[stevegong]

Hi All,

I have a powerbook 12" but it's too big and heavy to bring to my classes to take notes without having to carry a backpack.

I want something small enough to roughly fit in my pocket, and have a not too small keyboard, and wifi, and good battery life.

Is there such a product?

Thanks.

[BenP]

My dad has a Blackberry. He swears by it, but it's too small for me. I find using the "keyboard" way too much trouble. My dad travels a lot, though, so portability is the most important thing for him.

[SlackerDX]

If you want something really small, you can try a Sony Clie. The UX-50 is like a mini-tablet complete with touchscreen and Qwerty keyboard. Also, some of the clamshell ones (like the VZ) might be up your alley as well. Granted, these are Palm OS PDAs rather than full laptops but if you get a Stowaway keyboard and Docs to Go, it's pretty good for doing Office.

As for something that runs XP, I have heard good things about the Sony Vaio U.

If you are a really big baller, check out the OQO. The size of a PDA but the power of a laptop. It's pretty cool tech.

If neither of these fit your bill (and the 12" Powerbook doesn't either), then I guess you are looking for something that isn't out yet.

EDIT: Actually, if it's just for taking notes in class, pretty much any Palm PDA will do. Buy the Stowaway keyboard and you can carry it all in your pocket. Docs to Go will sync your notes as Word documents onto your desktop.

[dusanyu]

Originally Posted by stevegong Hi All, I have a powerbook 12" but it's too big and heavy to bring to my classes to take notes without having to carry a backpack. I want something small enough to roughly fit in my pocket, and have a not too small keyboard, and wifi, and good battery life. Is there such a product? Thanks.

Well you will take a hit on the keyboard (unless you get a palm device with a Folding keyboard)

personlly i love my Sharp Zaurus

a third party application called QuantumSTEP Makes this device Extremely Mac compatible (Applications can be ported from Cocoa to MyStep
http://www.quantum-step.com/

While it does have a tiny keyboard it makes up for it with Mac Compatibility
(Besides its Linux Based and that means not giving money to microsoft

[stevegong]

thanks for all the posts!

I'm looking at this, it's perfect! any idea where I can get something like this, older model, and cheaper?

http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/PCG-U3/index.html

[dusanyu]

looks like a japan only product

[Res]

How about a NEC MoblePro?



http://www.necsam.com/mobile/mp900/

[Res]

There is also the Toshiba Libretto http://www.dynamism.com/libretto/main.shtml

Oh how I would love a mac subnotebook

[stevegong]

man, these things are so expensive!!!

the Zaurus seems like the best choice
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Mod...8,1255,00.html

I could buy a foldable bluetooth keyboard with it.

Does anyone have one of these or have used the linux OS on it? How does it perform?

[Res]

This site lists most of the handhelds/PDAs that run can run linux: http://linuxdevices.com/articles/AT8728350077.html

[FreakyT]

Originally Posted by stevegong man, these things are so expensive!!! the Zaurus seems like the best choice http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Mod...8,1255,00.html I could buy a foldable bluetooth keyboard with it. Does anyone have one of these or have used the linux OS on it? How does it perform?

I had a Zaurus. I eventually replaced it with a Tapwave Zodiac (Palm OS), which I like a lot better. The Zaurus has a lot of problems being a PDA, such as it's virtually complete lack of synchronization capability. (The utilities it comes with barely work, if at all.) Of course, if you're already really good with Linux, the Zaurus is a good choice for it's customizability. Otherwise, I'd recommend a PocketPC. (Seeing as Palm OS seems to be rapidly becoming a dead-end platform...)