Oh no he didn’t take the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire 8940G notebook to the local coffee shop. Oh yes he did, and it’s been an adventure from the get-go. First up, I had to find a bag at Mobile Tech Manor that the giant laptop would fit in and close. I must have tried 5 or 6 bags before I realized that if I ignored the special laptop pouch within a giant Targus backpack I have and put it in the main compartment, that it would then fit and close.

Then I had to haul the 10+ pound notebook to the car, and to the coffee shop without breaking my shoulder. Once inside the shop, I had to pass over many tables until finding one that was big enough to actually handle the giant laptop. Once that was done I was all set, and I’m working away with this gorgeous screen. Battery life is looking to be between 2.5 and 3 hours, not bad for such a powerhouse with an 8-cell battery.

The keyboard is delightful, it is a cross between a chiclet style and a “real” keyboard. The keys are flat, but have full travel unlike chiclet keys. Having a 10-key on board is taking me back to the old desktop keyboards, and it’s useful as can be. I am successfully fighting the urge to fire up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, that would be too much for the crowded shop. It sure would be fun, though.

I had an appointment early this afternoon and once that was over I stopped in the local brew shop for some caffeine to get some work done. I decided small and light was the order of the day, so today I’ve got the loaner Viliv S7 convertible UMPC along for the ride. It’s working pretty well — I’m even getting used to the super-small keyboard. I am touch typing, although slowly and surely. I decided to snap a pic of the rig before the Droid decides to screw up the auto-focus again.

It is Friday afternoon, 70 degrees and brilliant sunshine; the perfect excuse to put the top down and head out to work. That I am doing using Windows 7 with great relish. Life is good.

Image taken with iPhone 3G

I am having lunch at the local Denny’s, enjoying the free Wi-Fi while waiting for my salad. The Lenovo ThinkPad x200 is perfect for this scenario. I have it in slate mode, using the touch controls to surf the web, check email and write this post. Life is good.

Taken with HTC Hero

I am working this afternoon at the local Panera Bread. I am firmly entrenched in the college and professional football seasons here in U.S., so today I decided to go long and wide. The big 14-inch screen of the loaner Lenovo T400s was just the ticket, especially given the 1440×900 resolution. And of course there is that great keyboard.

I took the photo with the HTC Hero camera. It has a 5 megapixel camera and I must say, this photo is not as good as those I take with the Pre. The Pre is at home right now, as I discovered it had a completely drained battery, even though it had been sitting on the Touchstone charger. Uh oh.

HP Mini 1000, MS Arc mouse, MiFi

I recently returned the HP Mini 5101 netbook and this morning I realized I only have one netbook at Mobile Tech Manor. The HP Mini 1000 is the only netbook after returning 4 or 5 others along with the 5101. As I was pondering only having the one netbook, a highly unusual situation for me, I noticed that the 1000 was still running Windows 7 RC.

I had installed it when the Release Candidate first appeared, andthe Mini 1000 has run well with Windows 7. I couldn’t keep using a beta version so I set out to install the full blown version of Windows 7.

The install went flawlessly, and the first Windows Update after it completed found all the drivers needed to finish the job. It was the easiest install of Win 7 I’ve experienced yet.

I had to head out for some java and take the Mini 1000 along to break in that new Win 7 install properly, so here I am. The 1000 is running very well indeed.

As a refresher, this Mini 1000 has the following specs:

• Atom 1.6 GHz
• 1 GB RAM
• 16 GB SSD
• 10-inch display, 1024×576
• Wi-Fi

I am trying something with the Mini I haven’t tried on a netbook yet. I have a 4 GB SD card that I’ve been using for additional storage given the small SSD in the 1000. This time I have the SD card set to be totally devoted to ReadyBoost duty to enhance the performance of Windows 7 on the Atom processor. So far it definitely is making a difference.

Mobile desktop

I attended the GigaOM Pro webinar earlier (which was great) and then needed to get out of the office. I am in the coffee shop working away on the loaner Viliv X70 UMPC, now that it’s back running Windows XP after my failed attempt to put Windows 7 on it. I’ll detail that aborted process in tomorrow’s Mobile Tech Manor column.

The X70 is a stellar mobile desktop when paired with the Stowaway wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s so small for transport, yet the 7-inch screen is quite comfortable to use for extended periods on the table. I am flying through stuff with no feeling of compromise at all.

I had a routine doctor’s appointment today and they actually got me in and out early! I can’t remember the last time a doctor got me out of their office even earlier than my appointment start time.

I was prepared though; I had taken the Viliv S5 UMPC along for the ride. I stopped off for a cool beverage (it’s 100 degrees here) and got some blogging done with the little rig. These opportunities are perfect for the little UMPC with the wireless keyboard and mouse.

HTC Advantage, MacBook (not in L-R order)

I’m hanging out in the local beanery, working away and generally messing with those around me who not only keep asking me about my “tiny laptop,” but are blown away when I tell them it’s two years old. I’m not bad; I’m just drawn this way.

I am sitting in Denny’s with a full tummy, sipping some fresh-brewed coffee from a bottomless cup while working away. No, this is not an ad for the restaurant chain, it is me blatantly using their free Wi-Fi for getting some work done.

I am using the HP Mini 5101 netbook, and the more I use it, the more I feel that it is my favorite netbook so far. I’ve used a lot of them, but the 5101 with the chiclet keyboard and small size is simply a great mobile computer. I am currently working in Google Chrome with seven tabs open, and the performance is decent.

This unit has one GB of RAM and I’m wondering how it will be with two GB installed? I just may have to find out. HP has made RAM upgrades easy to do, with the access panel that requires no tools. Microsoft won’t let HP sell the Mini with 2 GB of RAM with XP onboard, but they can’t stop me from adding it.