I love technology (.org)

When buying a laptop, many people focus on the look or the features. But what about the weight? 

Scientific research (well, kind of!)

I’m getting ready to move to a new house, and part of my new lifestyle will include getting a laptop to do some work on the move. So today, I head over to PC World to check out a few laptops. 

I had a big surprise. However, it was a bad surprise. Laptops are bloody heavy!

Check what your laptop is designed for 

I noticed that PC World divided laptops in two categories: laptops for the home and office, and laptops on the move. Needless to say, those in the latter category were lighter but there were few and far between.

The lighter laptops are usually designed for the entertainment market, principally for the use of watching DVDs or playing games while travelling. 

The results 

Following the criteria that a laptop should weight under 2 kilos, i started searching across many websites and i found the following:

• brands like Dell, HP and Toshiba offer laptops just under 2 kilos for about £600-£700; these laptops are marketed at people wanting to divert themselves while travelling
• brands like Compaq didn’t seem to have any
• the lightest laptop is Sony TZ series, at 1.2 kg (that’s inclusive of the battery!), at about £1,500; this laptop is marketed at businessmen on the move, hence the price tag

Additional resources:
Notebook As Indispensable Tool For Modern Executives
The search for a light-weight and small laptop
First Impressions of the EeePC as a Travel Laptop

The current TV ad for the iPhone, in the UK, centres around Facebook. It basically asks you if you check your Facebook account every time you are in front of your computer, and it tells you that now, you will be able to do the same when you are, well, away from your computer.

It is a sign of the times that, for marketing reasons, Apple has decided this was a good campaign. Apple is in the initial phase of the marketing campaign, going after the potential “early adopters”. When you see the ad, you are induced into thinking that yes, it would be cool if you could check your Facebook account wherever you were. I’m not a huge Facebook user (I login a few times a week) but it almost worked on me!

Now, forward two years, when all the competing mobile phone brands will have developped handsets similar to the iPhone. Are we all going to log into our Facebook account at every spare second we have?

This morning, i got an email from a musician and producer, suggesting that we collaborate on a song together (along with writing this blog, i write songs). I was in two minds about it for various reasons, so i turned to my partner, asking for advice. My partner pointed out that i didn’t have to answer straight away, that i could think about it for a few days. This answer almost shocked me, because i had somehow convinced myself that i had to reply straight away because i was sitting in front of my computer reading my emails.

I love communication gadgets, i was an early adopter of email, i’m on MySpace, Facebook and many other social networking websites, and i tend to reply to texts and emails as soon as i get them. But it’s good to remind yourself that you don’t have to.

It’s OK to take time to think about things. It’s OK to take time to enjoy what you are doing, be it reading a book, watching a film, having a conversation with your friends, without checking your email, your mobile phone and your numerous social networking accounts. It’s OK to enjoy what is physically around you and live in the moment.

Additional resources: