Very unknowledgeable person seeks Netbook advice

[skipos]

I would like a really small computer w/ wifi to take with me when I travel in other countries. All I need to do is check email, the weather and googlemaps or mapquest. I do not care about anything else. My biggest concern is having a netbook that can handle googlemaps. I have already read that many netbooks struggle with that.

Does anyone recommend a specific kind of netbook? Or can anyone tell me the stats I should be looking for to make sure it does what I need?

Any thoughts on something like the Garmin Nuvi 295W?
http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2010/05/15/garmin-nuvi-295w

[Egnever]

1. Hmm have you considered a smartphone instead?

might be much more usefull for you.

The new android phones all have gps and googlemaps native, and they are available on nearly every carrier now.

[skipos]

2. I have considered it, but I imagine the international rates are awful

Am I wrong? I rarely use my cell phone when I am out of the country because the $1-4 a minute just kills me. I can't imagine what it would cost to check my email for a half an hour on an iPhone in Moldova or something.

[Egnever]

3. I cant speak to the international rate

however both the Iphone and most of the android phones also have wifi integrated so you could connect them for the same charge you would incur on a netbook wherever you were staying.

Aside from that the netbooks are climbing in price this one is pretty decent though for the money if you decide thats the route you want to go.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115658

[skipos]

4. This may be a dumb question

So if a phone like the android or Iphone has wifi and is connected to the internet at a hotspot, you aren't incurring any fees from Verizon or AT&T?

[Egnever]

5. Right

I am not sure how the Iphone works for sure as I dont own one but my Android phone turns the edge connection off when it is connected to a wifi spot.

[struggle4progress]

6. I haven't actually touched many, but the specs on most of them

look very similar. When I bought a netbook, I just went for cheapest I could live with: Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, MSI Wind ... whatever. I ended up with a new Acer Aspire One for $250 last summer. It handles wireless web just fine. I might be able to match the price today if I went refurbished; new probably runs closer to $280. I wouldn't spend $400 on a netbook

[pokerfan]

7. I am personally waiting the System76

to get the new http://www.system76.com/product_info.php?products_id=92">Starling back in stock sometime this month.