Check back for updates as I start to use this mini computer.
I love small cars and motorcycles. Tools that can do the job with the smallest footprint for space and energy consumption.
I use Linux/Ubuntu on a Shuttle Computer Small Form-Factor system for my desktop that is about the size of a shoe box. For work, I am supplied with a robust Dell Inspiron 9400 that can handle video tasks. It's a laptop with a screen almost as large as my desktop screen, but wonderful for video editing.
A couple months ago, I resurrected a vintage Dell Inspiron 5000e with Windows 98 for my ultra mobile/higher risk needs like motorcycle trips. It was cobbled together with a pre-release version of Windows 2000. Although really slow with 128 MB of RAM, it was functional for browser functions.
In September, Dell debuted the Inspiron Mini 9, known as a UMPC (also known as a netbook. The tiny laptop measures Width: 9.13" (232mm) Height: 1.07" (27.2mm) front / 1.25" (31.7mm) back Depth: 6.77" (172mm). This computer is so tiny you could almost fit it into a pair of cargo pants with a large pocket.
I came to the conclusion that phone browsers aren't yet up to the task of doing all the tasks that I can do with a desktop/laptop. The only device that does this would be a mirror of my desktop/laptop, only smaller. The device would have a universal operating system like Windows XP, something that can easily accommodate Verizon's USB broadband and most of the mindset you have in place for working on a desktop/laptop.
The Mini 9 uses less power than a laptop and much less than a desktop. It uses Intel's smallest and lowest power consuming processor, the Atom. According to Intel, the chip is built with the world's smallest transistors.
The Mini 9 doesn't have a traditional hard drive with a motor and other moving parts. It uses chips to store permanent memory adding to it's frugal power consumption. Chips are also not subject to shock and the failures of mechanical hard drives in mobile applications.
My experience so far is 4+ hours of straight run time from a really tiny battery pack. The whole computer only weighs 2.28 lbs. (1.035 kg).
