Dave Mast

Mini Notes: Notebooks and Laptops That Are Ultraslim, Ultraportable, and Powerful

Mini notes are notebooks and laptops that are half the size of traditional machines, but incredibly powerful and ultra-portable. They are exploding in popularity in four markets:

- Rural areas around the globe that are cut off from new sources of information such as updated textbooks and up-to-the-minute news turn to these devices to solve these problems.

- Many poor areas have both the above problem and also the problem of families not being able to afford a full fledged computer.

- Consumers in the U.S., Japan, and elsewhere often have computing needs that are much less than what a large and expensive computer delivers. Groups such as children, stay at home parents, and senior citizens may want something easy, cheap portable, and light. Mini notes are perfect.

- Many families in wealthier countries are finding that they need almost one computer to every family member. However, to save space and money, and for maximum convenience, they buy one or two large models and the rest are mini-laptops or mini-notebooks.

What has happened over the past few years to truly make mini laptops and mini notebooks so popular is that manufacturers no longer have to strip down a lot of the functionality of a larger model to get to a price and size that attracts the consumer. In fact, most of the current mini notes have the functionality of the fully powerful notebooks and laptops of just a few years ago. They have a screen much larger than a mobile phone or PDA, though slightly smaller than a full sized laptop.

The target price for 2010 many manufacturers have for mini notes is below $100. They also hope to bring their weight below a pound (they are currently only about a pound and a half). Whether a consumer wants to access e-mail, watch video, listen to MP3s, browse the internet, take pictures and video, or learn from a virtual textbook, mini notes are already revolutionary even before they take these exciting future steps.

For the more technologically minded, here is a brief synopsis of the features of the technology involved with mini notebooks and mini laptops:

- Built-in Devices: Wireless LAN antenna, Bluetooth antenna

- Dimensions (average): Width 6-7 in, Depth 5- 6 in, Height 1-1.4 in, Weight 1.5-1.75 lbs

- Processor: Intel A110 / 800 MHz

- Operating Systems: Varied, but include Windows products such as Vista

- Software: Many possibilities including standard Office products, photo and video editing, financial, etc.

- Cache Memory: Installed Size usually around 512 KB

- RAM: Installed Size .5-1 GB

- Hard Drive: 20-60 GB

Mini notes, mini-laptops, and mini-notebooks will continue to evolve, but don't wait. Very powerful, ultra-portable, and inexpensive models are already available from major manufacturers.

About the Author

For more information about mini notebooks or minilaptops, please see www.mininotes.org

AppleMobile pl Xtreamer 11N Wireless Antenna Type USB LAN

Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter $14.00 INTEL (WM3B2200BGMWXF) An embedded 802.11 b/g Mini PCI Type 3B adapter operating in the 2.4 GHz spectru...

Medialink - Wireless N USB Adapter - 802.11n - 150Mbps - 2.4ghz - Windows 2000 / 2003 / XP 32-Bit and 64-Bit / Vista 32-Bit and 64-Bit / Windows 7 32-Bit and 64-Bit Compatible $19.99 Medialink - Wireless N USB Adapter - 802.11n 150Mbps* Compatible with any Brand 802.11g or 802.11n Router Using 2.4ghz Wavelength * Microsoft WHQL Certified * Supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 Security * Live US Based Customer Service Offering the ultimate in simplified Wi-Fi installation, Medialink's 150Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter offers a simplified one click installation. Insert the CD, click "instal...

Cisco-Linksys WRT54GL Wireless-G Broadband Router $79.99 The Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router is really three devices in one box. First, theres the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect both screaming fast Wireless-G (802.11g at 54Mbps) and Wireless-B (802.11b at 11Mbps) devices to the network. Theres also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Connect four PCs directly, or attach more hub...

TP-Link TL-WN722N 150Mbps High Gain Wireless USB Adapter $21.91 The TP-Link TL-WN722N Wireless N USB Adapter complies with IEEE 802.11n, and provides wireless speed up to 150Mbps, which is beneficial for the online gaming or even video streaming. Also, wireless security encryption could be established simply at a push of QSS (Quick Setup Security) button, preventing the network from outside threats....

NEW WLAN USB2.0 Mini Adapter - US310EX $30.76 US310EX is the USB2.0 mini adapter based on the IEEE 802.11n wireless LAN technology to deliver the data rate up to 150Mbps. It supports 1T1R architecture that is fully compliant with IEEE802.11n draft 2.0 and backward compatible with 802.11b/g standard. To protect the wireless connectivity, US310EX can encrypt all wireless transmissions through 64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK.Manu...

SMC Barricade N Wireless Broadband Router SMCWBR14S-N4 - Wireless router 4-port switch - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n - external $49.99 The Barricade N 802.11n Wireless Broadband Router (SMCWBR14S-N4) is the perfect all-in-one networking solution for connecting and sharing your high speed cable/xDSL Internet connection. Designed for the home, this platform independent multi-functional router combines a 4-port 10/100 LAN switch, High speed Wireless-N access point, NAT firewall with Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) and User friendly...

Rugged Laptop Computer DURABOOK-D15RP DURABOOK PRO D15RP 15.4" WXGA/WXGA+ Display (1280x800); Intel? Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz Processor; Intel? Media Accelerator x3100; 2GB DDR2 Memory; 320GB Hard Drive; 3G Antenna; Hot Swappable Battery; Super Multi Driver; Genuine Windows 7 Pro; Intel? Pro-Wireless 802.11 a/b/g LAN; One Express Card Type 54/34 slot; Military Std 810F, Built-in Bluetooth and Built-in WebCam; 2 Year No Fault Warranty...

Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter A/B/G & N Networks $50.28 Allows gamers to play head-to-head wirelessly on Xbox Live or on a home workFor use exclusively with the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment systemStreams photos and music from Microsoft Windows XP and recorded TV movies and videos from Microsoft Windows XP Media Center based PC all without the clutter of wires...

Alfa AWUS036H Upgraded to 1000mW 1W 802.11b/g High Gain USB Wireless Long-Rang WiFi network Adapter with 5dBi Antenna - for Wardriving & Range Extension $27.99 The Alfa AWUS036H is the latest version of the most powerful card available. This has a stunning 1000mW output power. So if you are looking for a device to connect to an outdoor 2.4 GHz antenna, such as on a boat or an RV, this is a perfect solution. It outperforms wireless cards that are built in to newer laptops. Adding this to your laptop or desktop computer will enhance range and signal qualit...

WiFi Wireless IEEE 802.11N/G/B WLAN 150Mbps Network Adapter USB2.0 Wireless Lan USB Adapter for Laptop Noteook Desktop PC Suport Vista/Windows 7(32bit & 64bit)/Linux $0.31 1. Support 64/128-bit WEP, complies with 128 bit WPA standard(TKIP/AES), supports MIC, IV Expansion, Shared Key Authentication, IEEE 802.1X 2. supports 150/54/48/36/24/18/12/9/6/11/5.5/2/1 Mbps wireless LAN data transfer rates 3. Quick Secure Setup, complies with WPS for worry free wireless security 4. Simple Configuration and monitoring 5. Supports Roaming technology, guaranteeing efficient wirel...