That's what I like about PC users, wind em up and off they go.
Amazing that most professionals in the graphics/phographic industry use macs.
More user friendly than windows.
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That's what I like about PC users, wind em up and off they go.
Amazing that most professionals in the graphics/phographic industry use macs.
More user friendly than windows.
Hi Rocket Scientist - notice that noone else has taken the bait now that they're on to you? Although I do agree that it is sometimes enjoyable to toy with the minds of zealots... of course Mac users aren't zealots are they?... just enlightened. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by rocket scientist
I guess that graphics and photography professionals in NE Vic must be more enlightened than the ones I know in Canberra and Sydney who have moved over to Windows and Linux machines, not to mention all the production studio and broadcast engineers who were using Macs up until about 5 years ago.
I'm not anti-Mac by any means - I still have one at home which runs alongside 9 or 10 other Windows and Linux boxes, and a handful of virtual machines. However, I'm a realist these days and can't justify the extra cost of a MacBook over a similary spec'd PC running Windows or Linux.
Anyway, it all comes down to personal preference and what works best for you. We are truly fortunate to have such a choice of platforms these days that are relatively robust and have a decent suite of applications available. It shouldn't be a religious thing what O/S we use, just personal choice that we respect each other for.
We all drive Land Rovers here... that's a pretty good starting point for mutual respect... and sympathy ;)
back to the topic...
I like the Acer Aspire One (XP, 1GB RAM, 120GB HDD) as a car PC. It's cheap, fast and pretty rugged as far as I can tell. I got mine a little damp when I drowned the Rangie last year but it's still running fine. 3 USB ports are handy for expansion such as hard drives and it has a built-in SD reader. It happily runs OziExplorer map software and talks to a bluetooth GPS.
Just got a 8" touch-screen that I've hooked up to the Acer. Plan is to find a spot in the dash to mount the screen and store the Acer in the glovebox with a bit of foam padding and power supply, then swap over the bluetooth GPS for a hard-wired USB one.
Currently checking out CentraFuse as an alternative interface for the touch-screen.
Cheers, Paul.
I just bought a Toshiba nb100, its one of those mini pcs. Specs:
windows xp
120 gig hard drive
wireless adapter
10/100 network adapter
2 usb ports
1 serial port
bluetooth built in
1.6ghz chip
1 gig ram
All in a mini laptop, it cost me $500 bucks from Harvey Norman. I was going to build a mini pc and mount it in the back with a waterproof box, hook it up to my touch screen in the stereo but then i found this! Tough as nails, its survived a few trips and took its fair share of knocks. If you wired this to cars electrics and ran your cables to the touch screen you could fold it down and mount it anywhere!
And no, i don't work for Toshiba. :p
YouTube - mudsloth's Channel
I guess you decided on the Macbook Pro then... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by LandieMan
Just to prove my objectivity, if you don't want to take a "normal" notebook i too would go for an ee-pc (netbook).
Personally, I just put the mac in a quality case and carry it under the back seat when travelling...
Thanks everyone for all your thoughts.
Below is a bit of a summary:
1) Any good quality laptop (or netbook) will survive OK in the bush if looked after. Keep them dry, out of direct heat and dust and try not to shake them about too much. Most are tougher than you think.
2) Panasonic Toughbooks are great but expensive. Consider picking up one second hand as they are well built. Probably overkill for private users who don't have to worry about the cost of down time.
3) Give some thought to exactly what you want to do with the laptop. Netbooks are great if you're just looking to keep up with the emails and AULRO but not so good if you're into editing your holiday videos while on the move.
4) Hard drives are susceptible to damage from shock and vibration as they have moving parts, consider a SSD (solid state drive) if it's an option and you can afford the extra.
5) Regardless of what you use, all laptops & software fails for a variety of reasons at the most unfortunate of times so you should take regular backups, ideally to different media and/or devices (burn to CD/DVD AND a portable hard drive). Think about sending DVD's home as you go to ensure you've not got all your eggs in one Land Rover.
6) Laptops can be sensitive to damage from variable and/or poor quality power supplies. Charge carefully from reliable supplies and use quality sine wave invertors if charging from batteries.
7) Pelican cases are very good and will provide first class protection for any sensitive gear, whether a laptop, camera or other electronic device. They're cheap insurance and retain an excellent resale value.
8) Mac's are good.
9) PC's are good too.
:)
Looks like you have it pretty much summed up LandieMan.
Just like all smart computer choices - the first question is what are you planning on doing with it.
On my upcoming trip, I'll have my 7" solid state Eeepc mounted on the dash running the GPS and Oziexplorer.
It also has loaded Rave and my Nanocom software. But that is all I use it for.
As others have said you will sprain your brain trying to use a 7" screen to edit photos etc.. and even web browsing is uber painful.
That's why safely packed away in the back, I will also have my Dell Precision.
It wont be exposed to heaps of dust and mud.... it will only come out after we set up camp and I can control the environment it has to face.
The plan is something like... dinner, a few ales :beer: and sort out the days photos, a little AULRO (if we have net access) and update the blog.
Sounds tough...... but somebodies got to do it :p
The EeePc is simply a toy with a dedicated roll, the Precision is my day to day work tool so I have no need to buy something else..
But as others have said if you need a machine that will bounce around the truck and still work.... a second hand Panasonic Toughbook will probably give you the best bang for your buck..
Cheers,
Mark
you could also go the totally other way and just buy a second and cheapo if it dies no big deal :)
We just finished a 10 week trip around central Australia, travelling in some reasonably remote places, and camping in a tent for 80% of the time.
I think the secret is to avoid crushing the laptop ( which occurs if you keep it in a standard soft pack and pile stuff on top of it ) and keep it away from dust. I took a standard Dell M65 Laptop but kept it in it's carry case inside a strong aluminium checkerplate tool box ( from Bunnings $160 ) that I kept in the back of the car. This box is lockable and also secured to the seat points with a locking lanyard. In this we kept all our "delicate" electronic gear and also it served as a bit of a safe for our valuables when we went walking etc.
The laptop is powered by a Dell power supply that works off both mains and 12V cigarette lighter outlet via the second battery in the vehicle.
Internet was important to us to keep up with banking and emails etc, and do last minute research on places we were heading for. We invested in a Telstra Next G Express card with 5GB monthly download. This gave us full broadband internet in a surprising number of places. I chose the Express card over the USB modem because it has a port for an external mag-base antenna.
I was glad I took a full sized laptop rather than the smaller EEE type. ( it seems everyone on the road has one of these). It meant we could do do photo editing and watch a DVD or even the ABC Iview in reasonable comfort ( we used this a bit to catch up on our favourite ABC programs. ). You could also get a TV tuner USB stick and watch telly if you really want ( we didn't )
We also had a HP Ipaq Travelmate on the windscreen for everyday mapping/navigation ( Oziexplorer/Tom Tom )