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What’s bigger than a smartphone, smaller than a notebook computer, gives you the same connectivity and productivity as a normal computer, and won’t give you BlackBerry thumb? Answer: My new Acer Aspire One netbook.

In case you’ve been stranded in the Andes for the past two years, a netbook (also known as a “sub-notebook”) is a low cost, ultra-compact, energy-efficient, portable computer. Computers manufacturers such as HP, Dell, Acer, and Asus all have their own version of a netbook. They come in all sorts of the usual processor/memory/storage capacity configurations, with screen sizes ranging from seven to ten inches. And depending on the model, you have the choice of a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD), and the choice of Windows XP Home or some flavor of Linux.

With all the portable gadgets already on the market, where does a netbook fit into your arsenal of mobile techie tools? Or does it have a place in your kit at all? Well, it depends on whom you ask and what your particular mobile needs are.

I’m not a big fan of smartphones. It’s tough to write or edit an article on a device slightly bigger than a deck of playing cards. They’re way too expensive when you’re a freelancer and don’t have the luxury of a company footing the bill for you. Plus, I don’t have a need for, nor do I want, the 24/7 connectivity that smartphones boast.

After the unfortunate demise of my desktop computer last spring, my primary computer has been a 15.4” notebook that I use in my home office -- and that’s where I’d like it to stay. I hate the idea of carrying my primary computer around with me when I’m off-site, where it’s vulnerable to any number of threats. I also find it too cumbersome to lug my notebook from place to place -- especially when my main off-site needs are simply word processing, Internet access, and email. Smartphones are too small; regular notebooks are too big. My netbook, with an 8.9” screen and weighing in at approximately two and a half pounds, is just right. A netbook, coupled with a simple cell phone (without all those extra accoutrements like a music player or camera), is all I really need to get any on-the-road work done.

Acer Aspire One netbook next to a Dell 15.4" notebook

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