3.2 pound laptop ...

[Bootstrap]

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/te...=1&oref=slogin

Think we'll see any of these on the trail?

Jonathan

[wrongway_08]

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!

[frieden]

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.

[Frosty]

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.

[rafe]

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]

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]

What is exactly would be the point?

[nitewalker]

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

[Dr O]

remember captain kirk and star trek? we all thought beem me up scotty was never going to happen

lol, it never happened?

[Frosty]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

The OLPC is pretty cool for its intended purpose, but it has less memory than some iPods. It's not a very powerful machine.

[Frosty]

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

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.

[The Weasel]

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]

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]

What is exactly would be the point?

The point is that it's something that the OP wants to do. Isn't that enough?

[Adam B]

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