A true travel computer

I wanted to talk about a laptop that would be excellent for the road.  Something durable, something light, something either weatherproof or spill proof.   I found laptops you could drop from 3-4 feet over and over but they were VERY thick and costly.   Then I thought about the upcoming I-Pad from Apple but it's still upcoming!

My solution?   A small, light, and quick as possible netbook.   Now there are many to choose from but one that stood out to me was the Samsung NB30.   It's built to be A. Rugged and B. Waterproof (to a slight degree).

• It's got 1 gig of memory (pretty much standard)
• The screen size is just over 10 inches
• It has built in speakers, microphone and webcam (good for skype)
• A 160 gig hard drive
• WiFi built in card
• It's "semi-waterproof" 
• A Free Fall sensor (protection for the hard drive if you drop it)
• Battery life:  At least 8.5 hours (that's good for one long flight)
• Price:  Around $379

The Samsung NB30 also incorporates a water-tight seal around the system to prevent potential damage from contact with up to 50cc of spilled water if removed within 10 seconds, based on testing by Samsung. 

  Tips for using a netbook!

Net books are not the fastest machines out there.  But they're good for travel because they're small, light and don't cost too much.  But to make the computers work quicker I'd suggest a few things.  

1. Install and use Firefox as your web browser.  It's quicker and protects you better.
2. Use Google Docs instead of MS Office.  You'll save that precious hard drive space.
3. Use Skype to make calls and/or video calls to save money and keep in touch.
4. The netbook can serve as a "Photo Dump".  Put your daily vacation pics on the machine.

So there you have it people, pick up one of these and hit the road!