Portable mini laptops | Travelling with netbooks
Of course, you do have the option of a 3G mobile phone, but they lack the QWERTY keyboard and larger screen so your experience may well be compromised. Yes, a phone can fit in your back-pocket, but a netbook is only around the size of a book, and don’t most of us carry some sort of bag with us when we travel?
A great advantage of netbooks is the weight. Perhaps you’re reading this now on a laptop or you’ve just come home from work having carried a laptop around with you all day. Lift it up, feel it. Do you need all that bulk and extra weight? Perhaps your laptop is getting old anyway; could you downsize? Do you use your laptop for anything more than email, surfing the internet and performing simple applications like PowerPoint and Word? Recent surveys suggest 92% of business travelers and 51% of leisure travelers take a laptop with them.
When travelling this becomes so much more important; particularly on public transport. Those who take trains regularly must appreciate the hassles of opening up a laptop and packing it away, especially in crowded conditions. Book-sized portable mini laptops are a dream. And then there’s flying. Those of us savvy economy class passengers who are pressed together in seating with 30-32 inches of room from seatback to seatback must know what using a laptop is like – and the pain when the person in front reclines.
An Asus Eee PC 701 on a typical economy class tray table. Notice how the Asus has room to spare, if for example the person in front reclines. Airlines have already recognized the need for connectivity up front, although only in recent years have economy class cabins begun to feature laptop friendly seating. Examples such as Singapore Airlines and Emirates are introducing slimline seating which gives a few inches more legroom and workspace. Other features include powerports under the seats and in-flight connectivity. Powerports aren't always necessary however. Most of the newer Eee PC models like the Eee PC 901 and Eee PC 1000 come with 6-cell batteries which can provide for 5-8 hours of battery life. As a result, you don't need to faff around with power cables or even bother bringing a power cable with you. You can literally just slip it in and out of your bag and be on-line in seconds. Want more? Keep up to date by subscribing to The Eee-Zine for all the latest articles, news from netbooks, special offers, polls and information on Our Vision with the One Laptop Per Child Foundation >>> Return from Portable mini laptops to Home page
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