Ultimate extreme travel notebook? (Holland)

[gdingemans]

Hi all,

as a (dutch) travelling freelance journalist/editor, I need a new notebook, and I'm looking for advice.

I don't need much, since I won't use my notebook for games or other high-end activities. Basically, I will only use it for writing, text processing, surfing and e-mailing. So I need:

- a decent screen, not too small, since I will be writing on it for about 8 hours a day and don't wanna go blind.
- decent keyboard.
- a long lasting battery and extra batteries - I might be travelling for several days up to a week in places where there's no power at all. Any way to keep that notebook up and running for that long, 8 hrs a day?
- lightweight
- good housing, must be able to stand the heat of the Middle East, the humidity of the rainforest, bullets in Afghanistan, and survive bumpy rides of 40hrs+.
- price: not too expensive, since it will probably not last for long in the way I will use it. Let's say 500 euro's/600 dollars max.
- decent casing to protect it as good as possible.
- wireless internet

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Guido (Holland)

[Vlad_I]

Hey gdingemans, would you like to fill out the FAQ? You will recieve more help that way.
PS. if you get a lenovo it will last as long as you will doing whatever it is you do.

[Phil]

At 500 euros the only realistic option I can think of is the Dell D430.

You can get them refurbished on ebay from the UK. Great deals.

Here's a second hand one on Marktplaats:
http://www.marktplaats.nl/index.php?...d%3D1%26fs%3D1
If you could get that for 350 it would be a great deal.

Second hand or refurbished Lenovo's are worth a look too.

[northroad]

+1 on the D430

Look for D620/D630's aswell. Any of last years latitudes are a bargain. And with the 9cell they can approach the battery life you want.

Lenovo T61 comes to mind too.

[John Ratsey]

The Zepto Notus would tick the right boxes except for price. Link in my signature to my review.

If you are travelling in a vehicle then get either get a 12V PSU for your notebook or a small inverter which converts 12V to mains voltage. That way you can charge the battery while on the move. A good, but small, surge protector would also advisable.

A nice sleeve and a padded bag would also be prudent investments. I have worked in the climates you mention and my notebooks have survived, perhaps because I try to avoid chucking them around. In more than one case sweat dripping onto the computer was a hazard. I know from experience that my Dell E6400 (which feels fairly bullet proof) will keep cool in an ambient temperature of 35C. However, that's also well beyond your budget but take a look at my review (link below).

John

[jjgoo]

low end dells work great for just light computer work, they are cheap and last a long time.

[afhstingray]

i agree with the suggestion of the t61 or the latitudes, however your budget is fairly limiting.

i think the 13/14 inch vostro might fit into your budget?

[Nick14]

Lenovo X200 9 hours battery life