Need advice re buying a computer for our Japan trip
 

Some of the hotels we have booked have only wired/ LAN connections in the rooms and some have WIFI. I have an Apple I Pod which I assume I can use with the WIFI. If I want to use the hard wired connection in the room, I assume I need to bring a light weight computer, which I willI need to purchase. I want to use it only to connect with the internet to check train schedules and to access emails. Any recommendations for such a computer for under $300 would be appreciated. (I have an expensive lap top for home use, but I do not travel with it). As you can probably tell, I am not computer savy. Please help. We leave for Japan in 9 days.

We have a 10 inch Dell note pad that is light weight, and does exactly what you want. We did not get the extra memory or heavier battery.. I think it was only $300. You can probably do better if you shop around. Remember you don't need all the bells and whistles.....just basics .

I have a MacBook Air, which I love. Not under $300 though. You might consider an ipad mini.

I don't think you can connect either the iPad or the MacBook Air to a wired connection without additional hardware.

Marija, you are right, but it hadn't occurred to me. I think all the places we are staying have wireless, but now I need to check.

Marija-I am not computer savy, but I do know that I can't connect my ipod touch (and ipad) to a wired connection. I assume Karen's Dell will connect though. Am I correct? Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

I do have a mini laptop as I haven't yet gotten into tablets and smartphones...however, I believe all you need is a mini travel router which will make your hotel room into a wifi area. I think Apple has one called an Airport Express or similar - do a search...and you should find something that will do the trick...

I've used an HP Pavilion notebook in the past, and it worked fine. Office Depot is advertising a 14" one for $279.

Is Japan really that different in terms of WiFi availability than Europe or the US? No Starbucks or free WiFi spots?

Wow.... before you make any decision we, my daughter, faced the same problem for her university apartment and the solution is quite simple and easy - buy a mini wifi router!

You should be able to get this in the States at a much cheaper price: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Basically it just make all LAN, or wired connection, into wifi. If you don't want to buy a lap-top then just buy this very small device and problem solved.

I'd hate to buy a wire-able computer and carry it around Japan only to find that I needed it once.

Alternatives to wireless in your room: hotel computer, wifi in lobby or other location, internet cafe.

JR used to have paper schedules for the entire system. I assume they at least still have the paper schedule for the shinkansen (for Tokaido and maybe Sanyo shinkansen).

If you end up using a Japanese keyboard that is set to Japanese then there is a key combo that will change it to English. It might be <ALT><SHIFT>

There's got to be an adapter for that. Google for it. Maybe a USB to Ethernet cable is all you need. Link shows (I think) a connector with USB on one end and Ethernet on the other:

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/App...Feh0QgoduwkAog

Just to add to my post above - by using this very small router I was able to run 4 devices, via wifi, off the wired internet connection. Very impressive little machine!

mrwunrfl - as you know I am only a limo driver but the link you provided is for a USB connection which an iPod does not have.

hmmmmm

If those are your only two concerns I would print your schedules now off of the www.hyperdia.com. JR train schedules are locked in and wont change till early next year. Cost for printing your own is almost free.

For checking email many hotels have public computers in their lobby or business centers though I don't remember where you will be staying throughout your trip. Again usually a free service and certainly not $300.00.

Aloha!

I have used an Apple Airport Express. The linked blog explains the setup procedure, with good tips for use (extra cable).
It worked well for us with multiple devices online at the same time.
http://mchangsp.blogspot.com/2011/02...et-access.html

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I called the Apple store to inquire about some of your ideas. What I was told is:

1-Ipods and Ipads only run on WIFI and there is no cable that will allow wired connection.

2-The Apple Airport Express only extends existing WIFI. It does not convert wired to WIFI.

3-The mini router will not work in a hotel room because the hotel would have to give me their security code, and they most likely would not do this. Hanuman if this is incorrect would you please let me know.

So, unless the above information is incorrect, my 2 alternatives are: rely on hotel computers, as HT suggested, or buy the HP Pavilion notebook as Don suggested. Either way, I would print out the train schedules from my home computer.

At this point I am leaning toward going with just my ipod Touch because I really do not want to drag around a computer to use only once or twice.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions. I'm still technologically challenged, but I have learned quite a lot.

Thanks for asking the question, Shelley. It made me check on Wi-Fi availability at all of the places we are staying... fortunately, they do all have Wi-Fi.

I now have my tech consultant (Cheryl) looking at phone issues for Japan.

shelleyk,

That's <b>incorrect</b> because if you just connect the unit with a LAN cable, the hotel will provide this to connect your computer to the internet, then it will act as an "access point" or "AP" only and will transmit the internet signal over wifi to your iPod or iPad as well as computers etc. Here's the procedure in more detail:

1. Connect the unit, straight out of the packaging, with a LAN cable to the hotel's wall outlet (LAN to LAN or Ethernet cable to Ethernet cable). The hotel will provide the cable.
2. Connect the included power supply to the little router.
3. Use your iPod to search for a wifi signal and it will pickup the router's and choose the SSID or router's name. You can get the router's SSID or name from the back of the unit where it's printed.
4. Input the router's password or keyword when asked for by the iPod. Password will be printed on the back of the unit along with the SSID.
5. Once the iPod connect with the signal it will display the hotel's homepage and will usually ask for a password or keyword which are normally given out to the hotel's guess. This is not the same as the router's security code which will give you command over the hotel's router.
6. You're done and connected and you can connect more than 1 unit with this router and use your iPod, iPad + 2 more any wifi capable machines.
* Note that procedures 3 & 4 will only need to be done once and the next time your machine (iPod) will "remember" the router's name and password automatically. When you change hotel all you need to do is key in the new hotel's password only.

Another advantage is that a lot of hotels will only give you access to 1 or 2 unit with their internet connection be it wifi or LAN. With this router you can use up to 4 units without incurring extra charges. It is very small, light and inexpensive and highly recommended.

Hanuman-I understand most of what you wrote except:

1-in you first sentence is the "unit" the mini router, the ipod or a computer.

2-in the second line "connect your computer to the internet" (we are not traveling with a computer) do you mean connect your ipod to the internet.

Thanks so much for your patience and your help.

shelleyk,

1. Yes I was referring to the router (unit).

2. Yes again. When I wrote that I was referring to connecting ANY type of computer or iPod, iPad etc.

Sorry just woke up!

Thank you for the clarification.

The Apple Express does work by extending the hotels wired internet as wireless.
It works basically the same as the modem described by Hanuman previously.
I've used it in various Japanese hotel rooms with no problem.
If you are tech challenged you may want to set it up or have someone set it up before you go. There is now a IOS app, Airport Utility to help with setup.

One other thing to keep in mind is that you can save documents and webpages so they are accessible without WiFi.
The app Instapaper/IBooks can save documents/PDF files for offline viewing.
The JNTO Guides are particularly useful.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/index.html

Also you can take a screen shot of maps or information that will be saved to your photo roll. After my last trip I deleted various photos of expanded station maps, hyperdia schedule screens,google map directions diagrams, and menus saved to photos by the screen shot option.

"To take a screenshot on an iOS device (iPod touch, iPad and iPhone), simply press then release
the home button and the power/sleep button at the same time. These buttons do not need to be held down for long, just a simple press and release. The screen should flash white and there should be a camera shutter sound (if the volume is on) to indicate a successful screenshot. Open the Photos app and tap Camera Roll to view the screenshot."

Have fun !

Very true kalihiwai2 but....

TP link router, in my example = $21.99

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WR7...+N+Nano+Router

Apple Airport Express = $89.99

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-AirPort-...irport+express

The TP Link is way smaller and lighter + cheaper :)

Shelly...You are right. Take what you have, print the schedules at home that you might need, use the hotels computer if you are stuck or find an Starbucks or the like if needed. have a great trip

kalihiwai2-Thanks for the link for Instapaper/Books. While researching that link my DH found a similar app called Pocket which is free and which he is now learning about. It's nice Fodorites can broaden our horizons not only for travel, but also for technology.

Hanuman-We've ordered the mini router. At $23 it certainly is a bargain. Thanks again for your help.

Karen-Hope you and Bob have a wonderful trip.

Great and useful thread--my thanks to all.
Re apple support, in general I think it is great, but they do not always know everything as proven by this thread.

ShelleyK,
I'd would second the advice above, use the hotel computer, they often have one in a business center or behind the desk which you can use.
I have travelled with an ipod touch and found it very useful, particularly if you download maps (many are free) before you go. We've found this invaluable all around the world and far cheaper than using data on a phone. I'm sure there are some great apps for travel in Japan.

Have fun!

I forgot to add, thanks for the details on the travel router, it's something that could be very useful. Though I hate to think of how mach stuff I'm carrying to feed my technology fix!

shelleyk I think you've made the right decision with the mini router. Have a good trip!

I don't think I've ever been in a Japanese hotel in the last few years that didn't have a public computer in the lobby. Only once did we have to pay for access in a "business center" at a hotel.

I was in tokyo for a week in oct and I used my ipad mini and wifi in the hotel.
I printed out a lot of info ahead of time, like metro system, which can be overwhelming at first.i would not waste money on a computer. There is wifi in most hotels and in McDonald which is all over

What you’re looking for is called a “netbook.” I travel with a Samsung N120: Windows XP, 10 inch screen, 160 GB hard drive, 2.8 pounds, both wireless and cable connectivity, large keyboard for it diminutive size, screen stands by itself, packs well in a carry-on, in effect a small laptop without the cd drive (to save weight and complexity). I couldn’t find this exact one on Amazon but ASUS sells their more powerful version there for under $300.00.

Don’t trust your trip to an IPOD Touch alone. Its hardware and operating system are not up to the demands of the websites you may need to access in your travels—knowledge acquired first hand in mine. You want multi-generation hardware reliability and as universal an OS and browser as possible (Windows/Firefox—particularly if the sites you’ll be viewing are English versions of Japanese originals).

As for the lobby, wouldn’t you really rather do your next day’s travel research in the comfort and privacy of your own room, not standing at a common workstation or paying by the minute in the business center? You should also keep in mind that the touch-screen/smart phone/i-pad fad we’re currently suffering through has led to a huge increase in the street theft of these expensive gadgets. (I recently emerged from a subway exit in London just in time to witness--not ten feet in front of me—a man having his smart phone ripped from his hands by a swiftly passing bicyclist. The thief sped away, the victim stood for a moment in stunned silence and than ran, yelling, after him. I can’t imagine studying an i-pad screen on a city street—any city.

Probably too late but what I'd suggest, if you have devices which you are happy browsing the web with, is to rent a mobile wifi device. We rented one for our 19 night trip (and for last year's 17 night trip) from rentafone Japan, was cheap, very very easy and worked a treat. Advantage was we could also access it in cafes/ restaurants when out and about, to bring up maps or venue information, if we changed our plans, or got lost.

We are a week into our trip and are making do with the ipod and a router ( Thank you Hanuman) to convert hotel hard wiring into wifi in our room. Seems to be working fine for us so far, but I can see how the mobile wifi would be nice to have.　

Glad that everything work shelleyk and enjoy your trip!

Shelley, glad your trip is going well. And that the router option is working well. :-)