toy computer

I'll be heading to Calgary in a few days before starting a general wander around the Western half of Canada. Space will be somewhat at a premium and I've decided that as this is a fun trip, I'll jettison the PC. My MacBook Pro is a 17 in system and I've decided on this occasion to leave it behind. So what computer to carry for minor tasks that is also back-pack friendly?

There was nothing for it but to pay a visit to Toys R Us.

They currently stock a teensy thing called the Eee PC which costs around the same as two tanks of fuel for my car and runs a choice of Linux or Windows XP. I think my local store was trying to sell them off before the next model arrives.

Its got 1024x600 screen res, Wifi b/g, a 1.3Mp video camera, VGA out, 100Mb ethernet and a flash disk. There's a slot on the side to add a further flash disk. I found one and clicked it in and it worked straight away. Then I plugged in a 160GB USB powered hard drive which also worked straight away.

Its about the same size as a small hardback or large paperback book, has a moderate battery life and is surprisingly fast for a 1.2MHz 1Gb memory machine. Its available in Black, White and -er- Pink. The white does it for me. I really want it for word processing, email, backup of photos and maybe a bit of browser/blogging. It will be interesting to see how it fares.

Its no secret that I'm something of a Mac enthusiast, and I think there's a lesson here somewhere on packaging for small portable form factors. I have this set up (out of the box) to run Windows XP + MS Works and the Sun StarOffice - not exactly radical programs, but they get the job done. I've left Microsoft Moviemaker on it too, but I'm not holding my breath.

My mad comparison is with the Macbook Air. The Air is much bigger, sleeker, generally classier but would cost at least 6-7 times as much. I would be saddened if I dropped one. I realize I could use the Macbook to edit HD video as well, but then I'd want to use a big Macbook in any case. So at the 'horse for courses' level this tiny, plasticky looking machine will have to be my new best computer friend for a while.