer for laptops.

HP:

http/blog.laptopmag.com/hp-brand-rating-2014

HP is not the worst, but Lenovo is much better for the price.

Lenovo:

http/blog.laptopmag.com/lenovo-brand-rating-2014

For your price range I would recommend an Lenovo ThinkPad Edge.

This one will fit your budget.

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-20B20011US-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00FU83YWS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402510045&sr=8-1&keywords=thinkpad+edge

The ThinkPad Edge E545.

That laptop also has a very good review.

http/www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-Edge-E535-Notebook.81653.0.html

I have used Lenovo for a long time and love them!
They are very fast, highly durable, and extremely reliable.

 

[Wfs0801]

I will look further into both of those, thanks for the suggestions. They both seem rather large for my suiting though. I'm pretty happy with the 11.6" screens that i've been seeing in my research, 15.6" and 5 lbs. seems a little to large to carry around in my backpack

 

[Nathan Willis]

Lenovo does have a few small models too.

Theses laptops are not designed for gaming or anything, but are small and have good reviews.

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-59387503-11-6-Inch-Touchscreen/dp/B00F32ZB68/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1402511275&sr=8-10&keywords=Lenovo+laptop

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-59387104-Notebook-i3-3217U-processor/dp/B00F0R9TFA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1402511275&sr=8-6&keywords=Lenovo+laptop

 

[Wfs0801]

Lenovo does have a few small models too.

Theses laptops are not designed for gaming or anything, but are small and have good reviews.

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-59387503-11-6-Inch-Touchscreen/dp/B00F32ZB68/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1402511275&sr=8-10&keywords=Lenovo+laptop

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-59387104-Notebook-i3-3217U-processor/dp/B00F0R9TFA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1402511275&sr=8-6&keywords=Lenovo+laptop

Reading some of the reviews on the first one, that really seems like a good match. A few of them even explained my exact situation and usage. Only real downside I see is Windows 8 (Never used personally, but not excited to try due to the rumors) and the terrible battery life. I'm not a computer wiz, but the 1.9GHz processor is slightly better than the 1.4GHz minimum that I was looking for.

Windows 8 I'll probably be fine with, or at least get used to, considering I don't tend to be as harsh as most reviews I read.

The battery life however, I may have to do some research on aftermarket batteries if I go with this one. Which will be a task in itself, because I've never looked at aftermarket batteries so i'll have to learn all that I can about them before purchase.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to leave this up for now to see what others may offer, but the IdeaPad is looking promising.

 

[Nathan Willis]

It is really up to what you want.
The problem with small laptops is they can not hold large batterys.
That will result in lower battery life.

 

[Wfs0801]

Well a lot of the ones I looked at had claims of 7-8 hours of battery, with reviews stated they'd get around 4-5 hours under constant use. So I was hoping to get around that time. However, if I'm able to buy a spare battery and just carry that, it'd basically be the same thing.