Netbook as TED Viewer, Browser
Last year, I got an EeePC 8G as a bargain from a Hollywood producer who had expected “more of a Mac experience”. Undaunted by the machine running something other than Windows, I jumped at the chance to get this tiny wonder, considered the first true mainstream “netbook“. Since then, I have tried 2 other operating systems including most recently, Windows 7, however, I tend to concentrate on the main purpose for the device for me – as a TED viewer.
Ted, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is captivating, even aside from when Bill Gates let mosquitoes loose at this year’s event. On the smallish, 4-inch screen, the viewing experience is closer to that of a PSP than a regular computer or TV. Since most of the content is focused on conference speakers and audio, I am not missing out on a 1080P experience.
Computers, though generally sold as multi-purpose devices, are mostly only used for 1 or 2 activities. In the case of a tiny netbook, you can title the main activity, “entertainment”, whether it is video viewing or surfing the web. For a consultant such as myself, being able to grab a small machine in a pinch can save the world. In fact, for several times now, I have been able to plug my phone through mini-USB into the machine and remote in to a corporate environment for some emergency assistance. On most days, though, the EeePC multipurpose machine is only showing either Miro or a browser.
Last week, for their birthdays, I helped get my parents Dell Mini 12 laptops, the newest netbook on the block. Compared to the cramped EeePC (both in keyboard size and screen resolution), the Mini 12s are a dream. While I am writing this post on my ‘main’ laptop, a Gateway P-7811 FX, I could easily see a smaller, cheaper, lighter and built-in 3G machine becoming my new go-to machine.
A few years ago, when there was even greater disparity between desktop and laptop processors, I employed a setup I called “Master Blaster” (yes, from Mad Max). I had a dual-CPU machine with an aluminum case and a low end laptop that I would bring along with it. With laptop on one shoulder and the desktop machine on the other (using a GearGrip), I had a lot of portable horsepower. Using remote desktop, I could switch between devices, controlling the brawn of a server from the comfortable laptop via a crossover cable.
Now with cloud computing and browser-based offline email a reality, there is no reason to continue going big on the local front. Unless you are a PC gamer, you will probably be happier with a machine that is highly portable and you could hand to someone as if it were a book. For programmers and other CPU-intensive users like me, we are going to continue to be stuck using multiple machines (3 for me)… as long as one of them can play Quake while I listen to TED of course.
