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...

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