The scaleable laptop

As per my post yesterday, the great thing about this ASUS eee laptop is its scaleability (or what non-I.T. folks would call ''expandability'').

Sure, the keyboard and screen are right at the threshhold for being too small to use. But -- it's expandable. My reasoning was that I could jack in various extras, to suit my various needs.



Ultra-portable mode: For the overcoat pocket, or just always having with you. A little difficult to touch-type, but fine for peck-typing -- web browsing, quick notes to yourself, whatever. The 4GB memory card (on the right) expands the available HD memory from 1.3GB to 5.3GB. Note the webcam in use -- and the two AA-sized batteries on the keyboard, to give you a sense of scale.


Bookbag/backback mode: For heading down to the local coffee shop. The memory card -- plus a USB flashdrive on the left, just to you can back up the files you just typed (the next two chapters of your novel...?) to an external device. Also, a roll-up keyboard (Jaycar, AU$20), which **is** full-sized.



Hotel room/conference mode: You're away at a conference, or at a business trip. Dump **all* the files you might conceivably need on your external hard drive (top right); USB trackball (or mouse -- but I vastly prefer trackballs as more ergonomic) on left; and a "notebook-sized" USB keyboard (takes up less space in your suitcase -- and not as long, so less likely to be snapped in half by the luggage handlers). Oh -- and the memory card, as always.



At home/at work mode: Full-size USB keyboard, and USB trackball or mouse. External HD for all your zillions of files. Since there's only three USB ports, if you want to jack in your USB flashdrive as well -- or a USB printer [not shown] -- you'll need a USB hub. The laptop has a VGA port, so you could always plug in an external monitor [not shown]. And, the memory card.


Final note: part of the scaleability is that in order to expand its "hard drive" capacity, you just put in a larger memory card, as technology advances -- 4GB becomes 8GB, becomes 16GB, etc.


--GG