For Students Adding a Netbook as a Second Computer
Thursday, August 27, 2009 by Chris Lesinski This is a post in our 2009 Back to School series. You can see all of the posts here.
Netbooks are the hottest piece of back-to-school technology this summer and I highly recommend buying one, even if it's a second computer. (My favorite is the Mini 110, pictured below.) If you're interested in starting to take notes in class, it's a great buy. And it's a cheap way of getting you fired up about a new machine without investing in a decked-out one to replace your 5-year-old clunker which can still tolerably handle things that a netbook won't be able to. A netbook can even help you work more efficiently. But it'll take a litte transition -- one I can hopefully help you out with.
The benefits
The HP Mini 110, my pick for the student netbook. Before I get into some of the difficulties of staying organized between two computers, let's enjoy some of the geeky productivity that'll ensue once you get one.
Helping you focus
Netbooks are the ultimate anti-multi-tasking device. Multi-tasking ultimatlely produces poorer results -- especially since the type of juggling a college student does is between a research paper and Facebook. Netbooks have small screens and less power, so it'll be hard to switch between windows and open a lot of different programs. It keeps you working in one program at a time. Creative writers and bloggers will especially love having a netbook since it'll keep you focused on the page.
Staying mobile
If you have a desktop computer or a large laptop, a netbook will free you up to do more on-the-go computing. It'll help you utilize short periods between classes or avoid wasted drives home just to do computer homework.
Speed
Many of netbooks run simpler operating systems and stripped-down programs. Running nothing but a word processor can often be more nimble on a netbook than your other system since it doesn't have the overhead (calendar programs, task management, Quicksilver, etc.). Because of this, the boot-up time can be speedier, too.
Syncing data
When it comes to syncing data between more than one computer, it's easy to get stressed out. But don't sweat. I say, keep it simple, and most of the time, it is.
Separating tasks
One of the easiest ways to keep things "synced" is just to leave your data separated. For a student, it makes a lot of sense to keep your notes and journal entries exclusively on your netbook. As long as you take all of your notes on your netbook, you'll rarely need them anywhere else. It's just like having a separate binder like in the olden days. Make a decided effort to keep whole categories of tasks separate.
Thumb drives
Thumb drives are a great way to keep things synced. These days, a 16 gig thumbdrive is relatively affordable, and it can probably hold all of your school work. Do that, and you'll always know where to look. Keep it in your pocket -- except when you wash your jeans. (In other words, periodically, back it up.)
Software
HP netbooks like the Mini 110 come with Syncables these days. It's a pain to set up, but if you have the time and the anal-ness, it's worth it. It can sync just about anything you require.
Web apps are going to be your best friend with a netbook (hence, Google's recent jump in to the OS arena). Google Mail, Calendar and Docs will keep your info wherever an internet connection is. (Just don't find yourself in a place without one.) A fancy mobile device that syncs email, calendars and contacts might be all you need.
Reader Comments (12)
Another thing I like using for portable storage is an SD card. Many relatively new laptops as well as all netbooks should have an SDHC slot. It's more portable than a USB drive since it's not something sticking out of your laptop/netbook, and often has just as much capacity. I could see the portability coming at the expense of performance, but for simple documents and assignments the hit should be negligible.
I have a few 8GB microSDHC cards that I use; through a full-size adapter, I put them in my camera, laptop, and netbook. My phone natively supports microSDHC cards as well. Even further, SanDisk has the awesome MobileMate card reader that's a USB adapter for microSD cards. It's ridiculously small and fits perfectly on my carabiner keyring.
For syncing between two computers Dropbox cannot be beat. The app is slick and seamless. While not good for large items like media, it is perfect for all the document files you accumulate throughout the year.
Whoops sorry, Dropbox is here.
Google Docs, Mail, and Calendar all support offline access to your data.
I agree with Nicholas. The app is really slick and seamless.
I, personally, am a big fan of Google Docs. I'm although pretty solidly set in the one laptop mindset. I think having a second, albeit small, inexpensive and portable, is a bit excessive.
I've been using my 15" MacBook Pro nonstop for the past 9 months and love it. It's the perfect mix of portability and power. It was pricey, though.
The review I did around last Christmas time still holds true: MacBook Pro Review: HackCollege
I fully agree. Dropbox should have been included in this post.
I've definitely used Dropbox before -- but it bothers me that you have to pay for certain accounts and the program is relatively RAM-heavy for such a simple function. There has to be another option.
For synching between my notebook and my desktop, I use Windows Live Mesh which is tied to my Windows Live account (I use WL Mail, WL Calendar, WL Alerts, so it's convenient that way). I've got it setup to keep the same Pictures and Documents folder on both my desktop and my laptop.
Not only does it sync my documents (up to 5GB, sadly, but here's hoping that'll be improved) between two computers using a background application (and none of this click-to-sync, it does it automatically), it also keeps a copy online so that if both my desktop and my laptop die out at the same time, everything's still there.
Plus, WL Skydrive is 25GB and it's some what of a similar product...if they combine the two things and I get like 30GB of space for pictures & documents? Heaven.
Seems like there are increasingly less reasons to buy a desktop if your are going to college now.
I can't imagine going anywhere without my netbook now that I have one. Between that and my iPhone, I'm not quite sure how I got anything done before I had either of them.
I've been using netbooks and laptops for so long now that I don't think I can remember how to use a pen and paper anymore. God bless technology!