Mobile Computing: Notebook Alternatives

Small lightweight devices that can help you out of a tight squeeze.

James A. Martin

Feature: Notebook Alternatives

My notebook and I recently took a round-trip, cross-country journey together. Please remind me never to do that again.

Lugging my bulky 9-pound Dell Inspiron 8100--not to mention its extra batteries, AC adapter, and other paraphernalia--was like traveling with a small child. Hauling the gear through airport security checkpoints was approximately as much fun as acid in the eyeball. The person in front of me on the San Francisco-to-Atlanta Delta Airlines flight reclined her seat, and my seatback tray wouldn't slide forward, so I had to work with the notebook positioned uncomfortably on my lap. And halfway through the flight, my notebook batteries expired, even though I had recharged them the night before.

I could go on and on about the tedium and agony of traveling with a notebook. Suffice to say that this recent trip has made me even more compelled to travel with a notebook alternative--something more powerful than a standard PDA but less cumbersome to handle than a notebook.

Luckily, there are options. This week I present a guide to notebook alternatives that allow you to handle basic word processing and spreadsheet chores, e-mail, and such.

AlphaSmart Dana

I've already devoted a newsletter feature to this Palm OS-based device, but it's worth a quick recap here.

AlphaSmart's Dana ($399) combines a full-size keyboard with a monochrome, backlit LCD that's nearly as tall as the average Palm OS screen but about three times wider. Designed for the education market as a portable word processor, the Dana--when equipped with a modem, e-mail application, Web browser, and spreadsheet program--can also handle most tasks a mobile professional would need to do.

The Dana's included rechargeable battery lasts around 20 hours. If that's not enough, you can extend your work session with three AAA batteries. The Dana weighs a blissfully light 2 pounds.

Granted, the Dana comes with lots of trade-offs. You can't have, say, two or more word processing documents open at once. But for basic Office document chores, e-mail, and some extremely limited Web browsing, I've not found a better notebook alternative.

So why didn't I leave my notebook at home and travel with the Dana instead? Two reasons. During my trip, there was a strong possibility that I would need to tweak some Adobe PageMaker layout files for one of my clients--something that only a Windows or Mac computer would allow me to do. Also, I wanted to watch Six Feet Under on DVD on the return trip, and that's not possible with the Dana.

At press time, online retailer JandR.com was selling the Dana for $380 without a modem and $450 with a modem.

QuickPad Pro Mail

Similar in concept and appearance to the Dana, the recently released QuickPad Pro Mail ($349) is essentially a portable word processor that allows you to send and receive e-mail. The device has a full-size keyboard, weighs about 2 pounds, runs for nearly 100 hours on four AA batteries (according to the company), and comes with built-in word processing, spreadsheet, calculator, database, personal organizer, and calendar applications. Files can be synced with your main computer via its USB, infrared, or serial ports.

In my informal tests, I found the QuickPad Pro Mail to be a solidly constructed device that should meet a mobile professional's most basic requirements. Unlike the Dana, the modem is built in, so you don't have yet one more piece of equipment to keep track of. The device's screen is slightly larger than the Dana's, and it comes with a handy zippered carrying case.

But for anyone who remembers MS-DOS-based computers, the QuickPad Pro Mail's character-based interface has an unappealing retro feel. And unlike the Palm OS-based Dana, for instance, you can't tap the QuickPad Pro Mail's screen with a stylus to select a block of text. Also, there is no screen backlighting option as there is with the Dana, so working in low lighting situations can be difficult.

If it weren't for the Dana, I'd own a QuickPad Pro Mail--if for no other reason than to edit Word files in the park on a nice day. But my guess is that most business professionals today would rather use a portable with a familiar icon-based interface.

NEC MobilePro 900 and Fujitsu LifeBook P1000

NEC's new MobilePro 900 ($899) suggests there's still some life left in Microsoft's Handheld PC operating system. H/PC is similar to the Pocket PC operating system but is geared toward vertical-industry users such as medical professionals. The MobilePro 900 is based on H/PC and includes pocket versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Internet Explorer.

With its clamshell design, nearly full-size keyboard, 8.1-inch color touch screen, and convenient carrying weight of 1.8 pounds, NEC's device resembles a tiny ultraportable notebook. But the instant-on capabilities of the MobilePro 900 gives NEC's product an edge over standard notebooks.

For professionals who think PDAs are too small and notebooks too big, the MobilePro 900 may be just right. If the MobilePro appeals to you, though, be aware of its limitations: Unlike an ultraportable, for instance, you can't install standard Windows applications on it

For just $300 more, you could buy a Fujitsu LifeBook P1000 ($1199). The P1000 is among the tiniest notebooks currently available. The portable has an 8.9-inch color touch screen, includes integrated ethernet and 802.11b wireless networking, runs on Windows XP Home, and weighs just 2.2 pounds.

PDA With a Keyboard and Modem

Another alternative is to travel with a Palm OS or Pocket PC device equipped with a full-size keyboard and wireless or land-line Internet access.

Take the Toshiba Pocket PC e750 ($599), for example. This PDA includes built-in Wi-Fi that lets you check e-mail at hot spot in your hotel or a Starbucks, a 3.8-inch color touch screen, and slots for CompactFlash and Secure Digital cards for additional storage. (For the latest prices, check the PCWorld.com Product Finder.)

With Microsoft's included Pocket PC applications and a foldable full-size keyboard from Belkin ($80), you've got a fairly powerful notebook alternative that's easy to carry. Using Microsoft's Pocket Office applications, you can use applications that look and feel like your desktop programs to check e-mail, edit word-processing files, work on spreadsheets, and surf the Internet.

Many Palm OS devices also include DataViz's Documents To Go software, which lets you view and edit Microsoft Office-compatible files on your handheld.

The bottom line: You can't get a lighter, smaller notebook alternative than a PDA, and battery power can last for 8 hours or more. The downside is that PDA screens are too small for sustained viewing. Imagine trying to work on an expansive Excel spreadsheet using a 3.8-inch Pocket PC screen, for instance, and you get the idea.

For more information about the foldable keyboard for Toshiba PCs, go to Belkin's Web site.

Coming Soon: Vulcan

Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures has been previewing a prototype of a truly tiny notebook at trade shows. When it debuts later this year, Vulcan's Mini-PC will weigh just 1.1 pounds and be small enough to fit in a pocket--yet it will run Windows XP and include 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. The Mini-PC is expected to cost $1200 to $1500 and will be licensed to vendors, who will sell it under their own brand names.

NOTEBOOKS & ACCESSORIES

Call for Reader Input: Best and Worst Airplanes for Notebook Users

As I mentioned in this week's feature, a Delta flight I recently took with a notebook was exceedingly uncomfortable. The coach-class seat was cramped and the seatback tray table wasn't adjustable, so I couldn't slide it when the woman in front of me reclined. The result was that I spent much of the flight with my notebook on my lap, my wrists bent to reach the keyboard, the notebook screen necessarily tilted down at an awkward angle. To make matters worse, prior to take-off a Delta representative had assured me that the airplane was equipped with in-seat power outlets for notebooks. It wasn't.

In short, if I hadn't had work to do, I would have put the notebook away and read a book. For the record, the flight I'm referring to was Delta flight 305, a Boeing 757 aircraft.

I'd like to hear from other notebook-packing travelers about their best and worst coach-class airline seats. Was there a particular aircraft you traveled on that was especially comfortable, or uncomfortable, for notebook use? If so, please e-mail me with details: airline, flight number, aircraft type, the make and model of your notebook, why the flight was memorable, and any tips you have for squeezing the most work time out of your flight. I'll include your responses in future newsletters.

News: Dell Introduces Ultraportable Latitude

At 3.7 pounds, the Latitude D400 is the lightest of Dell's new Latitude D-Family notebooks. A $1499 base configuration includes a 1.3-GHz Pentium M processor, a 20GB hard drive, 128MB of memory, a four-cell battery, an external CD-ROM drive, and the Intel Pro Wireless chip for 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless network support.

News: HP's Widescreen Portable

Hewlett-Packard's new Compaq Presario X1000 notebooks sport a high-resolution, 15.4-inch wide-aspect-ratio display designed for viewing multiple application windows side by side or editing images, video, page layouts, and other graphics-intensive files. Other features include Intel's Centrino package, a Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard slot for transferring files from digital cameras and MP3 players, three USB 2.0 ports, and an IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port for video transfers. The currently available Presario X1001us costs $2399 after a $100 rebate. Additional, configurable X1000 series models are due out by the time you read this.

HANDHELDS

News: $50 Rebate From Palm

Are you thinking about trading in your old PDA for a new Palm Tungsten or Zire 71? Palm will give you a $50 rebate if you take the leap. The promotion, which expires July 14, is available to customers who send in their old Palm OS or Pocket PC devices and buy a Palm Tungsten C, T, or W or Palm Zire 71.

First Look: Samsung's Slick Palm-Based Phone

Samsung's SPH-i500 elegantly combines a Palm OS-based PDA with a wireless phone, says PCWorld.com's Yardena Arar. Available for use with the Sprint PCS service, the clamshell device is svelte and cleverly designed, with the Graffiti area relocated from the lower portion of the display to the bottom half of the phone, above the luminescent keypad. The phone costs $500 to $600 with service.

Tip: Power an IPod With AA Batteries

Apple's newest IPods are smaller and lighter than their predecessors. But the new model's battery is smaller, too, and doesn't run as long as the earlier IPods, according to The Wall Street Journal. There's a solution, however: When your new IPod's rechargeable battery runs out of juice, you can keep the tunes flowing for another 15 to 20 hours with Belkin's Backup Battery Pack. The $70 pack uses four standard AA batteries and works with the new IPod models only.

WIRELESS

News: Verizon's Big Apple Hot Spots

Verizon Communications has launched an outdoor wireless network in New York, adding 150 Wi-Fi access points to the company's pay-phone kiosks. The hot spots provide high-speed, wireless Internet access to Verizon Online subscribers within a radius of up to 300 feet, the company claims. By year's end, the company plans to have 1000 active access points throughout the city.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.

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