Feature: Reader Mailbag

Don't look now, but the spotlight is on you--the reader. This week, I've put together a few choice reader e-mails on the subjects of notebook stands, Pocket PCs vs. Tablet PCs, and everyone's favorite topic: free food.

A Beanbag for Your Notebook

Thought beanbags were just for kids? Think again.

Problem: "My latest laptop is a whopper--the Dell Latitude D800, the biggest laptop I've ever had," writes Lee H., of Aiken, South Carolina. (According to Dell's Web site, the Latitude D800's weight begins at 7 pounds.)

"Since I don't care for docking stations, and since the D800 has a big screen (15.4 inch wide-format), I use it instead of a desktop," Hamilton continues. But the discomfort of having a notebook in his lap was wearing thin.

Solution: the Instand BeanbagTable ($28). The product is like a beanbag pillow that fits under a notebook for support and provides an angle for better screen viewing, according to the company's Web site.

The BeanbagTable "has eliminated my lower back pain, as I can now comfortably recline ... while working," Hamilton says. "Separating my lap from my laptop also keeps both me and the machine cooler." (Hamilton claims no affiliation with Instand, by the way).

I've not seen or used the BeanbagTable, so I can't back up Hamilton's recommendation. However, I would caution Hamilton--or anyone--from typing on a notebook positioned in their lap for long periods of time. Doing so causes you to keep your neck bent downward to view the screen and most likely forces you to bend your wrists while typing, which are two big ergonomic no-nos.

For more about notebook ergonomics, check out my earlier articles on the subject: "Mobile Computing: Safer Pointing Devices" and "Mobile Computing: Pain-Free Portable Computing."

A Great Notebook Alternative

Anita Reach's search for the perfect notebook alternative led her from a Pocket PC to a Tablet PC.

Reach, the IT online project leader for Kansas City Kansas Community College, first tried a Toshiba 740 Pocket PC "with every type of accessory." Meanwhile, her colleagues were using other PDAs, including Palm Tungsten models, in lieu of notebooks. The Palm Tungsten C, with built-in Wi-Fi networking, was a clear favorite for many, and there was an effort to have other faculty members use the PDA instead of a notebook.

But training the faculty on the Tungsten C was "challenging," Reach writes. And the Tungsten C couldn't handle "all that a faculty member must do on a regular basis."

So Reach switched to a Hewlett-Packard Compaq Tablet TC1000. Her assessment: "It's just right. I can use it at work, then grab it and go home for more work and a little play. It's much easier to travel with because of its light weight." (The TC1000 weighs 3 pounds, according to HP's Web site.) "Most importantly," she adds, "training time [on the TC1000] is about 30 minutes, opposed to 10 hours on the Tungsten."

The goal at the college is to replace both notebooks and desktops among faculty members with Tablet PCs. "So far, so good," Reach writes.

The TC1000 lists for $1850, but at press time I found it on the PC World Product Finder for $1450. For more notebook alternatives, see my "Notebook Substitutes" newsletter.

Attention readers: Do you use a Tablet PC as a notebook alternative? If so, I'd like to hear from you. What are the benefits? The drawbacks? Which model are you using, and why? Please send me e-mail about your Tablet PC experiences, for possible inclusion in an upcoming newsletter.

Free Broadband and Breakfast

Several readers wrote to add Drury Hotels to the list of affordable hotel chains with free broadband Internet access. I included a list of such hotels in a recent newsletter.

Drury operates several chains that bear its name: Drury Inn, Drury Inn & Suites, Drury Lodge, Drury Plaza Hotel, and Drury Suites. Each Drury-branded property offers free high-speed Internet access in every room (via Ethernet), according to the company's Web site.

Free breakfast is also on the menu at some Drury locations, with fresh fruit, bagels, pastries, juices, cereals, toast, milk, coffee, tea, and more. Some locations offer Belgian waffles and other hot foods.

Drury properties are primarily located in Midwestern states such as Illinois and Missouri, with others scattered around the South and Southwest. From what I've seen on Drury's Web site, its rates are extremely reasonable. For example, right around New Year's, I checked the Drury site for room rates in late January. A two-room suite with a king-size bed (including a refrigerator stocked with free soft drinks) is $106 a night at a Drury Inn & Suites in Greensboro, North Carolina. The least expensive rate at the same property was $75 a night for a room with two double beds.

For a map of Drury locations, go to the company's Online Reservations page and click the "View Location Map - Click Here" link.