An anonymous reader writes "OK Slashdot — I'm looking for suggestions. While at work and away from home, I find that it would often be nice to have access to a trusted machine.
The problem is, leaving on my desktop PC is completely overkill, as the functions I need are quite simple.
Does anyone have any suggestions for low power device that could handle the following functions?
1. A way to securely connect to the machine and use it as a proxy to instant message, email, etc. (I don't want my work reading everything I write)
2. The ability to download files overnight, via FTP or bittorrent, to an SD card / USB drive / etc. I realize that some routers currently have this feature.
3. (more demanding) A secure web browser that lets me browse from work with privacy
Now, option #3 probably means this will end up being something closer to a small form factor / atom-based custom PC, but that's really more than I want to spend. Additionally, these will probably draw more power than necessary.
Are there any options out there for around $50-$100 that could let me do the very basics? I recall reading about some PC's that plug directly into the electrical outlet, but they seemed to have limited functionality.
What do you think?"