> I really don't get how people do research work … without a computer

People used to do it in their heads.

Einstein, Tolkien, Hawking, Newton, Shakespeare, Euclid, Archimedes.

With paper being an storage medium they occasionally saved to :)

> (like finding good flight tickets, or comparing hotels to stay in for a trip)

Heck I was doing EXACTLY that on an iPhone while loafing at a friend's just now, because I wanted to make the most of my time and I don't want to carry my laptop/iPad anywhere.

Lightweight XR glasses would be the best of both worlds.