GranthamTech

Are Netbooks Useful Or Just Another Excuse To Buy Tech? March 11, 2009

Being somewhat conservative when it comes to making computer purchases I can really make a meal of the decision making process. For some time now I have been reading and listening to reviews of various netbooks. For those that don’t know, a netbook is a small form factor PC much smaller than a laptop and intended to be quite portable. In fact my initial reaction when seeing one for the first time was of disappointment at it’s diminutive nature. But of course it’s smallness, the fact that it is lightweight enough to sit in the palm of your hand is exactly the point. Such a pocket sized device would be useful to me as it would allow me to write wherever and whenever I chose but I wonder if the keyboard is comfortable enough for use over a long period of time.

At the moment I have a perfectly satisfactory laptop that I use for most of my work but, having a large screen, it is quite difficult to move around the house. Neither is it, despite it’s name, actually very comfortable on my lap. So something that I could actually type away on whilst reclining in my favourite armchair, or even in the coffee shop, is attractive.

The only remaining doubt I have is, really, a fundamental one. Is it actually less productive to try to write “on the go” than to do it sitting down at a desk in a more formal environment and in a more disciplined way? There are those of us, I include myself, who are tempted to acquire technology for its’s own sake rather than to address a real need.

Any thoughts that contribute to advancing my seized up decision making are welcome.