Brian Jarvis, UMPC Geek

When it comes to netbooks, there is no shortage of options to choose from. Most of those choices are centered around what hardware to choose, but there is also a choice to be made regarding which operating system will run on the device. Even after the purchase, there are a variety of aftermarket options that people use. I have been playing with some of these options and decided to write up my experience here.

Ubuntu
I was a Linux admin for about two years at Intel and can honestly say that I love Linux. That doesn’t mean that I use it every day though - mostly because the OS lacks the polish of most modern operating systems. It is very capable, more secure than anything else, and way more adaptable - I just don’t think it is ready for the masses. How much would Apple mock Microsoft if the directions to enable the wireless on your system was open a command window and type the following:

mkdir source
cd source
wget http://snapshots.madwifi.org/madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6/madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-r3835-20080801.tar.gz
tar -xzvf madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-r3835-20080801.tar.gz
cd madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-r3835-20080801
sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)
make
sudo make install
sudo modprobe ath_pci

There would be commercials poking at that for years, nonetheless, these are the directions for getting the wireless card to work in Ubuntu on the Aspire One. It works, but it sure isn’t pretty!

All criticism aside, Ubuntu is my favorite Linux distribution by far. It is the easiest to install, has an amazing community, and takes less configuration than many other distros. I have very high hopes for it in the future, but just don’t think that it’s ready for prime time. It makes me wonder if a Linpus experience would have been better, but I have used it in the past and was not very impressed. I just don’t see any Linux distribution being used by non-techies any time in the near future.

OS X
I installed a Hacintosh version of OS X on my Aspire One just to play with it some. My limited experience with OS X has been on huge cinema displays at one of the Universities I attended and I wanted to see what it would be like on a small screen. It turns out the small screen experience is not the best.

When UMPC’s first came out, Windows didn’t know how to handle the lower resolution screens and OS X is struggling with the same problem today. There were a number of the configuration windows and a few applications that were too tall for the Aspire One’s 600 pixel high display. It was frustrating to not be able to click a critical button or read what was somewhere below the bottom bezel of my netbook.

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It is too bad that it didn’t work though, because the operating system had promise otherwise. The system was quite snappy at its command and things worked quite well aside from a problem with my audio (that I didn’t take the time and energy to resolve). I really enjoy using Leopard with all of its eye candy like window animations and animated progress bars.

I realize that due to Apple’s screwed up EULA, it isn’t legally an option as an operating system on an Acer system. I’m sorry Apple (or any other ISV), if I legally purchase your software, I’m going to install it where I want. That is a whole different animal though and I will debate the merits and future of digital rights another day.   :^)

Windows XP
Next up is the operating system that came installed on my Aspire One - Windows XP Home Edition. I have to say that this OS seems to be best suited for the capability of the system and provides the best user experience out of the box. Sorry Apple fan boys, but it “just worked.” It seems to walk the line between performance and features better than the other options and is an excellent choice by the people at Acer. Since it’s not my winning vote though, that’s all I’m going to write about Windows XP on the Aspire One at this time.

Windows Vista
That leaves one mainstream OS that I haven’t already covered - Windows Vista. I have to remind everyone that I have upgraded the RAM on my netbook to 1.5GB, so I cannot speak to the experience with less RAM than that. I am quite pleased with how well it works though. I love the added features of Vista like folders giving you a preview of the contents, the animation of the windows, the built-in searching functionality, automatic file backups, and all of the interface touches like Aero (which runs very nicely on the Aspire One). I have been using Vista since its release and never had any compatibility issues, stability issues, or security concerns. I don’t mean to turn this into a post about Vista, so I will leave this issue by saying that I have never understood all of the bad press that Vista receives.

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The performance on Vista very comparable to XP, but there is one area where it performs much better. I have been amazed that the time to standby is only about 3 seconds and resuming is the same (one caveat on all operating systems is that the more you have running, the longer standby/sleep/whatever takes). This nearly instant-on access is a dream come true for a device that gets carried around as much as a netbook does.

Conclusion
The geek in me has had an absolute blast playing with these different operating systems. The reality is that there is a professional in me that pays the bills though, and it’s time to stop playing with the Aspire One and start working with it. I bought the unit so that I could make better use of my mobile computing time and for that reason, I’m sticking with Windows Vista for now.

I enjoy using Windows Vista and am comfortable with it. If I switched to something dramatically different, I would have to spend time and money finding replacement applications for things I already do in Windows (yeah, good luck getting Visual Studio to run under WINE in Linux). The reality is that I’m not going to be doing that at this time. Vista runs great, works great, and helps me get everything done that I need to do. So for now, that’s what stays on the Aspire One. Who knows, maybe next week I’ll change my mind.    :^)

If it’s not clear from my posts lately, I absolutely love my new netbook.  I have owned it two weeks now and am pleasently surprised with the capability of the Atom processor and everything it enables me to do.  Today at work, I came across this amazing photo of an Atom processor (that hasn’t been packaged out of course) next to a grain of rice.  It just blew me away that so much capability is enabled by such a tiny processor.

Photo used with permission from Walden Kirsch

I wrote a post about a new gadget on the way and I had every intention of posting hints about my new purchase each day or two until it arrived.  Then reality hit.  I have been traveling for work again and just haven’t had the time to do much outside the scope of my day job.  Well, it turns out that my new Acer Aspire One is on a FedEx truck on the way to my house right now.

Why an Aspire One?  Here are my thoughts:

1. Each of the available netbooks are so similar that I thought it wouldn’t make a huge difference which one I chose.
2. I had the chance to put my hands on a Linspire version at a brick and mortar store.
3. The keyboard has traditional key placement so I can touch type on it.
4. 1GB of RAM and the 120GB hard drive will get me going without the need to hack the system right away (although the geek in me will probably do it anyway).
5. I want time on a device that is readily available to consumers (more on this at a later date).
6. The blue marbled finish is cool - how’s that for superficial?

Through work, I have had or will shortly have the chance to play with quite a few different netbooks, so I will write up some comparison posts as chance allows.  Of course there will be a post about my impressions later today or tomorrow after I get it in hand!

I have been dying to pick up a Netbook from the first moment I put my hands on one. I love the size of the platforms and the promise of ultra mobile computing that comes along with systems that were designed to be taken anywhere. I find myself very hesitant to pull out my Lenovo T61 in cramped places like airplanes and would much rather use my iPod Touch when I am around the house. Even if I am just watching a little TV, I find that I do not pull my laptop out because I find it uncomfortable to work with it on my lap.

My typical computing day consists of a lot of email, web surfing, and note taking followed by a decent amount of spreadsheet work and data analysis (not really data crunching as my datasets are typically quite small). With the exception of some occasional multimedia work (or some even more rare gaming) on my home system, I very rarely do anything that completely taxes my computers. The reality is that I could almost live with the performance my Samsung Q1 and its Celeron processor delivers for almost everything I do.

Put all this together, and yesterday I spent some money on a new computer that should deliver the portability I want with the everyday processing I need. It is a netbook that will be arriving some time next week. A couple of you know which one already, but I am going to wait to disclose the details until I have the device in hand. I will put together a post that chronicles my decision making process later.

I was talking to one of our mobility marketing managers at work the other day about wanting a small form factor laptop and told him that I was considering buying a Netbook. He suggested that I check out one of our Classmate PC’s from the lab to give the small form factor a test drive. “awesome” was my response and I ran off to the lab before he changed his mind. :^)

I’ve been playing with it today a bit and have some first impressions to share. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here, but wanted to break down what I have experienced into four buckets: Things I love, things I like, things I’m not crazy about, and things I don’t like.

Things I love

• The portability of the device is phenomenal due to its light weight and compact dimensions
• This may be a sub-point, but this was the first notebook I have ever been able to use in the cramped space an airline seat provides (or doesn’t)
• The screen is wonderfully bright even at its lowest levels

Things I like

• The fact that I can touch type on it
• The keyboard has great travel and makes very little noise
• The performance of the Celeron processor in the Classmate is surprisingly capable
• Battery life is pretty good
• Web cam quality is at least as good as my Thinkpad
• The trackpad is large and very responsive
• The included microphone port is a nice touch
• Speaker quality is pretty darn good (not as good as the Q1, but better than a lot of small notebooks I have used)

Things I’m not crazy about

• The screen resolution is natively 800×480 and that is not high enough (my same gripe with my Samsung Q1)
• The handle is convenient, but a bit goofy

Things I don’t like

• The quotation mark key is in the wrong location
• Smaller shift and backspace keys are tough to get used to
• There is no option for an extended battery

Next steps for me will be to get my children’s impressions (since I am obviously not the primary audience for this particular device), and then to write up a more comprehensive review after a few days with the device. If there is something specific you would like to know about the Classmate, let me know in the next few days before I have to return it.

I have created a photo set for the Classmate on Flickr you can check out here.

When I travel, I carry at least a Smartphone, iPod Touch, and Jawbone headset that all charge over USB (and occasionally several other devices). This translates to me leaving my laptop running all night while I allow these devices to charge . I know it’s a waste of energy, but it’s the only way I have to charge everything without carrying each product’s charger.

While on a layover in the Dallas airport yesterday, one of those crazy gadget vending machines caught my eye. Before I knew what was happening, I was swiping my debit card to purchase one of the Belkin Mini Surge Protectors that I had been wanting for a while. I wanted one not because I want to run my laptop through a surge protector (although I know I should), but because this particular surge protector also features two powered USB ports.

The product operates exactly as promised and gives me the ability to charge my laptop, UMPC, Smartphone, and iPod all off one socket and all at the same time. The fact that I’m protected from power surges is an added benefit. My only gripe is that the device is a little on the thick side, but I have found that it makes for a nice little platform to rest devices on while charging.

If you’re interested in purchasing a Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger and don’t feel the need to use a gadget vending machine (I have to admit that the novelty was amusing), you can purchase one at Amazon for less than $20 (affiliate link).

Like Kevin Tofel and Warner Crocker, I had to run down to my local Circuit City and check out the Acer Aspire One this weekend.  Unlike Kevin and Warner, I did not purchase one of the netbooks, but that’s not because I didn’t want to - it was only because I wasn’t quite ready to drop $379.  It was tough to walk out of the store empty-handed!

The size of the computer was awesome.  It was small and light, but I had no trouble typing on it even though ergonomics were criminal.  I could see myself surfing the web from the couch and traveling with the unit to compute remotely.  The screen was small, but adequately lit and very usable (although I’m quite disappointed by Kevin’s observation on the lack of external display capability).  I have been dreaming of adding something this size to my gadget arsenal for a while.

I was surprised by how well it performed.  The built-in applications launched very quickly and the unit went into standby and resumed in about one tenth the time my laptop takes.   I thought that 512MB of RAM was going to be severely limiting, but the Linpus installation made good use of the limited resource.  In all, I thought it was very usable.

For a geek who wants to play with something new, it was a very compelling device and I may return to purchase one in the coming weeks.  One of the things I really wanted to evaluate was whether or not I thought the Linux installation was ready for prime time usage by the masses.  We’ll have to wait and see.

The BBC web site ran an article this afternoon about e-books that made me wonder…what rock has the author been living under?  The title was “Is it time to embrace the e-book?” and the author’s approach would lead one to believe this is a brand new technology.  They focus on the tactile feedback of a paper book as if that’s the only factor to consider.  I personally think they really missed the boat.

I prefer reading e-books for a number of factors, but mostly because of convenience. I always have something I’m reading and can do so from my UMPC, phone, or iPod any time and anywhere.

I was recently frustrated when I was “forced” to read a dead tree version of a new release because the publisher delayed the release of the e-book version.  I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Breaking Dawn, so borrowed my wife’s paper copy and literally sat in the closet finishing the book at 4:30 AM so the light wouldn’t bother her (pathetic, I know).  See, if I had the e-book version, I could have stayed in bed comfortably reading on my iPod Touch and not disturbed a soul.

The first time Josh Bancroft showed me his iPhone, he (half-way) jokingly said, “Let the countdown begin.”

“To what?” I replied.

“Until you buy one” he said.

Well, in the end, I chose the Touch over the iPhone, but Josh knew me well. :^)

Today I find myself wanting an Apple computer worse today than ever before. You want to know why? It’s so that I can play with the developer kit for the iPhone/Touch. I’m not a professional programmer by any means, but I am a hobbyist and I would love to play in the world’s newest mobile playground. Now if I could just convince my wife that I need an Apple computer worse than our kids need to go to Disney in May…

I spent the weekend (not-so-successfully) fighting the flu, and found some relief in distracting myself with reading. I downloaded the latest in a series I’m reading from Fictionwise in Microsoft Reader format and had the book on both my UMPC and my Pocket PC.

I have read dozens of books on different PDA’s and enjoy the format a good deal. This time, I read about 80% of the book on my UMPC because the I was able to consume more text on each screen and found that it was just easier on my eyes. I have included screen shots of the same text from my UMPC and the Pocket PC for comparison.

You should probably check out the full UMPC image here to get a real feel for what the text actually looks like on the device (since I had to scale it down to a reasonable width for the post).