internet in your saddlebag?

[PGunn]

I bought the ASUS EEE for my stepson as a Christmas gift and now I wish I had gotten one for myself. As far as usability the system is nice and you can drop it from the couch to the floor and it keeps running, dropped checked the first day right out of the box and he has not had one issue with it. The solid state drive is almost indestructible and I could really use it on the bike because of space issues when my wife and I head out for the weekend. This thing is small enough that it will fit in the cargo net in the trunk easily. For now I have both the Sprint USB Air-card for my Latitude D400 and the 8830 Blackberry which also works out nice when on the road.

[Guest longtrain59]

I use a Blackberry 8300 with BES service. I get company and private email and full browser. I also use it for a turn by turn gps, even on the bike. The Blackberry un-tethered me from the laptop, expensive modem cards, wi-fi hotspots, etc.

[PGunn]

I was wondering how the 8830 works out as a GPS / Media player my big concern is the screen size and GPS data update time. Mine like yours the company is footing the bill for the whole thing so the data charge is not an issue. I am currently using an Ipaq hx4700 with Iguidance and I like it because like most GPS devices the map data is stored locally verses having to "download as you go" like on the Blackberry and the Ipaq device was given to me. The one issue I need to look into on the Ipaq is that when using the Microsoft Media player the thing goes into screen saver mode no matter what the screen save mode on the device is set to, it is like it has it's own setting, so seeing the map in Iguidance is out of the question when playing MP3's and it does not matter what app is "on top" either. I also like the screen size on the Ipaq and it's ease of use but the player thing is a pain.

 

I have question on this computer thing for the Gadget Kings and Queens out there, has anyone put a touchscreen on their bike and if so what size and where? I'm kinda thinking that if the ASUS EEE is in the trunk along with the Air-card / GPS device can I have a remote touchscreen mounted to the dash / handle bars? Now powering the laptop is no big issue and running the video and sound up front is no big issue either as there are cables more then long enough to reach the only issues I see is the screen size and weather proofing it (zip lock bag). A 7" LCD touch screen would be perfect but mounting as I see it might be too much of a hassle or the screen might would be too big, any thoughts out there? Just think of the engine monitoring, GPS or what ever you want system you could have then. You could have the tachometer, oil pressure, water temp, air temp pretty much you name it all on one screen or would this be a totally insane idea because of safety concerns or maybe for the passenger / navigator to use on a swing away type setup.

[wolf13]

If you have a Dell as I do 1505E the Warrenty they have for any thing that happens works great. I had mine setting on the floor beside the end table glass of tea setting on the end table cat jumps up on chair arm hits tea it turns over on laptop which is two years old. I am ready to shoot cat. My wife reminds me of warrenty covers dropping stupid cat tricks and everything but fire, I called Dell they laughed at me Sent me a box in one day I packed it up and had it back working find in two days:cool10: could not belive it This is one warrenty that works and is worth the price. It saved me the cost of a new laptop or doing with out. If you have a laptop you really need something like this because of all the places you carry anf use it.

[PGunn]

I was sitting in the chair right next to my stepson when his slid off the arm of the couch and bounced on the floor and he had just and i mean just removed it from the box and turned it on. He was more mad at himself more then I could have been and all the while thinking well this is going to cost me. This poor kid ( He is in college) has a Toshiba Tablet his Dad and Mom bought for him for school and he has trashed twice the first time spilled water on it and the second time he got caught in the rain and his backpack was open and it soaked the laptop and of course when Dad bought it in order to save a few bucks he did not get a warranty.

We use Dells at work and every one comes with the 3 year on site warranty and it is worth every penny. The guys at work as me what do I recommend (I am the local IT guy) and I ask them back "Just think of all the stuff you do to your work laptop, all the dropping, tossing all that and what laptop should you get. You would never do to your own laptop what you do to your work laptop." I also tell them to get the full Dell warranty because if anything breaks after the initial warranty ends you might as well toss it in the trash and buy a new one.

[Gray Ghost]

I travel a lot, fielding new software, which involves training the new users on a standalone system. Right now I am using a 17" HP, before that it was a 15" HP. As long as I am within a day's trip I get there on the bike and have never had a bit of trouble with either laptop. Of course the 15" also deployed with me and got slung around a lot in an assault pack without problems.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Hey guys, the reason I staged this question, was to get some ideas. I know everyone has different reasons for carrying a pc with them on the road. I wanted to be able to check email, myspace, this site (of course) and a few others, but I dont need anything like a big desktop replacement to lug along on the scoot.

 

I bought a ASUS eee pc and it has worked great on its first 500 mile trip on the bike this weekend. I was able to get into several open wifi hotspots, and it impressed most of my biker friends....The one I bought is the 4G Surf model, $349.95 from Amazon. They have some upgrades available, if you want to spend more money, but this model actually works fine as is. Running linux, the OS is very robust and compact. You CAN load Windows on it if you want...and they are coming out with some Windows preloaded units too. The included OS has some generic office and speadsheet apps, and some games and a music, video, photo, and file manager software. This thing boots up REALLY fast and gives you a 3 minute warning when the battery is about to die.

 

Super easy to carry on the bike, its really small. SSHD ( solid state hard drive) means no spinning fragile disk, and its so easy to handle, I can even use it standing up and holding it with one hand and surfing with the other, using the trackpad. I bought a little DVD player case for it, and the little tiny travel mouse on a retractable cord, and it works great. Even the included charger is compact enough to slip into the case and not add much weight.

 

Sure, its tiny, and the keys are small, but I didnt buy it as a replacement, nor will I be writing the great american novel on it. It just works well....I may even take it along on trips to Sturgis and other rallys, where space on the bike is always at a premium, and everything I carry has to earn its keep.

 

For those wanting to be able to check email and browse the web, and dont need to carry a lot of work related apps, this is worth looking at!

 

 

 

 

[Guest tx2sturgis]

The little ASUS eeePC 4G Surf is down to less than $300 now, and Netbook computers are closing in on full size laptops in numbers sold.

 

Great little computers for traveling!

 

 

[juggler]

I've lost one el-cheapo laptop on a trip. My guess is it vibrated on and cooked itself. The hard drive still works and I use it as my back-up drive for my Mac Book Pro. I take my Mac with me to work everyday on the bike or in the car and it's gone on about 2000 miles of road trips this year. I make sure it is powered off (not in sleep mode) and well padded. No more cheap non-padded laptop bags.

[SamB]

Got the same unit as you and have had good luck wth it

[bongobobny]

Toshiba Satellite. So far it works with no probldfjfeieqfrvbipevrnfa;

[Missionary Rider]

Most of the comments in this thread have been about the harware. Mine is about the connection.

 

Since the spread was started in the Spring, Brenda and I took an 8,000 jaunt from AR to WA to MD and home again. I really got tired of looking for Wifi signals so as soon as we got home I signed up for Alltel wireless. I have traveled from TX to MD (in a cage or plane), been in the city and in the country and the coverage has been outstanding - MUCH more convenient than Wifi.

 

Concerning my laptop, a 14" Compaq, I have carried it for three years now - probably 10,000 miles on the bike. The battery is shot but the laptop keeps on ticking.

Happy Thanksgiving

Lynn

[ahoutzer]

My MacBook Pro goes to work and other places in my trunk every day. I don't shut it down -- just close the cover and let it sleep. I've been doing this daily for over eight years with two PowerBooks and a MacBook Pro.

 

For connectivity anywhere, to get eMail and web sites, I also have an iPhone. It will connect either over Wifi or just plain cell signal -- high speed or low speed, whatever is available.

[WilCruise]

I carry a crackberry but sill need the laptop for work. There's also a Dell that recently came out that's like the eee pc and about the same price. I may invest in one of those for my travels for convenience.