Friday, Mar 02, 2007 at 13:17
Birdy,
Didn't use it for mapping on the go as I have Oziexplorer on a PDA. Used the laptop for loading maps to the PDA, converting to Oziexplorer format, photo storage, some E-mail when wireless available, managing the iPod music, kids journals and the odd DVD on a rainy day. We didn't do much photo or video editing, just burnt it unedited to DVD and mailed it
home for safe keeping.
It has a 100gig hardrive which is plenty. I think that if I was using it for mapping, that it is probably too big at 17". Depends how much other rubbish you have stored in the vehicle I suppose. Ours lived in the rear drawers when not in use. The other thing that worried me is that having the laptop mounted in the car makes you a pretty solid target for the light fingered brigade. A nuisance to stow away every time you leave the vehicle. The PDA is easy to pull out and shove in the centre console so at least it is out of view.
As far as wireless connectivity goes, it is great. But the areas you will be travelling in do not have huge (much) coverage unless you are going through a phone of your own. I think that in 6 months we found a couple of internet cafés that had a wireless option and one van park that had coverage for all the park ($5 for 7 days access which was pretty good).
Personally, I would be happy just to use internet cafés where available and your web based E-mail account, rather than take a laptop for that purpose. But as you want it for mapping, that is a different matter.
I am looking at the Qosmio F30 or Q30 to replace it which also gives the in built HD TV tuner and separate (2 x 120gig) hard drives. But they are at the top end of the price scale. Overall, for what you want to do, I reckon that a physically smaller laptop would be more practical, easier to shove away and not take up as much room in your vehicle. Most of them have all the wireless and editing features you want without the size or power consumption.
Cheers,
Matt.
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