I write a lot. Sometimes more than I’d want to admit, but at the very least, we’re talking several pages daily. I actually used to write a lot more, in my teens, since I was one of those teenagers that wasn’t stimulated by school, hence I skipped classes and spent my time reading and writing. As you’ve probably gathered, fiction is an obsession of mine, fantasy in particular, although that follows my mood.

Add all the freelance writing I do, on a weekday basis, and my own projects, as well as my blogs, and you’ve got quite a lot of writing right there. Not to mention the fact that I always play with a handful of projects in one of my Moleskine notebooks at all times, not all writing is done on the computer.

However, that doesn’t stop me from having the notebook blues, and by notebook I mean - in this case at least - a portable computer. That, for me, means a truly portable computer. A 15,4″ screen isn’t portable, no matter how sleek the rest of the computer is, and don’t even get me started on 17″ systems. Draggable, perhaps, but that’s it.

My MacBook, being a 13,3″ model and hence not a MacBook Pro, is barely portable. It is a decent size when traveling far and having need of a real computer, rather than a digital typewriter with Internet connectivity, but it is also way too heavy and bulky to be truly portable.

When I was in Japan, where I brought my MacBook by the way, and it did a swell job, I picked up a 7″ UMPC from Kohjinsha (a model in the SH6 series, if you’re interested). It is a really cool little device, but I rarely use it. There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is the battery, which limits me to just over 2 hours of working, and that’s with wifi off. I do write, that’s my primary objective when on the run, since I tend to get a lot of work done on trains and whatnot, but 2 hours isn’t enough. Battery life is a way more serious issue to me than, say, the cramped keyboard and unnecessary amount of keys, since it is a Japanese machine, I’ve got a bunch of extra keys that just takes up space. That bothers me a lot less than the limited battery life.

I bought an Asus Eee PC 900, the 16 GB model which is slow and stupid compared to, say, the 901 or the 900 model with 4+16 GB SSD drives. This has already earnt its money, since I was able to do a lot of writing on a trip the weekend after picking it up. It too has limited battery life and a cramped keyboard, although I since then remedied the former issue with a bulky big new battery which gives me som 4-5 hours if I turn down the screen, forget about wifi, and things like that.

That’s OK, 4 hours is something of a minimum. For the record, my MacBook pulls in at 3 hours or so.

Now here’s the notebook blues.

I want a portable computer that clocks in at 4 hours when maxed out, and that’s an absolute minumum. If I want to work for 6-7 hours straight, then fine, I can turn down the screen, turn off wifi, and perhaps even underclock it, but I want to be able to do this. If I’m in a flow, writing fiction or whatever, then I don’t want to be stopped prematurely just because I’m out of juice. That’s just not acceptable.

I also want a small device, no more than some 10-11″ screen size or so, and I want it to be lightweight. That’s two things that totally makes me scratch (and sell, actually) my MacBook: It’s too big, and too heavy for my needs.

However, I also want some usability. I want to touch type at something that resembles my usual speed, and that makes both the Eee PC 900 and the Kohjinsha SH6 poor choices, since the small keyboards are a bit too cramped. The former is lacking in build as well, while the latter actually could work, despite its size, had it not been for those numerous extra keys for Japanese letter swapping or whatever it is, I forget. Ideally, however, it is something larger than these two.

So what does that leave me?

Actually, I’m not sure. I’ve been looking at the Sony Vaio TZ series, but let’s face it, it is ridiculously overpriced, and I just won’t spend that amount of money at this time. Until a few hours ago, I figured that the HP MiniNote might be an option, but it is said to get a bit hot, and that’s a real turnoff. Also, battery life sucks, and it appears as if that’s something that can’t be remedied at the moment. I’ve also looked at various Eee PC models, the 1000 series for instance, but let’s be frank: I doubt these low priced machines will have keyboards that’ll fit my needs.

I’m stuck, it seems. There’s just no real option, no one that’ll work out at this time. To be honest, I guess I shouldn’t be complaining in the first place, since I’ve already got a couple of machines that could work in various situations, but you know what, that just won’t do when I end up with a feeling that I’m held back by equipment. Or the lack of it, rather.

You see, I might’ve mentioned it sometime before, but I write a lot. That means I spend a lot of time in front of the screen. At my office, in my home, or on the run. And I’d like to make the most of that time, even if it means spending money on a new device, possibly just fooling my psyche. It has worked before, as you probably know.

Ah well.

The notebook blues, indeed.