Netbooks

[Kyung]

Netbook

Netbooks at Best Buy

Quick Guide to Netbooks

Looking for the latest, the fastest, the smallest, the coolest

[April McMillan, CRR, RPR, CSR]

I was at Wal-Mart last night and they have the Acer 11.6 Netbook w/Vista Home Premium, 2 gig of Ram and a 250 gig hard-drive for $378.00. They are not offering it online yet. They are not even putting it out on display. I even asked a manager if I could see one and they wouldn't open the boxes. Basically I was told that if someone comes in looking for it, they're just going to buy it. Good price, though.

[April McMillan, CRR, RPR, CSR]

I finally bought a netbook, 2 actually. I found the Acer 11.6" with 2 gigs of RAM and a 250 G hard drive for $349.99 at Bestbuy.com, free shipping too. These netbooks are for sale online only, not in Best Buy's stores. They come w/Vista Home, and you get the upgrade for Windows 7.

They also have the Acer 11.6" w/1 G of RAM and a 160G hard drive w/XP for $299.99.

[Lori Byrd]

Hi, so glad to see a dedicated group for netbooks! I'm in love with them for realtime hookups. I carry them with me, and am twice as likely to hook up lawyers in multi-party depositions. I bought the HP minis - one at Office Depot ($285) and one at a Staples, I think ($299 strikes a bell on that one). I have LiveNote and Bridge installed, and find myself using the FREE Bridge software because I don't have to deal with the "token" or "leasing fee" or whatever is the latest irritant for getting successfully into th software.

I will ask for an expandable RAM next time -- one of mine has it and one doesn't. Best thing since the invention of the laptop.

[April McMillan, CRR, RPR, CSR]

Have you checked out the Stenocast Red, Jeanese? It's $400 and it allows you to wirelessly send LiveNote and Bridge to atty laptops, and it works with many of the reporting software programs. I don't know what kind of steno machine you have, but I know there's a Bluetooth kit for the Elan Mira A3 and the Gemini Grand has BT built in so you are wireless from machine to your laptop.

There is another Stenocast product, the Edge, that creates wireless RT, has BT in it and it's already paired so it's a better product, stores a copy of your notes and audio. This product is expensive, about $1300 to $1400, and it does not send out the Bridge or LiveNote programs to attys.

If you're interested in what's out there that's wireless, you can check out the following:

www.Stenocast.com www.stenotech.com www.acculaw.com
www.stenograph.com www.everbatimonline.com

[April McMillan, CRR, RPR, CSR]

Whatever you do, think twice before purchasing any wi-fi kit for the machine to laptop. With all the new app. cell phones (BB, iPhone, etc) out there, they are wreaking some havoc on the wi-fi connections and kicking users out of RT. During last night's seminar, we were told if you can't connect via BT, connecting via a PCMCIA card or USB cable is best.

This whole "wireless" RT is an expensive endeavor. Who knows what might be showcased dduring the NCRA convention. Let's keep our eyes and ears . . . well, you know :)

[April McMillan, CRR, RPR, CSR]

That's awesome. Good for you!