Three ways to trim weight on road

IS there such a thing as the ultimate gadget for travellers?

Probably not, or at least not yet, because there are many different approaches to mobile technology, and what suits one user probably wouldn't suit the next.

And nearly any such device requires compromises of some sort. What trade-offs you're prepared to wear are really going to depend on what is important for you when you take your gadgets on the road.

In this spirit, we're not so much comparing gadgets this week as offering an introduction to three different approaches to mobile computing and communications.

Each inevitably has its strengths and weaknesses. It's up to readers to decide which would more closely fit their needs.

Eee PC 900

THE crew at The Australian IT have long been fans of ultracompact computers since we got our hands on a Flybook a few years ago and used it as our de facto travelling computer for out-of-city assignments.

For all our enthusiasm, it really seemed the concept only caught on more generally late last year when Asus introduced its cheap, tiny, Linux-flavoured and weirdly named Eee PC.

While aimed at the education market and initially sold only through Myer, it proved a popular seller over the Christmas-New Year period. Its compactness, not to mention sub-$500 price tag, seemed to strike a chord.

It also seemed it was this mainstream interest that prompted Asus to come out with a Windows version to satisfy those more comfortable in the Microsoft world.

The resulting Eee PC XP edition is slightly more expensive than the original, but probably more intuitive to use for many people. Like the Toshiba machine on this page, it also uses solid state memory in place of a hard drive. In the Eee's case, however, we're talking a mere 4GB, with about half of that required to run Windows XP.

Now the company has gone to its second generation, with the simultaneous launch of Linux and XP versions of the Eee PC 900.

Tech Check has only had a chance to try out the Linux version but was pleased that it tweaked a few points that tempered our enthusiasm for the original machines.

Memory, for example, has expanded - but not by a lot. The Linux model has 20GB on board, while the Windows machine has 12GB (apparently Windows takes up the difference in storage between the two).

The screen is also expanded from the original - 8.9in compared with 7in on the original machine.

There's no doubt it's much easier to look at. Tech Check would like to see how XP looks on the larger screen, however. One of our problems with the original XXP version was that in its out-of-the-box configuration, XP didn't quite fit on the Eee's tiny screen.

You needed to scroll over the edges, for example, to shift from the browser menu bar to the program launcher at the bottom, or you could adjust the screen settings for a lower resolution.

The good point about state memory is that it boots up fast. The bad part is that it leaves precious little storage space, especially if you are talking multimedia.

While the screen may have grown, the same can't be said for the keyboard. It's large enough for typing, but it would probably help to have very slender fingers, otherwise it could be a bit cramped.

It's pretty good at connectivity, though, with three USB ports, ethernet and card readers, but alas still no 3G data card connectivity.

That certainly limits the mobile user's ability to get online when on the go.

One thing that did surprise this reviewer after having it on for a substantial time was how hot it ran. I didn't expect that, considering its solid state drive.

It's hard to ignore that this is a pretty stripped-down device in so many ways, but what could you expect for such a price? Outside education, it is a very handy little device to take on the road for connectivity and not-too-heavy workloads. It's a great second PC to have but I would find it difficult to use as my main, or sole, computer.

SPECIFICATIONS
Features: 20GB SSD memory, 999g weight, built-in webcam, 8.9 in screen, VGA port, three USB ports, wireless and wired network access
Price: $649
More at: www.asus.com.au
Rating: 7.5/10

Sony-Ericsson W890i

IT may not be the household name it was a few years ago, but the Walkman lives on, and in the guise of Sony-Ericsson's latest mobile offering, the W890i, it wears its Generation Y credentials proudly for all to see.

Solid, stylish and as compact as you could wish for in any new mobile phone, the W890i positively flaunts youth appeal for the upwardly mobile road warrior who wants a device that lets them take their music, imaging, socialising and browsing with them in their pocket. Indeed, it's to Sony-Ericsson's credit that they seem to be able to pack so much into what really is a slim and tiny device.

As a phone, it's certainly right up there with the latest HSDPA-enabled handsets - fast and pretty reliable.

It's the unit's multimedia capabilities that are its selling point. Take music, for example. With the Walkman name it would surely want to be a good music player, and with 2GB on board, enough for about 1800 tracks, and an on-board FM radio, there's plenty of scope to use it as your main player. I liked the navigation screens, and one-click access to the music list. Its SenseMe application, a piece of tricky software that plots music by its beats and tempo and automatically generates aplaylist based on your mood, struck me as a bit gimmicky, but fun to play with even so.

If you're really keen on music, you'd probably want to invest in a set of compatible Bluetooth earphones to go with the unit because the in-built stereo speakers don't really play the sound loud to best advantage.

Also on board is a 3.2-megapixel camera - not the highest resolution on a phone, but certainly above the usual standard of one or two megapixels. One pity of having such a respectable imaging feature is that it doesn't come with autofocus or LED flash. Pictures can be edited and lightened, however, with the unit's in-built PhotoFix software.

When you've got the pics on board, the mobile broadband capabilities come into play again for users who have grown accustomed to sharing their lives with friends at large.

Photos can be instantly uploaded from the phone straight to a user's blog, allowing anyone to keep up with the owner's mobile lifestyle.

SPECIFICATIONS
Features: HSDPA 3.5G access, 3.2-megpixel camera, 2GB music storage, SenseMe playlist software
Price: $799
More at: www.sonyericsson.com/w890i
Rating: 7.5/10

Toshiba Portege R500

AFTER The Australian's office assistant dropped the box containing Toshiba's new ultra-thin laptop on Tech Check's desk, she commented on how light the package seemed. I picked it up and wondered if I'd been sent an empty carton, but a quick peek inside confirmed there was a PC inside - albeit it could have slipped un-noticed within the spaces of the packaging.

Ultra-thin computers seized the public's consciousness earlier this year when Apple unveiled its MacBook Air, but this one actually pre-dates that well-publicised machine. Shrinking any computer in width requires some compromises, but in the case of the R500, these limitations are less than some other contenders in the same class.

The version Tech Check toyed with had a 64GB solid state disk. That is, instead of a conventional hard drive it uses solid state memory with no moving parts to cut the space required and cooling for the system. This, and its ultra-light casing, cuts the weight to about 1kg, lighter than the Mac Air.

It also comes in a 160GB hard drive version, which is supposedly even lighter and cheaper. The novelty of the SSD approach got my interest. The SSD certainly lives up to its promise of space saving, quieter operation and less heat than the average laptop. It's expensive, though, and 64GB isn't a great deal these days, especially if your files are data-heavy with all sorts of images and video.

That said, the raison d'etre of such a thin machine is travel, and in this case there's a lot to recommend it. It is compact and the keyboard and screen are comfortably usable. It doesn't seem to support mobile broadband, but its inbuilt WiFi worked well on Tech Check's home network.

One of the complaints about the MacBook Air was its lack of an optical drive, but the R500 offers one (if wanted) without compromising on thinness. It also offers more expansion slots, with three USB 2.0 ports, a Type II PC card slot and Bluetooth link. At $3750, the SSD version is pricey, (compared with $3000 for the hard drive unit). It seems a high price for some impressive portability but constrained specs.

SPECIFICATIONS
Features: 64GB SSD drive, 999g weight, 12.1 in WXGA TFT screen, 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 802.11 a/g/n and BlueTooth connecivity
Price: $3750 (SSD version)
More at: www.toshiba.com.au
Rating: 7.5/10

Conclusion

WITH three such disparate devices - a stripped-down ultracompact PC, a nicely featured ultra-thin computer and a multimedia 3G phone - it's hard to draw direct comparisons. Rather, these reviews should be seen more as a taste of different platforms and approaches for the mobile tech user.

Which is better really is going to be up to the individual user and their needs. And the price - while this writer was a tad unenthused by the Eee and very impressed by the Portege, I also could see myself more easily spending $500 or so on a mobile PC than close to $4000. It's tempting to score each gadget equally, but the technology aficionado in me does lead me to give the Walkman and the Portege slightly higher ratings. Both are solid devices with lots to offer, which is not to say the Eee isn't value for money. That one of its strongest points.

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