# Small pc for touring



## rich p (14 Nov 2008)

My dear lady wife has professed an interest in a portable smal computer for when she travels and it occurred to me that it may prove useful for us on our cycle tours too. Any advice as to what a numpty should be looking at?


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## Tynan (14 Nov 2008)

those new 10 inch ones look excellent for that sort of thing and change from £300 I think

erm, advent something and the 'air' one from someone else, small and light and full windows


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## gratts (14 Nov 2008)

Something like this.
3 year warranty and sub 300, can't go far wrong


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## Brains (14 Nov 2008)

Asus EEE PC - from little over £300

From a cycling point of view they are good because:
They have no moving parts (no hard drive to knock out of sync in a pannier)
They are cheap - so when it does break - who cares.
They have a plastic cover that is pannier proof
They are seriously small yet still have a decent size keyboard

The only downside is I would always ensure you back up everything onto some sort of external memory from time to time


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## andym (14 Nov 2008)

The Asus EEEpc (or whatever it's called) created a whole new market segment that a lot of other people are trying to muscle in on. The Acer AspireOne has had very good reviews and starts from £179 while there are other similar machines from HP, Dell and others. This is likely to continue to be a fiercely competitive and changing market, which hopefully means that the quality/spec of the machines will continue to improve but prices stay where they are. 

The basic guts are the same (Intel Atom processor). Issues to think about are:

- Linux or Windows? The Linux machines will do all of the basic stuff you need (word processing/web browsing etc), even photoediting. The only thing you might want to look into is drivers for 3G/HSDPA USB modems (for mobile broadband). I think up until recently these have only been available for Windows - but that is changing and they may now be available;
- on the subject of mobile broadband - the manufacturers are saying they will be building these in as from earlyish next year - worth bearing in mind;
- I'm not sure about this but I think Windows needs a larger capacity hard disk so may only be available on machines with a conventional hard disc (ie not flash drive);
- keyboard. Some manufacturers seem to have been more successful than others in squeezing a keyboard into the available space - worth bearing in mind if the machine is to be used intensively;
- screen size. The machines with the larger 10" screens generally seem to weigh in at about 1.3kg as opposed to 1kg for the smaller screens but I think there are a couple of machines out there where they have managed to squeeze a larger keyboard into a smaller case.


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## jay clock (14 Nov 2008)

AndyM made lots of good points. 

I am the owner of 2 Asus EEEs and an Acer Aspire One. Both are the Linux version. Unless you REALLY have a need to have Windows I think the Linux versions are amazing.

The first Asus EEE has a broken screen as I stepped on it by the bed!! The second is my girlfriend's and is used as an extra pc for casual browsing. I took one on tour in Portugal in March and it was fantastic. I tmeant I could sort my photos out, rename then etc all on the PC, and also email updates to my crazyguyonabike site. The Acer also has a multi card slot so you can plug your camera card in the side. I also managed to get Skype onto it for free calls home (it is preloaded on the Asus)

Whilst I was madly recommending the Asus to all and sundry I then got the Acer to replace mine. The Acer looks massively classier, has a bigger keyboard (the Asus is fine even so) and the screen is much bigger. The only downside is a heavier power pack and a heavier pc. Totals are something like 930g vs 1350g (both inc power supply)

Battery life is not great - maybe 1.5 to 2 hrs, but the clever thing with Linux is that it goes from off to 100% on in about 20 secs - none of this Windows rubbish waiting for hours. Even with small RAM etc compared with Windows laptops they both seem very fast. They get Open Office preloaded.

Don't worry about hard drives being small - you can add an SD card plus as many USB sticks as you want.

Either is great, but I am happy to have the Acer in preference to the Asus. Much heavier than that would be a problem for touring. The Asus came with a plain snug neoprene sleeve which I can in fact squeeze the Acer into as well.

If anyone wants to buy the broken Asus (works fine plugged in to an external screen!) let me know


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## rich p (14 Nov 2008)

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have just read some reviews of the Acer and Asus and there seem up and downsides to both. It's good to have a personal comparison JC. How to decide though!!!


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## MarkF (14 Nov 2008)

I have the Asus EEE, 7" surf (with webcam) it is perfect, you have to think hard about what you are going to use it for before you feel compelled to pay more for features you will never use. I nearly bought the 9" screen then I nearly bought XP loaded but in the end, the original was best for me....and cheapest.

If you are doing a lot of browsing then the 7" screen will probably drive you nuts but I use mine 75% emailing/25% browsing and I love it.

It fell off my scooter in Spain and suffered major sand foul up on the beach and it is still OAK, the build quality is good. I could sit with my feet in the sea picking up wi-fi from a promenade bar, maybe 50m away, ace


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## andym (14 Nov 2008)

rich p said:


> How to decide though!!!



Find somewhere where you can see them in the flesh?


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## ufkacbln (14 Nov 2008)

I bought into this early and have a "Cloudbook" derivative the Packard Bell EasynoteXS

It has done many miles as a touring PC and even does shopping!

There is something satisfying about browsing the net on free WiFI wilst the other half shops!

I would happily buy one of the many small PCs outh there now - Dell, Acer and manu others - look for offers and specs...


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## xilios (14 Nov 2008)

We've bought the Asus EEE 901 with xp installed. We havn't use it on tour yet but did take it to Greece a couple months ago and it was great. 
I'm still playing with it to remove a lot of unnecessary preinstalled ms programs, and replace them with lightweight open source programs, I've been getting a lot of help from these guys http://forum.eeeuser.com/index.php. Also installed http://www.truecrypt.org/ which I think is a must to keep confidential files with passport, bank and personal information (like adresses) on.
The only problem I have is finding an air/water tight box to keep it in. The last few tours we were on it was raining for several days streight.


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## Crackle (14 Nov 2008)

Like the look of the Dell. Nice review here


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## rich p (14 Nov 2008)

Now I like the look of the Dell too! At least it's solved what to buy her for christmas


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## upandover (15 Nov 2008)

I have the EEE 901, and the battery life is excellent, even without sticking it on low power it will last 4-5 hours.

Keyboard is good - I'm using it now, and the interface does exactly what it says on the tin. Plus - linux so much faster than my same (ish) spec PC.

Cheers
Steve


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## upandover (15 Nov 2008)

ps - when i bought mine, the EEE was the only one with a solid-state disk (memory stick style) which means a rough journey doesn't damage it in the way it can a regular disk. 

For taking touring, this sort of disc could be vital. Some of the mobile broadband sticks work on the Xandros linux the EEE runs.

Steve


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## PrettyboyTim (15 Nov 2008)

I have an Advent 4211 (A rebadged MSI Wind), and I like it very much - it's one of the 10" netbooks, and runs Windows XP. It's £279 from PC World but if you're touring you'd probably want to get a better battery as the ones that comes with it will barely last you two hours.

I've heard very good things about the Samsung NC10 though (£299), which is very similar but comes with an excellent battery life as standard (over six hours).

If touring, I'd guess it's worth getting one with Bluetooth (both the Advent and the Samsung have it) so that you can connect to the internet through your phone if you find yourself somewhere without WiFi.


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## yello (15 Nov 2008)

Is it my imagination or has this term 'netbook' been invented to describe something that already existed?

I have an Eee too. I replaced the Xandros unix os with Ubuntu and I find it a darned useful little laptop but not a laptop replacement.


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## MarkF (15 Nov 2008)

xilios said:


> The only problem I have is finding an air/water tight box to keep it in. The last few tours we were on it was raining for several days streight.



Mine goes in a kiddies snap together pvc sandwhich box Just tall enough to take the plug then and some socks/undies wrapped round my EEE.


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## Danny (15 Nov 2008)

jay clock said:


> The first Asus EEE has a broken screen as I stepped on it by the bed!!


Not entirely robust then


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## ufkacbln (15 Nov 2008)

MarkF said:


> Mine goes in a kiddies snap together pvc sandwhich box Just tall enough to take the plug then and some socks/undies wrapped round my EEE.



I use a "PeliCase"







There is enough room to store the power unit and my other electrics underneath the computer , with more than enough padding to protect the unit from any mishap.

PeliCases are bombproof!


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## xilios (16 Nov 2008)

MarkF said:
 

> Mine goes in a kiddies snap together pvc sandwhich box Just tall enough to take the plug then and some socks/undies wrapped round my EEE.



After some searching (at http://forum.eeeuser.com/index.php) I've found this http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail_print.php?Case=1080. It's water tight and can handle quite a lot of rough handling. He cut out the soft foam padding himself.
In the picture below, this guy even put a silicon gel satchel to absurb any moisture that gets in. Even has room for our AA battery charger and phone chargers.

"Edit" Just checked it wont fit in our front panniers.


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## jay clock (16 Nov 2008)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jay clock*
> 
> 
> ...


As robust as any other laptop.... I left it open on the floor. The screen was lying with its back on the floor. I got out of bed and 14 stone of me transferred its weight straight through my heel into the centre of the screen..... Bad times!


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## Sittingduck (16 Nov 2008)

I am just setting up my new toy right here 

Advent 4212 8.9" 1GB XP Home 80GB - picked it up this afternoon from PCWorld for a penny less than 250 notes. Very happy so far - its pretty cool looking and I wanted something XP based.


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## hackbike 6 (17 Nov 2008)

I've got a Samsung Q40 Pretty in Pink.

Although I have had this for almost two years now.What is it with Samsung and Pink?

I knackered on of my cameras out here trying to tape it to the handlebars so I bought a Samsung S860 Camera,(Second Choice,First choice was sold out)...it's also in pink. If this goes on people will talk.

Anyway my Q40 has no internal cd rom (the external is at home) just like the above and has been great.Also had a great little protective case purchased off of ebay.12.1 inch laptop and display but it's light.Probably something smaller is needed on a bike tour although I can fit it in my rucksack with no probs.


I like the look of the Advent 4212 im going to pop round PC World when I get back at 250 notes that's a snip,my Q40 machine was 4x that when I bought it nearly two years ago...something like that.Looks very compact to me.


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## Sittingduck (17 Nov 2008)

Yes, I can report that the battery life seems good Hackbike - does around 3.5 hours. There's also a neat little webcam built-in!


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## MarkF (17 Nov 2008)

The Advent has a good spec for the price but I very much doubt it would have survived the fall from my scooter (40mph+). I would not want the worry of a hard drive, no moving parts and flash drives "sold" the Asus to me.


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## hackbike 6 (17 Nov 2008)

I doubt if many would have survived that fall unless they were bomb proof.


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## PrettyboyTim (17 Nov 2008)

MarkF said:


> The Advent has a good spec for the price but I very much doubt it would have survived the fall from my scooter (40mph+). I would not want the worry of a hard drive, no moving parts and flash drives "sold" the Asus to me.



The main danger to hard drives is that they are dropped while they are in operation; the read/write heads are suspended very close to spinning disk surface so that if they get jogged there is a danger that they will hit it, scraping off the magnetic covering that stores the data. However, when the disk is turned off, it parks the read heads away from the disk surface so that a jog will not harm it. Recent Apple laptops have a accelerometer that can detect if the laptop has just been dropped, and will instruct the hard drive to do an emergency park so that the read/write head is parked before it hist the floor.

Obviously a very heavy impact may damage a hard drive when it is off, but it'll be the kind of impact that's likely to damage most other parts of the laptop too. I don't think having a solid state drive will increase the durability of the laptop a great deal; the main thing it would protect against would be a small drop off the side of a table while the computer was operational.


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## MarkF (17 Nov 2008)

Interesting post PBTim, however I'd still rather not have an HD.


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## MarkF (17 Nov 2008)

hackbike 6 said:


> I doubt if many would have survived that fall unless they were bomb proof.



The EEE did, my bag fell off the rack and the EEE was sent tumbling down the tarmac, it then got ejected from my sandwhich box and came to rest in the gutter. It was badly scratched but works fine, I was amazed. Things like that encourage brand loyalty


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## ASC1951 (17 Nov 2008)

I really really want a small solid laptop to take on holiday and the EEE would certainly be my choice. 

The trouble is, I can't think of anything I would actually do with it if I bought one. I don't take photographs because I found I never look at them afterwards. I don't want to load it with books because paper is easier to read. I don't want to fire off emails because I can tell people when I get back. I don't want to read the news or access t'Interweb because that's why I'm on holiday.

Perhaps I should just buy one and not unpack it.


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## Carwash (17 Nov 2008)

ASC1951 said:


> I really really want a small solid laptop to take on holiday and the EEE would certainly be my choice.
> 
> The trouble is, I can't think of anything I would actually do with it if I bought one. I don't take photographs because I found I never look at them afterwards. I don't want to load it with books because paper is easier to read. I don't want to fire off emails because I can tell people when I get back. I don't want to read the news or access t'Interweb because that's why I'm on holiday.
> 
> Perhaps I should just buy one and not unpack it.



Perhaps you could write up a diary or log of your journey? Or reflect upon the inspiring scenery you have passed during the day, and craft a moving poem or witty novel? If you program, you could use the time to work on your pet project.

Of course, if you're just looking for excuses to buy one, anything will do, won't it?


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## johnnyh (18 Nov 2008)

my eee fits neatly into the bottom of my Topeak trunk bag, an excellent tool that saves me carrying round my main laptop on day to day work calls.


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## ASC1951 (18 Nov 2008)

I will admit to recording daily mileage and route - on paper - which I dump into a spreadsheet when I get back. I was convinced for years that there was a great work of literature inside me, but when I had a thorough look - there wasn't.

Hmm. Working on a pet project on holiday? Must be a Programmer thing. 

It's tempting to get new gadgets because you think you're a Luddite if you don't. A couple of years ago I bought a mobile phone, but I find I never use it. I have a landline at work and another at home and in between I don't need to ring anyone or be rung. Nokia might just as well have sold me a small block of wood and I suspect the same would be true of an EEE. 

[Note to self. Business Opportunity. Small range of understated but offensively expensive versions of E-Gadgets for people who just need to look up to date.]

[Further note to self. Has Apple already seized Opportunity?]

No, you're right, Carwash. I'm off to Dabs Direct.


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## Scoosh (19 Nov 2008)

ASC1951 said:


> I really really want a small solid laptop to take on holiday and the EEE would certainly be my choice.
> 
> The trouble is, I can't think of anything I would actually do with it if I bought one. I don't take photographs because I found I never look at them afterwards. I don't want to load it with books because paper is easier to read. I don't want to fire off emails because I can tell people when I get back. I don't want to read the news or access t'Interweb because that's why I'm on holiday.
> 
> Perhaps I should just buy one and not unpack it.


+1   


> I have a landline at work and another at home and in between I don't need to ring anyone or be rung.


+1 more vote for common sense


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## andym (19 Nov 2008)

ASC1951 said:


> I will admit to recording daily mileage and route - on paper - which I dump into a spreadsheet when I get back. I was convinced for years that there was a great work of literature inside me, but when I had a thorough look - there wasn't.
> 
> Hmm. Working on a pet project on holiday? Must be a Programmer thing.
> 
> It's tempting to get new gadgets because you think you're a Luddite if you don't. A couple of years ago I bought a mobile phone, but I find I never use it. I have a landline at work and another at home and in between I don't need to ring anyone or be rung. Nokia might just as well have sold me a small block of wood and I suspect the same would be true of an EEE.



No doubt you still refer to the radio as a 'wireless'.


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## Carwash (20 Nov 2008)

andym said:


> No doubt you still refer to the radio as a 'wireless'.



In certain contexts, of course. 802.11* ethernet over radio, for example.


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## hackbike 6 (20 Nov 2008)

Dunno may leave it for now as my Samsung Q40 does a good enough job.

It's in pink so don't think any worse of me.


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## ASC1951 (28 Nov 2008)

andym said:


> No doubt you still refer to the radio as a 'wireless'.


Not quite, although I will admit to getting a digital Roberts for its retro look. 

There are many people who couldn't do their jobs or operate their social life without mobile phones and laptops. I can. My issue is with people buying gadgets for their own sake, not because they can then do something quicker/cheaper/better. For instance, email is a terrific facility but I have colleagues who will toil away for ten minutes of hunt-and-peck typing to send me an email from the room next door, when they could have told me the same thing in person in thirty seconds - that's not being ahead of the technology curve, it's just inefficient.

Anyway, back on the Asus EEE or equivalent. What would be the most reliable and cost effective way to have broadband access for, say, half a dozen weeks a year? Usually abroad, sometimes with poor reception, but always with mains power; and only for Internet access, not for voice traffic. Can you get the equivalent of phone card?


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## Dayvo (29 Nov 2008)

Being a complete computer nincompoop (sp), what/how is the best way to have internet connection whilst on the move?

I travel quite a lot abroad (lesiure time, not with work) and would like to have a small compact notebook (something like the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 or 12) to take with me on travels, holidays and cycling touring. 
These 'dongle' things, how do they work, and do they only function in the country of residence on one network?


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## andym (29 Nov 2008)

ASC1951 said:


> Anyway, back on the Asus EEE or equivalent. What would be the most reliable and cost effective way to have broadband access for, say, half a dozen weeks a year? Usually abroad, sometimes with poor reception, but always with mains power; and only for Internet access, not for voice traffic. Can you get the equivalent of phone card?



You can, but unfortunately it is hideously expensive as international data roaming is the one area where mobile operators are able to get away with charging what they want. The European Commission (hurrah!) is on their case having already forced them to reduce the cost of calls and texts, so eventually they will probably get forced to reduce the cost of intrnational data, but it is going to take some time.

At the moment the best bet is someone like these guys:

http://www.united-mobile.com/

who charge (sharp intake of breath) a €/Mb. 

If you are going to be somewhere for a period of time it may be possible to get a PAYG card from a mobile operator in another country - but when I looked at France, for example, it seemed to be a lot less competitive than the UK and all I could see were monthly contract offers.

The best bet for some time to come is probably going to be to use internet cafés or hotels and cafés with free wifi. You might even have to steel yourself to go into a McDonalds (one of these new-fangled places selling something called a 'beefburger').


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## hackbike 666 (29 Nov 2008)

I'd look to getting something with a six inch screen in the future with a decent bit of kick about it.

I bought a psp portable in Doha and it's really impressive with the way you can surf the net on it.


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## yello (29 Nov 2008)

andym said:


> when I looked at France, for example, it seemed to be a lot less competitive than the UK and all I could see were monthly contract offers



You can get PAYG in France but I'm pretty sure it doesn't include data. Last time I looked, I think Orange gave probably the most practical solution, a 3G key where you prepaid for set period of time (evening, weekend, etc). For occassional use, I didn't think it a starter. Besides, 3G coverage is pretty poor outside of urban areas, i.e. most of France!

On the plus side (if it is a plus) McDonald's do free wifi.


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## hackbike 666 (29 Nov 2008)

* On the plus side (if it is a plus) McDonald's do free wifi.*

Does that include England?


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## yello (29 Nov 2008)

hackbike 666 said:


> * On the plus side (if it is a plus) McDonald's do free wifi.*
> 
> Does that include England?



I couldn't honestly say but I would doubt it.


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## andym (29 Nov 2008)

yello said:


> You can get PAYG in France but I'm pretty sure it doesn't include data. Last time I looked, I think Orange gave probably the most practical solution, a 3G key where you prepaid for set period of time (evening, weekend, etc). For occassional use, I didn't think it a starter. Besides, 3G coverage is pretty poor outside of urban areas, i.e. most of France!
> 
> On the plus side (if it is a plus) McDonald's do free wifi.



Hi yes I was referring to 3G. Actually looking again at the orange.fr website they do seem to have bought out a new product since I looked a couple of months ago: Internet Everywhere offers an hour of 3G or WiFi for 8€ (follow the link for other prices and time periods), valid for 15 days (which I'm assuming could be 3 sessions of 20 minutes each). The USB stick is 29€ - so unless you can buy the SIM on its own, it's a pretty pricey solution just for picking up emails and a bit of casual browsing.


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## andym (29 Nov 2008)

yello said:


> I couldn't honestly say but I would doubt it.



Why?

In fact they do:

http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/restaurants/whats-on/whats-on-wifi.shtml


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## ASC1951 (29 Nov 2008)

andym said:


> it's a pretty pricey solution just for picking up emails and a bit of casual browsing.


Yes, it is, isn't it. I can remember beefburgers when they contained meat, so perching on designed-to-be-uncomfortable chair in Le Macdo wouldn't be my choice. Looks like back to the rucksack of pigeons and the lightweight paper.


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## jay clock (29 Nov 2008)

YES http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/restaurants/whats-on/whats-on-wifi.shtml?dnPos=-605

loads of them.


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## yello (29 Nov 2008)

andym said:


> In fact they do



Well there you go. You live and learn. I guess I just figured that as the cafenista places charged then so would everywhere else.


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## BentMikey (1 Dec 2008)

Big fan of the Advent 4211 (Well, MSI Wind really) myself, like PBT.


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## jay clock (12 Dec 2008)

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222833 The Asus EEE Linux version now for under £150...


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## rich p (12 Dec 2008)

Is that the same Asus that people were mentioning on page 1 or is it a lesser spec? It looks good value.


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## rich p (13 Dec 2008)

The asus one at Maplins has been removed and replaced with another for £139


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## Cathryn (13 Dec 2008)

The husband has bought me a small pc for christmas. Bated breath to see what it is. I'm very excited.


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## Enogeze (1 Jan 2009)

*I'm thinking of a Dell Mini 9 with XP - here's why*

I'm quite keen on a CD-less solid state hard drive notebook PC.

I'm not an anti-Linux fiend (in the past I've used Linux on a Mac) but had bad experiences of the Xandros version of Linux which is used in Asus eee pcs. I installed Xandros on an Acer laptop of mine which worked. But anything extra seemed to not work - in particular while there was some cool Linux GPS software (can't remember the name now) I couldn't get it to work with Xandros. Nor could I get the Linux version of Picasa to work. 

I'd hope to use my PC on a bicycle to -
- transfer photos from digital camera to PC
- label and edit photos
- transfer tracks from GPS unit to PC
- geotag photos with GPS info (this basically means inserting GPS coordinate information into the EXIF data in your digital photos)
- when in wifi area, upload geotagged photos to Flickr where they are automatically placed on a map
- keep a diary
- read and write emails/blog posts while offline
- when in wifi area send/receive emails 
- transfer video from camcorder to PC
- edit video on PC

I can hear you crying out that a lot of this can't be done on the Dell mini 9.
- default 16GB solid state hard drive is too small to store large numbers of photos - true. But upgrade SSD to 64GB see video on how to do it.
- but that's still not enough hard drive space - I was thinking of either this 32GB or this 64GB usb flash drive on which to store photos. In fact I was thinking of getting 2 of these just in case one got destroyed or corrupted you'd still have the other. The other option would be to get a "drop proof" external USB hard drive like this 500GB option from La Cie. Google for reviews - there's one claiming to have dropped it off a table 3 times with no ill effect. But I think I still prefer the flash drives.
- video might not be possible. Sony Vegas Pro editing suite needs 1GHz processor - so maybe the atom 1.6GHz CPU would be able to do basic editing. However the large amounts of disk space required might necessitate the external hard drive option.

That's my 2 cents anyway


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## HJ (1 Jan 2009)

Cathryn said:


> The husband has bought me a small pc for christmas. Bated breath to see what it is. I'm very excited.



Come on Cathryn Christmas is over, you can tell us what it is now...


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## clownfishrob (9 Jan 2009)

Iphone might be more use to most users unless you're writing pages of type or transferring video etc .

The new version has google earth available, GPS and geotagging of it's photos (the camera isn't great but acceptable)

It will also automatically connect up when it does find a signal it can use and collect your email etc. It can use free wireless, 3G and good old 2G

Oh and it comes with 8Gb or 16 Gb of storage which you can read word doc, pdfs, jpegs etc .

The mains charger is small and compact and you can charge from either a USB port or a mains connection. I believe you can even use a juice bar to charge it. It is meant to last up to 6 Hrs of use compared to 3 hrs for most small computers. 6 days on standby or 24 hrs use if you turn 3G off.

There are loads of programs available for free or less than £10 .

While it won't suit every use it will suit most people. 

I use mine at work where there is no available wifi connection and I can view 95% of most websites including this one. I have an application for writing blogs and another for twitter updates. You can even use it as an emergency torch.


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## Gotte (10 Jan 2009)

There was a small laptop (I forget what the little word processor/internet browsers are called - ebooks?) for about £125 at Maplins before Christmas.


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