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Hi everyone,

My oldest son will be graduating from college in 2 weeks, 3 weeks later he leaves for 2 years in Peru with the Peace Corps. (Ask my wife what she thinks of him being a continent away for that length of time!)

Any special considerations when purchasing a laptop for him? Durability/reliability and being able to withstand fairly rough physical treatment would be important. SSD vs HDD? Any other thoughts/concerns?

Thanks.

Gene

Hi Gene

Assuming he is in a larger city or can get to one frequently:
Webcam for Skype for your wife
Small, portable, backpack size
Not too expensive due to theft issues?
Maybe iPad with rugged case and Bluetooth keyboard

http://www.tripadvisor.com/SearchFo...2D__Lima__5F__Lima__5F__Region__2E__html

Maybe a new cell phone bought in Peru or a mobile wifi.

The adventure of a lifetime. Camera might be most important.

Gene,

He probably has limited info about the conditions that he can expect - the largest being will he generally be offline, or will he have coverage of some sort pretty regularly.

The easiest question to answer is to go SSD. Seriously.

Before you go the laptop route, I suggest considering an ASUS Transformer or similar. Using the attached keyboard(and extra battery) with trackpad you have a SS device that can do most things very well that is both durable, lightweight, and more easily replaceable.

Another option that costs even less, but is not touch based (unless you pay quite a bit more) is the $250 Chromebook chromebook - pair this with in-country cell, and you have a light-weight 12" screen that gives you all the tools for seeing the world and family, but it's offline capabilities are more limited.

Either one would be a superior choice to a laptop until he knows more about his new accommodations.

Hi Dan and Indy,

Thanks for your thoughts.

Indy, my son will be going for economic development. I think that he will need something that will run MS Office, especially Word and Excel. I have no experience with tablets, just laptops and desktops. Would a tablet be adequate for this? Also, I think a spreadsheet might be easier to use on a larger screen.

Thanks.

Gene

I would go with the Lenovo X230T (SSD, Touch Screen, 12.5", IPS monitor). It's a hybrid laptop/tablet, however it's on the expensive side. It's a professional-grade laptop/tablet.

Ahhh Sandeep,

Champagne taste on an Iron City Light budget..... or at least a Peace Corps budget....

Gene

First off, there are several apps that take the place of Word/Excel that he should investigate (if he hasn't already). They have their limits, but I can use them for forecasting & financial modeling for businesses/practices, so I think that they might serve, especially in the near-term.

Google Drive, for example, now has offline capability for the Chromebook, and all of the collaboration tools so he doesn't have to be connected to work. Because of it's instant-on capability, I use my Chromebook often at airports/planes or similar on-off-on environments.

Having traveled internationally with computer gear, he will probably be better off picking up an additional display once he is in-country if that will fit his logistics.

The Chromebook has HDMI out, and most tablets have video-out adapters.

Thus, he has a compact, portable, lightweight rig for on-the-go, and a larger viewing area for when he is going to be grinding out work.

If he is going to blog/G+ about the adventure, I'd love to follow it.

I just got the asus 11.5 inch and it is awesome and light and sleek..built in cam, and all the other stuff...only issue is now all laptops are windows 8....yes i am cranky about it!

MacBook Air (bulletproof)
Office 2011 (if you must)
Dave
FP

Ha, I tend to spend a good sum up front and use the device for years. Though current trends are all in favor of buying cheaper devices and recycling them each year. I'd rather have a quality device I can use for years to come.

Had a different thought, so for what it's worth...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883108934 Notice the size, price, and Win7Pro so he could join a network. Get a pelican box for traveling if concerned.
Get a monitor in Peru.
Get a tablet, best wifi antenna for the money may be important.

Buy these things at the college bookstore with educational discounts for hardware and software needed.

Sandeep,

Given the situation, and the chance of the device being lost/stolen/dropped in a river/etc, I would rather not go top of the line.

Besides, some of us buy cheap and still use the device for years.....

Gene

Gene , I knew we had to be close to kin; spoken like the coal-miners of SW PA that my family grew up with.

Understood. Cheap devices don't last long when I use them.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the responses.

This

"So the general consensus thus far is that most volunteers use laptops, and
netbooks (i.e. Toshiba) seems to be common favorite. One volunteer has said the following:

Everyone here who brought a tablet has regretted it and had their parents send them their old laptops. Netbook would probably work great, too. Bring a terabyte portable HD.

Also:

I got myself a Toshiba netbook, it has the basic capacity to watch movies, play some video games (if that's your style), and it came with Windows 7 (includes Microsoft Office, which is pretty essential for the job). Also, the good things about netbooks is they are cheaper than regular laptops and quite easy to carry around. Just thought I'd throw this option your way.

Microsoft Office is a must for CED (Community Economic Development) volunteers and it is also recommended that one bring up to a terabyte of portable HD or external hard drive.


I was thinking more towards a netbook or smaller laptop myself and I feel as though I might want to go with that more conservative option. "

is the result of my son's investigating.

Does this

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7632444&CatId=927

look like what he is looking for?

Thanks.

Gene

Gene - looks like a solid fit given the feedback from folks in-country.

Gene,

I think Toshiba netbooks are not available, but this is what they suggest instead:

http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptops/satellite/L840

I get a couple deals on laptops every now and then. PM if you're interested.

That laptop you posted is only $20 cheaper than the Lenovo I was suggesting. My idea of a good sum is in line with your budget. Only thing is that Lenovos aren't very stylish and the younger generation tends not to like their aesthetics. Lenovo T430 or X230 are around the same price.

Here's another one that's on sale right now:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...D9UepuDPuzBXMDm91vXQ&productID=257476300

Acer S7 Ultrabook
-11.6 in Multitouch (1080P resolution)
-2.3 lbs (nearly half of the Toshiba you posted)
-128GB SSD
-Intel Core i5-3317U
-very "hip" and "funky fresh"
-extended battery included

So it's pretty light and easy to carry around for travel. Couple that with a portable hard drive with some movies. He should be set. Make sure to get a USB powered one. The Western Digital Passport is popular. I use an Anker enclosure and WD Black mobile, but then again, that's me.

Hi Sandeep,

I searched for the Lenovo and got this

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Convertible-Tablet-Premium/dp/B008OJAOAA

but the Samsung was this

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7632444&CatId=927

which is about 1/2 the price. What am I missing?

I sent you a PM.

Thanks.

Gene