Mac Mini opinion...

RedOctober25

RedOctober25

Member
So i was thinking that maybe the iPad is not going to be the photo device of choice for the number of photos that I take while travelling. ; Has anyone tried using the Mac Mini as an alternative to a laptop? ; I figure that the DVC villas all have HDTVs in them now and I could just use that as a display for a Mini. ; Add to that a flexible keyboard and you have a fully functioning computer in a 7"x7" package. ; Is this a viable option or am i still stuck lugging the laptop and accessories around still?
 
That is an intriguing idea Red, but you would still have to have the mini, a keyboard, a mouse, power cable and the cable to connect it to the TV. ; Depending on keyboard type, and if you have a mini mouse[nb]No relation to Mickey's GF[/nb] or not will determine if you're really saving space or not vs a laptop. ; Guess it would depend on the laptop model.
 
For the keyboard, i have seen (on amazon) both a usb and wireless roll-up keyboard (made out of vinyl). ; The power cord looks to be a typical power cord and not one of the mag ones like the macbook. ; And then the video output would just be hdmi. ; I think the biggest problem is just making sure that the tvs at the resort truly do have an hdmi input.
 
If you Google search, there are a number of external hard drives coming out that you can hook up directly to your iPad for storage.

Erich
 
And they allow you to offload from the iPad? ; Everything I have seen so far only allows you to pull files and photos fom he hard drive (but not to the hard drive).
 
That's pretty much the reason I purchased a netbook - much smaller and lighter than a laptop and very portable, fully self-contained, and far more convenient and capacious for photos and such (direct card readers built in, standard USB ports, 160-250GB harddrives pretty standard). ; They have regular keyboards which make them more convenient for me for e-mailing and such (or remoting to my office computer), and can still hook up to TVs or other monitors for display purposes (standard RCA type wires work too, if there's no HDMI on the TV).

I used to bring the laptop, but still too big and heavy, and I looked at Tablets but didn't like not having a keyboard, the lack of ports, and the small storage of most. ; With netbooks going well under $300, they're a great buy as well. ; Something to consider.
 
Good question about the hard drives. I don't know for sure, I just assumed you could transfer both ways to and from the iPad. They wouldn't be much good if you couldn't.

Erich
 
@Zackie... I did have a netbook, but didn't use it that much so i gave it to my mother to use so she didnt have to have my dad do everything on his desktop (ie... Bill paying and shopping). ; I'll probably just have to borrow it back for each vacation. ; Although the power supply is a bit bulky.
 
i'm still a strong proponent of the mac air, the more i travel with mine the happier i am that i chose that route, still not as light and small as a netbook, but the extra size and weight are not a disadvantage compared to the capability
 
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