Traveler2

Dax I would love to know what brand of laptop you have and how much it weighs? In searching I have found that the lighter ones (under 5.4 lbs) are more expensive.

Piedmont, Thanks for your info. I am sure that everyones comments help not only me but a great many others!

Fishee, I hope someone can advise us regarding your concern.

Thank you all. Great advice and comments!

Robespierre

I paid $400 for my Compaq Presario V2000.

mark99

I always travel with mine...but it is very very small and fits in the hotel safe....and is ALWAYS backed up AND encrypted so if it were to go missing, the only person who would be worried is my insurance agent!

As for travelling in Europe...contrary to what the gentleman above (flaneruk) noted...there is A VERY big difference in using it there rather than in the good ole USA.

For instance, if you were going to France...we'll it tends to run slow, and you can never trust the data.

In Spain, you can use it, but dont be surprised if it resets to an earlier data point and still doesn't work...so there are some travel issues!

Joliefleur

Have you ever thought about buying a PDA and taking that instead of your laptop? I have an HP IPAQ that I travel with. I can take advantage of the WiFi in the hotels. I also use it for ebooks and to view my digital photos on a screen that's a little bigger than my camera's display. I can surf the internet and send email. And it's only about the size of my hand and weighs less than a pound. Nirvana!

gard

Hi

I brought a laptop with me to Paris when I went there last year. If you are moving around a lot I would probably leave it at home as it gets heavy dragging it around. But if you are only staying at one place you can keep the laptop at the hotel. It is nice to get access to the net when you are on a trip

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Traveler2

Mark, what is your laptop? (Brand, etc.) What is the weight?

I have been checking the stores for a PDA and a pocket PC but the feedback I am getting is confusing and they are telling me that they do not do the same things as a computer. (I have no idea if a PDA and a pocket PC are the same).

Robespierre

Look at the Compaq line. They have many units under $400 that weigh less than 6 lbs.

A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) may or may not be a Pocket PC. Many of them are Palm or Blackberry brands. iPAQ, Axim, and some others are the genuine article.

PPCs do most of what laptops do (Word, Excel, etc.), but applications are often hampered by the small screen.

fishee

Also, the handheld devices are a pain to type with so if you have anything to write that's longer than an email, they're not the best option. If you only need to look things up, I think they're great. Love the GPS options they have and that you can take them with you all the time.

But a blackberry aint a PocketPC -- there's a huge difference. Make sure you don't buy a glorified phone -- these don't allow you to actually download programs.

Robespierre

There are many portable (fold-up) keyboards for Pocket PCs - not at all useful on the go, but good for logging a day's adventures back at the the hotel.

elba

What do you think about the new iPhone coming out in June? Will it be a pocket PC, phone, etc. all wrapped up in one?

I'm thinking of holding out until then. Especially since I am a MAC user.

Robespierre

I would be surprised if it's a PPC. Steve Jobs doesn't give away value that freely. And that would be the biggest giveaway since the IBM PC, where 1/3 of it went to Intel and 1/3 to Microsoft.

jasmine3

here are all the iphone features:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

i can't wait till it comes out

Robespierre

Will it show me on a map where I am? Or compute bus and subway routings? Or convert currencies?

It runs OS X - which means that only applications written for it will function. None for me, thanks.

WLynn

WE bring ours to down load and label all the pictures - sometimes over a thousand when on a interesting, long trip. Often on teh way back form Europe we use the flight back to do the labeling while it is all fresh in our minds. Rarely live the country without it!

GreenDragon

I took over 3000 pics on my two week trips to England and to Ireland the last two summers. Instead of lugging a laptop, I bought a 30G portable hard drive storage device that you can plug the memory card into and store the photos. No huhu. The storage device is as big as a PDA, and much easier to deal with than a laptop.

Robespierre

If all you want to do is store pictures, I guess that's a good solution. But the OP wouldn't be without a laptop in the US - so the question is: why should Europe be different?

mark99

Reply to "Traveler"

I learned a long time ago from being a super road warrior to think small when it comes to laptops. I have been purchasing for years the Toshiba Portege since they were introduced. I think it is about 3 pounds, and can fit in a purse. I am a CIO so I have EVERYTHING on this unit...it is my life.

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/..._ultraportable

On vacation it is also handy for pictures....I transfer from my digital camera onto the laptop, to backup the digital pics in case either the cam or laptop get destroyed or stolen.

I also have both the HP IPAQ and the Palm Treo 650. The IPAQ i'm afraid has WAY too many bugs in it for the average consumer, and frankly I would never recommend it to anyone, the voice quality is poor, and the unit is know for having plenty of "ghosts" in the processor.

The Palm on the other hand is simple to use and very dependable. I will be upgrading soon to the latest Cingular Treo that is windows based, which will make it easier to use windows apps.

I have used the HP IPAQ to store/transfer data and files, but for the most part it is no substitute for a laptop. Besides the slow network at T-Mobile, it seems like an incredible waste to spend 25+ a month on internet access just to be able to get e-mail and browse.

If you simply need access to e-mail when you are away, and some basic browsing, then a good PDA will do, otherwise get a tiny laptop like the Toshiba which makes it easy to travel with, and it is kind of nice to watch DVDs on it while on the flight.

Hope this helps.

Mab85

Tom, how do you get those amazing night shots and the stained glass window shots? I have the same camera and was wondering what your settings were.

christycruz

Hey - I'm the one that suggested a surge protector, which was shot down by another poster. After looking into it more, I'm more convinced than ever that a surge protector is a good idea.

There are surge protector/adapter combos out there.

I would at least recommend that you get an opinion off list, rather than risk your laptop to the surges I've seen in Europe.

Robespierre

I don't know where you "looked into it more," but you are in error.

Think about it: you can plug your power supply into a wide range of line voltages, and it outputs 15 or 19 volts or whatever your laptop needs, regardless of the input voltage.

A surge is an instantaneous increase in voltage. The power supply continues to output the laptop's voltage.

Does that make sense?