Update on the use of a Netbook in the corporate environment

I decided that it was worthwhile to try out a netbook as a corporate desktop replacement and purchased a Toshiba NB200 (their latest generation), upgraded to 2G of RAM and the Windows XP Home replaced with Windows XP Pro. The netbook was connected to a Windows Server and domain.

Standard Office applications used are Office 2003, Outlook, Exchange and the iManage document management system. Browsers used are IE6 and Firefox 3.0. The Office will be upgraded to 2007 once some server compatbility issues are resolved but a test on an earlier unit running Windows 7 (RC) showed that the Netbook was quite capable of running Office 2007.

The device is used with an existing widescreen monitor (1400x900 resolution) and external keyboard and mouse.

Apart from having no docking station so all peripherals have to be plugged in separately, once the Netbook is running, it's hard to see any difference between the P4 I had before and this unit. Office applications startup and run as fast as before, there is no discernible lag in surfing web sites and the machine feels generally quite peppy. The NB200 uses the latest Intel Atom N280 processor.

In this mode it's quite useable as a desktop replacement for a corporate environment and while costing about the same a dual core HP desktop (the price of upgrading the unit to XP Pro brings it pricewise into the same range as a desktop) , it has the advantage that for the occasional mobile users, it can be removed and taken on the road.

I will perform additional testing on the unit but I can see that with a fleet upgrade looming, I can offer the staff the choice between a standard desktop, the power of which they would rarely tax in the corporate environment, or this Toshiba unit which they can use both in the office and on the road. Given that the use of the Netbook on the road is likely to be less often than say for a true mobile user, having to disconnect a number of USB cables and monitor cable to travel is a small inconvenience over not having a dedicated docking station.