The $14.99 Laptop for Writers

Much has been made of the $100 one laptop per child project that, if it ever comes to fruition, has the capability to transform the third world.

However, did you know you have access to the $14.99 laptop today? It doesn’t look like much, lacking a keyboard and monitor, but it does have the ability to get most of the work you need to get done wherever you need it. The $14.99 laptop contains an Integrated Office Suite, Email and browser, games and Anti-Virus software. You can save work files for easy transfer to your workstation of choice, and even use it to back up important files to your regular laptop.

But wait! there’s more!

As you can imagine, at this price the software is pretty well integrated. But don’t let that stop you. These are not proprietary systems. Chances are you already use most if not all this software already.

Also, I mentioned that the $14.99 Laptop does not come with a keyboard or Monitor. This makes it extremely portable and durable. Why, I carry mine on my keychain and even though it’s gotten drenched at the lake and been dropped and stepped on, it continues to work as advertised.

How do you get this amazing device in two easy steps?

1. Download Portable apps suite for free.
2. Install it on your Kingston 1 GB Mini Fun Data Traveler USB Flash Drive–Yellow.

That’s it.

Portable apps Contains a menu that drives portable versions of Open Office, Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird and Sunbird, GAIM IM, ClamWin Antivirus and Sudoku. This means that they run directly from your USB drive to the computer’s memory with no need to install on the host computer. Take your drive to work, home, the University, Library or anywhere else you have access to a computer with a USB port and you’ll always have access to your files and software. Documents can be saved directly to the USB Drive, or ftp’d using Mozilla. Additional portable apps such as Komposer or Portable Media Player are also free for download.

I’ve been using it for a while now just as a test and can honestly say I’ve had no problems. It’s easy to modify the programs and install new applications into the suite. I feel the data is more secure here than on my home system.

While not as radical as the OLPC project, the $14.99 laptop has changed the way I think about computing. I no longer feel tied to the machine. I no longer need a “place” for my tools as I carry them with me. As a matter of fact, just for kicks I am composing this post a work prior to posting it from the Library, bypassing my home computer completely.

Pretty neat, Huh?