Why I Love My Netbook

I've been travelling in Thailand this week and my netbook (Acer Aspire One) has been an invaluable companion.

It lets me stay in touch by e-mail, Skype and supports the full internet, so I can respond on forums and keep up with blogs. It runs Windows XP and so I can use all the same software as my desktop PC. I wouldn't want to try to do any serious work on it because of the smaller keyboard and screen - but I can easily review files and make small edits without trying to convert the files to a different format.

I much prefer to use my own hardware when travelling - it's a security concern. It is stupidly easy to add a keylogger (to record keyboard strokes) to public internet terminals and using them is promiscuous internet use - much safer to connect from your own hardware to a wired or wi-fi network and use a secure login form.

Something else I do is pack a monitor cable and a sound cable - I can usually hook the netbook up the TV in hotel room and watch my own media - that's been essential this week for catching those new season six episodes of Lost. :) (I still consider myself to be travelling light, because I haven't got a wireless router and media server packed.)

A friend had commented on my netbook 'You should be able to afford a full-size laptop' - but the low cost and especially the lightweight nature of device is the draw. I can take it travelling easily and not worry about it being lost or stolen because of the low replacement cost. My friend is an iPhone owner and it occurs to me that Apple owners do tend to be more concerned with the appearance and style of devices - while I'm more about the functionality and usefulness. Sometimes I do get gadget lust but always end up with buyer's remorse when I purchase a cool gadget that I really have no use for.

I've been giving this a lot of thought this week because Apple's iPad has been the hot story in the blogosphere. It has being talked about as a netbook replacement or a netbook re-invention. But I think that is a mistake - it simply doesn't support any of tasks that I use a netbook for. I don't know what the iPad is for (aside from conspicious consumption) but I am sure it is not a netbook nor a netbook replacement.

Posted by Alexander at February 8, 2010 04:54 PM

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