Has anyone packed a Computer on the way to SA? If so which one is recommented?
 

Going to SA in November and need advice on packing a computer. I know they have those "Palmtops" now which are alittle larger then a cel phone. Anyone try packing one of these on the road? Is it worth the trouble?


Thanks for any advice,

Greg

I haven't tried it yet but am looking at Asus Eee Pc900 and 901, that has solid state disk(no mechanical harddisk) and weighs around 1kg.

ASUS | Eee PC

So do I. I recon it'll suit my needs while being smaller and seemlingly more able to withstand bashing than my current ThinkPad.

Computer on the road
 

Thanks for your in guys! That was really helpful pbekkerh, I guess I'll have to add it to the budget!

Greg

Pack it well & there wont be a problem.

I've dragged my laptop 90000 miles all over S.America & to Alaska - no problems. Its a Toshiba Satellite with a normal hard drive.

On the bike it lives in a resealable plastic bag to keep dust/moisture out, a padded laptop case for vibration and that fits exactly inside an aluminium box so it cant get crushed in the pannier.

Weve been travelling with our Asus EeePC for the last 4months. Been through 2heavy knocks already.
Its wifi ready and has inbuilt mic/webcam for skyping.

Highly recommended.

We've also been carrying a Toshiba Satellite around the americas and so far no problems despite some intense vibrations and a couple of spills. We keep ours in a small foam laptop "sleeve" and it always sits upright in one of our cases. So far no problems, very good machine and it doesn't weight too much.

keep the Toshiba
 

I would keep using the Toshiba, just bring wire plug for sometimes you wont find wireless internet.
Ride safe

ASUS EEE, 20G is what I'm using and loving. Make sure to get the 16 or 20G and not the 2 or 4G. They are the same physical size, but the actual display is significantly larger on the 16 and 20. I bought a 4g when it came out and found it unusable for anything more than just email/skype. 800x600 is just too small. The 20G is great!!!

I've done all my work on my website on this machine. I don't do anything special to protect the laptop. I just put it in the case that it came with and chuck it in my topbox. It has no moving parts so there really isn't much to break. I guess something can come unsoldered, but that is pretty unlikely.

There is a thread somewhere on here about a laptop perfect for the road that talks about the EEE and some of its competitors.

Oh, in the US, it is about $600.

Def bring a wire. I don't have one and keep meaning to buy one. But you'll be impressed with how much Wifi there is. Hell, I'm in Antigua, Guatemala and on Wifi from my guest house room.

The only problem with a laptop is that it is too easy to sit inside and nerd out for a few hours instead of going to a park and hanging out reading =] . I haven't read any of the books I brough!!

dg

dg

I had an Asus eee 700 with me for 6 months through CA and SA. Worked perfectly. The 900 would be even better. It is great that it doesnt have a harddrive but a solid state disk.

Asus Eee 4G
 

Hi, I've been using the Asus on my trip around Argentina (6k miles done so far) Before that I used it all around Europe.
You can get a EEE PC 4G in Buenos Aires for $1780 (that's Pesos).
Be aware that the guarantee is country specific.
I've also got a flybook and a PDA but the EEE gets the most use.
I edit my photos and video and write my bi-monthly news letters. The posting as PDF format, all with the supplied software.
Great WiFi connection, I'm using it now at the hostel in Iguazu.

Also bear in mind that The MSI Wind is coming out in the supply channel now. It should offer competition to Asus and be another 2lb 10" linux subnotebook perfect for traveling, at a lower price point.

And, Dell just had pics leaked about their new 9" subnote, reportedly shooting for a $299 pricepoint.

Competition is good, and I would take any of these (Asus EEE PC 901, 1000, MSII Wind or Dell 900) on a moto tour.

Thanks!!!
 

Thanks guys, all this info is extremely helpful...you guys RoCk!!!


Ride Safe,

Greg

I travelled with a 12" laptop bought second hand for 200 Euros. The problem I got was when unfortunatly my room got flooded by a hurricane. The HDD got wet too and i dried it with a hair dryer. But i didnt bring an external CD drive so it was impossible to reinstall the system. I got it fixed in Asuncion for about 100 dollars (new HDD and pirated system).

I heard nome netbooks allow to boot on a pendrive. That would be the best choice. Just copy the system on a second pendrive that you wont use if you need to plug your pendrive in cybershops to transfer pics. Some infected computers might just make the content unacessible.

MACBOOK rules, especially for video editing and picture handling!

I did 8 month Chile->US no probs. Only problem was my external mini drive from Lacie died including a lot of edited video ;-(