Netbooks - Hardware CRIMP?

Posted by Ken
Dec 5, 2008 at 06:45 AM

Its bad enough that we search for the Holy Grail of PIM software, but I am having to seriously question the hardware aspects of CRIMPing. While I love my old Sony Clie with Bonsai and DateBk5, it does have its limits. I have never been a fan of handwriting recognition, and DateBk5 does not have a desktop companion program. However, it is small and it does turn on instantly, something that computer hardware and software manufacturers are just beginning to understand has value to many people. But, as I am now also venturing into capturing data from the web, I realize that a PDA is really not going to meet my expanding needs. And, my 14 in. laptop is just a bit too big and heavy for the daily haul.

I have thought about ultra-portable laptops for several years (and even had an IMB z50 Workpad at one time), but they have always been way beyond my budget. Netbooks, however, caught my attention, and I have watched them evolve to a point where they now have useable keyboards, longer life batteries, and useable screens - all at a price of around $500USD.

Parallel to these developments, my world seems to move faster, and I often feel like my brain is moving slower. So, I keep wondering if I’d do a better job keeping organized and getting things done through better habits. I envy those who can get, and stay, super organized (e.g. GTD followers). Like that research study that was recently cited here, I find that many pieces of information never seem to make it “into the system”. I would like to develop better habits, and I wonder if that could, and would, change with a small netbook kept in close reach throughout the day. My thought was to base my system around Ecco because it has served me well over the last 15 years. As a companion to Ecco, I was considering something like Surfulator for web data. Eventually something like IQ could take the place of both, but let’s start with what’s currently available. But $500 is a large gamble to place on changing habits, and its a bit more than I can easily spend on an indulgence.

Any feedback on changes in habits, with respect to using new software and/or hardware, with a special emphasis on netbooks, would be greatly appreciated. I would love to “take one for the team”, but times are getting tougher, and I need to focus my resources, both time and energy, on solutions that have the best chance of working for me. The new Samsung NC10 sitting in a sealed box on my living room floor seems like everything I could have asked for, but at times its not hard to sell yourself on appearances and dreams. I would like to think that with easier access (software, keyboard, size and weight) than my laptop or Clie that I envision, I would tend to use more. Am I kidding myself, or can its perceived conveniences help me better address that seemingly greater number of tasks and data that seem to be slipping away from me each day?

—Ken