The Dell dude got a little brother

Fujitsu Lifebook P1510 and its older brother
Dell Inspiron E1405

We have to get a computer on this trip for various reasons. OK, we don't really "have to" but it's the age of all things connected so we need to stay in touch with the world, vicariously, through the magic of Internet Explorer. People like me, grown up with the Internet feel like they don't in fact exist when they stay away from the keyboard for too long.

The main reason to get a computer is to update this blog. I need an Internet connection for it, but in between i-cafe stops I can download pictures from the camera and write some text for later upload.

One other reason is online banking: we'll have to pay the credit card bills and transfer money between accounts and hell knows what else, and I don't really trust any public computer, I've been in this business way too long... Granted, I still have to use somebody's network, and if they don't have a wireless I'll have to beg for a tap. But I want some degree of assurance that my passwords don't go where they shouldn't. I'm not visiting Nigeria but I'll be quite close...

I won this Fujitsu Likebook P1510 on eBay, from the Fujitsu online store. I think they just got the newer models, the P1610 and they were getting rid of the old stock online. I won it for $875, but with tax and shipping it ended up costing around $950.

It's not a power-house but it's just the right thing for the traveller: it has a 1.2GHz Pentium M, 1GB of RAM and 30GB of hard drive, USB, etc. It has integrated 802.11g wireless and an Ethernet port and more importantly, it fits in any kind of backpack without grabbing all the space. This way, if I get really paranoid about hotel theft, I can always take it with me to town in a small day-pack.

I looked at plenty of alternatives before I chose this one, but there weren't many really viable ones. I didn't want to type with the thumbs so the PDA-like newcomers like the OQO model 02 were out of the question; I needed a real keyboard. The problem was that most of the ultraportables, like the Sony Vaio PCG u101 (out of production) are only sold in Japan. You can get some of them from specialized resellers in the United States or private sellers on eBay, but I wouldn't chance it, some of them still have the original Japanese Windows. At least I got a 90-day warranty from Fujitsu and legal software. 'Cause you know, the most reliable thing when travelling around the world has to be your computer...