"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I've wanted a small computer to take on my upcomming trip but reluctant to
get into Vista or switch to Apple. I also don't want to be carrying
anything very expensive or delicate on this trip which will involve a long
boat trip. All these considerations apply on the sailboat as well.

I've been taking a laptop on longer cruises for track planning and in case
I need to reload charts in the GPS. It doesn't stow anywhere easily
though and I'd hate to have it go adrift given its cost and all the stuff
on it.

I'm typing this on an ASUS Eee PC I bought yesterday at Best Buy. It's
about the size and weight of a thin hardback book, uses Window XP
(Probably the last XP machine available), and has solid state memory
instead of a hard disk. No drives or card slot but three USB ports and
MMC/SD card slot as well as Ethernet & video connectors. Nice screen with
some cool zooming and panning features that make it's more than adequate
size and clarity even easier to use. Built in webcam.

Not terribly fast but just about perfect for a small cruising boat and
traveling light. A under $475 it won't be a major disaster if anything
happens to it. Worth owning even if you have a larger laptop, I think.

--
Roger Long


Does it have wireless ethernet ? What is the capacity ?

Sterling