As I’ve already covered here, mini laptops are used primarily for convenience. I use mine all over the house – my desktop is upstairs, so while I’m watching a movie or TV, I can whip out my netbook and check IMDB or browse the web during the commercials.

But if I had just spent $300 on my Acer Aspire One just so I wouldn’t have to go upstairs to use the computer, or worse yet, not have to use my larger laptop while downstairs, it wouldn’t be worth it.

The real value in the mini laptop is that I can toss it in my briefcase, or just carry it under my arm like a paperback book, and take it to the Peet’s Coffee and do some writing there. Or I can take it to the park. Or on the subway. With a 6-cell battery, most netbooks will last between 4 and 8 hours on a single charge, so it is conceivable that you could take it out for a day at work and not even have to bring the power cord.

Now for the drawbacks:

I have a full-size briefcase, which used to carry my full-sized 17” laptop. The case itself weighs about 3lbs, and the laptop is just under 10. It gets old carrying that around after a while. When I put my mini laptop in the case, I can also fit almost anything else I need in with it. I can carry the power cord, spare Ethernet cable, one or two books, a notebook, and as many pens as I could ever want.

With the growing popularity of mini laptops, there are more and more companies making sleeves and cases designed especially for them. However, men beware: almost all of the cases that have shoulder straps just look like purses. So either work on your confidence, or you might have to “repurpose” some other items.

Honestly, I think the biggest drawback by far is that you don’t actually need a netbook. It isn’t necessary to your life. These days, cellphones are a must, and having a computer of some sort is essential to most of our lives, but the mini laptop really just fills a niche. Disclaimer aside, if you have $300 to spend on new tech, the netbook is a terrific way to spend it.

I have had my Acer Aspire One for almost 6 months now, and I use it almost every day. Buying it has helped me be more productive as I am more inclined to work while at the coffee shop or outside with a cigarette, which in the past have been my main procrastination techniques.

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