Small laptop or whathaveyou for travel

[djchapple]

I will be going to New Zealand for a couple of months and I would like to be able to keep in touch with the outside world via emails and the Internet.

We have two 15" laptops but these are large and heavy so we are thinking about getting a small device and a cheap (?) 10" type comes to mind.

I do have a 3g dongle but I have no idea of th cost using these down under nor do I have any ideas of the availability of wifi hot spots.

I would very much appreciate your help with general and specific advice with this problem.

 

[kimsland]

You can purchase a prepaid Internet service for your laptop, just contact Telstra, or walk into and PostOffice (really everyone sells them)

If you are considering purchasing a 10" screen laptop, and going over-seas, then you are best to purchase duty free, or purchase directly in NZ (seeming you will need the proper power adapter anyway - 240Volts)
Just walk into any large store like K-mart, and buy one.

 

[The_Other_One]

Look into some netbooks. These little guys should do well for what you want. I recently got myself a little Acer D150 and love it. Depending on what cell service you have, someone may offer one for fairly cheap that also has an internal mobile broadband card.

Your best bet is to look into what your cellular service offers first. Verizon apparently offers oversea's service, but I've not looked into others right off. I'm sure it'd be the cheaper alternative than getting another service for a few weeks/months while you're gone.

New Zealand does use special plugs as kimsland hinted at, but confirm you need a power converter first. Most all laptop power connectors today are auto-switching and work fine anywhere given the correct plug. Just look on the power adapter for something like 110-240v, 50-60hz. If it does not have this, I'd suggest looking for a new power supply meant to handle these 230v/50hz. Most converters (at least the ones I've seen) aren't meant to be used for extended periods of time.