Smaller & Simple Might Be Better

On occasion in this column I have discussed the propensity of engineers and designers to add power and features to various electronic appliances far in excess of what most users will ever use. We joke about it, but it is very true that the computing power in the iPhone, iPod and many mobile phones is more robust than what is found in the aging computer systems assisting air traffic controllers keeping us safe in the sky. That is another column perhaps…

There is a whole new category of computers that may reverse the trend of giving us things we don’t need, don’t want and will never learn to use. Called “netbooks,” these computers, smaller than lap tops but larger than cell phones on steroids, are designed and engineered to do very specific tasks.

While smaller than a regular lap top, the keyboard is very close to full size. The screens are somewhat smaller, but can display a page of text or email. Perhaps the biggest difference is in what they do not have. You will not find a large capacity hard drive, there is no DVD or CD drive, the processor will not compute the trajectory of a spacecraft heading for Mars.

These “netbooks” are meant to be connected to the Internet either by direct connection, i.e. a wire, built-in WiFi or a "3g" mobile network card. In other words, the power of this machine is derived from the Internet, not from its innards.

Both Google and, more recently, Microsoft have developed free word processing and spreadsheet software that you can use. Instead of the software being resident on “netbook,” it remains on the remote location and is accessed only when needed via the Internet. In so doing you don’t need all that hard drive space for large software programs.

The cost of these new scaled-down machines is comparably low starting at about $300. Of course if you want the leather seats and sun roof you can pay much more. Most of the bog box retailers have a wide selection as do Dell and HP on the web.

My advice is to make sure that you try the model you are buying. You should make sure that you like the keyboard and can live with the sometimes non-standard layout. Also, while I usually suggest not buying a service contract on electronic devices, in this case it is a good idea. By the very nature of how you are going to use this device, it is going to get knocked around.

If you want to edit video and play games on line, a “netbook” is not for you. If your computing activity is basically email, web surfing and modest word processing, a “netbook” is worth considering.

Smaller & Simple Might Be Better

On occasion in this column I have discussed the propensity of engineers and designers to add power and features to various electronic appliances far in excess of what most users will ever use. We joke about it, but it is very true that the computing power in the iPhone, iPod and many mobile phones is more robust than what is found in the aging computer systems assisting air traffic controllers keeping us safe in the sky. That is another column perhaps…

There is a whole new category of computers that may reverse the trend of giving us things we don’t need, don’t want and will never learn to use. Called “netbooks,” these computers, smaller than lap tops but larger than cell phones on steroids, are designed and engineered to do very specific tasks.

While smaller than a regular lap top, the keyboard is very close to full size. The screens are somewhat smaller, but can display a page of text or email. Perhaps the biggest difference is in what they do not have. You will not find a large capacity hard drive, there is no DVD or CD drive, the processor will not compute the trajectory of a spacecraft heading for Mars.

These “netbooks” are meant to be connected to the Internet either by direct connection, i.e. a wire, built-in WiFi or a "3g" mobile network card. In other words, the power of this machine is derived from the Internet, not from its innards.

Both Google and, more recently, Microsoft have developed free word processing and spreadsheet software that you can use. Instead of the software being resident on “netbook,” it remains on the remote location and is accessed only when needed via the Internet. In so doing you don’t need all that hard drive space for large software programs.

The cost of these new scaled-down machines is comparably low starting at about $300. Of course if you want the leather seats and sun roof you can pay much more. Most of the bog box retailers have a wide selection as do Dell and HP on the web.

My advice is to make sure that you try the model you are buying. You should make sure that you like the keyboard and can live with the sometimes non-standard layout. Also, while I usually suggest not buying a service contract on electronic devices, in this case it is a good idea. By the very nature of how you are going to use this device, it is going to get knocked around.

If you want to edit video and play games on line, a “netbook” is not for you. If your computing activity is basically email, web surfing and modest word processing, a “netbook” is worth considering.

Tired of Typing With Your Thumbs?

As more and more of us are using enhanced mobile phones or the new “Swiss army knife” of business persons, the Blackberry, some major issues seem to eventually arise. Typing into these devices anything more than a short “? time R U mtg me” is awkward, and if your are not 15 years old, downright irritating. God did not design many of us to type with our thumbs. (Although if you are regular reader of my typos you may think I type everything I write with my thumbs ... no brain, just thumbs!)

It is not just the keyboards that pose problems. The screen size may be fine for displaying a small picture or brief message. Doing a Google search for the complete Periodic Table may pose some issues for even the best of eyes. The same holds true for writing and reading a large document or spreadsheet. What seems to be happening is that we want these wireless devices to connect with the Internet and provide the same usefulness as our regular office or home computers do.

Many have opted to use a lap top computer. While most lap tops are as robust and feature loaded as any office machine, they can get a bit heavy to be carrying around from place to place. Also, they have many more features than most people actually need. How many people really need to be editing network quality video on the bus into Cincinnati?

Enter a new breed of computers, the Mini Lap Top. They are larger than any enhanced phone but much smaller and lighter than a regular lap top. They are also less expensive and energy efficient. Many of the major brands have models priced at less than $275 and offer some very attractive features. Most business people will need to spend about $500 to get a model that provides the most often used features to allow for mobile access to the Internet using WiFi, Bluetooth and some of the mobile carrier’s technologies.

The screen size is usually about 8 inches (measured diagonal) and most weigh in at about two pounds. They have a slightly smaller keyboard than one might find on a standard computer but it is much larger than any Blackberry pad. The keys are in the QWERTY, or standard orientation.

Instead of a hard drive, these Minis use solid state storage in lieu of a power hungry disc drive. The screen resolutions are adequate. The family would not able to gather around and watch a movie.

A mini is not for everyone. If you travel a lot and just need to keep up with email and some correspondence and be able to surf the web occasionally this might be something you should consider. Most of the major brands have a Mini line. Dell, Sony, HP and others have several models.

Tired of Typing With Your Thumbs?

As more and more of us are using enhanced mobile phones or the new “Swiss army knife” of business persons, the Blackberry, some major issues seem to eventually arise. Typing into these devices anything more than a short “? time R U mtg me” is awkward, and if your are not 15 years old, downright irritating. God did not design many of us to type with our thumbs. (Although if you are regular reader of my typos you may think I type everything I write with my thumbs ... no brain, just thumbs!)

It is not just the keyboards that pose problems. The screen size may be fine for displaying a small picture or brief message. Doing a Google search for the complete Periodic Table may pose some issues for even the best of eyes. The same holds true for writing and reading a large document or spreadsheet. What seems to be happening is that we want these wireless devices to connect with the Internet and provide the same usefulness as our regular office or home computers do.

Many have opted to use a lap top computer. While most lap tops are as robust and feature loaded as any office machine, they can get a bit heavy to be carrying around from place to place. Also, they have many more features than most people actually need. How many people really need to be editing network quality video on the bus into Cincinnati?

Enter a new breed of computers, the Mini Lap Top. They are larger than any enhanced phone but much smaller and lighter than a regular lap top. They are also less expensive and energy efficient. Many of the major brands have models priced at less than $275 and offer some very attractive features. Most business people will need to spend about $500 to get a model that provides the most often used features to allow for mobile access to the Internet using WiFi, Bluetooth and some of the mobile carrier’s technologies.

The screen size is usually about 8 inches (measured diagonal) and most weigh in at about two pounds. They have a slightly smaller keyboard than one might find on a standard computer but it is much larger than any Blackberry pad. The keys are in the QWERTY, or standard orientation.

Instead of a hard drive, these Minis use solid state storage in lieu of a power hungry disc drive. The screen resolutions are adequate. The family would not able to gather around and watch a movie.

A mini is not for everyone. If you travel a lot and just need to keep up with email and some correspondence and be able to surf the web occasionally this might be something you should consider. Most of the major brands have a Mini line. Dell, Sony, HP and others have several models.