Ever since my hard drive on my Dell laptop curled up its toes and died last July (the laptop was only about 2 years old at the time, too) I have been dreaming about buying something new. Of course Georges, a die-hard Mac user since the first Apple computers rolled off the assembly-line, would love it if I'd switch to a MacBook, and I am considering it. But that would require a major investment even for the most basic MacBook, plus I might have to pay to upgrade some of the software I'm currently using in my business. So that will have to wait a while.
In the interim, I have been thinking about these little "netbooks" that are now popping up all over. They're smaller, lighter and greatly scaled down PCs that run either Linux or Windows XP operating systems. They have no CD/DVD drive, and less memory and hard-drive space than a convential laptop, and sometimes the keys on the keyboard are smaller. The screens usually range between 8-10 inches, and they usually weigh less than 2.5 pounds compared to the average laptop weight of 5 lbs plus. And price-wise, they are typically much cheaper than a full-featured, full-sized laptop computer (although some run about the same price as a low-end laptop for some reason).
The major attraction of buying one of these miniature laptops, for me, is two-fold. First, the lower price-point would mean I could purchase one sooner rather than later, and ease the pain of working on a laptop that has a new hard drive but still has all kinds of other problems (this Dell is clearly a piece of shit and my 6-year-old HP laptop is too slow and too large to be anything more than an emergency back-up). But the second selling point for me is portability: I could stick this thing in an oversized hand-bag and take it anywhere. Which means... I could write ANYWHERE. I could sit down and write in any any cafe in Paris without straining my back from lugging the heavier model in a heavier bag. I could write in the Louvre. I could write in a public park where they now have designated free WiFi zones. Because these little netbooks come with built-in wireless capability and even an integrate webcam and microphone. I might have to install Outlook and Word on it via an external drive (we have one in the house already), but otherwise it would come internet-ready right out of the box.
So the only REAL decisions ahead of me are these: (1) what's the cheapest, easiest way to get one with a QWERTY keyboard (I'm thinking I could order it from a merchant in the U.K. and have it shipped here pretty easily) and (2) which color to choose?
Because some brands come in some pretty snazzy colors.
It may be a bit too Carrie-Bradshaw of me... but I'm strangly drawn to the girly pink and red ones. This one, by Asus, is in a sort of poppy-red color with flowers on it. And you know I LOVE the color of poppies, although I could do with out the floral "extras" on this one.
And this one by Acer is in a VERY girly pink, and oh so Sex and the City, oui? There are actually a few brands out there that offer netbooks or laptops in this shade of pink (including Dell, but like I'd give them any more of my money? I think not!)
Although Asus does have one in a very chic CHAMPAGNE color. Though it's a bit more sedate compared to the pinks and reds, can't you picture me just typing away on it on that while sipping a little bubbly?
And if I really wanted to stand out in the crowd... how about this very vibrant GREEN color that is a livelier version of the color of my wedding dress -- and the same color as my iPod?
Too. Many. Great. Choices! Can't. Decide!
However, I will draw the line at any Hello Kitty models. Couldn't you just die?
By the way, this question goes out to you anglo-expats living in France: have you purchased a laptop with a QWERTY keyboard instead of the French AZERTY one, and if so how did you go about it? If I order one from the UK it will probably come with a UK electrical plug rather than the French type (although the voltage will be the same), but I don't know how easy or hard it is to find a QWERTY keyboard in France. If you know a good web site or store where I can order or buy such a thing in France, let me know.
