As an IT support specialist, I have an arsenal of software and hardware tools at my disposal which I use to help solve specific client problems.  When working with clients, I always try to “use the right tool for the job.”  This maxim was instilled into me by my father, an engineer, who in turn had it instilled in him by his father.  Recently I had a chance to apply this maxim to my own work when I jettisoned the trusty Dell Latitude E6400 laptop I had been carrying in the field and replaced it with a ‘custom’ netbook from OCZ – the Neutrino.

The Dell Latitude E6400, while an outstanding laptop in its own right, was overkill for field use on service calls – here is why:

1. I never used the E6400 to its full capabilities in the field.  I rarely used the DVD drive, I barely filled the 320GB hard drive, and no applications I use in the field require the horsepower of the Core 2 Duo processor powering the E6400.
2. The longer battery life of netbooks is great for “on the go” uses and netbooks typically have smaller power bricks than laptops making them even easier to pack.
3. The E6400 is more of a ‘target’ for thieves than the Neutrino.  The Neutrino’s basic finish and appearance, while not attractive to some, is much less of target.
4. Should the netbook get damaged or stolen, it is much less expensive to repair/replace than the Dell E6400 laptop.
5. The small size and light weight of a netbook make it ideal for use in cramped spaces.

Regardless of manufacturer, the current offerings of netbooks are pretty much the same beast in terms of specifications with the main difference being one of aesthetics.  As I pointed out in my post defining netbooks, they are typically a “Windows XP unit with a 10-12in screen that is running a 1.6GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, integrated Intel video, built-in WiFi, and some variety of solid state or hard drive as local storage.”  Given that, I chose OCZ’s Neutrino because it is billed as a “Do It Yourself” kit where the user picks the hard drive and memory to be used.   I had plenty of suitable memory lying around and also had a spare, high-end solid state drive (SSD) that I could use.  Additionally, as you can see from the picture below, access to other components in the Neutrino is good so I also swapped out the stock WiFi card for a more powerful unit.

The specific components I selected to use were the following:

• Solid State Drive: 30GB OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30G
• RAM: 2GB Mushkin PC2-5300 SO-DIMM
• WiFi Adapter: Intel 5300 AGN Mini PCI-E (half height) adapter
  • I also added a third internal antenna in addition to the two stock antennas

My Neutrino, as outfitted above, is an ideal solution for my daily use as an IT support specialist.  Throughout the course of a day, I use my netbook for numerous tasks, including:

• Wireless network security audits
• Operating system repairs
• Software installations
• Network diagnostics
• Generating estimates
• Client billing

In fact here are the programs I use on it regularly:

• Windows 7 (though it has also run XP, Vista, Linux, and OS X)
• Diagnostic & troubleshooting utilities (too numerous to list)
• Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, & Chrome
• Microsoft Office 2007 & Open Office 3.1
• Hamachi & LogMeIn & DropBox
• BlackBerry Desktop Manager
• Wireshark & Net Stumbler
• Multiple VPN clients
• Filezilla FTP client
• Quickbooks 2009
• Adobe Acrobat
• Xampp

I have been using my Neutrino netbook for four months now and cannot imagine carrying around a laptop in the field.  It is practical, powerful (enough), lightweight, and highly adaptable.  My use in the field has further confirmed for which users netbooks are ideally suited.  As I pointed out in a prior post, netbooks are ideally and practically suited for:

• Students who want something highly portable to take to class to work on.
  • It is small and adaptable for use in different settings
  • Depending,  upon the model selected, the keyboard can be near silent while in use
  • Using a solid state drive keeps the system silent and protects data while the unit is jostled during the day
• Anyone who uses a computer for basic tasks like organizing photos, email, web surfing, etc.
  • The lower cost makes them available to more users
  • The small size of a netbook makes them highly portable
  • They are more than powerful for the general tasks of the average user
• Field workers, i.e. technicians, scientists, and researchers due to their portability, connectivity, and productivity.
  • They are more than powerful enough to use in data collection and sorting
  • Using a WiMax connection allows wireless connectivity from almost anywhere
  • The use of a solid state drive protects the data while the unit is jostled and transported between different locations
• Mobile professionals who need connections to the home office but do not need/want a full-size laptop and its associated accessories.
  • The small size and light weight makes them highly portable
  • Using a WiMax connection allows wireless connectivity from almost anywhere
  • The use of a solid state drive protects the data while the unit is jostled and transported between different locations

If you are on the fence about buying one, go to your nearest big box retailer and look at the models they offer.  Look at the screens, try the keyboards (important consideration), and just get comfortable with how they feel.  For many users, the best practical use of a netbook is as an augmentation to their other computer(s).  Though my Neutrino is my primary computer for use in the field, I have a high-send workstation back in my office that I do all of my other work on.