Dumb questions about laptops

[Monkeyleg]

I don't own a laptop. I don't like them. I don't like the keyboard layouts. I don't like the tiny screens. I hate the scrolling pads on them (I'm lost without a mouse).

But I may need one to retrieve emails and fulfill orders while out of town.

First off: where do you find connections to the internet, and how much do the connections cost per minute?

Second: can a decent laptop be found used for not a lot of money and, if so, what would be a good brand and model?

Third: would a laptop survive in the touring bag on a vibrating Harley?

Thanks for any replies.

[K Frame]

More and more places are offering free wireless internet connections. Panera Bread restaurants, for example. Many hotels and libraries, also.

[Boomhauer]

There are a lot of free wifi hotspots around. You can also get an "aircard" that gives you internet wherever you can get the cell phone signal, if I understand it. I use free wi-fi hotspots, and many motels/hotels have either wifi or hard line access (my computer has three built in ways to get hooked up to the net- ethernet, wi-fi, and dialup). I can add an aircard to the expansion slot in the side.

Cheap and durability usually don't go together. I'd lean towards getting something like a Panasonic Toughbook or similar, that is built to withstand rugged use. On the other hand, I love my Dell laptop for general use, but I do not think it would be good for a motorcycle trip.

When at home, I hook up a USB keyboard and mouse to mine so I don't have to use the touchpad or small keyboard.

[BridgeWalker]

First off: where do you find connections to the internet, and how much do the connections cost per minute?

Airports charge substantially.  Hotels may charge, and I've found no correlation between the cost of the hotel and the availability of included internet service.  (I don't stay in hotels very often though.)

Best bet imho is coffee shops.  Starbucks has a contract with, I believe AT&T.  You can buy an hour for a couple bucks or, I believe, you can pay monthly for service.  

Second: can a decent laptop be found used for not a lot of money and, if so, what would be a good brand and model?

I'm a diehard Apple fan, but after durability problems with the construction of two out of two of their low-end laptops, I no longer think that the thousand dollar mac is a good option.  Probably you weren't even considering Mac, but still, I've had noting but great luck with other mac products, and terrible luck twice with low end laptops from them.

Third: would a laptop survive in the touring bag on a vibrating Harley?

It kinda throws out any possibility of real cheap, but do some research into solid-state hard drives.  The new MacBook Air is available with one for the low, low price of $3100.  I don't know about PC versions, but I'm sure they are out there.  Allegedly much more resistant to vibration and other physical stresses.

[roo_ster]

Can you build up the OS from media on an OS-free used/off lease machine?

Do you need the latest in performance?

If the answers are YES & NO, respectively, look into these guys:
http://www.bobjohnson.com/

[seeker_two]

I don't know about a Harley-proof laptop.....but I can tell you that many hotels (Best Western, La Quinta, etc.) with wi-fi are as free and accessable from the parking lot as from the rooms....

[Iain]

The Asus Eee is cheap and has a (small) solid state drive, which you could easily supplement with cheap USB thumb drives. It may survive the rigours you intend it to, and if not then you're not out the bucks that many other small laptops cost. It will likely annoy you though as it is a very small laptop with a very small screen (7" or the new 9" on its way) and runs a linux OS. But for basic tasks, it may be enough, and it is cheap.

Other than that, then a reconditioned laptop that can run XP shouldn't cost the earth.

[vernal45]

Everybody has covered the wi-fi angle.  As far as a "harley proof" laptop, take a look at panisonics toughbook.

[Monkeyleg]

All I'd need it for would be to retrieve emails and connect to the internet to fulfill orders from my website. To fulfill orders I need to run IE on Windows, and it has to be done locally, so that rules out logging on to the internet using someone else's computer.

I could put the laptop in one of the bags of clothing on the bike to help protect it from vibration.

Are there places that rent laptops?

Thanks again for any replies.

[wooderson]

Microsoft has a nice Bluetooth travel mouse - just plug the dongle into a USB port and you're good to go. I use a full-size Logitech trackball - doesn't add much room on top of my Macbook Pro's power supply anyway, they both fit in the same pocket.

[Fly320s]

Short-term thread veer...

Hotels may charge, and I've found no correlation between the cost of the hotel and the availability of included internet service.

I have.  The more expensive the hotel, the more they nickle and dime you.  Also true for hotels that cater to business travelers.  Hotels in the mid-price range, such as Hampton Inn, and Holiday Inn Select often include internet in the room rate.

Techie-friendly cities, SF for one, have tons of free WiFi.

Now back to your thread...

[Strings]

Dick, Squeeker just picked up a decent older HP Laptop for around $350, and can connect via wifi by adding a USB doohicky...

As for "surviving" on the Harley: get a padded case for it that can fint wither in the saddlebag or can strap to the sissy bar. Shouldn't take more than that...

[Boomhauer]

Oh, and one more thing...

On my cross-country trip, most hotels had internet access. I didn't use it every night, however.

The three casinos we stayed in charged you for the internet, though. And one was a very expensive casino (the Venetian in Vegas), one that was pretty cheap (the Peppermill casino in Reno), and the Harrahs in Kansas City, MO.

[ilbob]

I don't know much about high end hotels but all the mid-range hotels I have stayed at over the last few years had some kind of free Internet service. A Red Roof Inn my wife booked charged us for WiFi service. The hardwired kind seems to be the most reliable. The WiFi stuff seemed hit or miss. It would work in the lobby and some rooms, but not others. Most of these type of motels have phones with a data port that allow you to use dial up if necessary.

A lot of places have WiFi that is charged for - coffee shops, restaurants, truck stops, etc. Other similar places have it for free.

You can get a wireless card from a cellular provider that gives you your own access everywhere. Not cheap, and does not work everywhere, but you are not dependent on someone else either.

I don't know if a motorcycle is all that bad for a well made laptop, especially if you wrap it up in clothing or something similar to reduce the vibrations.

[mtnbkr]

The Asus Eee is cheap and has a (small) solid state drive, which you could easily supplement with cheap USB thumb drives. It may survive the rigours you intend it to, and if not then you're not out the bucks that many other small laptops cost. It will likely annoy you though as it is a very small laptop with a very small screen (7" or the new 9" on its way) and runs a linux OS. But for basic tasks, it may be enough, and it is cheap.

Other than that, then a reconditioned laptop that can run XP shouldn't cost the earth.

A guy in my amateur radio club has had hands on with the EEE and wasn't impressed at all, especially given the price. 

You can buy NIB laptops running XP for less than $400 if you shop around. 

Chris

[MillCreek]

I travel a fair amount on business and going to medical conventions and seminars.  In my experience, the expensive hotels where these conventions and seminars are held, always charge for Net access.  $ 9.95 per day on the low end up to $ 14.95 on the high end, and sometimes you can get a three day flat rate that saves five bucks or so.  They have a captive audience of corporate travelers, and want to squeeze as much as they can out of them.

And interesting comments on the ASUS.  I have been thinking of a smaller alternative to the clunky HP XP pro laptop.  All I really need is something that gets me on the Net, connects to my network at work and lets me show Powerpoint slides.

[JDTHEWOLF]

I'm armed with a dell e1505 laptop with wireless...no complaints from this tramp power lineman.

[JimMarch]

My main internet connection is a Verizon PCMCIA card that's basically a cellular data modem.  Costs $60/month for unlimited internet.

If you need something like this, I'd recommend a USB dongle version because you can use that with a desktop if you have to, or any of the newer laptops that don't have PCMCIA.

Speed is basically low to mid-grade DSL.  Slower on the uplink though, so you can't use it for voice (Skype, Vonage, etc.) real well.

Even a lower-end critter will survive the Harley rides fairly well.  You want to transport it fully powered down - no "suspend mode".  That's in case the battery takes enough bump to jar the connections.

I bought a low-end Acer almost a year ago and have been very pleased - once I nuked Vista and dropped Ubuntu on it of course .  If I were you, I'd talk to Dell, get the lowest-end critter they have that has Ubuntu pre-installed.

[zahc]

A guy in my amateur radio club has had hands on with the EEE and wasn't impressed at all, especially given the price.

You can buy NIB laptops running XP for less than $400 if you shop around. 

Not ones that small, you can't. eeepc is one of a kind. Mine is in my jacket pocket right now. It's slightly bigger than a DVD case. Consider, that it's cheaper than my friend's iPhone, and I can do most of what a 'real' laptop can (at least, after the obligatory Kubuntu install). I thought storage might be a problem, but MicroCenter has 8GB flash drives for $30.

[MillCreek]

I understand that ASUS will be coming out with an XP version later this year.  I will have to give that a careful look when that hits the marketplace. 

[Strings]

Dick, I talked to my computer-guru sis-in-law tonight about this issue (I'm looking at the same thing this summer). She said that, so long as it's totally powered down (not on standby), you shouldn't have any trouble...

[charby]

Dick

Have you thought about a Motorola Cue or a Blackberry? How much typing are you going to have to do? If its not much than a PDA phone might be a cheaper/smaller solution for you.

I use Dell laptops exclusively at work, the Latitude series and they hold up pretty well to frequent travelers and field researchers. Latitudes are lighter than the other Dell notebooks but they are more expensive. I get educational discount but a fully loaded laptop runs about $1400 with a 4 year complete care warranty.

If you desire a mouse, you can plug one right into a laptop.

-Charby

[Boomhauer]

I get educational discount but a fully loaded laptop runs about $1400 with a 4 year complete care warranty.

The 3 and 4 year accidental damage protection and service agreements are very expensive. I've got 3 year accidental damage and next day at home service, and it added about $300 to my laptop price.

[charby]

I get educational discount but a fully loaded laptop runs about $1400 with a 4 year complete care warranty.

The 3 and 4 year accidental damage protection and service agreements are very expensive. I've got 3 year accidental damage and next day at home service, and it added about $300 to my laptop price.

But when a laptop takes a dive off a moving vehicle and Dell replaces it no questions asked, the $300 is worth it. I have a lot that spend a lot of time out in the field collecting data, so we need the extra asset protection.

[Monkeyleg]

All I need to be able to do is access the internet using IE on Windows, and be able to retrieve emails using my own email account. I could do that at any internet cafe or Kinkos, but I need to install a personal security certificate in Internet Explorer, and that would take too much time.