Using a netbook or IPOD touch on the train

[SweetSue]

My husband and I will be taking our second LD train trip in a few weeks. As we will be gone for 3 weeks, I am considering purchasing either a netbook or IPOD TOUCH to take with me to check my email and look for restaurants and search mapquest and such. I am trying to decide which to purchase. If I am correct, if I get the netbook, I can purchase a card to use air time while on the the train or just use the internet when I find a free wifi when we stop. (I really don't know what size of data I would need to purchase though and if I purchase too much and don't use it within a month, I loose it). The IPOD would only get the internet when I can find free wifi, and cannot use an air card and cell phone towers. The IPOD is very small and portable, netbook a little bigger, easier to type on. I am 50+ and work on computers everyday but I still am limited to some of my understanding of all the gadgetry and such. I fear that I will have to zoom in on things all the time on the IPOD to be able to read it, besides the touch screen is kinda "touchy". (Pun intended) I have an old (2003) laptop but it is too big and bulky and don't want to lug it around with me. I see that some of you post your trip reports while traveling so I'm wondering what you use. Now I wonder if I even NEED to have one of these with me. As I tell my husband, it isn't a necessity, it is a toy and fun to have available. I would love to hear all of your suggestions.

SS

 

[caravanman]

Hi

I live in the UK, and am 58. I would love to be up to date on the latest gadgets too.. lets hope someone can explain the pro's and con's in an easy to understand way!

I recently bought a small laptop notebook, and use that to type reports and check emails, just using WiFi connections at hotels, coffee shops and McDonnalds, etc, en route. Trains in the middle of nowhere will not be connected to a mobile phone network, just because they are too far from civilization, but in some places, with good mobile phone coverage, one should be able to connect an iphone or similar to the network, or a laptop with a special "Dongle" which sends the computer data over the mobile phone network.

I have never used a Dongle, etc, especialy as I am frightened of running up a large roaming bill from the UK. (My son 16, managed to rack up a $225 mobile phone bill just chatting to his girlfriend back home on our last jaunt to America)

Lets see what advice the whizz kids have for us...

Ed

 

[Ryan]

I suspect that between the size and the limited availability of WiFi that you're going to be unhappy with the iPod solution.

I'm not as up to speed on the netbooks (I personally carry an iPhone and find it+my laptop on longer trips to be perfect for me), but suspect that one with a data card will provide what you're looking for.

 

[TVRM610]

I always travel with my iphone. That being said... I think the main question is how do you travel around cities? Do you usually carry a backpack or something that a netbook would fit in? If yes... then netbook would be a great solution since you'd have an actual laptop that you can use anywhere like on the train etc. For me personally? I need something that would fit in my pocket, I could never carry something around wherever I go.

Oh and a side note... a friend of mine who I've travelled with quite a bit has an ipod touch, and it's really not that hard to find free wifi. All the Starbucks have them now, so right there you're pretty well set in any city you go to.

 

[pennyk]

I am 50++ and I plan to bring my Asus netbook on my upcoming 2 week trip. I plan to purchase a prepaid Verizon USB760 broadband modem and a 30 day prepaid card. I am waiting to purchase the USB with the hopes that it will go on sale - so far no luck. I decided on Verizon, even though it is a bit more expensive, because it has better coverage in the western US. I have traveled with my netbook in the past, but relied on free wi-fi, which I do not think will be sufficient since I will need to check my work email while I am away for 2 weeks.

 

[SweetSue]

I am 50++ and I plan to bring my Asus netbook on my upcoming 2 week trip. I plan to purchase a prepaid Verizon USB760 broadband modem and a 30 day prepaid card. I am waiting to purchase the USB with the hopes that it will go on sale - so far no luck. I decided on Verizon, even though it is a bit more expensive, because it has better coverage in the western US. I have traveled with my netbook in the past, but relied on free wi-fi, which I do not think will be sufficient since I will need to check my work email while I am away for 2 weeks.

I also have verizon for my cellphone and feel the same about the coverage. (The salesman at the store

suggests going with virginmobile because you can get a better price.) I also was looking at the Asus

netbook. Just don't know if it is worth it for me to purchase the USB to use it though. How do

you know how large of prepaid card to purchase so you don't run out or have too much left at the

end of the month?

 

[sunchaser]

We have an ASUS E Netbook and have taken it each time on the train. It works out great, hubby has WiFi on his Verizon phone, we just plug it into the Netbook for an internet connection. It also came with a soft zipper case to protect it. It's small enough, & has plenty of features. In fact, I use it all the time, with WiFi. I'm using it right now. We also bought a wireless mouse for it, because I had never used a notebook before & was having issues adjusting to the touchpad. I don't use the wireless mouse much at home, but more on the train.

 

[the_traveler]

I used to travel with a 17" notebook, but found it to big - and too heavy to lug around! Now I have an Acer Aspire One netbook with an 8.5" screen. At less then 2.5 lbs, it is small enough - and light enough - to easily carry and it fits perfectly on the tray tables, both in a sleeper and in coach!

I mainly use it on the train for the GPS I installed on it (no internet required), and for taking notes. For internet useage, I either use my iPhone (alone) or wait to connect at my destination.

 

[Guest]

Check out virgin's broadband2go, no contract pay as you go. I just pay $20 for 30 days. You have to buy the usb device for around $80 though.

 

[pennyk]

I am 50++ and I plan to bring my Asus netbook on my upcoming 2 week trip. I plan to purchase a prepaid Verizon USB760 broadband modem and a 30 day prepaid card. I am waiting to purchase the USB with the hopes that it will go on sale - so far no luck. I decided on Verizon, even though it is a bit more expensive, because it has better coverage in the western US. I have traveled with my netbook in the past, but relied on free wi-fi, which I do not think will be sufficient since I will need to check my work email while I am away for 2 weeks.

I also have verizon for my cellphone and feel the same about the coverage. (The salesman at the store

suggests going with virginmobile because you can get a better price.) I also was looking at the Asus

netbook. Just don't know if it is worth it for me to purchase the USB to use it though. How do

you know how large of prepaid card to purchase so you don't run out or have too much left at the

end of the month?

I was told by the salespeople at the Verizon Store and at Best Buy that 1 gig should be plenty for me. BTW - I found the salespeople at Best Buy to be much for knowledgeable than the ones at Verizon and I plan to purchase the USB and the card at Best Buy.

I will try to copy some of the data from the Verizon website and Virgin Mobile website - but I am not very technologically savy.

Verizon:

Prepaid Mobile Broadband

Data Allowance2

(sending and receiving)

Access

Expires

100 MB $15 Day

300 MB $30 Week

1 GB $50 Month

For expirations, day = 24 hours, week = 7 days, month = 30 days.

I was unable to copy the information about Virgin Moible - but here it is in a nutshell

$10, 10 days 100mb (5 hrs web; 25 min video; 10,000 emails w/o attachments)

$20, 30 days 300mb

$40, 30 days 1GB (50 hrs web, 4 hours video, 100,000 emails w/o attachments)

$60, 30 days 5GB (250 hrs web, 21 hours video, 500,000 emails w/o attachments)

If I were to purchase Virgin Mobile, I would get the 5GB option even though I have been told I do not need that much.

I plan to purchase the $50 1 GB card from Verizon. My guess is that if it looks like I am low on mb's, I could purchase another $50 worth while I am away. I plan to check into that.

I assume that the web hours, video hours and number of emails for Virgin Mobile's 1GB card is similar to that of Verizon's 1GB card. At this time, 1 GB is the largest that Verizon sells. A few months ago, it was 500mb. I am hoping in the next few weeks, they will have a plan that goes up to more than 1GB, but I have been told that is unlikely.

My cell phone uses AT&T service, so I assume that I will not get much service while in the western United States, so I will be relying on my netbook to stay in touch when I need to be in touch.

 

[MikeM]

You may also want to look at Sprint, specifically the EVO phone. It has 4G available, and can be used as a mobile hotspot for computers if you purchase a supplemental teathering plan for $30/month. The teathering plan can be added and removed independent of contract changes, so you could just subscribe while you're traveling. Data is unlimited for 4G use (in major metro areas), but there's a cap for 3G in roaming mode.

Then again, the screen is great, and you can do lots of what you would do with a laptop using the phone (like watch some TV channels, respond to email, social networks, and browse the internet). My wife has had hers for about 3 weeks now and really likes it.

 

[Cruiser]

I plan on taking my iPad on our trip next month. We went for the one with the 3G so I can use AT&T's data network as well as any WiFi. $15 a month for 250 MB, no contract and should I exceed my limit I can pay an extra $15 for 2 GB.

 

[spacecadet]

Between an iPod and a netbook, for this purpose I'd buy the netbook and get a data card.

However, I'd probably just get a smartphone before either one. A smartphone these days will do similar things as the netbook, but is pocketable, and will also act as your cell phone (obviously). I've wanted a netbook for a while but I couldn't live without my smartphone, and not for calls, but for email. I get all of my email on it, and I also use it for web browsing.

I personally am not an iPhone fan but if you're considering an iPod Touch or a netbook, why not also consider the iPhone? Or even the iPad, though I'd much prefer the iPhone to the iPad.

If you need a physical keyboard (as I do), there are quite a few smartphones out there these days with physical keyboards.

I know you already have a cell phone, but you might not realize how powerful some of the current phones are. There's not much you can do with a netbook that you can't do with most smartphones.

 

[the_traveler]

I plan to purchase the USB and the card at Best Buy.

If you do, order it via the Points for shopping portal on the AGR site (before July 23), and earn AGR points for it! Then you can pick it up at the store that same day!

(Points for Shopping will b down from July 24 to October!

) If you have many Continental OnePass miles, you could also go thru them.

 

[lthanlon]

I brought my iPhone with me on my last Southwest Chief trip and although I couldn't always get a signal out in the middle of nowhere, being in or near most cities of any size gave me a usable signal on 3G or EDGE. I'm skittish about no-name "free" networks, so only connected to Wi-Fi when I was sure it was associated with a Starbucks, a major retailer or otherwise in the AT&T orbit.

 

[SweetSue]

Between an iPod and a netbook, for this purpose I'd buy the netbook and get a data card.

However, I'd probably just get a smartphone before either one. A smartphone these days will do similar things as the netbook, but is pocketable, and will also act as your cell phone (obviously). I've wanted a netbook for a while but I couldn't live without my smartphone, and not for calls, but for email. I get all of my email on it, and I also use it for web browsing.

I personally am not an iPhone fan but if you're considering an iPod Touch or a netbook, why not also consider the iPhone? Or even the iPad, though I'd much prefer the iPhone to the iPad.

If you need a physical keyboard (as I do), there are quite a few smartphones out there these days with physical keyboards.

I know you already have a cell phone, but you might not realize how powerful some of the current phones are. There's not much you can do with a netbook that you can't do with most smartphones.

I'll have to upgrade to a smartphone when I get my next phone. Right now I'm locked into a contract for another year with verizon.

 

[AmtrakMaine]

I would strongly recommend a netbook or laptop with Verizon MiFi card which combines a wireless modem with a wireless hotspot. For the less than tech literate, the MiFi essentially converts the Verzion cell phone signal to a wireless hotspot that your iPod touch, iPhone, netbook, or laptop can use. The wireless hotspot can be used by up to 5 devices so you and a friend can share the wireless connection. Sprint offers a MiFi too, but their network is weaker. The device can be purchased from Verizon at full price without a contract or nearly free with a long term contract.

On the Silver Meteor, I got great reception the whole time on the Verizon MiFi since the route parallels I-95 and all of its cell towers.

 

[amamba]

I don't really see the point of an iPod touch. Its just an iPhone without the phone - so why bother? I have an iPhone.

That being said, you are going to be limited by the extent of the US cellular network. My H takes the regional everyday from Providence to Boston and he has a verizon mifi that he connects to his laptop on the verizon network to do work. Surprisingly - between Providence and Boston - the signal is really bad and he is often dropped/disconnected. I can't speak to the midwest and flyover country, but I have a hard time believing that if verizon can't be bothered to keep the network working between two cities (and state capitals) that are 40 minutes away that they will probably have a hard time keeping everybody tied in to the network in the midst of cornfields and mountains.

For your purposes I would probably recommend a netbook with an air card or mifi or something like that.

 

[SweetSue]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Netbook it will be. I still need to decide if I HAVE to be connected while on the train or if I can wait till I get to a free WIFI area to check my email. I'm not one that HAS to be "connected" all the time. I do not have to check in with my work while away so it is only for personal use anyway. It does the SOUL good to be somewhat "unavailable" to the outside world while on vacation. I'm sure my family will still be connecting with me via cell phone anyway. The netbook probably will be used more for playing simple games and I may purchase a DVD drive to connect to it to watch movies once it gets too dark to see the landscape passing by our window. SS

 

[Ryan]

I may purchase a DVD drive to connect to it to watch movies once it gets too dark to see the landscape passing by our window. SS

This may be technically overkill for you, but do some reading about DVD ripping software (if you're on Windows I hear that DVD Shrink is decent, but being a Mac user I've never tried it). It'll give you the ability to convert DVDs to files on your computer that you can then copy over to your netbook for the trip. If you've got a computer with a DVD drive you don't need to buy any hardware and then don't have to carry an external drive and a bunch of movies on your trip. A side benefit is that you'll get better battery life watching a movie off the hard drive rather than a DVD drive, but that's less of an issue when you're on a train and have a power source handy.

 

[pennyk]

I may purchase a DVD drive to connect to it to watch movies once it gets too dark to see the landscape passing by our window. SS

This may be technically overkill for you, but do some reading about DVD ripping software (if you're on Windows I hear that DVD Shrink is decent, but being a Mac user I've never tried it). It'll give you the ability to convert DVDs to files on your computer that you can then copy over to your netbook for the trip. If you've got a computer with a DVD drive you don't need to buy any hardware and then don't have to carry an external drive and a bunch of movies on your trip. A side benefit is that you'll get better battery life watching a movie off the hard drive rather than a DVD drive, but that's less of an issue when you're on a train and have a power source handy.

Do you think a middle-aged woman who is not tech savy would be able to download DVD shrink, then convert a DVD to a computer file using her desktop computer, then transfer the file to her netbook (without the assistance of her grandchildren (if I had any) :lol: )? My situation is very similar to that of the OP - my netbook does not have a CD drive.

 

[sunchaser]

I may purchase a DVD drive to connect to it to watch movies once it gets too dark to see the landscape passing by our window. SS

This may be technically overkill for you, but do some reading about DVD ripping software (if you're on Windows I hear that DVD Shrink is decent, but being a Mac user I've never tried it). It'll give you the ability to convert DVDs to files on your computer that you can then copy over to your netbook for the trip. If you've got a computer with a DVD drive you don't need to buy any hardware and then don't have to carry an external drive and a bunch of movies on your trip. A side benefit is that you'll get better battery life watching a movie off the hard drive rather than a DVD drive, but that's less of an issue when you're on a train and have a power source handy.

Do you think a middle-aged woman who is not tech savy would be able to download DVD shrink, then convert a DVD to a computer file using her desktop computer, then transfer the file to her netbook (without the assistance of her grandchildren (if I had any) :lol: )? My situation is very similar to that of the OP - my netbook does not have a CD drive.

We bought an external drive for ours from newegg.com. IIRC it was about $79. The model we bought did not have an internal drive either. I know they do sell ASUS Netbooks with internal dvd drives, but they are more expensive.

 

[Ryan]

I may purchase a DVD drive to connect to it to watch movies once it gets too dark to see the landscape passing by our window. SS

This may be technically overkill for you, but do some reading about DVD ripping software (if you're on Windows I hear that DVD Shrink is decent, but being a Mac user I've never tried it). It'll give you the ability to convert DVDs to files on your computer that you can then copy over to your netbook for the trip. If you've got a computer with a DVD drive you don't need to buy any hardware and then don't have to carry an external drive and a bunch of movies on your trip. A side benefit is that you'll get better battery life watching a movie off the hard drive rather than a DVD drive, but that's less of an issue when you're on a train and have a power source handy.

Do you think a middle-aged woman who is not tech savy would be able to download DVD shrink, then convert a DVD to a computer file using her desktop computer, then transfer the file to her netbook (without the assistance of her grandchildren (if I had any) :lol: )? My situation is very similar to that of the OP - my netbook does not have a CD drive.

I don't think that's too difficult - DVD Shrink is free, so give it a whirl. It looks to be pretty self explanatory to me...

 

[Guest]

Do you think a middle-aged woman who is not tech savy would be able to download DVD shrink, then convert a DVD to a computer file using her desktop computer, then transfer the file to her netbook (without the assistance of her grandchildren (if I had any) :lol: )? My situation is very similar to that of the OP - my netbook does not have a CD drive.

Have you ever used DVDshrink? It is a very easy program to use. If you get stuck use the google and it will give you all the answers (hint: that is how the kids know how to work everything).

 

[SweetSue]

I think I just might give that SHRINK a try!!!! I might be middle aged and not so tech savy, but I can follow directions. (However, I bought an IMAC a year ago and still haven't learned how to use everything, so used to a PC, got the book IMAC for dummies but no to time sit and figure it out, at least on the netbook, I just have to get used to Windows 7) I still have a few weeks before the trip so if I get stuck, I can ask my kids for help! Thanks for the suggestion! SS