Internet on the go?

user55

I'm trying to decide what is the best / easiest / most cost effective solution for working online while out and about, from the car.

I'm looking at a Blackberry v a netbook with mobile internet, v a multimedia player ie Archos (although I'm not sure how that works!)

Are best, easiest and most cost effective mutually incompatable? If so, easiest is probably the key factor.

e00c

Mobile internet + netbooks are awful! cool for kids..... but thats it!

Archos is a brilliant device! Wish I had one Not enough people are aware of them... however - I believe they rely on wi-fi access.... good if you'll be near them all the time...

blackberry's - u have to buy a "data plan"? unless u connect by wi-fi? ( I think) not sure what the cost's are... i imagine similar to mobile internet.....

For the money + overall cost.... blackberry! (I'd say archos if there was another way to connect!)

bookduck

my friend told me he couples his phone (ITC) (usb/bluetooth?) and uses that as his internet connection, save him on a dongle downloads. He pay £35 from orange per month. My friend also talks rebooting his phone a few time, so that software sounds buggy.

Other friend has the new Blackberry Storm which is he is happy with, but it does not have wifi. He too pays around £35

Other friend has the iphone and he can even remote control his home pc (vnc) and surf/control via this home pc, or surf via his phone - in my eyes a remarkable bit of kit and does wifi too, but you know that it you drop it, it will shatter that screen, not like my nokia 1100 which is virtually bomb proof.

At the end of the day i would think it what you describe as 'work' and whether it is typing a few words, filling out pages or modifying a drawing that could determine the technology.

user55

Thanks for the replies - the work in question is basically form filling. It's for my hubby who is somewhat of a technophobe, he is a driving instructor and needs to keep his online diary up to date through the day, other wise he spends a couple of hours each night on the phone sorting out the double booking! So a small amount of time several times per day in terms of usage.

I'm veering towards the Blackberry, partly because the model I'm looking at includes sat nav, which is something he'd like too, when searching for obscure addresses! It would be the Curve I think.

bookduck

itc and iphone bot at least have google maps and would not suprize me if they had satnav too. Thought being a driving instructor he would know his way around

Halloway

You might check out the Android G1 from T-Mobile. I recently got one on a £30 per month inclusive of internet access and free phone. It has a keyboard and 3G internet access is very useable. It has GPS but not SatNav (yet).

Pyewacket338

It depends what you want to do on the internet, I have a blackberry, the data plan costs me £6 per month on top of my call plan.
I can access hotmail, facebook, google, msn and most of what I need when i'm on the move.
There's a way to connect it to my lap-top to use it as a modem but I haven't got round to that, it's easier carrying the phone than the lap-top.

Pyewacket338

bookduck wrote: »

itc and iphone bot at least have google maps and would not suprize me if they had satnav too. Thought being a driving instructor he would know his way around

Blackberry has google maps as an application, the "my location" pinpoints your position to within 1800 meters. The road plan view is excellent.

user55

He does know his way around very well, but he covers a very large area and that means that from time to time he needs to check up on where an address is when he gets a new pupil. He's normally very much in the right ball park himself, just needs to see which teeny tiny road the cul de sac is leading off!

Dime_Bar

I have to go against the trend here and vote for a net book. For what you are saying I believe it would be the best bet and probably the cheapest if you do it right.

You can pick up a Web book for less than £200 (Asda had an acer for £150) you can then get a Three pay as you go mobile dongle with the 12GB starter package and that lasts for up to 12 months which if your hubby is not going to be constantly surfing will be plenty. This will cost £99 from three, I have seen it cheaper around and you can get quidco.

Total cost for the year is £300 and you have the laptop and the dongle and no tie in.

Most of the phones above will be at least £30 pm for 18 months which would be £360 for the year and you still have another £180 to pay.

I say this with some experience I am a field engineer for a software company and do all of my work on a netbook, typing is fine and screen size is no problem. I have the Asus eeepc 701 which has a 7" screen. It fits easily in a briefcase or messenger bag with all the other paperwork and tools of the trade or into the glovebox for safe storage.

If he needs satnav you can get good units for less than £60 if you look around.

Halloway

Pyewacket338 wrote: »

Blackberry has google maps as an application, the "my location" pinpoints your position to within 1800 meters. The road plan view is excellent.

The Android G1 has this function too. It's a lot more accurate than 1800 meters! It's usually accurate to within a few metres.