Why I Ditched My Laptop for an Intel Tablet.

[google1]

My mile high office above the Galapagos Islands! Do you like it?

She’s still there, waiting patiently until I call on her again. In some ways, she has become the Lamar Odom of my tech line up–a true pro, who’s skills currently work better for my team as a back up than starter.

So what drove my relatively new Windows 8 laptop to the bench? An Intel tablet. Ever since the iPad launched, I played with the idea of using it (or a an Android tablet) as my primary computer. I really wanted it to work, but I knew deep down that the Apple tablet was just too closed off for me to be a reliable go to. The biggest issue for me was that I couldn’t easily transfer photos to the device like I could do with a laptop or netbook, which could be a nightmare on the road. Further, I felt (and this may have changed now) that getting posts up through WordPress was also more cumbersome, adding unnecessary time to our blogging schedule.

Enter Intel and its new Atom processor. When I received my Acer W510 in February to test as part of our collaboration with Intel and SocialChorus , I had no intentions of having it replace my laptop. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with my Acer netbook or the older Atom processors, so, while I was psyched to try out Windows 8 on a tablet, I was skeptical of it being anything other than just another iPad copycat. I was wrong. It turns out that the Acer W510 was exactly what I had been waiting for. The new Atom processor is light years ahead of previous incarnations in terms of power, multitasking and battery life. Currently, I’m averaging 8.5 hours on a single charge and that’s running it all day while with applications like Chrome,  OneNote and iTunes. Coupling the Atom processor with the power of Windows 8 touch makes for a great hybrid computing solution with apps and programs, like  MSN, being reimagined for the operating system.

After I gained confidence in the processor, I decided to take the tablet to the next level by adding a Microsoft Wedge mouse and keyboard. Both of these Bluetooth peripherals were created for Windows 8, and are designed to be great travel companions for the tablet–both have minimal profiles, and the keyboard cover even converts into a stand. After several days of using the mouse and keyboard with the tablet, I found myself falling for that set up, which is essentially like an all-in-one, over my laptop. Not only did the peripherals pair well, I loved the flexibility that I now had. I even found that I had less hand cramping by switching back to a mouse.

My next step was to determine if this set up would work on the road. Did it really make sense to bring three items, when  I could just bring one? On paper, probably not, but the more I thought about the flexibility, I started to think that just may work. And it did! Because each piece has a slim profile, I was able to free up space and lighten the load of our gear bag by a few pounds. Additionally, because tablets don’t follow under the same guidelines as laptops when going through airport security, I no longer have to pull it out for the TSA.

Only time will tell if the tablet can hold up to life on the road. But for now it’s the most promising prospect I’ve added to my tech line up since the iPhone, and, for the first time in a long time I’m proud to say I am a PC!

 What have you redesigned recently? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

*This post is part of our collaboration with the #MSNKnowNow campaign. I was in no way obligated to write about the Intel tablet or anything else related to Microsoft. My story just so happened to fit into this week’s theme about a time that you reimagined your life. If you are interested in checking out the newly reimagined MSN, you can check it out here: allnew.msn.com  As always, my thoughts and opinions that I expressed in thus story are entirely my own.

Wanna hang out and talk travel? Connect with us on Pinterest, Twitter & Facebook!

You can also sign up for automatic updates by email:

or in your favorite feed reader:

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!