Laptops

[jwildflower1981]

I'm needing some advice. I'm wanting to get a laptop just for surfing the web. I'll do all my downloading pics and music and things to my desktop. I want a laptop so I can use it when were driving (I'm riding, DH's driving of course...lol) and camping and stuff like that (trip reports fron Disney)
Anyway, what I'm rambeling about is what is it I need to buy to use my internet when I'm not at home or by wireless? What and where should I get this?

[Zippy 1]

We have Verizon wireless and it is great! It can go anywhere we go and is used on the home PC and our laptop. We got a great deal through our verizon store.

[DizneyRox]

Most cell phone companys offer some sort of wireless Internet card. It's basically a cell phone with a data plan (without the calling plan).

From what I've seen it's usually pretty pricey, considering it's a backup of sorts, and may be limited with the amount you can download.

Sounds like this is what you want, but I would say all you need is a WiFi card and make due with public hotspots.

An alternatie would be to see if you can tether with your existing cell phone (hook your computer up to you phone, usually with a USB cable) and use that in dire emergencies. There is usually an additional charge (Verizon is looking at an EXTRA $30 on top of the data plan) but it's probably less than a dedicated card.

I have an iPhone and hacked it to be able to generate a WiFi hotspot that I can connect to with my laptop. It's slow, but it is useful in an emergency and free. I can't recommend that people do this 24/7 however...

[Ms. Mode]

Our company puts all the exec's on the wireless phone card. Verizon has them for about $40 per month. The Boss says that since he got fixed up this that he can take his laptop anywhere. :thumbsup:

[BigRedDad]

I think you are asking two questions.

Do you already have a laptop or do you need to buy one?

Are you looking for wireless internet access when not at home?


For the first question, it really depends on what you want it for. My recommendation is a NetBook. These are the $200 laptops that can perform 95% of the world's population need for computer use. There are all types of brands and most run a form of Linux. Very easy user interface.

For the second question, as others have pointed out, there are wireless data cards from various cell providers. They do not tend to be cheap and can get rather expensive.

[vicster]

Ditto on the Netbook. We also have the Verizon wireless card and I'm trying to talk my DH into getting the Netbook. They're very light and convenient - wireless card is built-in.