Netbook Life
So when I found out the old OQO was not up to the task of serving as a two - week replacement for the X200s, I dug out an old Pentium-IV based desktop from my basement and went out shopping to find a cheap LCD display. I wanted a simple 1024x768 screen. To my surprise there was just one 1280x1024 17 inch display ($80) in the computer superstore and everything else was at least 1440x900 or more, many with built-in TV tuners. Compare that to the first LCD I bought 9 years ago for $5000... When walking along the shelves I noticed a number of netbooks on display. With price ranges of around $300 the specs really surprised me. Take the Lenovo S10 as an example. 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, beautiful 1024x600 LED-backlit screen, WiFi, EDR Bluetooth, 2xUSB, Express Card, Windows XP Home... all in 2.5 lbs package... Hey... this is not that much different compared to my top-of-the-line X200... HDD is the same, screen a little smaller, less powerful processor (Atom vs Penryn) and price of the S10 is 1/4 or even 1/5 of the X200s... Being able to hold my temptation to grab one, I came back home with the $80 LCD display just to find out I no longer can work with desktop PC... I want my personal screen and keyboard everywhere... on a sofa, on a table, in a bathroom... So this morning I went back to the store to get the S10... Having an inexpensive portable computer is what I really like for various reasons... Especially for vacation travel when it can just get lost or stolen... Or simply as a backup for times like today when my primary workhorse is sent for repair...
So I brought the S10 and I really loved it at first sight. The screen is gorgeous. The setup was simple and the speed of the 1,6GHz Atom chip is impressive. 9 AJAX tabs in Firefox with no signs of slowdown. The only drawback I see is the battery life. You should be able to squeeze 3 hours from the small battery, but that is not a lot, especially comparing to machines like the X200s, that give you almost 10 hours on a single charge. But hey... for that price I would not expect a killer in all categories...
Interesting reflection came after I finished setting up the machine. First it took Windows 2 hours helping itself with the updates. 36 updates weighing 400 Megs... This is a shame for a machine you buy brand new in 2009... Why do they install such an old distribution? This just shows the mediocre performance of Microsoft as a company... Or may be they just do not care of the press they are receiving? Then came the applications, to be precise:
- Firefox 3 browser + AdBlock Plus plugin, forming my base workplace
- Wireless driver for my Canon IP5200R printer
- USB driver for the Fujitsu ScanSnap document scanner
- Primo PDF virtual PDF printer (to be able to create PDF documents from any application)
- Google Talk and Skype messengers
- WWAN driver for my GSM/HSDPA USB modem
Times have changed. 95% of computer users probably share the list of client - side applications with me. A browser, some additional I/O drivers for external devices and that is it. Intel Atom or better - Qualcomm Scorpion - is more than adequate to run these things. $300 ultra - portable machine capable of serving all of your needs, unless you are a heavy Auto-Cad or Photo-Shop user. Welcome to the netbook generation.
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