Camera Hacker: What is Missing on the Netbooks

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What is Missing on the Netbooks

Today's Netbooks are photographers' and cinematographers' dream. For four hundred dollars, you can get one with a decent processor, lots of memory, 60 GB of hard drive space, memory card reader, USB ports, and WiFi. You can get all these in a Netbook less then three pounds, such as the Acer Aspire One. For photographers and cinematographers who like to travel lightly, it is highly desirable to travel with this kind of notebook computer.

Even I was tempted to pick one up for my Japan trip. But I didn't. Instead, I resorted to bringing my Sony VAIO SuperSlim PCG-N505VX. This Sony notebook is only 333MHz, but is 3/4th inches thick, has a 10 inches screen, and is ultra-light. It is also a traveller's dream. This notebook also has one critical element that is missing on today's Netbooks: the Firewire (IEEE 1394) port.

The Firewire port is required for high-quality DV transfer from camcorders. It is not possible to transfer DV via USB. Although Firewire can be easily added to a notebook computer via ExpressCard or PCMCIA CardBus slots, I haven't seen a Netbook with one of these slots yet. So until DV can be transfer via the USB port, today's Netbook are all missing the essential Firewire port. When the first Netbook to offer Firewire comes out, it would be awefully tempting for me to buy one.

Chieh Cheng
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:45:26 +0000

Onxo commented about this post and added an additional consideration regarding battery life in its "Netbooks - Almost Perfect" blog entry. I agree that battery life is an important factor. I suggest you head over and see what it has to say about battery life for Netbooks.

Chieh Cheng
Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:12:45 +0000

Today, I found the first netbook, available in the US, that has an ExpressCard slot. That means you can now get one of these netbooks with a FireWire ExpressCard adapter and edit your videos on the go. It's the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-1208U Netbook. Let's give Lenovo a round of applause for being the first one to bring a netbook to the United States with an expansion slot.

Check "Related Links" below for user reviews on these netbooks and snatch one up for yourself at the same time. The Lenovo netbooks are available in white and pink version for $379.99 each, which is priced far lower than many other netbooks on the market.

Chieh Cheng
Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:06:16 +0000

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Title: Tiny Kohjinsha Tablet Notebook Computer
Weblog: mind
Excerpt: In the U.S., small Netbooks are getting all the rave. However, in Japan, tiny notebooks are already abundant. Notebook manufacturers like Fuji and Kohjinsha have full-feature notebooks that are smaller than today's Netbooks. The Kohjinsha notebook, which is not available in the United States, shown . . .
Tracked: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:58:47 +0000

Title: Thoughts on Lenovo S10 Netbook?
Weblog: GearHack
Excerpt: What do you guys think of the Lenovo S10 netbook? Feel free to compare and contrast with the MSi Wind U100 if you guys like.
Tracked: Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:17:38 +0000

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