Is something I've been doing in one form or other ever since carrying a computer around became a possibility in the early 90s. And, over the years, I've owned any number of devices that were either small enough to carry in a 'normal' bag, or tiny enough to slip in a pocket. I don't count the desktop-replacement size laptops (of which I've had plenty) since they fall into the 'transportable' department and don't have the strokeable appeal of small form-factor devices that will slip into a regular bag. A manbag, dare I say it.
Psion dominated my pocket-sized computing procurement for many years, not least because they knocked spots off any other device (including the nasty Palms): A proper keyboard, rock-solid OS and fully featured apps, they were way before their time - I think I owned every variant apart from the Series 7, an early precursor to the Netbook. And I shed real tears when Psion decided to call it a day and concentrate their efforts on the mobile phone market with the Symbian OS... A Psion 5 with a colour screen and wireless connectivity would have been unbeatable. In a fit of grumpiness, I flogged all the kit I had at the time on eBay in 2003 (bottom left picture). The pocket PC I bought in replacement - the Dell Axim pictured above - was a terrific device... but it wasn't a Psion, had some bastard MS handwriting approach rather than a proper keyboard and none of the competence of the Psion productivity apps. And, of course, dedicated pocket computing devices are a thing of the past now - superseded by the smartphones and tablets, which litter my house.
But I can't shed the desire for a decent small computer, by which I mean something with a proper keyboard and OS sufficiently flexible to bend to every bit of customisation I might want to foist on it. The Logitech bluetooth keyboard I sometimes carry with my iPad is great, but iOS fails for me on the latter front. There are some tablet devices appearing running the latest Android version - 'Jelly Bean'' - which are seriously contending with Apple in the context of what I want from mobile computing. Microsoft Surface devices running Windows 8 look very interesting too, but have barely made it to market yet. So I still have a real personal need for a small laptop running MS Windows. The two I've had in the past that I've really loved are the ancient Compaq M300 I sold years ago and the Samsung NC10 netbook, which is currently on eBay: It's been a great device, but, ultimately, the screen resolution hampers me every time I open Excel.
There are any number of really attractive ultra-portables appearing on the market, which come close to the kind of thing I'm talking about, but they're expensive - relatively - and mostly larger than I think optimal. My eyesight's pretty good and I'm very happy with an 11" screen running at 1366x768 or higher. Which is why I've just bought one of these to replace the NC10 - a Samsung 305U. For a smidge over £260, I get a decent resolution 11.6" screen with a slim bezel, 4GB of RAM, full-fat Windows 7 and a dual-core processor, albeit not a particularly fast one. It's so compact, it fits in the same sleeve case as the NC10, despite its much larger screen.
But I can't shed the desire for a decent small computer, by which I mean something with a proper keyboard and OS sufficiently flexible to bend to every bit of customisation I might want to foist on it. The Logitech bluetooth keyboard I sometimes carry with my iPad is great, but iOS fails for me on the latter front. There are some tablet devices appearing running the latest Android version - 'Jelly Bean'' - which are seriously contending with Apple in the context of what I want from mobile computing. Microsoft Surface devices running Windows 8 look very interesting too, but have barely made it to market yet. So I still have a real personal need for a small laptop running MS Windows. The two I've had in the past that I've really loved are the ancient Compaq M300 I sold years ago and the Samsung NC10 netbook, which is currently on eBay: It's been a great device, but, ultimately, the screen resolution hampers me every time I open Excel.
There are any number of really attractive ultra-portables appearing on the market, which come close to the kind of thing I'm talking about, but they're expensive - relatively - and mostly larger than I think optimal. My eyesight's pretty good and I'm very happy with an 11" screen running at 1366x768 or higher. Which is why I've just bought one of these to replace the NC10 - a Samsung 305U. For a smidge over £260, I get a decent resolution 11.6" screen with a slim bezel, 4GB of RAM, full-fat Windows 7 and a dual-core processor, albeit not a particularly fast one. It's so compact, it fits in the same sleeve case as the NC10, despite its much larger screen.
I know this was a good decision - because I am already thinking 'this is so perfect, I can't see me EVER needing another small computing device'...
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