Toughest Laptop

[Thumbs Up]

These GoBooks are not Panasonic Toughbooks, they are completely different.

[bobconnie]

Been useing a EL Cheapo Acer for 5 yrs aboard 3 different boats ! still working great ! But we have had pliot houses on the last 3 boats ! I think thats a big help in there life ! I dont think any true lap top is gonna last real long when it's on deck !! Just my 2 cents

[xymotic]

I am extremely rough on computers. My last $300 Lenovo lasted 4 months before I cracked the screen with a nothing 12" drop off the salon settee.

The up side was that I was able to buy a new screen for $80 on ebay.

That screen lasted another 2 months before it broke and I honestly dunno why.

I gave up on fixing that POS and am now back on Apple with a Macbook Air. Every Macbook I've had has been generally pretty tough, but this thing is actually really impressive. It's a tank and with a solid state HDD it's even better. And I will say that on the boat, MacENC is the gold standard, and hey, none of that virus crap to worry about either.

[BriaF]

macbook air with usb disk player
for dvds
I have had a macbook pro (pre intel)
it lived on board for 7yrs
still as good as new
too slow for the newer games so I
updated to a new macbook pro &
gave the old one to a 10yrs old
nephew a year ago its still going as
good as new!!!!!!
the new one also has windows7
installed
they are built like a BRICKSHIT HOUSE

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by BriaF

macbook air with usb disk player
for dvds
I have had a macbook pro (pre intel)
it lived on board for 7yrs
still as good as new
too slow for the newer games so I
updated to a new macbook pro &
gave the old one to a 10yrs old
nephew a ago its still going as
good as new!!!!!!
the new one also has windows7
installed
they are built like a BRICKSHIT HOUSE

I hate grammar nazi's but c'mon!

brick sh*thouse

[BriaF]

Not one virus
Not one crash
its like a solar panel
IT JUST WORKS

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by sck5

I had a toughbook and it was great - went on ocean passages, survived a year in the Caribbean, etc.

Then it got stolen.

Now I go with $200-300 netbooks. They do everything the toughbook did except play DVD's and if they get stolen it isn't nearly so painful.

Same here, we now have a little Asus 10" netbook on board which is so much easier to carry about if your going ashore for internet access. Battery life superb and it connects up to the external antenna far more easily than our Dell. Its a factory refurbished model so cheap as chips meaning there won't be tears if it gets soaked in the dinghy ride to shore.

Pete

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I thought it would be a good idea to discuss Laptop brands onboard.
So here is how I would like to see this thread proceed...
1) How long have you had your Laptop onboard.
2) What problems have you encountered with that Laptop

First, is IS NOT the BRAND that is important from my experience. We have been circumnavigating for over 6 years...here is some real life experience:

We have two Toshiba's that are each over 8 years old and one 12v brick computer that is basically a laptop which is over 6 years old. All 3 of these have failed because of micro-corrosion. The salt air causes everything to corrode and sometimes it is not visible. The contacts in your laptop for memory, CPU, DVD, HD, etc. will get corroded unless you do what we do.

The first of the three above to begin to intermittently "blue screen" was the 12v brick computer. A cruising friend/ex-IT guy told me to disassemble the computer completely. He said take a very small brush and coat every connector and the entire circuit board with CorrosionX. I figured that I had nothing to lose, so did it. When I completed the coating I had a problem on startup of the computer, but that is because I removed the CMOS battery which is about the size of a quarter. I had to reset the date and other BIOS settings. If you do not know how to reset BIOS settings, leave the CMOS battery in place.

So far I have revived about 8 out of 10 computers or laptops that succombed to corrosion on low-voltage connectors.

There are many other uses for CorrosionX on a boat: Corrosion Technologies

CorrosionX is a Texas company, but I have no connection with them. I just like to talk about stuff that works.

Hope this helps someone.

Bill

[GaryMayo]

I would vote tablet. I have an original iPad. Put a little rice in a Ziploc and store the tablet knowing it is moisture resistant. If you go laptop, get a newer one with a nonmoving hard drive.

Every sailboat needs a dry hiding place under trim, and an iPad is perfect for this as you cannot steal what you cannot see. Thin, takes up almost no space. Newer ones have cameras. Future ones will have cell phones (Oct 23 announcement of iPad mini) so the iPad is a great choice for boaters.

The iPad can be located anywhere near cell phone towers, so if it does get lost or stolen , it can be traced easily. Family can even see where you are sailing if you set it up that way. Very handy feature. And it's free! You can also remotely wipe the iPad free of any documents or photos in case it gets stolen. Can't find it in a messy room? Send it an alert signal.

We switched cell phones from iPhone to LG Intuition. A combo cell phone/tablet. Very handy always having a tablet in your pocket. 5" screen. I have a waterproof cover that floats for working around the docks or cursing the net in the hot tub. The android has fewer apps but so far I am not missing any deal breaking apps. Two week return window is next Monday and we look to be keeping them. The upcoming announcement of a iPad Mini does not affect me as I need it to fit in my pocket and it is too large for that. 7.8"

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Celestial-
I think all the consumer grade laptops simply mount their hard drives "hard". No one uses vibration bushings or gelpacks anymore except for the 'ruggedized' machines. But OTOH, almost all drives automatically detect shock and park their heads, internally, so it would have to be a real cheapass computer that lacked that kind of drive protection. Of course every drive maker will also tell you the portable hard drives are supposed to be moved or used--not both at once. So you really want an SSD primary drive if you are going to use the computer while in motion.

Battery life? or optimization? All you can do is buy a low power CPU with a small screen and an optional big/extra battery, the rest would take so much research for so little gain that it is negligible. You're on a boat, buy a DC power brick and don't worry the battery.

Hinges, cases? Yeah, some are better than others but I've seen plenty from plenty fail. My laptop has great hinges, but the screw holding one into the case walked away, and the hinge came loose anyway. Again there's only so much you can compare without going crazy. Pick a price point, point a machine, go sailing.

While I agree that if you baby the unit, they will last longer. I use to work for Seagate Technology and trust me...you do not want one of their drives. Also current draw can also be influenced by the processor used. So maybe keep my soon to fail Dell and have a portable drive to back everything up.

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Been useing a EL Cheapo Acer for 5 yrs aboard 3 different boats ! still working great ! But we have had pliot houses on the last 3 boats ! I think thats a big help in there life ! I dont think any true lap top is gonna last real long when it's on deck !! Just my 2 cents

I agree...I would never use one on deck unless I was anchored under the Bimini

Originally Posted by Pete7

Same here, we now have a little Asus 10" netbook on board which is so much easier to carry about if your going ashore for internet access. Battery life superb and it connects up to the external antenna far more easily than our Dell. Its a factory refurbished model so cheap as chips meaning there won't be tears if it gets soaked in the dinghy ride to shore.

Pete

I will have to check out these smaller units. Maybe keep the Dell 1505 for the sake of burning CD's and the notebook for surfing and emails.

[Christerart]

Originally Posted by BriaF

Not one virus
Not one crash
its like a solar panel
IT JUST WORKS

That's why I've been a Mac and Apple user since 1984..=*^)

I'd never buy - or use anything else. One of my two 17" MacBook Pros is 6 years old now (backup machine). Runs all the software I use and the latest OS. Sure, slower than the one main one but when I am on the road it's my security blanket...=*^)

I buy a new one every 3 years and then I give the one I am "retiring" to someone who can (and will) use it. At that time it is *still* worth $400 - 500 easily.

is your MacBook Pro worth it? « Weddingbee Boards

Get the 13" McBook Air - you'll love it - and you can still run all the Windows stuff you have - if you *must*..=*^)

Between Jess and myself we have 4 MacBook Pros, two iPads and 2 iPhones (of course)..=*^)

A year ago I was walking in Cambridge and a strap on a smaller throw around backpack I was carrying with the new 17" inside broke. There was no padding in the backpack and it landed on a concrete sidewalk. I heard the *thud* and I thought "Oh crap - here goes a new screen".

When I opened the backpack and the Mac the screen was fine. Slight indentation on the left back side where the ethernet port is. That's all. Nothing else. Like someone wrote "Built like the proverbial brick S^*t House." Very true.

Every one of our friends are Apple users - even those who were Windows hardcore users 3- 4 years ago and swore they would never touch those silly closed system computers (Apple) - now they are all the biggest Apple Fanboys you can imagine.

Truly, once you've had a Mac (and used it for a couple of weeks) you'll never want to mess with a Windows machine again.

They work (for years), never crash and never a virus = piece of mind.

As in the commercial - Priceless..=*^)

Christer

[GaryMayo]

To say macs don't get virus issues is not exactly true. To say they get so few, many mac users never get one is fair to say.

[Christerart]

Originally Posted by GaryMayo

To say macs don't get virus issues is not exactly true. To say they get so few, many mac users never get one is fair to say.

No, your statement is *not* true - there *are* *no* *viruses* for the Mac - *only* a few Trojans have appeared over the years - and they *only* infect your Mac if *you* give permission to install it.

And, to combat that, Apple has an auto install of protection every time a trojan has appeared.

It is however possible for the Mac to *pass on* a Windows virus and infect a Windows user without getting infected thru sending on an infected attachment in an email.

And, there *are* fake virus protection programs that actually install malware on the Mac - if you fall for it.

Here is a very good page explaining all this:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2435

And by the way, did you read about FBI issuing a Warning over Android Malware Attacks?:

FBI issues Android warning - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Tech

then read this:

Opinion: FBI security scare means Apple's iPhone beats Android for BYOD enterprise | Computerworld Blogs

"Apple’s iPhone is winning in the enterprise markets precisely because it is seen as more secure, and on strength of its regular freely available and speedily installed software updates.

That Apple chooses to curate apps made available via the App Store also adds a level of security to apps users may choose to download. That Apple has also created easy to comprehend controls to govern what information apps can access is another point in that platform’s favor."

In the 28 years I've used Macs - and I am a *heavy* user with multiple Macs - I have *never* lost any data to a virus or malware. Not have I had to re-install the OS and all programs that is so common for Windows users.

As a previous poster wrote:

*They just work*.

And they do.

Piece of mind - Priceless..=*^)

Christer

[Christerart]

But, unless you have a PC program that is invaluable to you (which you can run on a Mac), why not get an iPad?

Summer of 2011 Jess and I spent a couple of weeks on the Swedish west coast and we had the opportunity to get a ride on M/S Svea af Bohuslän - a charming 100+ year lady:

M/S Svea af Bohuslän vid kaj i Björholmen Marina - Bilder Västkusten, Sverige - Reseguiden

History:

Your Boat Photos - Svea af Smögen passing Eriksberg

The trip was from the Smögen area down to Gothenburg and what kept her on course I found was a chart/plotter program a friend of the skipper/owner had developed for the iPad. It looked great and as I was watching updated in real time and seemed as far as I could see have everything my friend's Garmin program showed on his much smaller display (for this to work you have to have the cellular version of the iPad because the wireless only version does not have a GPS). from the web:

"Your iPad GPS will be as accurate as any consumer level GPS from Garmin etc."

My wife is working on her Master's at the U in Cambridge. She often brings only her iPhone to classes for note taking - knowing that when she comes home all her notes are already on her iPad *and* her MacBook Pro because of the iCloud. She types just about as fast on her iPhone as on the iPad and Mac!

It's fun watching her study, she often got the iPhone in one hand, the iPad in the other and the MacBook Pro in her lap. She actually prefers the iPad to the Mac.

Me, I am still more comfortable with the old - ie the MacBook..=*^)

Christer

[conachair]

Just ended up with toshiba satellites. Never had a failure over 6 years though a little bit of wealth redistribution got a new one onboard. Dual boot win/linux. Linux for underway, seems more stable with those annoying prolific usb/serial drivers which win sometimes gets grumpy with.

Hoping for the 512MB memory raspberry pi to run opencpn Then down to a few hundred milliamps so can leave it on all the time.

Whatever it is spider solitaire is a must for crossing oceans