Laptop on the Go – Minimalistic Style

Just acquired a SONY VAIO Z-series laptop. Being a frequent traveler, I figured it was about time to go lightweight.

This beast of a machine is 1.5kg and comes with a 128GB Solid State Device. I am currently testing the portability of it, dragging it around in a shopping mall and trying out different setting on it. Hibernation mode is a pleasure on this machine, it comes back to life after only about 20 seconds. Sleep mode takes 1-2 seconds for the laptop to be fully operational in Windows 7.

Even going lightweight, I still have 2 CPU cores at 2.5GHz and 4GB of RAM. Pretty much the bare minimum for anyone who need to run programs a bit more advanced the the MS Office Suite. There is also a lower limit to how small the laptop can be, the keyboard must be able to fit my 10-finger typing style. I have big fingers, never one to play the violin, so I need my keyboard space. The VIAO is unique in the sense that it has a strong tactile feedback, which I have found boosts my typing speed with around 50%.

So it looks like I have now reduced by bare essentials to this:

• Lightweight laptop
• Sony VAIO Z-Series
• Stick charger accessory – takes a few more gram off the weight
• Extended battery. Adds around 100g, but more than doubles battery lifetime. I am not one to run out.
• I am using the US power plug, it is slightly smaller than the EU standard, every bit helps.
• A universal smartcard reader
• Also Sony, credit card sized
• A standard, extendable USB to mini USB Cable
• For smart card reader and iPhone
• A 3G USB Modem
• The VAIO comes with a build in modem – but I need it to be external. When I arrive at home, I simply dock the USB modem in my router, and voila: My home wireless network is now connected
• The modem doubles as an 8GB USB Memory stick
• iPhone 3G
• Because lets face it: Nothing else comes close
• An Kensington iPhone USB Charger and battery pack
• This allows me to charge the iPhone using a mini-USB cable
• It also has a small built in battery. This allows me to recharge the iPhone on the go.
• Money clip to hold receipts
• A credit card sized aluminum valet to hold credit cards
• Fits in a suit jacket without adding an ugly bulge to it.
• Will even fit in tight jeans (not that I ever wear them)
• Universal power converter
• The smallest I have been able to acquire is around 3x5 cm

In this shopping mall, I located a nice bag for it all - A Tumi messenger bag with a neoprene laptop case. Later today, I hope to tally up the total weight of this configuration. Perhaps I can reduce further. Once you have carried a laptop on your shoulder all day, you realized that every gram matters.

Just now, my battery level is 50%. According to the Windows Power interface, I have more than 3 hours left of battery time. Neat! Let us see if this battery will last me most of a transatlantic flight.