Expert: Bobbert - 1/24/2010

Question
I'm a Mac person. I own an iMac (2008 model), a titanium Powerbook (circa 2006) and an iPod touch. I'm happy with all of them and have avoided PC's up to now. However, I'm planning to travel to Europe for 5 weeks and am considering purchasing a netbook simply because it is light, has skype capabilities and I hope to watch movies that are on an external mini hard drive. I also own a business and would like the capability of being able to be in touch by email and write up contracts via MS word and use excel. I was thinking that getting  a netbook would be a simpler solution since it is much lighter than the powerbook. Is this a good enough reason to get a netbook? I would prefer to be able to do my business on my iPod touch but it doesn't seem to be possible to make changes to word documents in case I need to write up contracts (is there an application available that does that? IF there is, let me know and I would be happier to use that). It's also easier to type on a keyboard as opposed to pushing those tiny buttons on the touch screen.

I want to keep my costs down. Is it necessary to purchase antivirus software? It sucks since I would have to purchase that every year (main reason I have a mac - no worries about getting some new anti=virus thing EVERY year). The salespeople really push getting there anti-virus/ store bought set up package. Can I view my word documents on the netbook or do I have to purchase MS Office in order to view and edit any documents? With all of these additional purchases, a single netbook can go from a cheap $269 to close to $550. Plus if I purchase one of those in-store additional warranties, that brings the cost up another $150 making it not really worth getting.

So my ultimate question is -- will the netbook do the job I want (occasional traveling with a lightweight computer) and would I need to make all those other purchases or can I just get away with just buying the netbook and NOTHING else. I don't plan to make this my primary computer. Just something light to travel with.

Thanks for your help.  

Answer
I would see no real justification for a netbook for mobile computing, if you already have a mobile solution, however if the size is appealing, that could very well be a deciding factor for you.

Regarding a few misconceptions I noted in your query:
- Anti-virus software is required, however free, look at Grisoft's AVG Free Edition or Comodo's Internet Security suite

- The extended warranty is generally viewed as a pointless upgrade, instead of spending $150 on an extended warranty, consider that the system itself comes with a one or two year warranty, if it fails after that period, it would make more sense to either repair it yourself (once its out of warranty) or simply replace it with newer equipment

- Regarding software requirements, to work with .doc documents you need a compatible text editor, Microsoft Office is one commercial option, there is also OpenOffice.org which offers compatibility with Microsoft and Sun documents, and costs nothing

-bob