JK-What’s your favorite device?
I am the luckiest geek on the face of the earth as I routinely get to play with so many devices. There are no fewer than 7 laptops in Mobile Tech Manor at this very moment to drive that point home. The only question I get asked more than "if you could only have one device what would it be?" is "what’s your favorite device?". I usually don’t have an answer to either one of those questions because quite frankly I don’t really have to. I can grab a particular device given the task at hand and use it quite happily so I don’t really have a "favorite". I realize that I am not your normal geek in that regard so I do give these questions a lot of thought. I’m not going to answer those questions now either but I will share a little along those lines.
Main Work Machine
My work sees me bouncing all over town from meeting to meeting where I take a lot of notes in OneNote. My main machine to do that is still the HP 2710p which serves that purpose wonderfully. It’s a full laptop when I need it but is an even better Tablet PC and I use it more than any other gadget in Mobile Tech Manor. It’s the gadget I make most of my bread with. It’s also a great writing machine if I’m out and about and have an opportunity to catch up on some of that type of work.
Writing Machine
The endeavor I spend the next largest percentage of my time doing is writing or blogging. That can encompass many tasks, from online research to writing long articles. My main go-to device for this work is the Lenovo IdeaPad u110. The IdeaPad is just so thin and light and it’s so nice to grab it and go. I can easily work anywhere with the Lenovo and it’s so powerful that it makes short work of whatever I throw at it. I’m using it right now for this post matter of fact. I sometimes take the HP 2133 Mini-Note as it’s the same size and just a little bit heavier than the IdeaPad and it is a great blogging machine too. I’ll be honest though and admit that the Lenovo is grabbed far more often than the HP. You would too in my position, after all why not ride the thoroughbred instead of the pony if you have both.
Most Useful Machine
This category is a bit all encompassing and I’ll admit that I almost called this the "Leisure Machine". It didn’t do the category justice to call it that though so I settled on "most useful". The go-to gadget in the Most Useful category is still the HTC Advantage. It definitely is my most useful machine because I can carry it almost everywhere so it’s always at hand when I have some time free. I use it to keep up with my email and my RSS feeds on the web and especially as my ebook reader of choice. I read a LOT and the Advantage is so sweet for that so it’s always with me. Opera Mobile 9.5 is such a good web browser that I find myself reaching for the Advantage to do some quick web surfing which I can do anywhere with the 3G it carries. I use the Advantage many, many times a day so it easily qualifies as my most useful machine. While it is primarily a leisure activity gadget the great web browsing and email of Windows Mobile allows me to do real work with it too.
So now you see why I never answer the two questions I mentioned at the beginning of this piece. I can’t because I don’t ever use just one gadget, I use the one best suited for a given task. I don’t need to settle on just one so I don’t. It’s good to be me. :)
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Very difficult question. If it REALLY had to be just ONE device then yes, it would be the HTC Advantage as I could use it for everything I do. Yes, other gadgets can do individual things better but hear me out!
I can surf the web.
I can read RSS feeds.
I can email.
I can IM.
I can make telephone calls.
I can record meetings.
I can use GPS with TomTom software.
I can watch movies, look at pictures and listen to music.
I can read ebooks.
I can play SCUMM
I can play DOOM, Heretic and Hexen ;-)
I can edit excel spreadsheets vis pocket Excel or even better, Planmaker which supports advanced functions.
I can give training presentations via powerpoint using the VGA out capability.
I can carry out audits and take pictures/videos via its 3 megapixel autofocus camera on sites and input into Onenote.
I can review CAD drawings
I can read PDF files (anyone know of ny PPC PDF editors)?
I can remote access and control my desktop and other family PCs.
Finally, I can use a full size monitor, mouse and keyboard via USB host or BT.
Whew, bound to have missed stuff but it would be possible to use only the HTC Advantage to fulfil my needs. Course, I wont be giving up my iPod Touch, Portege M700 or Fujitsu P1610 anytime soon! ;-)
I’m jealous, of course [Admit it, it's good to be you in the abstract but it's even better to be you when those about you are green with envy.]
My cottage contains a standard laptop and and what passed for a thin and light laptop a year ago. My two sons get to use those. I have an old slate which I still use occasionally but the computer I have with me most is my OQO.
At only one pound it can go in its belt pouch without yanking my pants off. It can also fit inside my pockets. Add EVDO to the wi-fi and it can always connect to the cloud. Plus, the active digitizer allows me to ink.
There are definite drawbacks to it. The screen size is small (and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be). The processor is slower than I would like, the graphics could use a better chip, and the 1GB of RAM should be doubled. Still, the fact that I’ve got it with me and can use it while walking down the street is a big plus.
Besides, I like the looks I get when I whip it out.
I noticed you left out any apple hardware. Perhaps you are coming out of the dark side JK!
I noticed you left out the P1620. Where did it go? =(
My HP2133, unquestionably. Light, 5 hours of battery life, speedy enough for all of my writing needs (Final Draft, OneNote, MS Word), cheap, and for Tablet functionality, I just plug in my Wacom. I personally tried an Advantage for a few days and found it too heavy for the size; for me, the increased keyboard, storage and screen size on the HP more than make up for the added pound. Also, since it runs Vista, I can use my screenwriting software, which isn’t possible on WM-based devices.
That’s why I’m glad we’re getting so much diversity in devices now, in part thanks to Apple’s iPhone and Asus’s eee. There are solutions to fit a wide range of needs.
Ya, I’m wondering why the P1620 didn’t make the list also.
I have an eeePc and a MacBook w/ the mac being my primary work machine and the eee goes out when I’m watching my son do the sport of the moment.
My question is how do you keep all of these machines in sync?
a: the bookmarks?
b: the files?
c: work in progress?
thx
Of the devices I own, right now, my favorite device is probably my Nokia n800 tablet. It’s just fun to use, and really hits the sweetspot of my entertainment needs:
1. Surfs the web well, without the compromises of the Apple devices. Basically, anything you want to do on the web, can be done on a Nokia tablet.
2. It will hold and play all of my music. And, I can download podcasts directly to the device.
3. It handles Google apps.
4. It does email.
5. It does simple games.
Really, it can do, virtually, anything that I do on a full computer, short of encoding video, in the palm of my hand.
Could I live with out my Nokia tablet? Sure I could, but I wouldn’t want to. It just makes things a little more fun.
So, that’s my favorite device.
If I could only have one device, it would be whatever cellphone I’m using at any given point in time. Right now, it’s a Palm Centro. In a month or two, it will probably be something different.
I’m sad to say I don’t consider any of my devices my favorite. I thought the N800 would inherit the title from my tapwave zodiac but I just don’t feel to attached to any.
If I had to pick just one than my Asus Z71V frankenstein monster would be it. I use it for pretty much everything but I wouldn’t hesitate to trade it for a new gaming rig.
Without doubt it’s my Nokia E90 Communicator. It does everything I need when mobile (taking pictures, taking video, Office compatibility, music and podcast player, wifi, MMS, excellent outdoor screens, all day battery life, etc etc) and, as you stated about the Advantage, because it’s so small and light it’s with me ALL the time (except in the shower)!
I believe it’s also a phone.