Re-thinking my mobile tech

Right now, I carry an iPhone, an Asus EeePC netbook (running Ubuntu 10.04 NBR) on a daily work day basis. When I travel, I carry the iPhone and usually the EeePC. I also own a 13″ Toshiba laptop that I dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 7, but I only use the Toshiba only for teaching and presentations. My thought process is: Should I sell both the Toshiba and the netbook and get a thinner, lighter laptop? Just sell the...

Netbooks – What are they really designed to ...

Today, I demo’d the original EeePC from Asus and the new Dell Mini 9. These Netbooks and all the others on the market from nearly a dozen companies have the following characteristics in common: 9″ or less screen size (there are some 10″ screens, but I start to put those in the category of ultra portable notebooks instead of netbooks) All cost less than $400 and some less than $300 Weigh less than 3.5...

Netbooks are NOT made for Windows XP or Vista

One year ago, ASUS started a fire storm of new computers that now go by the name of netbooks with the release of their EeePC.  I wrote about this subject just a few months ago, but with the holidays approaching and netbooks are high on gift giver’s radar screens so I want to explore netbooks a little more in depth. Netbooks make attractive gift giving ideas for a few reasons: They are inexpensive; usually cost...

New Dell Mini laptops

Dell has joined Everex, Acer, HP, Sony, and the ground breaking Asus Eee PC in the arena of the netbook. Netbooks are small laptops with a screen of 9″ or smaller and a weight of less than 2.5 pounds. They all run on either a form of Linux or Windows XP. The Dell Inspiron Mini (click the picture above to buy or read more about them) is Dell’s entry into this increasingly crowded and popular market. Remember that...

Asus started a whole new trend

I just returned from visiting my brother and his new baby and traveled, again, with only my phone and my Asus Eee PC. As usual, the little laptop did not disappoint. I was able to keep up with email, work with my spreadsheets and word processing documents and do other web research as well. All from a little marvel that cost less than $400 and weighs less than 2 pounds. Asus was the first to release a successful mini-laptop...

Eee PC 900

The new ASUS Eee PC 900 is finally available in the United States. Like its release earlier this year in Asia, the 900 version is selling like hot cakes in the U.S. too. I have been using the 4G version of the  original ASUS Eee PC since November 2007 and wrote a few articles about it that can be found here. I originally bought it to try it out and see what all the fuss was about, but quickly became attached to its ultra...

Think twice before your blame your computer’...

“What brand of computer do you recommend?” is one of the most common questions I get asked. My answer is usually, “It really doesn’t matter as long as it is a name brand and has the specs that you need.” I often hear comments like, “Our first computer was a Dell and we constantly had problems with viruses and spam,” or “I’m never going to get another HP, this one just...

Help! My laptop has been stolen – No they di...

Before I get a bunch of comments about the news story on the bad guys who were caught, it doesn’t appear to be the same bad guys at the moment. My stuff was not in the initial find and the dates don’t match up. Maybe the bad guys know each other, but until the police contact me with a find, I am assuming that my laptops are still out there. Yes, both my laptops were stolen out of my car last night. One was an...

Week #3 with my Eee PC

My daughter is out driving around with a driving instructor, and I took the opportunity to visit a local coffee shop and use my Eee PC. Asus announced their intention to release a small computing device that is too small to call a laptop, but too large to call a handheld device earlier this year. They started selling them in October. After watching the hoopla for about a month, I decided that the unit is too compelling...

ASUS Eee Laptop PC released today

Remember how excited I was yesterday when I talked about the $199 PC from WalMart? Well, I’m equally excited today with the official release of the ASUS Eee Laptop starting at $299! This little gem promises to unleash a whole new genre of what I want to call Internet Appliances 2.0. I’m hoping to get my hands on a review unit soon, but in the mean time, read this thoroughly written article from Dave Altavia at...