Laptop's and the bus

(the one's that go on the road carrying people!)

[Bendy]

I'm thinking about buying myself a laptop - but I'm not sure if the bumps on the bus will be too much for it!
(SERIOUSLY!)

I've seen people on train's using them, but obviously, trains are a lot smoother . . . however the bus I catch is a right old wobbly beast, with knackered suspension and seats that resemble a bed of nails - but the journey is about 40mins each way (and that's a big chunk of the day gone!) - and I figured a lap-top would help pass the time -

But - I have concerns that the hard drive will become rodger'ed pretty quick due to accessing it whilst "bumping".

Is this a concern worth worrying about - or am I just being paranoid? How much abuse can a lap-top take?

[shaadi]

You can throw a Dell Notebooks out your 3rd floor window - I tell you nothing happens :) or just see this - abuse can a lap-top take [business.vsnl.com]

[ritualcoffee]

if you are really worried and have some cash - there are field laptops out there.

[vibgyor79]

Most companies make something called "ruggedized" laptops. They are mostly used by journalists (in the war zone) and army people (in the war zone). Since it looks like you are in a war zone (going by your description), maybe you should consider these laptops.

The most popular one is Panasonic Toughbook. I think Fujitsu also makes these "tough" laptops.

[bakedjake]

I think Fujitsu also makes these "tough" laptops.

They do indeed. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Fujitsu tough laptops are the ones that SBC (the local telco) field workers use. They are big, yellow, and really important looking. They are heavy as heck, too. And most of the ones I've seen run Windows 98, although that's probably a platform choice by SBC.

Seriously, I don't think a bus will hurt your laptop. Most business travelers use laptops on airplanes, and airplanes can be pretty rough at times (especially if you live up north!). Go with a well-known brand and a good warranty, and you won't have any issues. IMHO, laptops are built for travelling, and most of the well-known brands know this and don't want to be stuck with a bad rep or lots of warranty work.

Just as an aside: In my former life as a WAN engineer, I used Dell (consumer) notebooks exclusively. I'm not gentle with my equipment either, and I've never had an issue.

[j_h_maccann]

Some newish IBM ThinkPads come with the "Hard Drive Active Protection System" to protect the hard disk against strong shocks and vibration. Motion sensors monitor the movement of the laptop and temporarily withdraw the disk's heads when a fall or damaging event is predicted. As soon as the machine is stable, normal disk activity resumes. I have one of these, and it seems to work fine without being bothersome.

[Stefan]

I use an old Dell laptop when I'm in the field in Jamaica and I travel on many, many bumpy roads, (bumpy is an understatement). What I use for transporting it is a Pelican Case. The things can have the padding fitted to the exact shape of whatever, they're totally waterproof and air tight and incredibly tough. They're not cheap for the size that will handle a laptop but it's worth it. My laptop has been literally dragged through caves and floated across underground lakes. It still works fine. Of course, I haven't been using it while I've been doing that so maybe this doesn't apply... the Dell Latitude 233 can take a lot of punishment while not running anyway... :-)