Yup - Asus makes a good product, as well. Have use 'em in the past.Originally Posted by lilredroadster
Yup - Asus makes a good product, as well. Have use 'em in the past.
Greg Feeler
BMW MOA President, Ambassador, & cat herder
1972 R75/5, 1990 K75, 1990 K1, 1992 K75S, 2003 K1200RS
I know little about laptops, but an acquaintance showed me his new Ipad the other day, and it would be an ideal size for carrying on a bike. I asked him about interface with PC, and he said that that was not a factor.
Rinty
"When you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."
Not a factor? Meaning what? That's it's not important to him? You can't do it? It's no problem?. Not trying to be a smart mouth, but I would suggest that picking a computer to travel with is a similar to picking your bike - figure out how you intend to use it and set realistic expectations.
If you live in a Windows world, then Apple products might not be a good fit, but if you don't have that limitation then check 'em out. They are very slick. If you are going to do web browsing, then a touch-interface is very impressive, but for a lot of email (my use) IMHO you need a real, physical, keyboard. If you need to be online, then either get a mobile broadband "tethering" plan from your cell phone company, or get an EVDO embedded device in the laptop so you can connect to your cell network. OTOH, catching the occasional free WiFi hotspot might work really well for you. And so on.
Greg Feeler
BMW MOA President, Ambassador, & cat herder
1972 R75/5, 1990 K75, 1990 K1, 1992 K75S, 2003 K1200RS
I don't quite understand the I Pad.
For internet on the go there is no cellular modem so it really isn't on the go.
Portability? Go ahead put it in your pocket.
Plus the I pad won't run mapsource or any other mapping program you might want to use.
The I pad is nothing more than Apple's Kindle killer bling that looks good on the streets of San Francisco but IMO would be about as useful on the bike as an oar lock.
Go with one of the netbooks or if you can handle the weight and bulk you can now purchase the same Panasonic Toughbook I have on my RTP (refurbished) for under 1k, sometimes as little as 700 bucks. XP pro 2gb ram and you can dump a can of soda on it. Very good computer to have at campgrounds, no issue with dust or moisture.
Or take the middle route and get a featured laptop with 15" screen and replace the hard drive with a SS drive. If you're not running it while you're moving this is to me a non issue, no need to replace the drive. I've carried a few different loptops thousands of miles in padded tumbuk2 cases, never had an issue.
No matter what you carry, back your junk up and keep a separate file with the serial numbers of all the software (anti virus, etc) so if you do have a drive failure recovery is swift.
- R Nye
typed from an I-Mac, calling from an I phone but I'm not gonna bleed for an I pad.
I don't know, Greg. When I asked him about PC interface, he mentioned a bunch of stuff I didn't understand, but it was clear that it was not a problem for him. This guy is the national rep for a big European pharmaceutical outfit, who is into tech big time, and does a lot of travelling. I assume the touch interface is not a concern for him either.Not a factor? Greg Feeler
Rinty
"When you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."
We just purchased this
It runs the Garmin software, had enough memory for a ton of photos, and can access the internet from any wifi hotspot. Perfect for travelling. The down side: does not have MS Office - however, if I can't work, I won't work.
All this in one small, packable, reasonably priced package
Lenovo makes some nice stuff. I have an X61 Lenovo laptop (skinny, 12" screen, dual-core processor, etc.) and it has a lot of very nice "serious user" features like the ability to limit the charge on the battery so you don't wear it out when running plugged in all the time. Oh, and shock detector for the hard drive to automatically park the heads if you drop it, and so on. I've seen the earlier Lenovo netbooks and they are nice machines.
Greg Feeler
BMW MOA President, Ambassador, & cat herder
1972 R75/5, 1990 K75, 1990 K1, 1992 K75S, 2003 K1200RS
That's about what I figured. There are so many choices in geek toys today that the key is finding what *you* what for your purpose. I love my K1200RS, but wouldn't recommend it for dual sport riding.
Greg Feeler
BMW MOA President, Ambassador, & cat herder
1972 R75/5, 1990 K75, 1990 K1, 1992 K75S, 2003 K1200RS
+1
Greg Feeler
BMW MOA President, Ambassador, & cat herder
1972 R75/5, 1990 K75, 1990 K1, 1992 K75S, 2003 K1200RS
I now have an ASUS EPC1000 that replaced the IBM ThinkPad. I no longer need the solar panel and the back-up battery in my previous post as this unit holds a charge for hours and recharges in a quarter the time the IBM did. It is so small I simply throw it into a side bag and that's it. I couldn;r be more pleased with the performance.
RoyB....
2007 BMW K1200R Sport (abs),2007 Suzuki dl650 V Strom (abs),2004 Honda VFR (abs),1972 Honda Trail 90,
2001 Moto Guzzi V-11 Rosso Mandello
Wasn't the space shuttle built with something about equal to a Commodore 64? We've been flying them for near 30 years..............Don't try to build the Space Shuttle on one.
RoyB....
2007 BMW K1200R Sport (abs),2007 Suzuki dl650 V Strom (abs),2004 Honda VFR (abs),1972 Honda Trail 90,
2001 Moto Guzzi V-11 Rosso Mandello
Ha! You're probably right! However, if *I* were building the Space Shuttle now (NOT a good idea) I'd have higher expectations.Wasn't the space shuttle built with something about equal to a Commodore 64? We've been flying them for near 30 years..............
Greg Feeler
BMW MOA President, Ambassador, & cat herder
1972 R75/5, 1990 K75, 1990 K1, 1992 K75S, 2003 K1200RS
I've had very good luck using my MacBook in the top case. I use my top case for stuff like rain gear, bike cover, and other stuff such as extra layers of clothing and paper maps. The laptop is in a padded case and stays on top of the soft stuff with more soft stuff in front and on top. I have found it better than storing it in the side case.
I have a 3G iPad on order so for the first time the laptop will stay home while I travel with the iPad for email, web browsing, and uploading my photographs each day from my travels. Much smaller and lighter so looking forward to shedding the bulk and weight.
Last edited by RTRandy; 05-10-2010 at 03:32 AM.
Luck favors those who are prepared.
I have been traveling with a laptop pretty much since I started riding, never had trouble with the screen or hard drive. I put it in a sleeve and set it on the bottom of a Givi topcase. Its always remained safe.
The one trouble I have had is a scratched screen. So one new tip I can give is to put a microfiber cloth between the screen and keyboard. Many laptops/netbooks have very very little space between the screen surface and keyboard keys and they will rub together and scratch your screen if there is any pressure on the laptop case when packed. You'll always have something to clean your screen tooI prefer the thin kind, the thicker it is the more pressure exerted on the hinges when the screen is closed. That really thin foam sheeting used to wrap and protect new monitors is good too, and can be trimmed to the correct size, but isn't useful as a screen cleaner
John A. Brown - Kalamazoo MI
'09 K1300S 'Zoot' (Wicked, bad, naughty, evil, Zoot!)
'96 K1100LTA 'Dusty'
'94 K1100LT 'Desert' (the horse with no name)
+1
Mac Addict, Power-User since 1988 and no iPad for me, thanks -- I like to read my books on paper and use the PowerBook for work on the go.
As for the iPhone, the Blackberry still makes the most sense for me, as I simply need an inexpensive email machine that doubles as a telephone.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote