
08-11-2008, 03:02 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 350
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For a real business trip, probably not. For a long weekend trip like Brad described, yes. But I would suggest checking things out before you go. I took just my Ipaq on a long weekend trip one time. The main use was for emergencies: emails, contacts and a couple of checklist-type docs. So I took my Ipaq, a charger and my VPN hard token. I also took a CF modem just in case there wasn't wifi available.
Turns out I didn't need any of that for that weekend, but I decided to try things out anyway. My work stuff did okay, could check email, had access to all the info I would've needed. But there was one thing that surprised me: I couldn't access my home personal email via the web! Yeah, PIE didn't like some of the scripting the page used. After getting Opera, it worked just fine. Had that been work email, I would've been temporarily up a creek. (Yeah, I could've accessed my home email if I'd setup Messaging before I left or looked up the settings online)
So try thins out from home first, as if you're on the road. Make sure you can access/do everything you would need.
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08-11-2008, 03:22 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 190
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I have tried in the past, but generally found that I cannot manage for more than a day without a 'real' PC ... which is why I have hopped off the WM upgrade treadmill and stuck with my beloved HP iPaq 4355.
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08-11-2008, 03:51 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buckyg
...like Brad described...
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The one thing I CANNOT imagine is going ANYWHERE without my Pocket PC Phone (or at least a phone/PPC combo). I accidentally left my Tilt in the motel room the other day for a few hours and I think I actually started showing symptons of withdrawal.
Besides, when my wife and daughter get into their "shopping zone," my Pocket PC is the only thing that keeps me occupied and waiting patiently. I can stand quietly in a corner and while away the time checking e-mail, looking at the evening's TV schedule and playing a couple of games (WordPop and Trivial Pursuit).
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08-11-2008, 03:52 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,389
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I haven't taken a laptop on a trip in years. I went to a conference a year ago and drug my laptop with me just in case. Never took it out of the bag.
There have even been days at work where i was rebuilding my computer or using for testing something where i used my PPC as my desktop for the day. 
With things like opera and the softmaker apps there really is no reason for me to carry a laptop. My phone does more than my laptop acutally. Phone, camera, media player, maps/gps, location search, movies/radio/TV, email, web, office stuff...
When i am at home i will often check my email and browse forums from my phone because it is faster than turning on my computer or waiting for outlook to start. Almost all of my forum reading and posting is done from my phone.
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08-11-2008, 04:58 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Lee
With things like opera and the softmaker apps there really is no reason for me to carry a laptop. My phone does more than my laptop acutally. Phone, camera, media player, maps/gps, location search, movies/radio/TV, email, web, office stuff...
When i am at home i will often check my email and browse forums from my phone because it is faster than turning on my computer or waiting for outlook to start. Almost all of my forum reading and posting is done from my phone. 
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Agreed - I wouldn't dream of carrying my laptop around anymore.
- Softmaker Office enables me to work on Word, Excel and Powerpoint files just fine.
- Opera/NetFront are fantastic web browsers.
- I don't need a separate camera, GPS, MP3/video player or phone with me - 'cos I have them on my PPC.
- Email is much easier on my PPC than on the laptop and Pocket Informant does a better job than Outlook.
- I connect to my projector and printer via Bluetooth, my work network via WiFi.
Frankly I'm having difficulty thinking what I would need the laptop for.
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08-11-2008, 07:17 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 484
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On short trips, I "cheat!" 
I don't take the laptop, but I do leave it connected at home. Then I use GoToMyPC on the ATT Tilt to connect to the laptop for those apps that don't work with Windows Mobile.
This is also handy to deal with higher bandwidth applications when I only get a GPRS or EDGE connection: I can start up an app on the remote laptop, then disconnect and wait a couple of minutes, then connect again to finish the job. Sometimes I have huge downloads I need to process and I can do that remotely better than if I carried the computer with me.
My only gripe about using the WM device in place of a laptop is that most of my customers do not allow camera-phones in the building. I can take the laptop, but not the AT&T Tilt.
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08-12-2008, 09:53 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 471
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I'd rather dump my eee netbook in my bag than worry about making compromises. The battery life is fantastic, it's relatively light and it'll run any Windows software I throw at it.
Then all I need is a relatively small phone for tethering purposes.
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08-12-2008, 03:00 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3
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If you're willing to live with the larger phone - then the HTC advantage IS a portable laptop.
Helps if your company has a terminal server you can connect to also! Hey, my ppc runs Windows 2003 server 
I got sick of emergency calls where I'd have to run to the car, get my laptop, boot, connect to the internet..etc. With a ppc you can be connected and using a terminal session within about 15 seconds - at any time.
Before we had the terminal, I used VNC to connect to my work pc - which works, but not smooth enough to have a laptop ready for emergency.
Anyway, 5" screen + terminal server means I don't carry a laptop anywhere anymore.
..but I do have to carry a bluetooth headset everywhere instead (cause you can't hold the Advantage up to your head)
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08-12-2008, 06:57 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 95
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I have tried this with my i-mate 8502. Works pretty well. I use the TV out feature of the phone and connect it to the hotel TV (mostly flat screens these days at the places I stay). I use my Apple Bluetooth keyboard paired to the 8502 for all the entry.
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08-13-2008, 07:33 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 524
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Unfortunately not. I'm a regular user of Adobe Creative Suite 3 and AutoCad LT 2009 and they just wont run on my Touch Dual. Besides even if they did, the screen is so small and lack of a mouse would make it impossible. So the answer is no!
:-)
__________________
Regards
Griph
iPhone 4 32GB Jailbroken and iPad 3G 64GB .
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