#Smallest notebook mac os
#Smallest notebook pdf
#Smallest notebook software

doc file was opened using the system's included word processing program. Print a Word document: This was a two-part test.

#Smallest notebook pdf

Open an Acrobat file: Each system was timed for how long it took to open a full-color six-page PDF that contained several photos and charts.

The test was completed when the file activity light stopped blinking. For systems that required a password, I stopped the watch to enter the information and then resumed the timing.

Start-up: I used a stopwatch to time how long it took to get each machine up and running.

Instead, I put together a suite of tests that mimics the way most people work and play. The biggest challenge with Linux notebooks is the lack of benchmarks available to compare their performance and battery life. In the final analysis, I barely missed Windows and OS X.

#Smallest notebook software

I soon became accustomed to the software and was using these petite portables to e-mail and nose around the Web, view and edit images, write stories and use spreadsheets. However, take heart: There are thousands of free or low-cost Linux programs available that in many cases are easier to use and more responsive than their Windows or Mac counterparts. In other words, if you're a Windows user, you'll likely have to do without some of your favorite programs. While Windows is an option on most models, Linux is the operating system of choice because of its low cost and modest hardware requirements.

#Smallest notebook mac os

The keyboards will prove to be challenging for most grown-ups, and all the systems have either small hard drives or even smaller amounts of flash memory to store programs, data and files.īut for many, the real showstopper is the lack of a familiar operating system, like Windows or Mac OS X. None have CD or DVD drives, and many of the screens are too small to use without squinting.

Although they all have webcams, Wi-Fi connectivity and the ability to work with most files, they're a step behind today's mainstream systems. With these systems what you get is as important as what you have to do without. To see what all the excitement is about, I got my hands on four of the latest minis available: the Sylvania G Netbook, the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, the Acer Aspire and the Asus Eee PC 1000. At that point, mini-notebooks could make up as much as 5% of notebook sales and add up to about a $3 billion market. This is forecast to rise quickly to 9 million units by 2012. According to the market analysts at IDC, 500,000 of these inexpensive mini-notebooks were sold last year. That's changing quickly as a new generation of small laptops - variously called mini-notebooks, ultrasmall laptops, subnotebooks, ultraportables, netbooks and probably something else tomorrow - that weigh less than 3 pounds and often cost less than $500 come to market.

Take, for example, Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 and Apple's MacBook Air - they each weigh about 3 pounds, sell for between $2,500 and $3,000 and are the envy of travelers the world over. Until recently, the smallest and lightest notebooks commanded the highest price tags. By squeezing a lot of computing power into a very mobile package at a hard-to-beat price, they are turning the established mobile pecking order on its head. Like a diamond, a digital media player or a rare coin, the latest mini-notebooks are good things in small packages.