Ipod Touch or Netbook?

[crusin'2]

I really don't want to lug my laptop along on my upcoming cruise so am looking to buy either an ipod touch or netbook to bring along instead for email access. Any suggestions as to what the better choice would be and why or why not???

 

My daughters are in a big sporting event while I am away and I want to keep in touch with them on how their team did via email until I can speak with them on the phone when we get to St. Thomas.

 

Also, is there cell phone coverage on the ship while still in port in Ft. Lauderdale??

 

TIA!

Lisa

[Colo Cruiser]

I really don't want to lug my laptop along on my upcoming cruise so am looking to buy either an ipod touch or netbook to bring along instead for email access. Any suggestions as to what the better choice would be and why or why not???

 

My daughters are in a big sporting event while I am away and I want to keep in touch with them on how their team did via email until I can speak with them on the phone when we get to St. Thomas.

 

Also' date=' is there cell phone coverage on the ship while still in port in Ft. Lauderdale??

 

TIA!

Lisa[/quote']

 

When in port you will get the appropriate local cell signal.

It has nothing to do with the ship.

I was able to get a (AT&T) signal in FLL pretty much anywhere on the ship.

 

While at sea you can utilize the ship provided link (MCP) at a cost of $2.49 per minute. It will say MCP on your screen when this is activated and its only at sea.

[cruisin36]

To answer your question as to which to buy I would suggest a netbook of at least 10" screen. They can do just about anything a desktop can do. DW and I each have an ASUS 10" which has 160G hard drive, 1 G RAM and a 6 cell battery which gives about 6 hours use time on battery. They can be had for about $300 at Newegg or JR. You can load WORD and make up your messages offline then just past to e mail. This will reduce expensive internet time. I don't know if you can do that with the touch.

 

I am not familiar with your other choice so I have neither any pros or cons for it. I know we get a very good signal in our stateroom, I think better than the internet cafe computers. We will be trying SKYPE on our trip next month.

[redlac]

I ... am looking to buy either an ipod touch or netbook to bring along instead for email access. Any suggestions as to what the better choice would be and why or why not??? Lisa

 

Hello Lisa...

Personally' date=' I find my iPod Touch very cool for taking a movie along (I always take it when my car is being serviced, for example). To use for internet access... I find it's just too small a screen for ease of use.

 

My 10" ASUS Notebook is a perfect size for travelling... the keyboard is smaller than a standard keyboard, but very easy to use. I'm trying something new this cruise... I've downloaded a couple of books to my ASUS to read while we're away.

 

Remember... if you are Platinum or Elite, you should be getting some internet minutes at no charge. If not... I suggest you "gift" yourself some minutes, in advance, for the best price. Check out the website Onboard Experience Communications to see the prices.

 

Once onboard the ship, you can connect to the internet, download your emails, then disconnect from the internet as you read your emails and compose your replies. Then connect again, to send. Shipboard internet can be slow...so it helps to be as economical as possible with your minutes!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

__________________________________________

ADDENDUM

I see another ASUS recommendation... excellent! Don't rely on using Skype onboard the ship... many people report that Princess blocks Skype onboard, as it uses too much bandwidth.

__________________________________________

[cruisin36]

Never mind - wrong thread

[sail7seas]

We bring a Acer Netbook with six hour battery that we love for travel. So lightweight but yet big enough screen and keyboard to make using it practical.

 

[Colo Cruiser]

Never mind - wrong thread

 

 

Never minding.

[kitty9]

I had my iTouch on a cruise last week, and it could not be used on the ship---I have no idea why, but the guy in the computer center said using the Touch as a computer cannot be done on the ship----something about blocking. I could use my Asus with absolutely no problem.

[asctony]

I had my iTouch on a cruise last week, and it could not be used on the ship---I have no idea why, but the guy in the computer center said using the Touch as a computer cannot be done on the ship----something about blocking. I could use my Asus with absolutely no problem.

 

You have web capability, so why not. The iPhone has a cell phone capability, whereas the iTouch does not. Both are the same basically with WiFi capability. I use my iPhone to access the Web on the ships all over the ships. Don't understand this at all.

[crusin'2]

Thanks for all of the help!!! :)

Lisa

[luvs2travl]

We have the ASUS Netbook -got it at Best Buy - and it is great to travel with. DH has PhotoShop loaded on it as well as MicroSoft Office; we use it to download our digital photos & keep up with e-mails & such when traveling. MUCH lighter-weight than our laptop and it fits comfortably in a backpack. It's also easy to take it ashore to fine a "hot spot" if you choose to do that. We just love it! :D

[Quincella]

What about the new iPad? Not that expensive, all the bells and whistles (and then some) of the iPod Touch but with a bigger screen like the netbook.

[MrChuckFL]

I have a small netbook (Asus EEE) that I picked up for $199 that I take with me. It is small enough to toss in the beach bag when going ashore. Once ashore I find a bar with free wifi and check my email and upload any photos and have a few drinks.

 

I also load a few movies on it and I can watch them on the plane or in the cabin if it rains.

[thinfool]

You have web capability, so why not. The iPhone has a cell phone capability, whereas the iTouch does not. Both are the same basically with WiFi capability. I use my iPhone to access the Web on the ships all over the ships. Don't understand this at all.

 

I agree...I have a Palm TX (pda) that I use onboard. It retrieves email just fine.

 

That is, email using an email client, not a webmail interface. I have to agree that screen size would be a problem if using a webmail interface. But the standard email client in an iTouch or an iPhone should work just fine.

 

As for the dude on the ship who said it wouldn't work, I think he was covering his lack of knowledge.

 

For anyone trying skype on the ship, know that it may be blocked and, if not, will be very slow. Take your netbook to an internet cafe in a port for good skype service.

[snowskier]

ITouch for sure, if all you want to do is email. I have a netbook but don't take it on a cruise ship. No problem connecting the ITouch on either Princess or Carnival.

 

You can put the ITouch in your pocket, take it into the port and connect while wandering around -- usually for free. Download your email, put the ITouch back in your pocket and read your email later. I don't have to hang around an internet cafe reading my email since it is on the ITouch once it is downloaded.

 

Since I don't carry a netbook around a port and connecting for free when I can makes sense it is an ITouch for me.

[Pat.D]

I usually travel with my Acer netbook, but mostly using it as photo vault to download photos off my cameras nightly.

 

Pat

[kitty9]

You have web capability, so why not. The iPhone has a cell phone capability, whereas the iTouch does not. Both are the same basically with WiFi capability. I use my iPhone to access the Web on the ships all over the ships. Don't understand this at all.

 

Believe me, I don't understand it either. Maybe it's because it's the iTouch and not the phone? No matter how many times I tried to sign in using my ID from the ship's computer center, it would not work, but it did work for my Asus and the wifi in the cabin.

[asctony]

Believe me, I don't understand it either. Maybe it's because it's the iTouch and not the phone? No matter how many times I tried to sign in using my ID from the ship's computer center, it would not work, but it did work for my Asus and the wifi in the cabin.

 

Anytime you have a problem with WiFi go see the Internet Manager. They normally are available in the Internet room and are very helpful. Did you take your iTouch to that person and ask for help? In reality there is not that much difference between the iTouch and iPhone other than Cell phone capability. Most of the apps and everything else are the same.

[chipmaster]

Touch is a great music player, movie viewer and even game platform. As anything but a quick internet viewer I'd pass. The screen is small, the keyboard is cumbersome. For anything but the shortest messages it will be very slow and painful IMHO.

 

A netbook for the same price gives you full feature internet and small full keyboard. You still need a case, charger, external mouse, but you are likely looking at 5lbs total versus 10lbs for a full size laptop.

 

I really don't want to lug my laptop along on my upcoming cruise so am looking to buy either an ipod touch or netbook to bring along instead for email access. Any suggestions as to what the better choice would be and why or why not???

 

My daughters are in a big sporting event while I am away and I want to keep in touch with them on how their team did via email until I can speak with them on the phone when we get to St. Thomas.

 

Also' date=' is there cell phone coverage on the ship while still in port in Ft. Lauderdale??

 

TIA!

Lisa[/quote']

[souyouki]

What about the new iPad? Not that expensive, all the bells and whistles (and then some) of the iPod Touch but with a bigger screen like the netbook.

 

Apple's iPad site (http://www.apple.com/ipad/) has more information about the iPad, but the two major differences between it and the iPod touch that came to the top of my head is that the iPad is said to support 3G connectivity (which will allow you to access the Internet anywhere there is 3G network support, so you don't have to search for Wi-fi hotspots, assuming that you have some kind of data plan from your mobile provider); also, iPad will support e-books, as a competitor to Amazon's Kindle.

 

For the OP: How long are your e-mails usually? If it's fairly lengthy, then go with a netbook (and I'm typing this post on an iPod touch) Otherwise, the iPod is much lighter to carry around. Some other considerations are:

 

1) How long will you need to access the Internet for? The iPod touch's battery life, if you turn Wi-fi on all the time which I do not recommend, is about 3~4 hours (and longer if you turn off the Wi-fi when you don't need to use it) I'm not the owner of a netbook, so I don't know what the typical netbook battery life is like.

2) Are you planning to move photos that you've taken on your camera to your computer at the end of every night? If that's the case, the netbook wins hands-down because they have USB ports where you can hook up either your camera or an SD card reader.

[crusin'2]

Emails will be fairly short and I will not be downloading photos as I have a 8G SD card for my camera which will be more than enough storage space. So basically I just need it for a few quick emails up and back with my kids. I plan on creating an email account only for them to contact me on this trip so I don't have to wade through tons of email that I'm going on vacation to get away from! ;)

 

I'm leaning toward the ipod touch because of its very small size and also my use for it after the cruise...something to keep in my purse for quick internet access when without my laptop, along with the ability for it to hold my calendar, contacts, etc. Never thought I would have a use for one, but as I see more of what they do, I think I could learn to like one of those! LOL!

 

Thanks again to all of you for your input! It's greatly appreciated!

 

Lisa

[Pat.D]

crusin'2 ... I also use large cards in my cameras (16 and 32gb cards), but when traveling I download the photos nightly to my netbook for security reasons. Having all your photos on one card can be disastrous if you lose your camera, or it is stolen or if the card gets corrupted (which happens more than people think). I find a netbook is cheap insurance, and as a bonus I can check my email via wifi.

 

I also carry an iPhone (wich is the same as an iTouch + a phone and GPS, I've had both) but as mentioned earlier the screen is tiny, it's a pain to type on it and the wifi can be quirky at times and has more limited range than a netbook.

 

Of course the iTouch/iphone is nice on its own as a great media player and there are thousands of apps (free and cheap) on the itunes store, many of which I find very useful!

 

Pat

[kitty9]

I have a question about the iTouch. Where do you download movies and are these movies streamed so you have to be connected to the internet to watch? Can you download the same way you download movies on the iPod?

[abaci]

I have a question about the iTouch. Where do you download movies and are these movies streamed so you have to be connected to the internet to watch? Can you download the same way you download movies on the iPod?

 

 

You download the movies from the itunes store. Most new release full lenght movies are$15 and shows are cheaper. They do have free episodes of shows sometimes and also free music videos. And no you do not have to be connected to the internet. They are stored on the iPod touch. You can also rip movies into the correct format and then put them on the ipod. Movie studios would prefer you only rip movies you have actually purchased on dvd ;), and then you will still have to download stuff to get around their security. (now lets not debate the whole ripping movies argument)

 

I am a little confused about the last question, as it appears you know how to do it for an iPod classic or nano, but then ask about how you download for a touch. If you have used another type of iPod....well it would be excactly the same, just a much cooler device.

 

 

as far as the person who said just get the iPad..........That is not even in stores yet, and as of a few weeks ago they were not even in the apple store to play w/ yet. The iPad prolly wont be purchasable until September or some time in the fall. Just before Christmas so kids can beg their parents for them as gifts

[kitty9]

My second question was because with the iPod, you have to connect it to your computer, and I was wondering if it was the same process. So, if I have a number of movies from iTunes already on my Apple computer, I was wondering if I connected the iTouch to the desktop, would the movies transfer to the Touch. I don't have the 3G version of iTouch, just the regular one, with the wifi. So I'm guessing I could just to to iTunes via wifi and download movies just like I did with the apps.