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Traveling with a Laptop

A little "Farkle" I built for hauling around my laptop.........

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It's totally removable with a Touratech locking rear box mount. Can be taken to the tent or a picnic table is needed.
With the aux battery and the laptop's internal battery I can get 4-5 hours of use.
The solar panel will recharge the aux battery or the bikes battery, depending on the position of the "battery switch".
With the bike underway, the bikes alternator is hooked up to a "Automatic Battery Selector", this device monitors both batteries and sends a charge to the one with less that 12.5 volts.

I also have a 115V inverter (for the blender for the nights Margaritas) and a "AA" battery charger for a fresh supply of AA batteries for cameras, flashlights, radios etc........

More here:
http://public.fotki.com/Rbertalotto/motorcycle/motorcycle-projects/mobile-computer-system/
 
Bumping this thread as its nearly a year old.
Any one tried the new Netbooks? Carried them on the bike? What should I be looking for?
Please keep it simple!
 
Bumping this thread as its nearly a year old.
Any one tried the new Netbooks? Carried them on the bike? What should I be looking for?
Please keep it simple!

I've been using an Acer Aspire One D250 series netbook for almost a year and flat out love it. The screen is a bit bigger than the earlier 150 (?) series netbooks, I can put 2Gb of RAM (more than plenty for WinXP), it has a 160Gb hard drive, and the larger batter will last for 5.5 to 7 hours. The Acers also seem very well built and the small size is easy to pack.

Netbooks are not big, powerful machines. They are great for web browsing, email , word processing, basic spreadsheets, some PowerPoint, etc. Don't try to build the Space Shuttle on one.

I haven't tried Windows7 Starter Edition - which is what most netbooks are shipping with now, but it is limited compared to even the Home version of Windows 7. I use Win7 on other machines, but find that XP is just fine on my netbook.
 
Asus 1000he

I have an Asus EEE1000HE 160 gig hd 10.2" screen upgraded to 2 gigs Ram.
I bought a Targus case that holds all I need including a portable CD/DVD drive.
It is faster than the laptop I use as a work and home pc. It fits is my side case and if there is Wi Fi I can use my comouter at a rally. In Tennessee, on the hill in the camp area there was no WI FI so I had to walk down to the main area.
I have been extremely satisfied with this little camputer and do recommend getting one.
PS Mine has Windows XP and the newer ones have Windows 7.
It is similar to Greg's Acer. Mine can run about 10 hrs on the battery mode.
 
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I have an Asus EEE1000HE 160 gig hd 10.2" screen upgraded to 2 gigs Ram.
I bought a Targus case that holds all I need including a portable CD/DVD drive.
It is faster than the laptop I use as a work and home pc. It fits is my side case and if there is Wi Fi I can use my comouter at a rally. In Tennessee, on the hill in the camp area there was no WI FI so I had to walk down to the main area.
I have been extremely satisfied with this little camputer and do recommend getting one.
PS Mine has Windows XP and the newer ones have Windows 7.
It is similar to Greg's Acer. Mine can run about 10 hrs on the battery mode.

Yup - Asus makes a good product, as well. Have use 'em in the past. :thumb
 
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.
 
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.

Not a factor? Meaning what? That's it's not important to him? You can't do it? It's no problem? :brow. 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.
 
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.
 
Not a factor? Greg Feeler

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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.

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. :brow.
 
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.


+1
 
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.
 
Wasn't the space shuttle built with something about equal to a Commodore 64? We've been flying them for near 30 years..............:usa

Ha! You're probably right! However, if *I* were building the Space Shuttle now (NOT a good idea) I'd have higher expectations. :dance
 
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.
 
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A new tip?

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 too :) I 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 ;)
 
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.
+1 :thumb

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.
 
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