Weeeee, I just bought a teeny laptop - Montana Owners Club

Ozz · 03-06-2009, 04:16 PM

I needed a small laptop for my truck, so I got the Acer 8.5" screen.
Wireless, web cam, cool.....
Sittin' here in my chair watching the tube.
I will lose it, mixed in with all the stuff in my service truck.
Best $298.00 I have spent lately.

H. John Kohl · 03-06-2009, 11:19 PM

OZZ,
That is too much of a teeze. Now please give us more information and a URL if you have it.
Glad you like it.
EDIT- Here is one link to web pages.
I can see where you would like it. Thanks Carol.
Cheers,

kdeiss · 03-07-2009, 12:36 AM

We have a Dell Mini for travel love it!

Mrs. CountryGuy · 03-07-2009, 12:42 AM

John

Al has been drooling over that Acer, they now have a 10 inch one too, pretty much the same price.

We saw them at Staples, but, he googled and found a lot of hits, reviews, etc.

Reviews have been pretty good too from the ooohing and ahhhing I hear from the other office!

No CD/DVD, to load software, you need to have an external DVD, or wired hookup (not real sure on this, he did the reading, I am trying to recall all he said, leaky brain,etc.)

Try a google, and like I said, we saw at Staples.

OntMont · 03-07-2009, 01:27 AM

Donna just bought an MSI 10" with a 160 gig hard drive. Really neat little machine. This class of "Netbook" does not include an optical drive (CD or DVD). To load programs you have to be able either download them, or connect to another computer that does have and optical drive. Some of them, (Dell for one) have a relatively small fixed memory, the larger hard drive on the MSI attracted us. (Plus Dell's inability to deliver one, we waited though a month of delays, before cancelling a Dell order and getting the MSI at Staples). We think it will work great with Streets & Trips in the truck, smaller than my MacBook but bigger than a stand alone GPS unit.

Carol, tell Al to take a look at the MSI.

Ozz · 03-07-2009, 01:30 AM

I rarely have an original idea, but admire and gleefully copy and I deem worthy.
I saw my HVAC distributor unzip a little case and pull out his Acer, he inserted a flash drive in it, and
then printed out a series of information sheets for me. He said all of the companies' product information was on it. I asked how it traveled in the vehicle? He said well.
So, I stopped at a computer repair and sales place, grilled the owner about the small units, he didn't have any used, (or new ones) but he guided me to the acer. So, off to the home computer and onto the Internet for my search, NO ONE in Kansas City, and this is a big town, had any except my
local-always-dependable; Walmart.
I bought it, took it home and it was broke..., so I went back up and got another, this one is OK, SWEET.
I bought 2 4 GB Flash drives and I am good-to-go!
I think it will be a great asset for me this Summer.
So John, ring up Wally world!
Al, go ahead and get it! Take the missus out for a steak and celebrate...hey win-win!
Ozz

Ozz · 03-07-2009, 03:49 AM

Here ya go John and Al
http://tiny.cc/Acer

jjackflash · 03-07-2009, 07:24 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Ozz

Here ya go John and Al
http://tiny.cc/Acer

Ozz, I don't see anywhere it tells you what size is the hard drive.
That model has two different hard drives. 120G and 160G.
I bought a Acer 160G at Costco last month for 299.00.
Can't really go wrong!
Jack

snfexpress · 03-07-2009, 12:26 PM

I'm waiting for this one...Asus T91 Touch Screen w/ GPS

What vehicle mounts are people using?

Mrs. CountryGuy · 03-07-2009, 12:49 PM

Michael I love my touch screen computer, I have the HP Pavilion tx 2000, (according to the sticker here on the unit.)

It does that spin screen thing. LOVE it. It is a great unit in the tablet mode, flat, small, portable, and the touch screen works very nicely.

We have not traveled much with it, but, hold in my lap, Al is dead set against putting in a mount in that 2003 GM Bit Butt. Since it is so small, it is not a problem to hold in the lap, in tablet mode, I can actually move it around and get it out of the sun (when there is sun, there still is a sun right??

)

The HP is a full functioning computer, DVD, takes USB devices, Sandisk in the side, lots of goodies.

Most of the time at home, I use with a monitor, a nice BIG one, and an external keyboard. I use it that way in Tana as well. Got a digital telie for my monitor.

RC and Samantha · 03-07-2009, 02:10 PM

OK this really interests me. I got RC and new computer a while back but it's really larger than I want for the truck. I didn't think it would be, but it is larger than the old truck computer that bit the dust. Problem I see with these is there is no PCMI spot and that's what I use to hook up to the WWW. Any suggestions? Certainly don't want to spend a bunch of money on one, since it would only be used in the truck. Oh and this is hush, hush, OK, 'cause if RC gets wind of this I am in big trouble.

Patty

OntMont · 03-07-2009, 02:45 PM

The connection for WiFi is usually built in to these units. Certainly it is on the MSI Wind, and I would expect others have it also, but worth checking before you buy. The units were designed primarily as web access units, hence the name "netbook".

HamRad · 03-08-2009, 03:46 AM

RC and Samantha,

Patty you do not need a machine with a PCMI slot. The new internet connection devices use a USB port. That makes your connection device pretty much universal. Otherwise you are stuck with a device that will fit only certain machines. USB connection is the only way to go!

Good luck.

Dennis and Mary Kay

Mrs. CountryGuy · 03-08-2009, 05:42 AM

Patty,

We currently have an older air card, NOT USB.

We put the router with air card inserted in the back of the truck, on top of the fur kids cages, plug it in, and let her rip!

I wifi to the air card.

Yea, I know, a bit of stuff to move around, but, to be on the road, and on-line, it is well worth the little effort.

I keep reminding myself of our first extended trip out when Al retired, 2001, 6 weeks in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia. We had to connect via a phone cord to AOL. Had to do this mostly in laundry rooms in campgrounds. And you better have your own phone cord too, and maybe a couple, one longer one, eh?? for the long runs to the plugs.

It was not uncommon for us to go 10 days or longer with no way to connect at all. One time (2002) we had to stand at an outside phone booth (remember those???

) and plug in and dial in, all the time doing a balancing act. I have stood in campground offices at their desk doing email. Even went into a public library near Norfolk Virginia one time and they were expecting Bill Gates in 3 days to dedicate the 6 computers he had paid for. They had some serious tweaking to do, cause they could not connect to the internet!

Ohhh, that was about 2002.

SOOOOO, in 2009, for me to have to haul the router out to Big Butt and my little tablet computer, and to be on-line while tooling down the hardroads, snicker, such a sacrifice, eh??

RC and Samantha · 03-08-2009, 08:32 AM

John, How do/will you use it with your GPS software if there is no cd drive?

Dennis, This is a new PCMI card, so I am stuck with it for another 18 months at least.

Carol, How do you power the router in the truck? I think we have the same router? Any possibility of putting the router in the bedroom of Tana/Sky and it reaching the front seat of the cab of the truck?

Patty

Ozz · 03-08-2009, 09:15 AM

I couldn't be happier with my little Acer, I have it on my lap here in the living room while we watch TV, the wireless works super, my office's router is a few rooms away. It even has a built-in web-cam. I elected to have windows XP, I think you can get Vista if you want.
The battery time on this model is over two hours, I think it is 1.60 GHZ, 160 GB, weighs just 2#, 8.9"LCD
3 USB ports, and a great speaker, I can even hear it!

Mrs. CountryGuy · 03-08-2009, 09:16 AM

Patty, to load the software, you will need an external DVD or hard wire cords, at least that is the way I understand it.

We tried the router in the nose of Tana, it did not work real well.

We have a 12 volt power cord for the router, believe it was a seperate purchase. It works quite well in the cig lighter area thingy on the back of the center console of Big Butt. Cord is just long enough, Al tucked it in here and there for a neat look.

cmp-shooter · 03-09-2009, 09:41 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Ozz

I couldn't be happier with my little Acer, I have it on my lap here in the living room while we watch TV, the wireless works super, my office's router is a few rooms away. It even has a built-in web-cam. I elected to have windows XP, I think you can get Vista if you want.
The battery time on this model is over two hours, I think it is 1.60 GHZ, 160 GB, weighs just 2#, 8.9"LCD
3 USB ports, and a great speaker, I can even hear it!

we have the same one..works well..she plays games on it and we use it on monte trips. got it at walmart.

kerry · 03-10-2009, 06:46 AM

acer 8.9 at TIGERDIRECT.COM on sale $239 TODAY. Kerry

OntMont · 03-10-2009, 07:23 AM

Strangely, it seems that these small units only run on XP (or linux).

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