I don't know your answers, BP, but try to have fun! DC is a great place to visit. Wander the museums, go out to the monuments on the mall after dark when they're spookier and very impressive, enjoy the international restaurants and pubs, eat in the Senate cafeteria. We'll be here when you get back! I've always wanted to spend more time there.

What brands are good? What should I stay away from? (Note I don't want an Apple, because my games won't run on it.) Also, how am I going to connect to the internet without spending all my time at a Wifi coffee shop? Most hotel rooms have data lines, I know, but do I need to sign up another internet provider so I'll have a way to access?

Any advice would be most appreciated. Also, I'll most likely be buying the computer at Best Buy (I've got a 3-months-no-interest card with them) or Costco, unless you know a better deal in the Atlanta area.

I've never been to DC before and have always wanted to go, so I'm pretty psyched, even though 3 weeks is a LONG time to be away for a homebody like me!

Will do, Miko! :) I'm so excited. I'll probably have a lot of time for sightseeing the first week and weekend... after that the work load is going to be pretty insane, so I plan to cram a LOT into that first week!

(I keep derailing your thread, but...)

Here are a bunch of AskMes with DC travel tips. They're excellent, I've used a bunch of them on my last 2 trips. There are also lots of MeFites in DC (and nearby Baltimore) if you care to stage a meetup.

Aha, excellent.. I'm bookmarking that, Miko. Thanks!

The meetup idea had crossed my mind, too, since I know there are some bunnies in the area, but I'll have to find out more about this project before I can tell if it's feasible or not. (Another reason I need to stay connected! Heh heh!)

BP, the bunnies were most helpful to me here. Yay, bunnies.

Also, how exciting!

If your hotel has high speed access then all you need is either a network card or wireless on the laptop (depending on the hotel). Most laptops come with both built in now.

Check first to ensure that the high speed is free at your hotel. Some crappy hotels still charge $10 a day for access. Call your employer to see what hotels you can stay in and also ask if they pay for Internet if it is not included in the room cost.

Also Bellsouth DSL includes dial-up access you can use over a phone line. Check to make sure your potential laptop has a modem. Also call Bell to ensure they have dial-up numbers in DC.

I am not sure where you live but check with local computer outlets for used laptops if you want a bargain. If a store leases to companies they will periodically have lease returns 2 or 3 years old for a good price.

I know Dell is much maligned but you can get a laptop for $500. You may want to take a look.

Make sure anything you buy has wireless (+ for wireless G), 10/100 lan card, and potentially a modem. OS should be windows 2000 or later.

Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me at my posted e-mail for any clarification.

Oh, have fun!

I know Dell is much maligned but you can get a laptop for $500. You may want to take a look.

I must say, after all the wonderful advice I got, I ended up getting a Dell (because I had to do it on payments). I've had some problems, but their tech support has been fabulous, and I sprung for the 'if you spill beer on it we'll still fix it for 3 years' warranty. A very pricey way to go, and if you have the option I wouldn't, especially since you're obviously quite tech-savvy. On the other hand, I for one am quite thankful for it.

/me hugs her laptop to her chest, rocks gently singing to it

One risks showing one's ass when recommending hardware manufacturers, but I've already shown my ass once today so...

Yes, Dell is much maligned, and I have had issues with their laptops (a y key that suddenly ceased to type that occasional vowel, a dead screen, etc.) This is remedied by buying an extended warranty that comes with next day onsite service. A nice little man came and fixed all of those problems while I made toast. Neat.

To me, that's almost a reason to buy a Dell laptop. It just isn't enough of a reason. Keep in mind that I'm self conscious and strangers in my house agitate me.

That said, I have never, ever, ever heard anyone bitch about Toshiba laptops, the Satelitte or otherwise. Ever. People love that stuff.

I have an old Gateway laptop that has survived multiple Linux distros and several ill advised but successful warranty voiding expeditions. At one point in time, a little man did come and fix this Gateway. I baked scones while he fixed it. If I recall correctly, I had plenty of time to bake due to the fact that the laptop's motherboard shorted out.


I'd stay away.


The best advice I can give you is:

1. Top out the RAM and buy the biggest hard drive you can afford. Make sure it has Firewire and USB ports (this should be a given). In short, but the best box you can afford. You can get additional wiz bangs and flipper jammers later. You need wifi. I second arse's + for 802.11g

2. When in doubt, see #1.

And get the best warranty you can afford. This isn't some under carriage clear coat come on the car dealership gives you. Somehow, someway, some time, your shit is going to break.

I hope you can tell the little man that I said hi when it does.

- If you have the budget go with a Dell Latitude. The D820 is a good one. Big screen, relatively light, and its a Latitude which is a quality-step up from the Inspiron line.

- If at all possible get Windows XP Pro, not Windows XP Home. The networking support is much, much better and security is tighter.

- Get two power supplies, one for the laptop's permanent home and one for your laptop bag. It really helps for us forgetful types to know that there's a power supply in the bag.

- If you're going to do presentations, make sure the Microsoft Office version you get includes Powerpoint - that usually means Microsoft Office Small Business is sufficient.

- Get a portable mouse, preferably not wireless - or you'll be carrying a set of batteries with you. Mouse users often have trouble transitioning to a touchpad.

- Get a carry case that looks like a briefcase, not a laptop bag. It makes it a less likely target for theft.

- If you have the budget, get a small USB external hard drive and use the Windows Backup utility to back up your laptop. Keep the USB drive in another bag.

- What everyone else said.

This is all excellent advice... thank you, everyone!

arse_hat, I knew about that Bellsouth dialup thing but could find NO mention of it online last night, so thanks for finding that.

I'm going to compile extensive notes before I go out looking for a laptop on Saturday. Thanks again, y'all.

in lap(top)land it's the toshiba's that go out with the pretty girl laptops, earn the most money and eat in all the fanciest restaurants. sure some of them have breakdowns and end up on the streets bleeping themselves to sleep at night, but then life is hard in lap(top)land and even the best can hit the skids.

my advice is:
- huge amounts of ram and disk space are all fine and dandy but these are (in pretty much all cases) upgradeable later on - get the best processor you can afford and then only get the ram and disk space you need right now.
- most laptops come with shitty graphics cards (compared to pcs). think about what sort of games you'll be running and how much graphics horsepower they'll need.
- just a thought but since you're mostly using it for entertainment then you might want to get a dvd drive and, if you want to get fancy, a wide screen. movies on the move!

Yay! When's the meetup?

And who's got the link to the earlier showing of saf's ass?

You must have a meetup! Maybe Mike9322 and Rainbaby can come up to DC!

Yup, yup, how long are you there and how busy? I lurrves me some BP!

If you travel with a laptop, and you are clearly travelling with a laptop, GET A THINKPAD.

Seriously. They're more expensive, but they're more expensive because they're fuckin' tough.

I've taken Thinkpads to Europe three times, and around North America more times than I can count, and they've held up to every kind of damage that's been thrown at them. I've knocked Thinkpads off desks, stepped on them, and fallen onto them off of bikes when they were in my unpadded backpack. They're not as fancypants as your "desktop replacement" laptops that Dell and HP and Toshiba makes, but they're one of the few kinds of laptops that you can still use five years after dropping them down a flight of stairs.