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.

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