Ask Slashdot: Instead of a Laptop, a Tiny Computer and Projector?

rover42 writes "I travel a lot, usually on a tight budget and often on airlines with tight luggage weight restrictions and high fees for going over, so traveling light is very important to me. So is connecting to the net when traveling, which creates a conflict. I do not trust machines in Internet cafes and my laptop adds significant weight & bulk to my luggage. I could buy a small netbook or a MacBook Air, but is there another choice? There are quite a few tiny computers available, Raspberry Pi and the like. Alone, they don't solve my problem because you need a screen and that is at least as heavy as a laptop. However, there are also quite a few tiny projectors. Would a tiny computer plus a tiny projector do the trick? Which ones? All I need for software is some open source Unix (any *BSD or Linux distro should be fine, or even Minix), a browser and an editor. I don't need large storage or a fast CPU. Has anyone done something like this? Does anyone have a recommendation for either the computer or the projector?"

Comments

Re:You'll regret it

[Anonymous Coward]

And the most expensive option. And if it breaks, you won't be able to fix it. Definitely a good choice.

Your problem SOLVED.... Eee PC

[dryriver]

Get one of these ------ http://usa.asus.com/Eee/Eee_PC/Eee_PC_1001PX_Seashell/#overview ------- its cheap, light (1300 grams), 9 hour battery life. I have one that I use to write a 400 page book when I'm on the go. Its very usable. As for your Raspberry + Project idea... It will give you nothing but problems, problems, problems... ----

A 7" Tablet is a better solution

[frank249]

I used to lug a laptop on business trips but now I can get by with just my Blackberry and Playbook. The Playbook has HDMI out so I can use a big screen TV at the other end to show my presentations and videos using my blackberry as a remote. The Playbook fits in my inside jacket pocket so it is ideal for these kind of trips.

This made me make a slashdot account

[trdtaylor]

You seem to be a perfect fit for any android phone that supports a mini-HDMI connection or one of those new-fangled MHL connection. The Samsung Galaxy s3 does this, has a quadcore 1.4Ghz ARM, a gig of ram. You can wireless connect a keyboard and mouse to the bluetooth if you want. Data will go on the 3g/4g connection, which will perfectly accompany you if you have an unlimited verizon plan still.

Re:This made me make a slashdot account

[lessthan]

Plus, why a projector? They sell video glasses for any phone, at a couple of different transparencies. Seems like that would be more effective than a projector.

Re:This made me make a slashdot account

[JWSmythe]

    Sony Glasstron have been around for years. There are several other manufacturers making their own versions of them. I had the first version, which had a fixed visor. As I recall, newer versions of it had removable visors so you could see through them. There were also hacks for the original ones, where people removed the visor (or parts of it), so you could see through them.

    The original wouldn't work with a phone, but I believe others did use Bluetooth.

Re:You'll regret it

[frostilicus2]

Difficult to say. If you've got AppleCare, it should be easy (and fast) to get a replacement or recover your data. I think my point was that a Raspberry Pi will break (I've got one and it and it's associated peripherals don't exactly fill me with confidence: mine gets upset if I try to use both a mouse and an ethernet connection and likes to reboot randomly). A MacBook air, on the other hand, is a very well engineered machine: all solid state storage, aluminum unibody case and LED backlight (more reliable than CCFL) should mean that it'll run for many, many years without fault. My plastic cased MacBook is six years old has put up with all kinds of abuse but still runs like new. From what I hear, this isn't the exception to the rule.

Re:This is a terrible idea

[Indras]

How about a projected keyboard? Already exists: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/e722/