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Archive 2015 · Small laptop for traveling

  
 
PIOK
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Small laptop for traveling


I would like to get new small laptop for traveling / MAX 11"
I have old Acer 10" with Windows XP system and is time to replace it. I like a lot a size of MacBook Air 11" but it doesn't have to much space, and 256 GB is not so cheap
I always copy JPEG on my Laptop and RAW files to external hard drive when travel ( but I process them in my desktop )

What do you use/ recommend ?



Sep 09, 2015 at 05:48 PM
jharter
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Small laptop for traveling


I take an iPad plus a Western Digital external HD with SD slot for backing up SD cards and streaming media. Much more travel friendly than a laptop and I don't like to edit photos on the road anyway.


Sep 09, 2015 at 06:27 PM
Ed Swift
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Small laptop for traveling


I went for a 13" macbook air (was going 11" but a deal made them the same price)

Only got the 128gb size but its been fine for a year size wise. I'm reasonably good at not using it for non 'trip' photos.

The better battery life and keyboard made it worthwhile for me over an iPad (plus ability to install full LR)

I don't think you'd go wrong with the 11" model.



Sep 10, 2015 at 01:28 AM
elkhornsun
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Small laptop for traveling


My last notebook purchase was the Lenovo X-250 which has the i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 256 SSD, Windows 7 Pro, two USB 3 ports, 1GB Ethernet port, SD card reader, 802.11 wireless. It also has the Lenovo/IBM keyboard which is the best one you can buy - much better than the Apple laptop keyboards.

A drawback to the Apple laptops is the very pricey RAM and the weight with the standard notebooks with their metal cases. I also want the ports to be standard and not require some special adapter which is a PITA when traveling.

Battery life with the Lenovo X250 is frankly amazing. I regularly get 12 hours of use on a battery charge.

I would never put image files on the drive of a netbook. Far better to leave them on the flash cards until you get home. If I wanted to have a duplicate copy of all my files I would use a mirrored USB 3 set of hard drives like the two 2TB drives in the LaCie Rugged or go to an external SSD drives which cost under $150 for 512GB of storage as with the Lenovo that is 3 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches in size and sells for $134. The Lenovo at 512GB will hold roughly 11,200 D810 RAW files or more than enough for a very long trip.

With a netbook with an internal SD reader for the SD cards or using a USB 3 port and CF card reader to upload data to an external USB 3 SSD drive I have a viable setup that will work with any laptop, netbook, or desktop computer.



Sep 10, 2015 at 02:26 PM
irreversible
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Small laptop for traveling


Maybe you can also look at the Microsoft Surface Pro 3? Pushes the size a bit but I really like the Surface line. Or you can pick up a used Surface Pro 2 and stick a Power Cover (now retailing for only $50) for a bit of extra juice.

Only problem is it only has one USB 3.0 and one microSD slot, no full size SD.



Sep 10, 2015 at 03:34 PM
Gyroscope
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Small laptop for traveling


I have a Sony Viao ultrabook which does the job. Apart from the sharp corners I like it. Weighs next to nothing plus with the extra clip on battery which also is a featherweight it will last for something like 15 hours.


Sep 11, 2015 at 07:24 AM
sjms
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Small laptop for traveling


HP Spectre 360. it offers quite a bit for its form factor.

Sony has given up on their laptops/computers, so support will rapidly wane



Sep 11, 2015 at 08:15 AM
PIOK
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Small laptop for traveling


About Sony Vaio - I don't see them anymore in the stores ( I do like how they look, weight size ) and probably has much more Disc space than Apple MacBook Air 11 )
What I like about MacBook Air is size and weight ( but 128 GB or 256 for more $, and NO SD Card slot, 2 USB )
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 >>> expensive - like a MacBook

Usually I need this computer once or twice a year for travel ( so don't want spend a lot, but maybe if is nicer than my Acer AspireOne 10" I will use more )

Looks like laptops with windows gives you more disc space for money you spend...
This year I will go to Patagonia - backpacking trip so weight and size is important



Sep 11, 2015 at 12:37 PM
sjms
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Small laptop for traveling


they shut down last year

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-02-05/sony-admits-defeat-and-looks-to-stop-selling-pcs



Sep 11, 2015 at 04:19 PM
redford01
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Small laptop for traveling


I highly recommend a 2015 Dell XPS 13 with the infinity view-- much smaller than a regular 13" and pretty powerful, depending on the configuration.


Sep 11, 2015 at 08:37 PM
TMaG82
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Small laptop for traveling


You could always add an additional storage card to the MacBook Air.

http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Storage-Expansion-TS256GJDL130/dp/B00WGARJIS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442057253&sr=8-2&keywords=MacBook+Air+storage



Sep 12, 2015 at 06:29 AM
pyro_
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Small laptop for traveling


Dell venue 11 tablet. Can get add on keyboard to turn it into a clamshell laptop. Also the wifi and ssd are user upgradable in the 7140 model. Has a core-m processor and can have up to 8gb of ram. I picked up a 8gb/128gb model recently and plan on upgrading the ssd to a 512gb size


Sep 13, 2015 at 10:34 PM
peter_n
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Small laptop for traveling


irreversible wrote:
Maybe you can also look at the Microsoft Surface Pro 3? Pushes the size a bit but I really like the Surface line. Or you can pick up a used Surface Pro 2 and stick a Power Cover (now retailing for only $50) for a bit of extra juice.


Depending on whether you're in a rush or not the Surface Pro 4 is rumored to be announced next month. Worth waiting for...




Sep 14, 2015 at 08:51 AM
rscheffler
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Small laptop for traveling


TMaG82 wrote:
You could always add an additional storage card to the MacBook Air.

http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Storage-Expansion-TS256GJDL130/dp/B00WGARJIS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442057253&sr=8-2&keywords=MacBook+Air+storage


I just did this with my 2011 11" MBA. It was a super easy swap that only took a few minutes. The needed tools are supplied with the drive. But do note, that these upgrade SSDs only work with the older MBAs. The newer ones use a PCIe SSD interface, IIRC, and no one has yet brought out upgrade kits.

I'd look at the Apple refurb store from time to time to see what they have available. You might find an 11" with ~500GB SSD at a reasonable (for Apple) price. Just beware of how old the MBA is, as at some point they went from USB 2 to USB 3. Mine is USB 2 and I find it a big PITA. I end up using a Kanex Thunderbolt to USB 3 adapter, but would like to have at least two USB 3 ports available without resorting to a powered hub (which is needed if intending to drive an external HDD or SSD along with other peripherals). Upgrading the internal SSD to 480GB now gives me enough onboard storage for downloading and working on files before backing up to external SSDs/HDDs.



Sep 18, 2015 at 04:01 PM
JimRU
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Small laptop for traveling


I just bought the Dell XPS 13 and it's awesome.


Sep 19, 2015 at 10:23 AM
pontmercy
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Small laptop for traveling


June 2012 Mac Book Airs have USB 3.0.

I love mine and it's still going strong. It's not my main system, I use a 27" iMac in my office for "real work". Lightweight, tiny and capable. I got the 256gb SSD, 8gb ram, and the i7 2.0ghz, with power boost to 3.2.

I'm still running the most current OS (yosemite) and will be upgrading to the next (El Capitan) with the knowledge that it will likely run even faster from all reports I've read.

You may pay more for Macs, but you sure get longevity out of them!



Sep 28, 2015 at 11:34 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Small laptop for traveling


My choice would be the 11" air .
I had a surface pro (v1) and its ok (i find 10" 1080 a bit small for menus and win8 wasnt great at scaling) but even though it was i5 it had a tendency to crash LR if i flicked thru images quickly .

I now have a 2013 11" AIR and it smokes the surface (both have 4gig of ram ) .


yes I get that apple products are not as cheap as other stuff but they hold their value well .

If the 256 option is too much then it will happily run an external ssd (I use a 128 ssd external usb3 )

The other option which isn't cheap but is not so bad price wise if you look at like for like specs is the 12" MacBook as it comes with 8gig and 256 gig as standard .
By all accounts core M is fine for most things as it still ramps up is power when needed . The only drawback is as its fanless it will throttle under constant heavy load



Sep 29, 2015 at 05:09 AM
PIOK
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Small laptop for traveling


Thank You All

I think I will go with Mac 11" Air SSD-128 GB + External 1 GB Hard Drive
for trips.



Sep 29, 2015 at 08:33 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Small laptop for traveling


TMaG82 wrote:
You could always add an additional storage card to the MacBook Air.

http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Storage-Expansion-TS256GJDL130/dp/B00WGARJIS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442057253&sr=8-2&keywords=MacBook+Air+storage



Not to the 11" As that doesnt have an SD slot . the 13" does .

but all is not lost . OWC and i think Transcend do a usb add on which while not cheap is way faster than a standard (even fast) memory stick (at least in the case of the OWC . in fact OWC have made one which looks like a memry stick but has the full speed SSD in it .




Sep 29, 2015 at 10:09 AM
PIOK
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Small laptop for traveling


Need to decide... MacBook Air 11 or Asus Zenbook UX305 / UX305FA - 13"

My favorite is Mac 12" - but this crazy price



Nov 10, 2015 at 06:16 PM
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