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Netbooks - Hardware CRIMP?
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Posted by Ken
Dec 5, 2008 at 06:45 AM
Its bad enough that we search for the Holy Grail of PIM software, but I am having to seriously question the hardware aspects of CRIMPing. While I love my old Sony Clie with Bonsai and DateBk5, it does have its limits. I have never been a fan of handwriting recognition, and DateBk5 does not have a desktop companion program. However, it is small and it does turn on instantly, something that computer hardware and software manufacturers are just beginning to understand has value to many people. But, as I am now also venturing into capturing data from the web, I realize that a PDA is really not going to meet my expanding needs. And, my 14 in. laptop is just a bit too big and heavy for the daily haul.
I have thought about ultra-portable laptops for several years (and even had an IMB z50 Workpad at one time), but they have always been way beyond my budget. Netbooks, however, caught my attention, and I have watched them evolve to a point where they now have useable keyboards, longer life batteries, and useable screens - all at a price of around $500USD.
Parallel to these developments, my world seems to move faster, and I often feel like my brain is moving slower. So, I keep wondering if I’d do a better job keeping organized and getting things done through better habits. I envy those who can get, and stay, super organized (e.g. GTD followers). Like that research study that was recently cited here, I find that many pieces of information never seem to make it “into the system”. I would like to develop better habits, and I wonder if that could, and would, change with a small netbook kept in close reach throughout the day. My thought was to base my system around Ecco because it has served me well over the last 15 years. As a companion to Ecco, I was considering something like Surfulator for web data. Eventually something like IQ could take the place of both, but let’s start with what’s currently available. But $500 is a large gamble to place on changing habits, and its a bit more than I can easily spend on an indulgence.
Any feedback on changes in habits, with respect to using new software and/or hardware, with a special emphasis on netbooks, would be greatly appreciated. I would love to “take one for the team”, but times are getting tougher, and I need to focus my resources, both time and energy, on solutions that have the best chance of working for me. The new Samsung NC10 sitting in a sealed box on my living room floor seems like everything I could have asked for, but at times its not hard to sell yourself on appearances and dreams. I would like to think that with easier access (software, keyboard, size and weight) than my laptop or Clie that I envision, I would tend to use more. Am I kidding myself, or can its perceived conveniences help me better address that seemingly greater number of tasks and data that seem to be slipping away from me each day?
—Ken
Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Dec 5, 2008 at 07:45 AM
Ken,
My own netbook experience is, as yet, rather short (I only bought mine less than a month ago) and limited to Linux, but you might find it useful nonetheless. You might also want to check out David Tebbutt’s opinion here: http://www.smallbizpod.co.uk/blog/2008/10/26/a-netbook-in-your-life/
1. It’s small, light, usable, easy to carry around and it doesn’t feel like I should put it in a safe (my Vaio TX3XP cost me literally ten times as much).
2. The pre-installed applications (in Linux) are excellent and feel very familiar (Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice etc)
3. Once you decide you need more than its default apps, you need to get your hands dirty into Linux’s command prompt. Learning Linux was actually one of the incentives for buying the netbook (I also have a second-hand desktop which seems to run like a Ferrari compared to WIndows machines) but I didn’t expect to have to do it so soon.
4. Why I wouldn’t buy a Windows netbook: I am convinced that from their very core, Windows encourage, if not impose, bloat. Just for the basics, my Vaio needs several applications running from the systray (like antivirus, firewall and the like) happily consuming my resources. These apps keep growing both in number and complexity, to the extent that I don’t consider a netbook’s specifications capable enough for a year on.
5. The one positive aspect of Windows netbooks is Windows XP, which is to Vista the Ferrari that Linux is to XP.
6. There are now several subnotebooks offering more than twice a netbook’s specifications for less that half the price. They should also be more upgradeable than netbooks. The specifications of my Vaio (bought early 2007) are currently offered by quite affordable machines and should be more than enough for road work—as long as you can somehow ‘downgrade’ them to Windows XP.
Just my 2c
alx
Posted by Ken
Dec 5, 2008 at 08:24 AM
Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
>>6. There are
>now several subnotebooks offering more than twice a netbook’s specifications for
>less that half the price. They should also be more upgradeable than netbooks. The
>specifications of my Vaio (bought early 2007) are currently offered by quite
>affordable machines and should be more than enough for road work—as long as you can
>somehow ‘downgrade’ them to Windows XP.
Thank you for the comments and link, Alexander. However, I am not certain I understood point #6 above. When you say less than half the price, are you referring to these machines’ original prices, or the netbooks’ prices? I have had a hard time finding any new or factory refurbished ultra-portables for less than $750-800. I realize that $500 is not much less, but the Samsung comes with everything I need, and it weighs less than 3 lbs fully loaded with a battery that will last over six hours. These are essential factors that make the machine convenient for me. I was considering some Thnkpad X series machines, but they are at least twice the price. In some ways, price is not as much the issue as is the question of whether I will use the machine with more frequency than my current Thinkpad laptop.
My problem is that I want a small device with a useable keyboard, and that rules out many smaller internet devices like a Nokia N800. And, I want to be able to run programs like Ecco and Surfulator, so XP, in spite of its bloated nature, is really needed. So, by a process of elimination, I am looking at devices with screens between 10 and 12 inches. My thought was the smaller and lighter, the more inclined I would be to have it with me at all times (and possibly let it live in my briefcase). I carry my Clie with me at all times, but it only goes so far in meeting my needs.
I wish I could learn to do it all on a PDA, but that never seemed to happen as much as I would have liked. It keeps my personal calendar, with some tasks, and my address book. And it has my packing lists for travel. But, it never met my needs like Ecco could, so I guess I never incorporated it into more aspects of my life. And that is what I am afraid might happen with a netbook. It may meet some of my needs, but it may not provide me with $500 worth of better organization. Worse yet, could somebody say that this quest for a hardware Holy Grail really be distracting me from the true task at hand? I want to do something to tackle all of the things than need to be addressed, but I just do not know if I can further leverage myself with technology. At some point, we hit diminishing returns when trying to leverage, and there becomes no substitute for time spent directly on the tasks at hand.
—Ken
Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Dec 5, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Apologies for the confusion. That should have been “offering more than twice a netbookâs specifications for less than TWICE the price”, i.e. that the specifications per dollar are much better. Sorry.
I took a look at the NC10, which naturally hasn’t reached this area of the world yet and it looks good enough. I would definitely check how expandable it is though. You might also want to check Lenovo’s S10: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/notebooks/ideapad/s-series
XP is my OS of choice as well, until I manage to migrate to Linux. I was fortunate enough to buy my Vaio just before Vista kicked in. The same notebook with Vista would have been virtually paralysed.
I myself gave up on doing serious work through PDAs since my Psion Series 5 collapsed; I have never found something as effective since. I also need a workable keyboard and some rather specific applications. The one program I do keep on my Symbian phone is Projekt, a quite powerful outliner comparable only to ListPro.
Regarding your original discussion on habit changes, I should note that my own decision to gradually switch to Linux reflects an effort to implement a ‘less is more’ attitude—in addition to a similar economic approach. Ideally, I would want to work through a focused environment such as Tasktop, with a minimal writing tool such as Brainstorm (as I do now) or a Wiki, with all my reference information on the file system or an all-grabbing tool like Evernote, etc. Many of these tools are already cross-platform and web-aware, so I don’t think I am (anymore) much ahead of my time :-)
alx
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Dec 5, 2008 at 02:19 PM
I had my own hardware CRIMP last spring when I bought a MacBook, and I’m glad I did. While the applications themselves are not really any more sophisticated that Windows applications (with a couple of exceptions), the computer itself is so much more enjoyable to use. Now I’m hoping that Apple will come out with its own Netbook-type machine, although I have read that Steve Jobs has said they will not “compromise” their hardware to that extent. If the market for Netbooks continues to grow, however, I am sure he’ll change his mind.
Alexander, regarding the Psion 5… I’ve got one of those in perfect condition. If you will use it, I’d be glad to send it to you. Let me know by e-mailing me at szeoli [a] earthlink dot net.
Steve Z.