Small is beautiful, right?

Tech Talk

With Peter J Smith

IT Director at MDM Associates Limited, Independent Financial Advisers based in Ripley, Surrey.

Small is beautiful, right?

It’s a good bet that if you are reading this you already use the Internet on a daily basis. Traditional use and access to the web is most often done on a home computer or a laptop.

However in recent months there has been a sea change, the number of web accessible devices has mushroomed. Apple introduced the iPhone and Google have got in on the act with Android, its new operating system for mobiles phones.

What does this mean for the average user? In plain language it means that more and more information, especially in graphical format, is available to anyone with a mobile phone and a data plan. Stock tickers, instant updates, twitter alerts and access to blogs are just a few of the available information sources that are being increasingly used to find out what is going on the financial markets or just the world around you.

The biggest problem is screen size and the ability to read all the information that you can access in this techno logical wonderland. If you have an iPhone or similar the screen size is just about readable for a few web pages and twitter alerts but what about some serious Internet access and logging into your portfolio?

Lugging around your desktop replacement laptop is absurd and the cost of a small ultraportable is often outside the budget. What we really need is a cheap alternative that can be carried around and is, above all, useful.

Step up to the plate…..Netbooks.

A net who? You may ask. A Netbook is a small laptop that is just slightly larger than a paperback novel, weighs a tad more and slips into a handbag or small briefcase with ease. They run Windows or a version of Linux (a cheaper simpler operating system) and are mostly powered by the new Intel Atom chip.

With a price point of £150-£300 pounds (excluding the £800 plus Sony version) these Netbooks allow all of the functionality with a fraction of the price of an ultraportable laptop.

Now, I am a convert! I have an ultraportable but it is still “large” and after a short trial use of a Toshiba Netbook I am happy to carry it around with me in situations where I would leave my regular laptop at home. The convenience of the size and weight outweigh the smaller screen size and, once all my applications and data were loaded on, I could work as freely as before.

They are not for everybody and the sight of a big rugby playing executive typing on a small Netbook keyboard is quite amusing. If you get a chance pop down to your local PC store and take a look. Your mobile phone might just remain that and the Netbook could prove that small is beautiful after all.