I’d been following the growth and innovations in the netbook market over the past year or so, so I am really looking forward to diving into this new platform and fitting it into my current home office menagerie of Windows, Macintosh and Linux machines.

Outfitting My New Netbook

My first step was to delete all the trialware, including Microsoft Office 2007 Student and Teacher Edition, from the machine. My netbook runs Windows 7 Starter Edition (although I see the Google Chrome Operating System in its future) so it’s picked up a certain bad habit that seems to common to all new Windows OS machines: an over-abundance of trialware. I recommend you do the same as me and delete aany trialware from your new netbook so you can start off with the machine as pristine as possible.

For this machine, I made the choice to run only free or open-source software on it — no Microsoft Office, no MindJet MindManager, no OneNote, and not even subscription-based antivirus software. So after deleting much of the trialware from the netbook, I downloaded Google Pack, which is the installer for the major Google desktop applications, to get the party started. Here are some of my additional software suggestions for outfitting your new netbook:

• Evernote. I’ve written about Evernote in the past (here and here) and use it frequently through the course of my writing and consulting work so it is must have install on my new netbook.
• Google Chrome.This is going to be my primary browser on the machine. At least initially, I plan to go without Firefox. It comes as part of the Google Pack.
  
• Google Apps. The Google Pack lets you install desktop shortcuts to Google Calendar (Celine offers GCal tips here), Google Docs and Gmail, my office suite and email apps of choice for my new netbook.
• Pidgin. I have clients and colleagues who make frequent use of instant messaging (IM). This multi-protocol IM client is my choice for the Windows platform.
• Dropbox. After reading Scott’s Dropbox post, I was sold on Dropbox and became a user. While I recently upgraded my Dropbox account, you can still get a 2 GB account for free.
• Jing. Screen captures are a big part of my work. Jing (covered by Doriano) is free and I’ll be using it frequently.
• Anti-virus/Anti-spyware. For the time being, I am going with Google Pack’s anti-virus/anti-spyware software.

Securing Your New Netbook

Lastly, after setting up the netbook, don’t forget to secure it. All cynicism and jokes about Windows security aside, make sure your antivirus software of choice is functional and go into Windows 7 System Security settings and check that your network firewall, virus protection, and spyware protection is on.

For more information about where netbooks are headed, check out the special report “The Future of Netbooks” over on GigaOM Pro (subscription required).

Did you receive a new netbook for Christmas? How are you outfitting it?

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My particular netbook is the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, but the model doesn’t really matter. It’s a light device with a 10-inch screen, a small keyboard and an all-day eight hour battery. When I bought it, it was freshly released, and was generating quite a bit of buzz among the mobile computing crowd. One of the first things I did with the Eee PC was to install the Windows 7 beta, and it’s still running the release candidate today.

Dream: The Road Warrior

Now that we’ve established what it is I’m working with, we can move on to how it’s working out. At the time of purchase, I wanted a netbook so that I could travel lightly and work from virtually anywhere without requiring a power source or, when I used my 3G USB dongle, a Wi-Fi connection. I also wanted something I could just throw in a bag, without much concern for either the device itself or for the additional space it would take up. I envisioned a future of road-warrior remote working, where the only limit to my mobile productivity was what time the trains stop running.

As many of you probably already guessed, my vision of the future didn’t exactly turn into reality. But just how far off was I? The truth is, very far off.

It didn’t help that Apple released the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a built-in six hour battery shortly after I purchased the Eee PC. That aluminum beauty quickly replaced my black plastic MacBook, and it would’ve been a shame to hide it away, so more often then not, if I was stepping out, I’d pick the Apple notebook over the Asus. Sure, the Eee PC would’ve saved me some space, but if I really wanted to travel light, I could always just leave all bags at home and depend on my fully capable iPhone.

Looks weren’t my only concern in choosing the MacBook Pro over the netbook for on-the-go work. I also couldn’t get over the cramped keyboard on the smaller device. The Eee PC is widely touted as being among the best in its class in terms of keyboard space and quality, but that doesn’t make it enjoyable to use. It still requires adaptation, which means that when you go back to a full-size keyboard, it can be hard to regain your bearings.

The only real advantage that my Eee PC has over my MacBook Pro is that I don’t really care that much what happens to it, so I’m more likely to use it in high risk situations, or when I think I might get caught outside in inclement weather. The netbook was a great deal less expensive than the full-size laptop, obviously, so its safety weighs less on my mind.

Reality: Couch Potato

Truth is, though, in most cases where I feel more comfortable taking the Eee PC along in my bag, I won’t actually ever have cause to take it out until I get home again. Which leads me to the actual use my netbook now has: Coffee table resident and visitor’s notebook.

It now remains in the living room, on the storage shelf underneath the main surface of my coffee table, just waiting for some much-needed attention. When my girlfriend or anyone else is over, it gets thrown into use as an idle Facebook browser while I use my MacBook Pro and we simultaneously watch TV (who consumes only one kind of media at a time anymore?). Occasionally, when I want to check out a Windows program and write about it in Mac OS X at the same time, I’ll use the Eee PC to run software while working on my iMac.

Was it a worthwhile investment? Probably not. Do I appreciate having it around? Yes, enough not to sell it, by way of which I could probably actually recoup some of the cost of the machine. As productivity boosters go, though, it doesn’t pass the test, and I’ll think twice about buying into whatever the next new subcategory of computer happens to be. Unless it’s the Apple tablet (GigaOM Pro subscription required), which I will (of course) buy in a second regardless of any and all lessons learned.

What gear have you purchased that subsequently hasn’t lived up to the intended use you had for it?

Editor’s note: For more information on netbooks and where they’re headed, check out the report, “The Future of Netbooks,” over on GigaOM Pro (subscription required).

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• Dim the screen
• Stop playing DVDs/CDs
• Stop playing video/music from the HDD
• Go easy on your CPU
• Switch off the radios
• Ditch the mouse
• Unplug external drives

Check out Liam’s post for the full list of tips and more detail. These tips aren’t only useful for Apple hardware; most of them would work equally well on any make of laptop or netbook. Looking for even more battery life? Check out Sam’s previous posts on the topic.

Share your battery-saving tips below.

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Unlike most people, my kit tends to change frequently. I vary the contents of my bag based on my  needs, and my gear has evolved as I’ve ridden the trend from notebooks to UMPCs to netbooks and back again. Let me give you a glimpse as to what I mean, as my bag has evolved many times in the past few years.

Tablet PCs and UMPCs

In late 2004, I decided to move away from traditional notebooks and try my hand at using a Tablet PC. That led me to a Toshiba M205 convertible Tablet PC that I used the heck out of. It was my everyday travel computer that could be used with the keyboard, but could also handle handwritten input. At 4.5 pounds, it was considered reasonable to tote around. While it had integrated Wi-Fi, I’d often USB-tether a 3G Windows Mobile phone for EV-DO Rev 0 speeds. A computer and phone were all I needed.

That worked well for a while, but in early 2006, I got bitten by the UMPC bug. This disease affected me so profoundly that I purchased new Samsung devices as fast as they could pump them out. I started with a Celeron-powered Q1, upgraded to a Pentium-powered Q1P in 2007, and finally ended my run with an Intel Core Solo inside the Samung Q1-UP that I still own. Each of these devices offered a 7-inch touchscreen display and supported the Tablet PC features I embraced prior. The most recent model afforded me a higher-resolution display at 1,024×600 and also included a split QWERTY keyboard. It turns out that I didn’t need that feature, though, because my gear bag gained a very useful device in 2006: a Think Outside Stowaway Bluetooth keyboard.

Stowaway keyboard vs. traditional notebook keyboard

I took this keyboard everywhere with me because it worked with all of my devices: UMPCs and phones alike. It was a permanent fixture in my gear bag for months, although it was eventually replaced by a newer model in the Sierra. The main reason for the replacement? The newer keyboard added a dedicated row of numeric keys but didn’t really add much extra weight or size.

At the same time, my mobile kit was changing. The phone eventually got replaced in 2005 by a 3G USB modem card. While some folks prefer embedded 3G or PC Card/ExpressCard solutions, I like carrying USB WWAN adapters because they’re small and work with all of my devices.

Netbooks Come of Age

This type of setup worked great for me wherever I went. Unfortunately, the UMPC market generally dried up and heralded the coming of the current netbook craze. Like any good geek, I jumped on the trend right away and purchased the original Asus Eee PC 701 in November 2007, replacing  my UMPC and separate keyboard. Hence the gear bag consisted of a netbook, USB card for 3G connectivity and, occasionally, a small digital camera.

Netbooks really came of age in 2008, so it was time to say goodbye to the small keyboard of the Eee PC and hello to an MSI Wind U100 netbook that I still own. The Intel Atom CPU is much better suited to mobile computing: I routinely see five hours of run-time with the U100. It also offers a larger 10-inch screen and better keyboard than the Eee PC. Although I was able to cover the entire 2008 Consumer Electronics Show with my Eee PC, the Wind makes for a more enjoyable work experience. These days, when I want to travel light and only need to work for four hours, the Wind has a place in my gear bag along with a USB727 adapter for 3G. The cheap point-and-shoot I used to carry was replaced by a Canon EOS Rebel XSi last year.

Back to Notebooks

Over the past year, we’ve been doing more video over at jkOnTheRun, so when I know I’ll be editing vids, I take a current-generation MacBook with me. Like the Wind netbook, I can get four or five hours of run-time, so carrying my second battery essentially gives me an entire day. Videos are recorded in 720p high-def with an inexpensive Kodak Zi6 handheld. It has a USB interface, so I can easily transfer video files to the MacBook, edit them, and then upload them over 3G or Wi-Fi.

My gear bag has changed over time, but it has always met my needs. I’ve always made sure that I have the right tools for my tasks. If I simply need to write content, I can throw the MSI Wind in my bag and go. My 3G adapter is always in the bag; the only time it leaves is when I’m using it. When I want the comfort of a “big boy” laptop or know that I have video work, my Wind is swapped for my MacBook as it only adds 1 pound of weight to carry over the netbook kit.

Before I forget, I should mention the bag I carry. Sadly, it’s not one that most of you can get your hands on, however. Each year that we cover the Consumer Electronics Show as press, we’re given a padded backpack from the Consumer Electronics Association. It comes in handy to slog all our gear and also to hold the many pages of product documentation, datasheets and maps of the Las Vegas Convention Center. It turns out that this has become my bag of choice. Why? Simply because the oversized backpack has a removable messenger bag: I just unzip it and I can easily carry my small gear safe and sound!

What’s in your bag?

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Back in 2004, Intel set itself the goal of achieving eight-hour battery life by 2010, using a combination of battery innovation, software optimisation and power management technologies.

Though Intel has succeeded in continual innovation of its chipsets, and users have become accustomed to carry multiple or more powerful batteries amongst other power management strategies, it doesn’t seem as though we’re any closer to the goal of all-day computing…and Intel only has a little over a year to get there!

Each of the six or seven notebooks I’ve purchased over the last year have all purported to doubling or tripling battery time, but in reality I seem to only get two or three hours of typical use; as battery and power management have improved, we’ve demanded more and more from our computers.

However, in recent weeks we’ve seen the launch of HP’s EliteBook 6930p, which the iconic company claim breaks the twenty-four hour barrier (HP Breaks the 24-hour Battery Life Barrier, HP EliteBook 6930p Lasts All Day, Literally, Laptop delivers all-day computing). The EliteBook uses a combination of solid-state hard drives, LED screens and an optional high-capacity battery to achieve its power profile. I’m curious to hear from users of the EliteBook to understand whether HP’s claim of a full day’s charge is genuine or simply the best case scenario.

Regardless, it’s worth exploring whether the need for all-day computing is indeed necessary, or diminishing in the face of altering and fragmented usage patterns. As mobile workers use devices like the iPhone and lower-powered netbooks, perhaps Intel’s 2010 goal will simply be moot.

Beyond 2010, perhaps innovations in blood and sugar powered devices will mean we simply need to feed our computers when they’re hungry…or maybe by then we’ll all have a Mr. Fusion ;)

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