Ideas please...laptop for word processing only

Here's my dilemma.

I want to get back into creative writing, but I can't do this on my existing laptop - too much work/other stuff on it, internet capable, too easily distracted or tempted to do guilt-induced work even when I shouldn't be - yep, my work and personal boundaries shot to hell - and too bulky to carry around everywhere when not working.

I also have lousy handwriting so need to be able to type whatever I am doing - paper and pen just don't cut it anymore for me. And yes, I do need a proper keyboard.

(I used to have an awesome tiny HP notebook, from the days they really were notebooks - very small, very light, very easy to use keyboard, but obsolete now). To give an idea of how prices have gone down...this was purchased 20 years ago, at (from memory) $3500 - for something which nowadays would have less grunt than a home calculator! [}])

I don't want this device to have more than word processing loaded onto it - no internet, no other programmes, just ability to use it for writing.

Oh, and also doesn't break the bank.

So...lightweight, small, with keyboard, able to load Word, able to take a memory stick, and doesn't cost the earth.

Shouldn't be too hard, huh? Or would it make a good Tui ad?

Any ideas?

After I saw someone else's cute new toy a few years ago, I bought myself one of those little eee-pcs, specifically for portable writing - I figured I could justify the expense, since I was being paid for my words! It has a ridiculously small keyboard, but I can touch-type on it when necessary. If I want to work on it properly (usually if there's a power cut at home, or I want to work in a different space), I plug in my ergonomic full-sized keyboard.

I take it with me when I travel anywhere, because I can then check email etc. while away, but it has a stupidly small memory and piddly storage relative to now standards, which stops me doing much else other than what I bought it for anyway, which is ... good.

Don't know if you can buy much without internet capacity now, since even watches have it. []

I have asked hubby and he asks does it have to be Word and what is your budget? If you don't have to have Word (or if an older version of Word would do) then Trade me may have what you are looking for.

Yeah, my next thought was begging an old laptop off someone, as I have an older version of Word I can use...

I could also justify getting a new laptop for work and then stripping this one down for personal, but still leaves me with a stonking great laptop for personal which is bulky...

Ruth, what is the make/model of what you have?

I found this one doing a quick search. (I've bought from that company before.) That model has 80x more internal storage than mine. [] However, now I have a tractor, I have to live with my existing tools until they wear out, not go round buying shiny new things. [}]

Oooh, that's pretty neat...can you weigh yours on the kitchen scales when you get a chance, no kg weight given here...[]

0.92kg is the weight on the specs of one on the ASUS site. Mine's 928g.
They have a port for plugging in an ordinary monitor as well, so you can use it as an ordinary sort of computer if you don't always want to be looking at a small screen - I just up the font size when I'm writing on it and find it alright. (Mine has a 7-inch screen, I think, it was one of the first ones out.) I carry it around in a hand-bag-sized bag I take away on trips and it's not ridiculously heavy over a shoulder.

I have an eeepc which I don't use but I can't find the power lead for it. Rather than word you could load the Open Office equivalent which is free and pretty good.

I'll have a dig around for the power lead and if I find it you can have it.

Ruth, what does the power lead look like, and what is printed on the plug bit?

Cheers
Kate

Oooh thank you, that would be awesome

Like this:

Attached files

I just use the Windows Wordpad for my writing in this machine, since it's smaller than Word. If you don't need the spell-check function, it's perfectly adequate - bearing in mind that you want only the word processing function.

As long as it is compatible with Word, ie can convert it into this on another machine, all good.

Mind you, as long as can cut and paste it in to Word would work also!

I just cut and paste, then do a back-up spell-check in Word (or OpenOffice these days).

Ruth;455267 wrote: Like this:

Thank you...I'll delve into many boxes of 'stuff' []

Thanks Ruth, the photos really helped Tigger, I've sent you an email...