Mobile Office - Computers

The most important part of any mobile office is the computer. This is where most of the work is done, and so getting the correct one is of great importance.

Although I started travelling with a netbook, I have since come to realise its limitations for use on a long term basis to work on, and now believe that a good quality laptop is far better. That said, below I mention the three different sorts of portable computers available, as everybody’s mobile office needs vary.

1. The first type of portable computer, is the tablet pc. These have actually been around some time now, although there has been a recent surge in popularity with the release of the Apple iPad. This popularity will soon rise even more, as the makers of the Blackberry smartphone are also entering the market with their Playbook.

That said, is a tablet pc any good? Well, it depends what it is used for. Overall though, it does seem to be a device to consume media on rather than create it. So, for watching films, photos, listening to music or simple browsing it is fine. For anything requiring much more content creation it becomes limited, and so does not make a good device for a mobile office.

2. The second type of computer is the netbook. These have many advantages to the person who travels and wishes to work as well. They are small and lightweight, cheap and inconspicuous. They are normally lower powered in the processing department, and so running more than a couple of applications can be a bit of a headache. They are ideally suited to occasional creative use of an hour a day, although much more than this, and the size of the keyboard amongst other things will start to become an issue. For the traveller who wishes to blog, check emails and edit photos it is ideal. For those people that want to work more than an hour or two a day, it is probably not the best solution.

3. The final type is the laptop. Now, these are obviously both bigger and heavier than the previous two types of portable computer, but for anyone wishing to work for more than an hour a day, they are a far better option. It is possible to use many applications at once, the screen is nice and big, and the keyboard full size and more usable than the other devices. If working for more than an hour a day, there really is little other choice, and so a laptop is needed.

For my own mobile office needs, I would in the future choose a good laptop to take with me. The extra weight and size would soon become a non issue as they are far easier to work on.