Re: Unplanned Obsolescence

Mike Rivers wrote:

In article <1123789661.258446.139960@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> DRichard@xxxxxxxxx writes:


If you decide to get a new computer, and you don't need battery
operation, you might consider getting a desktop computer instead of a
laptop. You can put together a computer in a small desktop case pretty
cheaply, then add an LCD monitor. It will cost less than a laptop, have
more functionality and expandability, and only be slightly less
portable. 


I need a real portable computer to do real portable computer work,
too. I suppose that I could make up something like what you suggest,
but at least for some trips, I'd end up taking the laptop, too.

Understand that this isn't a "must have" for me. I'm just trying to
see what I can do with what I have laying around, or can augment with
a small investment.

Here's something to check out: http://www.shuttle.com/ (or direct to http://sys.us.shuttle.com/ for complete systems)

These are small cube-style cased PCs that combined with an LCD monitor, provide a very portable solution. We use them to build video-surveillance DVRs and they work great. For around CDN$300 we can get a basic case/mainboard/cooler package that includes two onboard EIDE or SATA channels, AC97 5.1 audio with optical I/O, video, LAN, etc., plus multiple firewire and USB 2.0 ports, front-panel USB and audio ports... add a CPU and drives and away you go.

The ones we use have a single floppy bay, a single HDD bay, and a single CD-ROM bay, one AGP and one PCI slot, but that's already more than most laptops provide, and they are available with more bays and slots.



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