today. I travel a lot, and I am intrigued by a teeny tiny laptop that costs less than my iPhone did when I bought it. I guess, here is the rub: my iPhone does most of what I want the netbook to do. So, why do I want one?It all comes down to typing. I want a small package with a usable keyboard. The iPhone is a terrific device, but I haven't mastered typing a long paragraph on it (I am a terrible typist, and it may not be the iPhone's fault). So, the keyboard is really enticing. That makes it my friend.
I have a USB Cellular Modem. That gives me anywhere access via 3G, plus WiFi through AT&T and Boingo. That gives me anywhere access to data. (Although I have that with my iPhone, it is Edge only and that can be very painful. And the iPhone doesn't support Flash...which makes me unable to keep up my affair with old episodes of The Pink Panther on Hulu.) So the netbook, with its gaudy anywhere data and Flash support, again, is my friend.
But here is where things start to fall apart. I am a business user. Powerpoint and Excel and Word run my life. Most of these devices support MS Works, or some kind of OpenOffice.org software. And while I can tolerate and use these kinds of Office alternatives, they aren't the real deal, and I continually run into other people having problem with the documents created via these applications. (This most often happens with PowerPoint clones). If the netbook can't run Office, it is my foe.
There are other issues, mainly with limited storage. I want my music, my video and my files with me. Who knows what you will need when you are on the road. I could take along a USB external drive, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of small and light? If it doesn't fit what I need it to fit, then it is my foe.
So, we are tied, 2 friendly characteristics and 2 foe-ish characteristics. Help me Gadget Guy Readers. While a modest purchase at just over $300, is a netbook a good purchase, or do I need to buy a MacBookAir to satisfy my light and lean desires?
0 comments:
Post a Comment