Here is an idea for a product:

Small laptop with included GSM 3G, GPRS and EDGE, EVDO, WiFi, so it can connect to any network and stay connected at all times.

The laptop should have an 1024x768 color display.

The laptop should have a few programs in ROM:

- rudimentary OS consisting of a TCP/IP stack with drivers for all the mobile conectivity options (3G, EDGE, GPRS, EVDO, WiFi) with an interface to change the connection mode

- a version of VNC, preferably UltraVNC or TightVNC because they offer compression

- a version of Windows Remote Desktop (which is faster than VNC for controling Windows machines)

- a web browser, preferably Firefox

Now, this laptop would not work as a stand-along computer. It would work only when connected to the Internet.

This seems a bad idea because of reliability, but it's not. My smartphone is always connected using 3G or GPRS - I have a reliable mobile Internet connection 99.9% of the time.

Also, the software should be able to "jump" connections when one connection is broken. No WiFi signal? Switch to 3G, seamlessly. No 3G and no WiFi? Switch to EVDO without the user noticing (or at least with MINIMAL HASSLE to the user).

So.. what can I do with this laptop? I can connect to my computer at work or at home, and have all the speed, storage and power of my Athlon 64 X2 with 4 GB RAM.

I have used UltraVNC and Windows Remote Desktop over 128 Kbit/s connections, and it works very well, I can work confortably. 3G far exceeds that speed.

Also, another advantage: I don't have to duplicate data to my laptop, because I have it on my PC at home.

So: my VNC mini-laptop would be a lot faster than most laptops.

Because my laptop is in fact a mobile terminal, it doesn't need a hard-disk. Also, it doesn't need 512 MB RAM - it probably only needs 64 MB.

It also doesn't need a powerful CPU - just a CPU powerful enough to run VNC and Windows Remote Desktop.

So, the laptop would have a slow low-power CPU, little memory, NO hard-disk, NO DVD drive. This would translate into LOW power consumption, which means a long battery time.

The lack of a hard-disk and of CD/DVD drive also makes it lighter.

So, in summary:

Advantages:

- light (because it doesn't have a HDD or DVD drive)

- very long battery life (because it lacks a HDD, DVD and it has little RAM and CPU power available)

- as fast as my work or home computer, because in fact my home or work computer is doing all the work

- I never have to synchronize data, because I'm accessing my home computer

Disadvantages:

- Depends on having a mobile Internet connection, but this is something I can rely on 99.9% (or perhaps more) of the time (I'm in Europe).

If something like this was available, I would buy it in an instant.

I wouldn't do business presentations on it (because it sucks if it "just happens" for your online connection to drop during a presentation). I also wouldn't use it for critical work - for example "the deadline is in 3 hours, and if the product isn't ready, the company goes bankrupt".

Most of my work is important but not extremely critical like that. I would buy this immediately. :)