Working Traveller

After the introduction of the $100 Laptop for every child by Nicholas Negroponte, other PC and laptop makers have been rushing to make their own small notebooks. Aside from small children, business travelers have also benefited from this explosion of mini-notebooks and UMPCs (Ultra Mobile PCs) in the market.

If you have plans of buying a smaller notebook, I made a list of the more reliable notebooks/UMPCs in the market. Read Val-E's personal list of travel-ready notebooks!

1. HP Compaq 2133. Has a spill-proof keyboard, a shock-resistant hard drive, and a sleek aluminum case. One of the best in the market.
   
2. UMPC Fujitsu U810. Has an ultra low voltage processor from Intel Core Duo so you can expect longer battery life (5.5hrs)d and is so portable, you can carry it around the city without any fuss.
   
3. Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook P1620. Quite expensive at $1788 but then, what do you expect from a sub-notebook that is 8.9in, has 1280 x 768 display and HSDPA/HSUPA 3G connectivity, and weighs just below 1kg!
   
4. Samsung Q1 Ultra. It one of the first UMPCs to hit the market,costs about $1100 and has an integrated keyboard, pointing stick and mouse buttons.
   
5. Asus Eee PC. The one that started the UMPC/Mini-Note craze. Weighs 2.2lbs. and costs less than $400.

So, which one will it be?