TPAYT

While traveling in Europe recently, I saw a variety of lap top computers being used. I would like to take a relatively small computer with us, What do you suggest in the way of brands, styles,....... what works for you to secure eamail and internet access while you travel? Any suggestions as to what works easily worldwide?

letsgo39

What are your expectations? Do you want to be able to upload your pictures or just send email and surf the web?

TPAYT

At this point,checking emails and surfing the web would be sufficent. If I wanted to upload pictures, would that change the requirements significantly?

travelgourmet

For little more than uploading pictures, email, and surfing, you should be able to get by with a netbook. These tend to be small, low-powered, and often cheap. You can find reviews of them at cnet:

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptop-revie...edRating7+desc

They seem to like the latest Asus, which should be readily available.

Sue4

I had the same question. I'll be in France for a couple of weeks soon, and like you, thought it would be nice to have my computer along. However, didn't want to take my laptop, as it's too heavy for me lugging through the airports, etc. So, after much research and vacillating back and forth I bought a "netbook", a Samsung.
It's about 10 inches, much lighter than a regular laptop. For e-mail, websurfing, etc. I think it'll be fine. The keyboard isn't bad, either. It has the little slot to upload pictures, although I probably won't do that. The memory is only 1GB, but can be upgraded easily to 2. Also, there is no CD drive in the netbooks, although I bought a portable drive I can connect to it, as I didn't want to be without that. So far, I'm having fun with it. My eyes aren't great, so I'm not crazy about the small screen, but it's OK. I'm sure it will be fine for a "traveling" computer, but definitely doesn't take the place of one's laptop or PC!

I think most netbooks cost between $300 and $400 or so. I probably spent close to $500, maybe more, between the computer, CD drive, and a little mouse to use. I can't function without a mouse! Not sure if if will be worth it, but we'll see!

Barb

I just bought the new Dell 10.2 with a separate DVD drive for movies and music. So far I love it and it will be perfect for travel as it is very small, but the keyboard is almost the same size as a regular laptop. It weighs under 3lbs. I'm taking it with me on my trip to England/Croatia - leaving Oct. 1st, so I will report back on how the computer worked out.

zeppole

If your are going to Italy, don't count on connectivity.

travelgourmet

I have to say that if you are planning on lugging along an external drive then I would just go for a regular laptop since you will lose much of the weight and bulk savings that are the appeal of the netbook. Certainly, an external drive is nice to help install software and back things up, but I don't see it as overly necessary when traveling.

Also, bear in mind that many airlines actually prohibit the use of external drives, as the cords are supposedly not shielded well enough to prevent interference. My guess is that this may not always be enforced, but the rule is there on some carriers.

griz_fan

I may not know a lot about travel yet, but I do know computers, and I strongly recommend netbook computers for travel. First, they are small and light, and will a little research, you can find one that also offers long battery life. Finally, they are quite cheap. For your needs, I wouldn't spend a dime over $300USD, and you may find a nice deal for under $250. Most come with a 9" or 10" screen, though some models go as large as 12" screens, you give up some portability for that size. No optical drive, but not needed anyway for a 2nd computer or travel computer. All come with at least 802.11G wireless networking, some new models offer 802.11N for slightly faster connectivity. Also, all come with a memory card slot for SD/SDHC cards or MemoryStick cards. With a wireless internet connection, you will have all you need to check email, update your social media pages, upload photos, etc...

If you are in the US, check Dell.com for their factory outlet section (other locations may have this as well). You can often find some outstanding bargains on like new refurbs and return system (with the same warranty as new, but at a big discount). Savings of over 20% compared to new are easy to find. Also, stock up on memory cards for your camera. Right now, prices are at rock-bottom, and the memory market is recovering, so prices for SD/SDCH memory cards, etc... are going back up. 8GB and 16GB cards are cheap, stock up now and keep duplicate copies of your photos/videos on the card and on the netbook, just in case.

griz_fan

Here's some more details that might be helpful. Regarding brands - The Dell Mini 9 is a good option, easy to find, cheap. Also, Asus, Acer and MSI are all big players in the netbook segment, Acer pioneered the segment with their EEE models. Take a look at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115554. A good option in its own right, but also illustrative of what to expect in a netbook. First, the price; $299 with free shipping. That is pretty much the standard pricepoint in the market today (at least the US market). 10" screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP, wireless networking, Multi-in-one card reader, built-in webcam/microphone, all very standard. This particular model also offers a 6-cell battery, which is a nice touch. 3-cell batteries are pretty common, cheap, but don't offer much battery life. 6-cell cost more, but better battery life. there are some 9-cell batteries available, but they weigh and cost a lot. Remember, the battery represents a large portion of the cost of a netbook, so if you can get a 6-cell battery, that is an advantage.

Andrew

We've had a few threads going about netbooks on the Lounge. Here's mine about my Acer:

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...-at-costco.cfm

I've been traveling with my Acer for about a week and using it now - Italy last week, just got to Slovenia today. This thing is great! I bought a 9 cell battery for it and it seems to have endless battery life. Thrilled that I bought it for a travel computer.

FYI, it's definitely been possible to find wifi everywhere I've been in Italy. Venice was the most challenging but lots of hotels still have it. At worst, you go to McDonalds - the one in Venice has free WiFi.

delvino

zeppole,

Please expand on your comment about no connectivity in Italy. We are planning on bringing our laptop for the first time on our trip and we are going to Italy. Thanks.

Andrew

Many hotels now offer wired or wireless internet in your room or at least in the lobby. Sometimes it's free; sometimes expensive. Just see if your hotel/apartment/hostel has internet before you book it; if not, figure out what your wireless options are. They almost always indicate they have internet if they do.

Perhaps it varies by the town in Italy. In Venice last week, my apartment had no wireless. I had a few choices: McDonalds (free wireless and not far of a walk) or a few hotels that offer wireless in the lobby with roaming with my T-Mobile Hot Spot account. (You can also chance finding an open wifi network somewhere.) Venice has a new "Venice Connected" wireless service in some areas now that tourists can use (for a fee), but I never bothered to figure it out. To be honest, I found it extremely confusing when I tried.

I had free Internet at my hotel in Parma but per-minute roaming at the hotel in Milan. In the past, I had free internet in Bologna, Florence, Levanto (Cinque Terre), and Rome.

crzn1

Great info, thanks

spaarne

I like my Asus EEE 1000. I brought it to Paris, Britain, and Ireland.

It's great for email and downloading pictures with the SD slot. The wifi doesn't always work in cafes and hotels. It runs Linux and Firefox which I consider more secure than XP and IE. It has a 40G solid state hard drive, more durable than a regular hard drive for travel. A CD isn't neccessary on the road. Use a flash drive for back up.

I suggest a 240 volt power strip so you can charge your camera, computer, etc. batteries overnight. Not many hotels have extra outlets.

spaarne

For wifi my computer picked up Boingo signals almost everywhere. It requires a subscription. I didn't have that.

pauljagman

Andrew, we will be taking our Acer Aspire with us on our next river cruise and I was wondering if you can advise about battery recharging. Any issues?

We intend to use it for email and internet use. Not so much for downloading pictures. I believe we won't have connectivity issues on board the ship but if anyone can comment I would appreciate it.

wasleys

I got an ASUS Eeepc 701 which weighs in at under 2lbs. It was specifically for backing up pictures off cameras plus a little email and web checking. I think it's grand. However the 7" screen whilst keeping price down would be limiting for more extensive surfing. The 9" screen (same weight and size) would do better for that sort of use but costs more.

Ackislander

We are taking our new HP Mini to England and France next week.

I read in another post something I should have thought of: my power brick has a 3 prong plug. British and European outlets have 2 prongs. The computer will automatically adapt to 240v, but the adapter you use will have allow the third prong on the plug to slip over the outside of the adapter. My favorite adapter, from FNAC in France, won't allow this, so I have a trip to Radio Shack in front of me to find one that will.

Any recommendations from those of you who have already coped with this?

flygirl

I bought an Acer laptop (not netbook) 2 years ago and it's been great. I spent 379 on it and upgraded the RAM and it's really fast now. It's about 5 pounds, which is a little heavy but not too bad for a full size laptop (not wide screen, but full size). It goes in the carryon and the plug goes in my checked bags. The plug must weigh a pound itself.