Re: Laptops for Geocaching
Quote:
Originally Posted by cachemates
Just looked on Dell at a B130 for $549.
I use a Dell Inspiron 1100 with various wifi cards. My laptop is very similar to the one you mentioned. It's a workhorse of a computer if you get enough RAM and works great in the field. I use mine mainly for school and storm chasing. They are durable.
As for internet in the field. There are a few options. The first would be a public wifi hotspot. This of course confines you to mostly urban areas but some small towns I have seen have the whole area wifi'ed. They are of course not around here. The second option can be costly but in some cases worth the money. Most cellular phone companies offer wifi cards that will pick up a signal from the normal cellular towers. This means if you can talk on your cell phone you can get on the internet. The cingular plans cost between $29.99 - $59.99. The cards cost from $150 - $250 and you have to sign a contract....figures. As an avid storm chaser this really comes in handy and geocaching can justify it for the rest of the year. I don't know if any of that helps but that's what I found when looking for a way to to get wifi in the field while storm chasing.