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Communications Connecting - internet cafes, laptops, smart phones - how to connect, use, which one, and intercom/radio systems.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 11 Sep 2006
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: South Carolina
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Laptop & Motorcycle Trips

I am planing a trip next May runnning through next September 2007. The trip will either be the western US or Canada. I have been researching laptops because I will need to be connected because of the business I own and I expect to have a web page that will keep up with my travel - that is the plan anyway and you know how the best layed plans of mice and men oft go wrong.
I have found two companies that specialize in rugged laptops. They both maybe out of the price targets that some have posted here. The one company is GETAC (www.getac.com) and they only specialize in "rugged" laptops for the military and "hostile" environments. I found this company because a rider with the Iron Butt Ass. used one of their Tablet PCs on his BMW. You can read a brief discription in a resent issue of Motorcycle Consumer News. The other company is Panasonic. I saw their laptops for motorcycle police officers at a resent convention. That is all I know about Panasonic.
I will keep this forum posted on my research and purchase of a laptop. Sometime in the next week I will be sending emails to both Getac and Panasonic.

Whitney
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  #2  
Old 11 Sep 2006
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Bakersfield, CA USA
Posts: 6
Will be curious about your laptop purchase...

Thanks for the post.

I will be curious

A. What is the cost differential between a "rugged" laptop and a conventional one.

AND

B. What conditions are you using it in?

My aforementioned Toshiba is in the shop right now, for a repair unrelated to motorcyling, and have been traveling with an older IBM think pad that I got as a refurb for a backup. I don't say this to be contentious in any way, just a matter of curiousity for ALL on this thread actually; unless you are going on Safari why all the fuss? A decent laptop inside a good case in a solid M/C trunk or saddlebag has always worked for me. If you are riding on the street in countries with good roads, etc. the environment just doesn't seem that hostile.

But my experience may not be typical.

Please keep us posted!

Thanks

Cameron
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  #3  
Old 15 Sep 2006
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Posts: 21
I've travelled almost every day for three years with my laptop (Compaq Presario) in the top-case of my bike. Around ~8.000 km/year with the laptop. Normally only on good roads. I have had no problems with it. I carry the laptop in a commercial bag with some kind of foam in the back side. This seems enough ...

About photgraphic cameras, I have had some problems with a reflex camerathat I carried for 8.000 km in my tank bag (this august in Turkey). A couple of small screws on one of my lenses got loose, I suppose because of vibration. I had to periodically re-screw them. Next time I will use a custom made foam protection for the camera/lenses.
Another lens had some oil drops in the inside of the glass. I think the oil leaked from the diaphragm because of vibration or excessive heat. I have heard that excessive heat can also cause some fungus to grow inside your lenses. Protecting equipment/film from heat can be more difficult if travelling under the sun in warm countries.
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  #4  
Old 18 Sep 2006
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Posts: 146
Do you need to protect PDAs from vibration?

Hi there,
I was looking at them today and they use SD memory sticks. Being different to a conventional hard drive, will they be a better option?
I'm thinking just lump it in a camera case.
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