Netbook for the back of beyond?

[IronWing]

I'm looking for a netbook or small laptop I can bounce around in my truck. High end performance is not as important as durability. Cost is also important so no toughbooks for me.

Software I want to run:
Excel
Word or WordPad
DeLorme Topo
Google Earth
ActiveState Perl
Other stuff with low speed/memory requirements

Also need to hook up USB=> serial port converter and external usb drive both of which tend to draw a good chuck of power off the usb ports. The drive requires two ports so a machine with at least three ports is preferred.

I also would like to hook up a portable printer (Canon Pixima) either via bluetooth or usb.

I have an inverter in the truck to power the computer and printer.

 

[Zap]

Probably any netbook with an SSD will suffice, though notebook HDDs aren't very fragile. Maybe a Dell business model or Lenovo as those are usually considered a bit better than the cheap flexy consumer stuff.

Okay, I just opened a new tab to look at Dell's offerings, and their Latitude 2120 netbook has a rubber exterior finish to make it more rugged. You can customize it with Bluetooth, GPS, mobile broadband, higher resolution 1366x1024 screens (versus 1024x768 of most 10.1" netbooks). It also comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, not Starter like most other netbooks. You can even get it with Ubuntu for $60 less than with Windows 7. It isn't as cheap as consumer netbooks, however, since the cheapest offered with Windows is around $475. However, that may be cheaper than any Toughbook.

 

[ViviTheMage]

mmmmmmm, the lenovo x220 is super ultraportable 😀

 

[dave_the_nerd]

No love for the Toughbook?

 

[IronWing]

No love for the Toughbook?

Deep love for the Toughbook. :wub:

No money for the Toughbook. :\

I'm thinking that I can get a Pelican case for whatever I buy.

 

[IronWing]

mmmmmmm, the lenovo x220 is super ultraportable 😀

I bought the X220 with the optional USB hub built into the power adapter and the IPS screen. With the Pelican case it weighs in at ~6 lbs. Two days in, I like it. So far everything I intend to use it for runs well except one old program originally written for Win 98 that doesn't want to run in Win 7 or in XP mode (though it does run on real XP).

 

[Zap]

Thanks for the update. Always interesting to see what people end up with after everyone chips in their 2 cents.

You get an SSD in that?

 

[IronWing]

I didn't get an SSD as they are still more than I am willing to pay. Maybe upgrade to one if/when prices drop.

I got my last critical program running tonight. It is a program for programming radios via a db9 serial port. When I loaded the Keyspan driver it also loaded the .oxc files the program needed.

 

[IronWing]

Update: Last week Lenovo ran a sale on the X220. I called up their direct sales department and they price matched for me after the fact, refunding approximately 15% of the total purchase price! So I'm here to say nice things about Lenovo. Very nice of them.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Update: Last week Lenovo ran a sale on the X220. I called up their direct sales department and they price matched for me after the fact, refunding approximately 15% of the total purchase price! So I'm here to say nice things about Lenovo. Very nice of them.

Wow, that's amazing service on their end! Kudos to them!

 

[Heusen77]

what price range does the lenovo x220 come in at? I have a 17" hp that is acting up but can still use...dont wanna another notebook per se but i would like a netbook to use when i travel and that can use for similar programs as what IronWing mentioned.

 

[IronWing]

what price range does the lenovo x220 come in at? I have a 17" hp that is acting up but can still use...dont wanna another notebook per se but i would like a netbook to use when i travel and that can use for similar programs as what IronWing mentioned.

Here's the quote for mine with the IPS display and other addons. They start a couple hundred bucks lower and can go several hundred higher if you select a faster CPU, SSD drive, or more memory. Lenovo runs web specials every couple weeks so the price jumps up an down hence my refund story above. They are currently running another special on the X220.

Edit: nevermind about the quote, the forum software is massacring the formatting. Anyway, my system was about $1200 including shipping and tax.

 

[HopJokey]

I just ordered a X220 with the base options (Core i3, 2GB RAM) plus the IPS screen for $710 total (before tax, free shipping). I plan on upgrading the RAM myself for $20 more.