View Full Version : 3.2 pound laptop ...
Bootstrap
10-04-2007, 18:27
For those who just can't stand to leave a laptop behind, the OLPC weighs in at 3.2 pounds, and comes in a cute shade of green:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/technology/circuits/04pogue.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Think we'll see any of these on the trail?
Jonathan
wrongway_08
10-04-2007, 19:09
Not in my pack. HHmmmm a steak dinner for 6 nights (figure on 1/2 pound steak a night) or a lab top...... Yea, wont be in my pack.
You will see them on the trail for sure.... the Yuppie that walked from his Escalade to the shelter and thinks he is roughn it! :)
http://www.laptop.org/
This is excellent! Thank you for the link. We will be visiting some schools, when we go to Belize and Guatemala in Feb. This would be great for them.
I often carry an Alphasmart when hiking. Two pounds.
http://www.alphasmart.com/products/neo_In.html
Not a laptop, has no games, but is a word processor with a full sized keyboard. (Fingers too big for a pocketmail). Had it two years and still running on original three AA batteries. It holds a LOT of text which can be transferred to a computer with a USB cable.
Not for most people, for sure, but if you like to write, journal, or such, it is nice. The weight penalty isn't too bad. Not too good, but acceptable if that is what you want.
I often carry an Alphasmart when hiking. Two pounds.
Two pounds! That's as heavy as my tent!
The notepad I use for my diary, plus ball point pen, weighs 5.3 oz. Enough to record at least 40 days worth of ruminations, with enough spare pages to start a few campfires.
Off the AT, computers rule my life. That's one thing I don't want to take into the woods, thank you. ;)
Dirtygaiters
10-05-2007, 00:07
I don't get it...the battery is going to wear out pretty quickly and you won't have internet access anyway. Why do you want to bring your laptop on the trail? Computer games? Or are you wanting to get work done? For professional writers, I suppose this latter option would be quite interesting. Be in the middle of God's land, free of all the distractions of home, and be free to write, with the editing benefits of a word processor. But then, I'm still wondering how you can keep the battery going long enough to make bringing the thing worthwhile. It's also fragile and not very moisture proof, which, aside from the weight factor, would diminish the hiking experience for me.
hopefulhiker
10-05-2007, 06:22
What is exactly would be the point?
nitewalker
10-05-2007, 06:57
maybe soon enough we will see people wearing hats with mini satelite dishes attached or backpacks with solar panels installed so they can recharge the laptop. remember captain kirk and star trek? we all thought beem me up scotty was never going to happen...if we can think it we will sure try and make it. its part of the human psycology.....peace out, nitewalker
remember captain kirk and star trek? we all thought beem me up scotty was never going to happen
lol, it never happened?
I don't get it...the battery is going to wear out pretty quickly and you won't have internet access anyway. Why do you want to bring your laptop on the trail? Computer games? Or are you wanting to get work done? For professional writers, I suppose this latter option would be quite interesting. Be in the middle of God's land, free of all the distractions of home, and be free to write, with the editing benefits of a word processor. But then, I'm still wondering how you can keep the battery going long enough to make bringing the thing worthwhile. It's also fragile and not very moisture proof, which, aside from the weight factor, would diminish the hiking experience for me.It probably would diminish you hiking experience. As I said, it isn't for everyone. But if you like to write, AlphaSmart is the way to go. 700 hours of operation on three AA batteries.
For writers, writing isn't really work. It is a creative process. It no more interferes with a hike for me than sketching or drawing does for an artist. I carry a voice recorder and record notes to myself as I walk, and later transcribe. I love it.
On the other hand, listening to music while I hike would diminish my hike. Lots of people do it, and it is great for them. I suppose that is what people mean by hike your own hike.
What is exactly would be the point?To increase the pleasure of the hike, but you have to first accept that everyone is not the same, does not find pleasure in the same things, and it is okay for some people to listen to music on their hike, some to draw on their hike, and some to write on their hike. Easier said than done. We all tend to judge others by our own standards.
Bootstrap
10-05-2007, 10:20
I don't get it...the battery is going to wear out pretty quickly and you won't have internet access anyway. Why do you want to bring your laptop on the trail?
I'm not sure that I would, but if I did, I think writing would be the main reason. The OLPC laptop is designed for places without power, it has a solar panel and I think you can also crank it up for power, the battery is not such an issue.
It's also fragile and not very moisture proof, which, aside from the weight factor, would diminish the hiking experience for me.
Actually, in the movie they show someone dropping the laptop, throwing dirt on it, pouring water on it. It might survive those things pretty well.
Jonathan
Dirtygaiters
10-05-2007, 15:03
Haha, serves me right for not reading the links well enough. I didn't even see the Alphasmart. That looks quite interesting for writing.
The Weasel
10-05-2007, 15:05
With the computing power available, the PDAs today (with amped up flash memory) are as good as a computer, and bluetooth folding keyboards make writing excellent as well. My PDA and keyboard are 1.2 lbs total. Email/internet if I can get phone service.
TW
twosticks
10-05-2007, 16:10
PDA's and little laptops are fine and good, but to me it just feels right to use something so not techical as a pen and paper while out hiking. It's good to unplug, that's why I go hiking.
Appalachian Tater
10-05-2007, 17:39
The OLPC is pretty cool for its intended purpose, but it has less memory than some iPods. It's not a very powerful machine.
With the computing power available, the PDAs today (with amped up flash memory) are as good as a computer, and bluetooth folding keyboards make writing excellent as well. My PDA and keyboard are 1.2 lbs total. Email/internet if I can get phone service.
TWThat would also be a viable option for me. I thought about going this route, but decided to go with the word processor because it was cheaper, even with bouncing my laptop (4.1 lbs) for periodic transferring files.
I just bought Nuance speech to text software. I still have to "train" it to recognize my voice, but when I'm done, it might be possible for me to play back my voice recorder directly into my bounced laptop, and save the two pound Alphasmart. I use the voice recorder now some, but transcribing is a pain.
The Weasel
10-05-2007, 19:14
That would also be a viable option for me. I thought about going this route, but decided to go with the word processor because it was cheaper, even with bouncing my laptop (4.1 lbs) for periodic transferring files.
I just bought Nuance speech to text software. I still have to "train" it to recognize my voice, but when I'm done, it might be possible for me to play back my voice recorder directly into my bounced laptop, and save the two pound Alphasmart. I use the voice recorder now some, but transcribing is a pain.
Frosty, my Cingular 8525 (just purchased) includes MS Word, and can view adobe documents, as well as Excel and Outlook address contacts and calendar. Frankly, with the keyboard, other than the screen it does everything that a laptop does, and I'm getting a larger flash memory. It doesn't require a clunky "cradle" - a USB cord connects directly to it to sync with my computer each way. It charges fast, either USB charging or wall charger, and has a very convenient chiclet keyboard itself (screen slides over, turns sideways). I can have direct download Email to it, as well as sync-ing to Outlook. Text messages too, camera, photo software.
If I was you, I'd get something like this and not bother with the laptop
TW.
Dirtygaiters
10-05-2007, 19:25
PDA's and little laptops are fine and good, but to me it just feels right to use something so not techical as a pen and paper while out hiking. It's good to unplug, that's why I go hiking.
Very true for the most part, but for professional writers (and amateur writers, like myself, who imagine themselves to be professionals), a word processor is an incredibly efficient tool for not just writing, but also revising and rearranging, rewriting only certian parts, and being able to read your progress clearly and to easily make changes while reading it. You can do all that with a pencil and paper, but there's a lot of erasing and cutting pages involved to get the same benefits as with a word processor.
Nightwalker
10-05-2007, 22:52
What is exactly would be the point?
The point is that it's something that the OP wants to do. Isn't that enough?
A 3.2lb laptop is heavy, radical thought huh. I am finishing up a build on sub 2lb machine, that runs on solid state memory, 7" lilliput and lithium-ion polymer batteries. The batteries run my purifier and light. I have a run time of about 7hrs full power and the system is solar powered. If you are looking for a comercial version consider the linux laptop running the AMD geode nx. I carry me puter when I travel for more then a few weeks.
Adam
*my* not *me*
In terms of durability things are improving. I will have to look for the link but a while ago I saw a flexible thin indestructible motherboard, it was from Asus I believe. They drove a truck over it and it kept on ticking. I am hoping my next build they will have something like that available to the public, preferably something woven into a microfiber cloth that could be incorporated into my ruck itself.
faarside
10-06-2007, 11:46
Yes... The geek within sometimes beckons (spending 30 years in I.T. will have that effect on some people); however, IF - and I do stress IF I get the urge to carry a piece of geek-tek that would permit me to keep typed journals, listen to music, view map/trail info, or read (The Bible for example), perform GPS funcfions, and access the Internet, it would be a Dell Axim x51v.
Small, and lightweight, I added a 4GB SD memory card loaded with great reading, music, maps, and other useful material. I adapted mine to run on an external AA Lithium battery pack.
My Axim goes with me on some, but not all hikes. It all depends on how I'm feeling at the time. More often than not, I carry my paper/pen and radio/MP3 player.
Lanthar Mandragoran
10-09-2007, 17:34
no one bothered mentioning the upcoming Asus EEE PC? Weighs in at 2lbs...
If you want to save the weight/space of the laptop, you might want to take a look at the Raon Everun:
http://www.dynamism.com/everun/main.shtml
I recently purchased this to post journals and act as an e-book reader during my upcoming thru-hike. From my limited testing, the battery life while using an external USB keyboard and a blogging client is around 6 hours. Turning up the Bluetooth will cut into this, somewhat, that's why I'm sticking with a cabled keyboard.
The setup, with unit, spare battery, folding keyboard and Otterbox case comes in at 3.2 pounds. Run time with both batteries should average 16 hours or 8 days of typical use.
If interested, I've posted some pictures of the "ruggedized" Everun here:
http://www.cube13.com/2007/10/ruggedizing-everun.html
Scott
Rift Zone
10-17-2007, 02:50
iPhone.
Mine will be with me.
If i could download my camera to it, my 4 lb dell might never see a bounce box. Alas, im maintaining a website so I need the laptop close at hand. For lesser needs, my phone can easily take care of it... I'm posting this message from my phone.