Need laptop advice for a soldier leaving for Iraq

[amdskip]

One of my good friends unfortunately has to leave December 15th for Iraq. He would like to have a laptop to take with him or shipped over there. He wants to be able to basically check his email and watch dvds which is important to help to keep them sane somewhat.

I told him that I'd check into this and see what info I can dig up. My cousin is over there and sometimes gets online on yahoo and chats with anyone back home. He has access to an internet cafe of sorts that they constructed. I would like to know what type of internet connection is available (I'm assuming its some form of a network connection) and is it available to plug into in the tents or what.

What laptop should he consider? He wants something cheap for the most part but durable enough so I told him he has to get a case. Is a soft or hard case better? I'm thinking sand will also be a problem so new is probably the best way to go for warranty purposes.

Sorry if my post of thoughts doesn't make sense, thanks 🙂

 

[Metamatt]

It is difficult to find really cheap rugged computers. Panasonic has a line of "toughbook" laptops that you can find at the website. The least expensive at the price comparative Nextag is $1,291 for the Panasonic Toughbook T1 at The Nerds, but they are out of stock. There must be a run on these for soldiers going to the Middle East as the prices are going up. See

http://www.nextag.com/All~panasonic+toughbookz0zB4zmainz5-htm

Good luck on this.

Matt

 

[Metamatt]

I just saw the Panasonic Toughbook R1 - PIII-M 866 MHz - 10.4" TFT for $1,065 from eCost and they are in stock. Check out

http://shopper.cnet.com/4014-3121_9-21042162.html?tag=search


The best to your friend and thank him for all of us!

Matt

 

[Bekker]

There have been previous posts on this subject and from all accounts, sand is an absolutely HUGE problem seemingly able to get inside everything. You might try an advaced search on the topic. There was some good advice and almost all said the Panasonic toughbook was probably the best. Seem to also recall that Dell was very good about standing behind the warranty. That might be an issue because some places might refuse to cover that kind of damage. Best of luck to him.

Bekker

 

[JWade]

I have been stationed in kuwait (I am in the army) and have been to afghanistan. I also have 2 brothers over in Iraq right now as well. If you cant get a ruggertized ntebook then i would go with something like the inspirion 1100 from dell, right now after rebates and such you can get a 2.3ghz celeron with 256mb ram, DVD/CD-RW, 20gb drive for i believe 599 or 575, check the hot deals forum or techbargains.com also.

What i have through my unit (again, in the army) is called the AN-PSM-95. Ruggerdized notebook. Thing can be run over my a HMMWV, of course it is alot thicker than a regular notebook. Sound also sucks on it and watching DVD's requires external speakers or headphones.

Now if you get a non-ruggerdized notebook, it is a must to get a pelican case for it. They seal real tight. And lets be honest, who is going to check their email in the middle of a dust storm? Get some good padding for the pelican case and it will take a good beating and last you a long time.

Dell is pretty good on their warranties too, heck i think the army owns stock in dell or something, seems to me most every unit has Dell systems and laptops.

 

[IncredibleHutch]

heck i think the army owns stock in dell or something, seems to me most every unit has Dell systems and laptops.


LOL I guess you could say the same about the Marine Corps. That's just about all we use are Dell Machines. My entire unit aside from maybe 3 or 4 desktops and 2 or 3 tough books are all Dell Latitude Laptops. Being a Net Admin and seeing first hand what the desert can do to a computer I must make the emphasis that... Yes! Sand gets into everything. But you're right... the ability to watch movies and such on down time does help the time pass and keeps bored Marines happy. I have no real recommendation as to what brand laptop and such. If you want something cheap that plays dvds then there's no point to get anything high speed that can withstand the likes of a Hummer running over it. Though, those laptops are cool... I must admit. Your best bet is just something simple that suites the wants/needs and won't be missed too much if destroyed.