Travel Notebook?

[JohnIrish]

I am looking for suggestions on a travel notebook or tablet. This will also be used to travel internationally... (Thailand, China).

This is only for browsing the internet and checking emails. I will also use Internet Phone software on the Laptop. I may also download some pictures but will not do much else with it. I did read that the less power could mean longer battery life.

Low weight and small size are important. I would guess that processing power would not be an issue ?

I have even thought of a small tablet but I am not sure the advantages of them over a small laptop. Because of internet browsing I would like more than a hand held device.

Any model suggestions? I did a search but most people seem to want POWER or a laptop gaming rig.... I am sort of on the opposite side and just want something light and portable.

thoughts?

thanks

 

[corkyg]

I am in your camp - a non-gamer and international traveller. I like to keep my travel laptop at 6 lbs or less. I had good luck with an HP Pavilion dv1000 for the past couple of years, and now have replaced it with a Lenovo/IBM Thinkpad T60. It comes with Vista, and I am beginning to like it as I learn how to not let it dominate my life.

I just finished a 28 day trip to Greece and Italy, and the T60 worked well. It had good connectivity via Wi-Fi in hot spots, and I was able to keep track of my email and stuff on a daily basis.

I also took over 1200 digital pictures, and the T60 was my travelling darkroom.

Your best buy for a lightweight, business laptop is probably HP/Compaq.

Those are my thoughts.

 

[porcorosso]

What will work best for you depends very much on personal tastes and budget. Let me just tell you my experience.

First of all, I'm 77-78" and 200 lbs. Airline accommodations for me can be a bit tight (leg-room-wise) even on those occasions when I get treated to business or first class. If I want to work with my notebook in my lap or on the tray, a big screen -- or even a regular one -- doesn't work very well. With my size and frame carrying a heavy computer is no issue at all. I hauled "transportables" with built-in CRTs (and even printers) built in for years with no sweat -- except for the inconvenience to other people to whom my equipment and I presented a serious road block.

But...

A few years ago I discovered Dynamism.com and their gorgeous little not-for-the-American-market notebooks. After one trip from Chicago to Kuala Lampur to Mombei to Tangier to Perth and then back -- the hard way -- toting a Toshiba Libretto I was absolutely hooked on tiny notebooks. With its extended battery I could use it for 10 hours on a charge!

Here's the deal. It had a slightly strange wide screen LCD (about 1200 pixels by 600 pixels in a 10" diagonal format, IIRC). This enabled Toshiba to provide a keyboard with a very near to normal key size while still keeping the vertical profile of the notebook very small. I could type as fast on that computer as on any system I've ever owned. Simply not true of the abbreviated keyboards on most of the small Panasonics and what have you. The screen itself was brilliant, with excellent brightness and contrast. It was easy to get used to the strange aspect ratio.

I'm not sure the Libretto is available any more. The similar-but-more-powerful Dynabook is what I carry now, and it works just as well (except for battery llife) for almost anything I do when traveling. If I have to do any design work (CAD) while traveling, well then I have to carry a Dell Precision M90 or M70 with me. But those are a pain to use in tight spaces.

I just checked the Dyanmism.com site and didn't see the Dynabook either. But the Toshiba RX1 appears to have many of the same form factor features. Hmmm. Maybe it's time to replace the Dynabook. Available with a solid state drive. Ouch. Kinda expensive.

Oh yeah. For small, particularly for small with functionality, you pay. But if you use it a lot, it's worth it. If you check out that site I imagine you'll find something that will work for you. But I warn you to be careful of the keyboard configuration. If you have big mitts like mine, you don't want any of those itsy-bitsy keys. The keyboard is one of the areas where the little Toshibas shine.

Next Day Edit: The RX1 IS a Dynabook. Whatever. A rose by any other name... I'm glad you posted this. I'm going to get the RX1.