bringing computer to europe

The smaller, the better. One trip I carried a full sized lap top... by the middle of the trip I was looking for a tour bus to run over it! Now I carry a mini Acer and it is great to have and to keep in touch with back home....

Lee,
I think you are even geekier than I am about tracking expenses. :-) I love having all that info for planning the next trip, to know where we went over budget and where we "saved." My husband is an accountant and while he wanted no part of a "busman's holiday," he appreciated knowing where all those euros went. :-) I, too, make alternate schedules, know the next bus/train in case I need to make an escape or want to stay longer. But I am off topic. For those who do not want to be handcuffed by email (great comment on the Groupon!), I played a trick on myself when I went to Italy last year. I refused to check my regular email account. But I did set up a special Italy-only email account on gmail, telling my friends and relatives that it was the only account I would check, so if they needed/wanted to reach me, they would have to use that account. I felt free of email, because the only email I received was actually pertinent and welcome. I gave that email address to all of my B&B contacts, too, so we could confirm reservations.

Jim:
I took a Netbook to Italy last year and was glad I did. I would not want to carry a 5-7 pound laptop, but a 2 pound Netbook was perfect! I kept all of my travel docs on it, used it for limited email, uploaded my pictures daily so if my camera was lost I woudl not lose all prior pictures, and of course researched as I went. It's nice to check bus and train schedules, check restaurant reviews, keep in touch on the Helpline! I'm a little OCD on budget tracking, so I kept track of expenses and jotted down notes on where we ate, what we did for future reference. FYI, I also subscribe to an online backup service so those precious pictures were not only off the SD card and onto the computer, they were backed up in cyber space as well. I even did a "Daily Photo" posting in Picasa for the friends, family and co-workers at home. Didn't have to send postcards! We had WIFI most places; Some free, some for a modest fee. Take the laptop.

Great, that is good info!

I love my Dell Mini netbook. It's incredibly light, compact, and the battery life is unbelievable. After 10 overseas trips, I cannot imagine traveling without it. My netbook frees up a lot space in my bag. I use it to store travel documents, pages from guidebooks, ebooks, and maps. I can also use it as a nightlight, white noise machine, stereo system, mini-cinema (in hi-def and widescreen), alarm clock, and make cheap calls back home via Skype. ...and it's smaller than a Bible, and yes I can store a Bible on my netbook as well:) My drive also has every episode of The Office, Battlestar Glactica, NPR's This American Life, and contains my entire music library. It worked great on my 15+ hour non-stop flights from Newark to Beijing and Hong Kong. It's the ultimate multi-media device, like a hi-tech Swiss army knife!

I personally have never traveled with my laptop. I have my iphone and it's been great for checking email, getting text message from the kids back home. The apps for travel were great as well. I just can't imagine traveling with something so valuable, and so heavy. I'm on vacation after all. My photos are fine on my camera until I get home, I take a ton and have never filled a memory card (always have a 2nd card with me anyway) Cons: heavy, expensive
Pros: if you need to work while on vacation, you have your computer.

"Cons: heavy, expensive" I guess it's true for a full size laptop, but my netbook weighs slightly over 2# - about the same as 2 guidebooks - and I paid $250 - less than some iPhones - for it. I not only download pictures, usually the next morning at breakfast, I sort them in folders by date and place, while it's fresh in my mind. I created an expense report form with an Excel spreadsheet, similar to the ones I used to use at work. I have lines for each day and column for categories (accommodations, transportation, admissions, lunch, dinner, beverages, tips). I can tell you how much I spent for meals, drinks, and tips, in Euro (€19,98/day, avg) in 2004. I use these record for estimating the cost of future trips. Although the exchange rate has varied widely, my expenses in Euro have been pretty consistent. Best, I put together a "dummy" expense report with all of my expected expenses (reserved accommodations, transportation, admissions) and meal estimates filled in. I delete an expense when I pay it. This way I know how much the rest of the trip is going to cost me and how much to get at the ATM. I love having a real keyboard. I keep my own personal journal and use the netbook to update my trip report in HTML on my website.

I'm with Ellen. Don't want it, don't need it. If I see a computer in a hotel lobby I'll check my email but I'm not one of those people that has to stay connected. I'm on vacation! The last thing I want to see is the latest Groupon offer or an email forward with baby animals from my parents. My memory card is enough for my camera, I don't watch movies or tv on vacation. I do my research before I leaveI don't want to spend any vacation time googling for a good restaurant. I spend all day at work in front of a computerbringing a computer, for me, would be distinctly UN-vacation like. I would think about exactly what you might need it for, and go from there.

"I do my research before I leave" Then what do you do with it? Do you memorize it? Or leave it at home? I've heard of people bringing looseleaf binders with all their "research". Probably takes more room and weighs more than my netbook, plus it's harder to find things. I do my research before I leave, too. It all goes on one big Excel workbook, with a tab for each place, with maps, adresses, etc and a page for each day of travel, with train schedules, the one I want to make (and usually do) plus alternative schedules, just in case. In 2007, I went through Dinkelsbühl. I had planned a 3½ hr stop, but after 2 hours, I had seen enough. I looked at my schedule and saw there was an earlier (1 hr) bus, so I took it.

There are many positives to having a computing device with you on a trip, but a smartphone might suffice. A full size laptop is simply too bulky. If losing your machine is a concern then check with your agent to see if your homeowners policy will cover theft. You still have to prepare and use your machine correctly for privacy and security issues and that is another reason to have a separate travel computer. It makes usage less convenient, but you have to assume your machine might go missing. The main way I would justify taking a computer is all the paper I wouldn't be taking because I have the books, maps, contact info, etc. in electronic form. Books that aren't available on Kindle I can scan the relevant pages and keep as PDFs; DK Eyewitness guides are a perfect example. That said, the size of the device will dictate whether you will carry it in your day pack or simply use it in the morning, evening, and on the plane and train. Again, load up your expected day pack and spend a day toting it around to see if that's acceptable. In my case, I can't see toting a netbook all day, so the content has to be usable on a smartphone to supplement the one chopped up paper guidebook in my day pack. Being able to use the web and email, notes, look at daily pictures, do backups, etc. is a huge bonus on a trip, but not critical, especially if I can't justify the bulk and weight.

The size and weight are the big negatives. Even a small netbook, MacBook Air, or tablet like the iPad 2 will weigh over 2 to 4 pounds depending on the cover, case, charger, and other accessories you need for it. If you're trying to travel with no checked baggage or plan to change hotel rooms often and will be carrying your luggage, then size and weight can quickly become a concern. Look at http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlist.htm Lay out your travel bag(s) with EVERYTHING that is going with you. Include your day pack. Walk around the block with that stuff. Do the same with your day pack stuff, don't forget your rain jacket or umbrella that might need to fit in there. Same with camera, guidebook, etc. Now, spend a day or two with that. You'll probably need to do that on the weekend, so plan an outing to make it similar to a day while traveling.

Acer... 2lbs. under $300. Don't do anything like keep track of money spent, etc., but I download all my photos daily and then back them up to a small external hard drive. I would never trust just leaving them on a card until I got home. They do fail and it can be impossible or very expensive to retrieve them. Had to travel with full size laptop for years, and this is great.

Jim, > Pros - having a computer is great for checking E-mail, Blogging, Photo storage, storing travel details, checking train schedules, etc. > Cons - depending on the size and weight of your Laptop, could be a bit of a "pain" to haul around Europe. Also, what is the value of the Laptop and do you have any personal or work-related files stored on it? It's a good idea to give some thought on the impact of theft, damage or loss, should that occur. Although I really like my MacBook Pro, I concluded a LONG time ago that there's NO WAY I'm travelling with it! It's too big, too heavy and too expensive. I packed along a Toshiba Netbook on my trip last year, and it will be with me on every trip from now on. There are some "compromises" to consider with a Netbook. The keyboard is slightly smaller, so some adjustment is needed in typing style. The screen is smaller (~10") so that's an adjustment too. Finally, they're designed for long battery life, but the processors lack the "horsepower" for processor-intensive tasks such as gaming or photo processing. I considered Tablets, but chose a Netbook as it provides a good balance between size, weight and functions. As photography is a large part of my travels, I needed at least 250GB HD storage; 64GB of solid state memory just won't work for me. I also prefer to have a standard keyboard. One of the most significant reasons is that the cost was only about $400, so loss, damage or theft won't have as much of a financial impact. Good luck with your decision!

In 2000 I went to Germany with my first digital camera. I paid $100 for a 16 MB memory stick that held less then 50 pictures. I knew I would need a couple more, so I brushed off my old Compaq LTE and took it with me for more storage. It weighed 7½# which soon felt like 75#, but I found so many good uses for it that I knew that was the way to go. I just had to have something smaller and lighter. I found a used NEC Mobilepro on Ebay at about 2½#. That worked well for 3 trips, but I wished it used real Windows software. Then I found a used Toshiba Portege, again under 3#, and used it for one trip before getting a netbook, which I've used for two trips. But, in the long run, it's Jim's choice. He just asked for Pros and Cons. Here is my input: Pros: · Ability to contact home by email (or by Skype) with only WiFi · Ability to find trains schedules if you don't already have them · Backup pictures and sort them while they are still fresh in your memory. · Store and organize information about accommodations, attractions, maps, train and bus schedules. (I plan my trip on my computer. Why shouldn't I bring that information with me as computer files?) · Place to keep a journal · Automated expense report form (Excel) Con:
· (laptop) weight, expense? (Maybe. Many laptops today are fully depreciated) · (netbook) bulk and weight, but probably less than non-computerized alternatives

For those of you with Netbooks, could you share a specific model number, please? When I was looking at Netbooks, if you went with a "full-size" keyboard then they were definitely in the 3 pounds or higher range without accessories and smaller ones were still in the 2.5 pound range. All of them were fairly anemic with 1GB of memory and Windows 7 lite, though the hard drive space was good. Anyway, if you can share a specific model #, I can lookup more data.

I have a Dell Mini. 1 GB of ram is enough for a netbook, as you won't be doing graphics intensive activities on it. On the Windows settings it also helps to lower the visual effect in the control panel of windows. I've had my netbook for a few years now, and the batteries are ending their life span, and it would prohibitively expensive to replace them, so I'm looking to get a new one in the near future. It looks like Dell is getting out of the netbook business as they are now down to just one model. Checking out other manufactures I was very impressed by HP's selection, and specs. I'll probably go with one of their higher-end netbooks because the longer battery life.

@ Kevin, After much research, I decided on a Toshiba NB-305 Netbook. It has Windows 7 Starter, a 250 GB HD, the larger 6-cell Battery and I had 2GB RAM installed. Although I normally use Mac's at home, I've found Windows 7 Starter to be perfectly adequate for the "travel uses" I require. One application that I wanted was MS Office and that works well in a Netbook. The only function it doesn't provide is the ability to use Photoshop Elements, as it doesn't really have the "horsepower". Although I've never tried it, one of the sales people at the computer store is also a Photographer, and he didn't recommend Photoshop in a Netbook. The main weakness with this and other Netbooks is the speakers. I don't find that to be a major problem as I can use headphones or external speakers if needed. Cheers!

"iPad 2 will weigh over 2 to 4 pounds depending on the cover, case, charger, and other accessories you need for it." 1.5 pounds "naked." That is bordering on too light

I would never travel to europe w/o my samsung netbook which I use everyday. Almost all hotels now have wifi which allows me to keep up with what's going on in the USA and my hometown. In addition in europe use the netbook for weather forecasts and this allows me to keep up with my e-mail.

Like Ken, I also use a Toshiba NB-305 on my travels. I took it to Italy a few months ago. It was nothing but wonderful. I did not lug it with me during the day while touring - I left it locked in my suitcase in my hotel room and that was never a problem. I was glad to be able to back up my photos every evening and I also kept a blog for folks back home. I can also understand why someone might prefer not to be "babysitting" a computer while on vacation (I also work in front of a computer all day long in my job at home). But heck, this little Toshiba netbook is so cute, so light and so helpful that I'll probably take it with me on all my trips.

I use an Acer Aspire, I don't know the model number, but I bought it because it still had Window XP installed. ("Windows 7, Never"). Yes, the keyboard is a little different, but after a week in Europe, I acclimate. At least I can feel the keys.

iPad 2 is 1.3 pounds "naked" Battery lasts 10 hours. Small enough to go anywhere with you without noticing the weight. Some jackets even have pockets large enough. Can do word processing, spreadsheets and more with iWork apps. Does email and the web faster than most netbooks. Oh, and they make some apps for it - like several thousand, and many are free. There is a reason it's so popular people are still lining up for it almost a month after its release. The netbooks fans' minds are swimming with snarky remarks right now, but do yourself a favor and at least try it at the store before you decide. There is currently a 3-4 week backlog for delivery when you buy online.

I'm with Randy. I'm buying the ipad2 for my next trip to Europe. While I always take my iphone, and I own a NOOK for my reading material, I'm going to buy the ipad2 so my husband also has an ereader. And I am interested in all the apps for travel (I have some on my phone as well) At 57, almost 58, my eyes aren't what they were, so having a larger screen will be a dream, as will the larger keyboard. If I feel it's necessary, I'll be able to download my photos from my camera to my ipad (I'm happy to leave them on the memory card- never had a problem) but it will be fun to see the photos from each day on a larger screen than the 3" one on my camera. So, I've purchased the ipad2, and am now waiting until April 21 to receive it, can't wait!

At the risk of going sideways on the thread, I'll make some iPad 2 comments. There is definitely a big plus to tablets as far as weight, assuming you don't have a hefty case or accessories for it. My estimate of true travel weight was about 2 lbs with a simple cover, camera connector kit, and charger. If you have an iPhone or iPod as well then you can use the iPad 2 charger for the iPod and iPhone; charging the iPad 2 on an iPhone charger takes a long time. Personally I find it impossible to touch type on the iPad 2 and I'm reduced to using one (if I'm holding it) or two fingers poking at it just like I do on the iPhone. It is actually too heavy to hold one-handed for long periods of time, so my hen pecking is more accurate, but quite frustrating for any long typing (such as this post). If you take a bluetooth keyboard with you then the tablet is a bit of a fail. The pros of apps which have access to local machine resources, unlike things running in your browser is a plus. The downside is that the iPad is a pretty crappy browsing experience compared to a real browser. Part of that will likely be fixed with iOS 5, but that's speculation and won't happen until the fall at earliest. Lack of Flash, tabs, spending a lot of time doing the pinch-zoom gets old pretty fast. And don't get me started on the screen which is unusable outdoors and many other situations. Like a laptop or netbook, the Kindle reader app turns the iPad 2 into a decent short-term reading device while indoors. Kindle 3 with e-ink still wins outdoors and for longer periods as well as on weight. All the other apps for the iPad are obviously a huge win. Tablets are going to get better pretty rapidly over the next couple of years. I'm looking forward to a 7" high-res display (fingers crossed for anti-glare) iPad or Android tablet that I will actually want to carry in my day pack.

Like Lee, I also travel with my Acer Aspire one with Windows XP. I've travelled with it five times to Europe and Asia since December 2008 (when I bought it as a Christmas present and took it to Nice!). It's great to check the weather forecasts, look up train/bus schedules/prices (especially when my plans change), keep up on world news in English, e-mail home, and organize pictures. When I travel with my mother, she types out her journal daily so it's ready to post online when she returns to the US. Cons: makes my "personal item" weigh a ton while flying, I have to carry the cord and an adapter (but it has a converter already), has to be locked up and hidden in hotel rooms.
Another positive: as long as the hotel has wifi, I don't have to go find a place to check e-mail. (And I've met and chatted with fellow travellers in Beijing and Granada as we troubleshot logging on to the hotel's wifi!)

On a recent flight back from Europe last month, another passenger across the aisle from me had an Ipad with him. He seemed very frustrated with it as it was difficult to "prop" it up on the tray table in front of him so he could watch some videos on it. For about an hour I watched him try a bunch techniques to keep from having to hold it up for 2 hours. The closest he came was with the small airline pillow between the tray and the Ipad, but in the end it kept slipping. With my netbook I had none of these problems, simply unfolded it on the tray table in front of me and it stayed put. I'm sure there are stands available for the Ipad, but that's just another thing you have to lug around and keep track of. With my Netbook I didn't have to deal with any of that to watch my videos.

If your laptop is a big 15" 7 lb. monster, think again. A netbook is ok if you have minimal to normal computer needs. An iPad can perform many of the functions a netbook does better, it functions better as an eBook reader, play videos well, turns on fast, long battery life, great apps, document map and pdf reader. If you are really into photography as I am a small computer (13" MacBook Air), multiple small backup hard drives and the iPad 2 are traveling with me for my photo workshop in Italy next month. I have a locking case that I will leave in my hotel room.

"...I find it impossible to touch type on the iPad 2..." And I find it impossible to fly with my toaster. The iPad 2 has a rather large and comfortable "virtual" keyboard under the sheet of glass. Of course you can't touch type on it - there's nothing to feel. Fortunately, most people under the age of 40 never bothered to learn to touch type either, since they never had to sit behind a typewriter and convert their handwritten scribbles to type while keeping their eyes away from their hands. All you have to do is watch people typing email messages with their thumbs on a keyboard the size of a girl scout cookie on their phones to know that this is a non-issue for most people. By comparison, the keyboard on the iPad is huge and a joy to use. While you CAN "pinch & squeeze" on the iPad, it is rarely necessary. A full size web page is readable as is - and probably downloads faster on the iPad (depending on your wireless service) than it does on your home computer. While you CAN use the Kindle app on an iPad, it's not necessary. The iPad comes with it's own eReader app and iBook store. Quibbling about details of the reading experience seem foolish when you try to do ANYTHING ELSE with your Kindle, since it's good for NOTHING ELSE. Meanwhile, the iPad can do almost everything your desktop can (and with the thousands of apps, quite a few things your desktop can't do). But it is true, it can't do everything you might want to do on your home computer. If the only option you can stomach is a mini version of your home computer, then your best option is to get exactly that - a "netbook" if you are a windows person, or a Macbook Air if you are a Mac person. I wouldn't take a full size laptop in any case.

@Ken... You might want to reconfirm the Photoshop Elements thing with someone else... I have a little Acer and have Photoshop CS2 (much larger program than Elements) along with Corel Painter, Slideshow programs, etc. and all run fine. It has Windows XP on it.

A proper case is very important with the iPad so you can position it in different ways for different tasks, typing, reading or watching videos etc. The new iPad 2 cover flips and folds to a stand for several angles. For the original iPad there were many cases with varying functionality. I'm sure there will be many options to come but of any device I have had and I have had many the proper case is of utmost importance.

THe last few versions of PhotoShop, PhotoShop Elelments and LightRoom have a minimum screen resolution that many netbooks do not meet and therefore it will not run on them.

I traveled with my Macbook to London in 2008. It is a 13" notebook computer and weighs just shy of 5 pounds. The only time I had to carry it was to the airport and then from the airport to our apartment. And it stayed there the entire trip. Then I brought it home again. Too heavy? Not really. Useful? Heck yes! I downloaded my photos daily and uploaded them to my smugmug account so my parents and sister back home could see the photos I took every day. Skype for calls back home too. Will bring it again with me this year.

As far as having an eReader with you, the iPad is about the least convenient of your options. It's difficult to hold up for long periods or to find some way to prop it for convenient use. By the time you add some kind of holder or contraption for propping it at a convenient angle you've just about destroyed it's ergonomic value. I can read anything I want using Kindle for PC on my netbook and I can do it hands-free because it is adjustable to any angle while on my lap, while lying in bed, or while seated on a plane. I even prefer it to my Kindle, which I will not be taking with me on my next trip. The Kindle's one advantage is you can use it outdoors. Give me my netbook any day!

@ Terry kathryn, Thanks for the note regarding using Photoshop with Netbooks. I'll continue looking but I've been finding the limitations with screen resolution that Lisa mentioned. I also tried Paint.net but it's been a bit of a disapointment as it won't handle CR2 files. I knew the limitations for photo processing when I chose a Netbook. It works great for so many other functions that I was willing to compromise (and it's so light and easy to travel with)! Since I typically shoot only RAW files these days, being able to covert them to JPEG's (for posting on my Blog or photo site) is my only concern when travelling. I can "get around" the problem to some extent by shooting RAW + JPEG, or by taking a duplicate photo with my P&S. I leave the "heavy duty" processing to do with DXO when I get home and have more "screen real estate" to work with. Cheers!

@Ken...I have a few friends who use the Toshiba Netbook and one is running an older version of Photoshop.. he even hooked up his wacom tablet. That is why I brought it up .Don't know if you might be able to find an old copy of elements laying around, if that would work. Maybe Adobe has a solution? They obviously want everyone using photoshop. I find sometimes while I am away inspiration strikes, and I want to be able to play! No photoshop is one reason I don't think I can go to the ipad.

And how is it that this question always devolves into a debate about Mac versus PC? Jim asked only about the pros/cons of bringing his laptop...he didn't ask about the pros/cons of a netbook versus an iPad 2. He didn't even indicate how his laptop was to be used – work, web, e-mail, photos, etc. So, why do we have all the discussion about spreadsheets? If you're older and prefer clunky technology, go with a laptop or netbook. If you're younger and like cutting edge technology, go with an iPAD 2 or MacBook (get out your wallet, but go with it nonetheless). Original question pros: You're connected. Original question cons: Adds some weight to your carry-on Recommendation: If you need to be or like being connected, bring it. Otherwise, it's perfectly possible to have a great trip without it. I always have either a work laptop or personal MacBook with me on every domestic trip...I don't travel with these on international leisure trips.

You are quite right. This question is often asked & often answered in much the same way - just as dozens of other questions we get here like "What's the best way to see Bath as a daytrip from London?". But personally, I think this one is more enjoyable to deal with because I find technology interesting. The simple fact that the question was asked leads me to think that the person asking is not exactly on the cutting edge of current technology (no offence intended) because if they were, they would have well-honed reasons for needing that technology and wouldn't need to ask the question. To me, this justifies an introduction to the basics of the relatively new technology of netbooks and tablets as being far superior for travel than full laptops. Netbooks are strictly windows devices (though the Macbook Air 11" is essentially a netbook with full size screen resolution and keyboard) and tablets, for all practical purposes anyway, are strictly mac devices. So it's only natural that some snarky mac vs windows antagonism creeps in. It may just be a lot of old, recycled babble to some of you, but I find it much more interesting than "What's the best way to see Versailles?" and I'll bet that Jim from Bayfield has learned at least a little something...

...If you're older and prefer clunky technology, go with a laptop or netbook. If you're younger and like cutting edge technology, go with an iPAD 2 or MacBook (get out your wallet, but go with it nonetheless)...." And by using derogatory terms to label certain devices, and the people you believe use them, you have all but assured that this debate will continue;) Sorry I'd write more this "clunky" mouse is weighing down my arms, and the spark plugs are going in my desktop.

@Gwen Oh come on... The iPad is a great e-reader for anything except sitting out in the sun at the beach or pool. You can have full color maps, copies of all your travel documents, PDF info files. It's hardly heavy, not as light as a Kindle but so multifunctional who cares. I have Rick Steves Books on Florence, Rome and Venice. Several DK top Ten, Time Out Lonely Planet and Rough guides plus some others. IN COLOR!
I have mapping apps, restaurant apps, apps for fun and more. I've had a kindle which is good if all you want to do is read text but it is not good for any illustrated content and the design of the kindle seems so 1990's with over 1/3 of the device taken up by a keyboard you rarely need. The Nook is a closer to ideal of a book reader but the versatility of the ipad with Apps, video, music, books, internet access just makes it an almost perfect device for travel. I call it the never bored machine. It doesn't take anything extraordinary to make it stand up, just a proper case or cover that is well designed. The new iPad 2 cover is really a marvel of design.

This topic keeps coming up, but that's because there are so many changes to what you can do with computing devices while traveling as well as the different forms they take. We have smartphones, tablets, netbooks (MacBook Air), in addition to bigger notebooks. This isn't just about infrequent email or web access, which you can often do on a hotel computer. E-books and especially travel books in digital format as well as specialized travel apps are changing what paper books and printouts we need to bring on our trips. VOIP (Skype), GPS, travel blogging, photo and video backup and image processing while traveling, interactive audio and video guides, etc. are enhancing travel. However, due to size and weight, battery life, screen readability, and when you'll have access to wi-fi or 3G for data, some functions are limited to just your hotel or apartment, while other functions can go with you in your day pack. Knowing what you can and can't do is just as important as your basic packing list. There is no need to jab at one platform or another, people on this forum are quite helpful overall. If you don't have anything to add, then don't hit that Post button.

Kevin is exactly correct. The answer to this question wasn't exactly the same a year ago, or a year before that. And it's not just an issue of the hardware. It's also an issue of how it's used. As an example; We drove a lot in rural France in 2009 and had an excellent Michelin atlas with us the size of an encyclopedia. I love maps. But this was cumbersome, both to carry and to read on the go. Last year we drove for two weeks in rural Germany. But instead of an atlas, I used the maps app on my iPod Touch to get "directions" for each leg of the trip we wanted to go. Since the iPod isn't "3G" and capable of downloading while driving, I took a "screen shot" of each leg of the trip, complete with distance to go, exit number and sign text - as a photo. To drive a leg of the trip, all I had to do was turn the iPod on and open the "Photos" app, and gradually scroll through the maps photos to get where I was going. It was very easy and incredibly accurate and it used a device I would have been taking with me anyway. That's good, efficient use of technology that simply didn't exist in that form two years ago. No need for a stand-alone GPS device.

Well, Apple's not exactly marketing to business people and senior citizens. They're targeting students, Gen X and Gen Y, people into music/photo/video, artsy professions. Look around the next time you pass an Apple Store and observe the average age of their prospects. I'm not in marketing, so perhaps I'm full of crap. And I heard that Dick Cheney uses a MacBook (no spring chicken), but so does the entire current White House staff, so who knows?