EEE PC
So I am working on the successor to my PocketMail device. I am one of the few people who really loved that device. I’ve used it on a couple of trips and found it a great way to write and update my blog on the road. You can read more about it here but the basics are that it is a small device that allows you to send and receive email from any payphone. For the techies among us it is handheld note taking device with a small lcd screen incorporating an analog modem. I found it really cool to sit and write in a campsite and then walk or ride to a payphone to update the blog and get email from friends.
In the US there is an 800 number to call which makes it reasonably cheap to use as the monthly fees for the device are around $8.00. Using it in South America wasn’t so cheap as there is no toll free number to call, plus there are a ton of internet cafes down there. I pretty much stopped using it other than to take notes from time to time, which then had to be retyped when I got to an internet cafe. I don’t find most internet cafes to be creative environments, however, so I think my writing suffered a bit.
I am in the process of creating, “Son of PocketMailer”. For Christmas Santa brought me an Eee PC 901. This is the coolest toy I have had in a long time. It is a full computer, just shrunk down to ultraportable size. It is called a netbook and has all the attributes to make it the perfect traveling companion. 9 inch high resolution screen, small size, light weight, long battery life and, best of all, it uses a solid state hard drive (SSD). Normal hard drives have spinning disks and fragile arms which tend to get damaged through the hard use and vibration that occurs when traveling by motorcycle or bicycle. The SSD is like the memory in a cell phone or MP3 player and has no moving parts so is much more robust.
Up to this point I have been playing with it stock. Geeks have adopted this device so there is a ton of information on the web for modifying it. I have more RAM and a larger hard-drive on order. I’ll probably avoid the more extreme mods such as installing a touch screen and removing the keyboard. When the new hard drive arrives I am going to install a new operating system, the default one is a neutered version of linux and a bit weak for my taste. Down the line I am hoping to fab a dynamo powered charger for it so I can recharge the battery while riding my bike.
Stay tuned….