Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

I use my N800 for 98% of what I need to do away from home. The remaining 2% is done on a tiny Sony sub notebook that I bought used for $300.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

The thing I love about my N800 is that it gets me out of the "computer room." Each new version of the Nokia's OS makes it more and more of a replacement for my desktop PC. So, now my desktop is becoming more of a server for the Nokia. Obviously, I'm unable to do very much writing on the Nokia, but what writing I can do is very comfortable as I can pull it out and do it wherever I am.

BTW, there is a Cambodian font for the microB web browser:

http://www.gronmayer.com/it/index.ph...ow_pck=151#151

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

Personnaly i use it more than my desktop computer.

You said that u don't know great XML and XSLT editor. Do you have try PyGTKEditor, what do u need exactly to more usefull for you ?

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

I personally wouldn't buy a laptop now that I've got the Debian stuff working. I can open MS Office e-mail attachments now with Abiword or OpenOffice; that was the last thing I was really needing, all the rest is icing. But we do need to make the Debian apps easily accessible to the average user out there...

EDIT: I'd use it more than my desktop computer, except for the fact that I gotta be able to do my online FPS gaming, and that doesn't work very well over VNC or X-Forwarding ;)

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

I think that there's a barrier that the tablet can't break. That barrier is screen size. If you are willing to trust your job to a tiny screen, be my guest, but if I am doing work that I want to be accepted as professional, I want a bigger screen, and if I want to look at a movie that I really should be watching in a cinema, I want a bigger screen.

When trains and subways and planes and cars come with plug-in screens, I will just connect my tablet to the screen wherever I am and be happy. In the meantime, for fully professional work, I want a laptop.

For listening to mp3s, for reading books, for casual use, I want my tablet.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

What we need is video out for one of these.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

I've always used a laptop as a main machine, lugging it about (and it is a lug, powerbook 17", but nice for all that weight) between home and office. Never really had any concerns, but recently there have been worrying noises coming along about privacy violations at certain borders, stuff like that, not to mention laptop crime. And the weight. Oh the weight... :eek:

Next week I'm off to a conference and traveling for 2 weeks. Experiment time... I have my n810, debian (thanks Johnx, qole!), openoffice (I can write and update my presentations on the tablet, plug it in to a USB port, and pretend its an external drive), a VPN client, sensible mail programs, plenty of storage space, spare cards, external BT keyboard and a wonderful DWL-G730AP travel wireless device for hotel rooms. All that weighs less than a quarter of the Mac, and the size difference is obviously stacked in my favour.

And if I really wanted to travel light, I'd just pack the n810 and not really lose too much.

I have Gizmo, Skype, and 2 SIP numbers for telephony. mp3s and mp4s for entertainment. The screen size is irrelevant for personal use of such things. I'm traveling, it's not a big deal for me.

So, I'll post back, hopefully whilst on trip, with my experiences. Should be a fun old time in Norway and the UK.

spm

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

I can easily say A laptop is not a desktop and A weblet is not a laptop.

And every situation is covered when you have all three.

But I am very interested to see how well the combination of desktop, internet and weblet serves. Will taking the laptop completely out of the equation really meet all my needs?

I believe if there were an affordable phone data plan -- iPhone users pay $20 a month. I'd settle for $20 a month! -- then I'd be more than satisfied. I'd be using the weblet in places I'd never open a laptop. I'd use more web applets and store more mutable stuff on the web as the primary (and not backup) file.

As it is now, the Nokia Internet Tablet only beats out the laptop for "carry a device just in case" situations, and the laptop wins out for "I've got the laptop anyway cause I have to take it into the office/back home" situations (like the 35-minute train ride).

So when you write, I hope you'll post those small dissatisfactions and moments of being not-all-that-happy, as well as the Eureka! and Hallelujah I'm free! moments, when your laptop's absence is unlamented and even celebrated.

Roger

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

Funny, I was just asking a question in line with this at Jaiku yesterday (http://arjw.jaiku.com/presence/36564837)

The IT isn't meant yet to be a substitute for many productivty tasks, however it can and does a good job in many of them given some time for setting it up to do so. Outside of the hardest things the OP has to deal with, it really would make sense to go with the IT, live with the positives and negatives of that move, and then use their usage situation as a means to help improve the ITs overall.

You cannot make the winning shot when sitting on the bench, at some point, you have to get in and play with what thee coach gave you and see if it can notch a win.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

I use a macbook pro for most things that I need to do when I am sat at home. I have a desktop at work that I have to use, and a desktop here for when i work at home. With the new hard disk I picked up I could actually do a large amount of my work on the macbook if it wasn't mandated it was on the desktop.
I carry my n810 around when walking around town or shopping etc, and use it almost exclusively as a large screen for web browsing. I have mostly given up using it as other things, as I find installing software mostly an exersice in frustration! Maybe I should put a full linux on it or something.
I have an Asus eee which I use when going to trade shows, or travelling, although I am considering replacing that with a HP 2133, when i can see one (for the better keyboard).

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

It's great to be able to install fonts this way, through the application installer.

However, to display Khmer correctly the OS has to know when to change the order of glyphs from the order they were entered in.

For instance, many vowels appear in front of the consonant(s) that are pronounced before them. Maemo does not know what to do with them and displays them incorrectly. With some SouthEast Asian languages, the amount of substitution and re-ordering is small and simply getting the letters on the screen works most of the time. But not with Khmer.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

I don't work on my portable devices (Except for the occasional SSH connection into work). Instead they're there to deal with my insatiable net addiction and desire to play Nethack on the train :)

I've owned all three Nokia tablets. I found the 770 far too slow, the 800 good but needing a keyboard and I currently own a 810 which while still having a long way to go (It's still slower than it should be and needs a better UI) is one of the most useful devices I own and it gets use almost every day as an internet access point.

I don't live and work in a big city so wifi is normally out of the question. I get my net access using a BTDUN connection to my phone. Something I has also happily able to do when I bought my first Eee PC. I love the concept of the Eee. I don't need a full sized laptop. All I ever wanted was something really small and lightweight. It didn't have to be a powerhouse. So I bought an Eee. It gets used but in different places to my N810. If I'm in a shop and want to check a review I'm not going to get out my Eee. I'm going to reach into my shirt pocket and make with the Nokia. If I'm sat on the railway station with an hour to wait for the train the Eee is a bit more comfortable.

The Eee 701 I owned had problems though. The 7 inch 800x480 screen was just too small for any real use. The resolution in particular just feels very, very cramped. So yesterday my new Eee 900 arrived. 8.9 inch screen running at 1024x600. I'm no longer having to figure out ways to maximize real estate.

What I'm trying to say in my rambling way is that if you can afford it (And these devices aren't hugely expensive to the sort of person who can afford the data plan anyway :) ) then there's no real need to pick sides. The netbook and internet tablet market is set to explode over the next year. There'll be plenty of choice and it'll be very interesting indeed to see which direction Nokia take their tablets now they'll be seeing competition from the likes of Asus with the Eee.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

Way back in 2007 someone wrote a post here titled "how many radios do you have?" That was a milestone for me, showing the explanatory power a question can have and also pointing out that there will be room for many kinds of computers in our lives. So you're right, we really have no need to choose between tablets and netbooks.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

Both a NIT and a laptop have their pros and cons, personal, depending on situations. They both have their niche, and the hardware in both devices is also important in order to do a compare.

I'm not sure if this is an option for you, but my project is to have a 24/7 desktop running on a server and using SSH and remote desktop (NX) to connect to it using the mobile device (NIT or laptop) rendering the mobile device into a thin client. Besides that, I will route the traffic over VPN to this server. Initially the server is behind a Soekris with running BSD & PF + AltQ. Later, the server runs on 100 mbit. Therefore, instead of running MicroB on the NIT, I'd run Opera on the server containing all my bookmarks, settings, and so on. Issue is, not 24/7 connectivity with WiFi. Could be solved with tethering + 3G.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

What I've ended up with is an Asus EeePC. I have an N800, but it's hopeless for entering anything other than passwords and very quick notes. I had a full-size laptop, but it was too big, too heavy, and too power-hungry. I bought an Eee and haven't looked back. My N800 and my desktop mostly collect dust, and my daughter has my laptop. The Eee is a perfect compromise for me.

Re: Crunch time: Deciding between laptop and weblet for mobile computing
 

On the days I bike to work I use my N800 with an adesso USB keyboard. That keyboard takes care of the input issues. Works pretty well. Biggest problem is battery life, which I've basically solved with my Solio (so long as I don't view video).