Is the iPad sufficient? I’ve had trouble finding the perfect laptop solution for government conferences and training activities, as an attendee or speaker. Finding something tiny and portable was easy enough, but like Tim the Toolman Taylor, I just needed more power! I saw an article on Wired.com for the HP Pavilion dm1 a while back, and I finally decided to take the plunge. My review shows that it just might be the perfect blend of portability and power. I’m calling it a “lapbook” because it’s a great cross between the slimness of a netbook and the strength of a laptop.
Note: I upgraded my HP a bit. For instance, two gigs RAM is standard; mine is four. I forgot to mention that a six cell battery comes standard, but don’t expect it to last 9.5 hours like HP says. Maybe if it’s sitting dormant. Mine gives me up to 5 hours, depending on what I’m doing.
Original post: http://www.govgirl.com/2011/07/whats-your-favorite-laptop-for-conferences/
Great review, Kristy! Might just influence an impending decision to purchase a laptop for my wife. Thank you.
Nice…I find tablets great for consuming info (I have ipad and blackberry playbook) but if I want to live blog or crank on stuff, the notebook still is the best.
Still love my 13″ macbook white. Feels like a great size
I take my iPad to all my conferences now. The netbook never worked for me for the same reasons you gave. I find that I can produce content on my iPad during an conference. I use Evernote most of the time but then Evernote is cross platform that I use on all my computers. One trick is that I still like taking hand written notes which I then take a photo of and place in my searchable Evernote. There are limits but for my level of note taking, blogging, presenting, and consumption, the simple light weight iPad service me well. However, I do like your solution with a more robust system that is still light and easy to carry along.
Once I got used to the iPad, I was hooked. My wife now my iPad 1. She’s about as non- techie as they come, but she’s hooked. I now have a newer iPad 2 and don’t leave home without it.
Adding a Bluetooth keyboard, Pages, Notes Plus, and/or Blogsy makes it a perfect Blogging and note taking tool for me. I agree with Steve that it doesn’t work well for tearing into text unless you have a solid keyboard. The bluetooth keyboard gives command of the keys you just can’t get from a touch screen.
I can, and do, hit all my Blogs through Blogsy – even add photos. Notes Plus records while I write.
I’m typing this on my iPad because it’s enjoyable – and because my office is downstairs. 😉
I was a laptop addict. I still love my Mac Books and MacBook Pro, but I only use those for heavier applications I can do at home, like video editing – or if I need a lot of screen real estate. Can’t beat Apple’s theater big screen!
They should pay me a commission for this post. I just gave them a year’s worth of advertising. I am so ashamed. 😉