Is that a Mini-Laptop in your backpack? Or, are you just glad to see me?

Evening all... Today's entry is a shameless technology plug to all those looking for a small, portable laptop. Called 'Netbooks in tech/geek speak (or is it geek/tech speak?), they sport many of the standard features their larger, portable cousins do but in a much smaller package. How small? Think smaller than a regular-sized laptop, but bigger than your average smartphone:



'Netbooks feature all that we've come to expect from today's laptop technology:

• Small screens (8" -10") typically
  
• Wi-Fi
  
• Web Cam (w/ Mic)
• External monitor connections
  
• USB ports
  
• Audio/Headphone I/O ports
  
• Regular HD and SSD HD technology
  
• Plenty of RAM 
• Flash memory card readers
  
• Small keyboards

'Netbooks sport many flavors and are produced by a host of manufacturers: Dell, Acer, Asus, HP and MSi all currently sell their version. In fact, the market for UMPC's (Ultra-Mobile PC) is growing, especially in a down economy when prices for these bad boys start at less than $300 for basic models.


Where the Computing Rubber Meets the Road


As a teacher, TVCommando, writer, part-time traveler and photographer, I found what I call the UMPC portability to power ratio worth the investment. Remember though, YMMV - Your Milage May Vary. Ask yourself first, what are my computing needs? These are not machines intended for serious computer tasks like video editing, gaming or AUTO CAD. Also, what is your budget? Do you travel?


For my trip to China last summer and for my teaching, I was looking for a laptop with a small footprint that wouldn't break the bank. It needed to fit in a backpack without sacrificing my mainstay computing demands - word processing, web/email...and because I'm a pretty serious photographer, I need the ability to run Photoshop efficiently for image manipulation/management. Lastly, it needed to have the ability to drive an external monitor, and/or the ability to hook up to a projector in a classroom for lesson presentations.


And the winner is...


After researching regular PC and Apple laptops, and all of the UMPC models (available last summer) and consulting an IT friend and fellow tech/geek, I chose the MSi Wind - Model  U100. And because I'm a serious geek, I added another 1gig of RAM (for a total of 2gigs) to mine and a slightly faster/larger 2.5" SATA HD (the MSi Wind sports a regular 2.5" HD).  Fully loaded my MSi Wind weighs in at less than 1.5 lbs! I took off for Beijing with it in my backpack loaded up with Microsoft's XP Professional, Office, Skype, Photoshop et. al. Total price with add on hardware? $575.


(For the record, a similarly configured 13" Macbook is $950. The new 13" Macbook Pro is $1,099.) *Source: Apple.com. Prices quoted include my education discount! Your prices may vary*


Mighty 'Wind rocks!

So, how'd my little gadget do on its maiden voyage to the far east? In a word: terrific! Despite the fact I'm not a Microsoft OS fan (OK, full disclosure: I use Macs because I want to...I use PC's because I have to!), the MSi Wind met all of my demands with flying colors and then some! In fact, it's still in my backpack today, albeit with some slight modifications (more on that in a later post!)


Bottom line? No matter what you do, and especially if you have to travel to do it, if you're in the market for a laptop and want a surprising amount of computing power packed in a small package, check out one of the hottest trends in laptops: UMPC 'Netbooks.


Good things do indeed come in small packages.