[at-l] trail related computer question

[bullard@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Jim Bullard)]

At 09:18 PM 3/27/2003 -0500, Casey Jaymes wrote:
>For me, considering I'm smashed 3 palm screens, this item is a necessity
>to take my brand spankin' new Axim with me:
>
>http://www.otterbox.com/technology.html

Excellent suggestion. Bean's has similar see-thru watertight boxes.
Although heavier than Zip Locks these are more secure moisture protection
and anyone carrying electronic doohickies has already chosen convenience
over lightweight.

>I'd also take a CF modem with me for ISP access and maybe a Ethernet
>10/100 card for those rare occasions a network is available.
>
>I wouldn't even think about trying to find electricity on the trail,
>though my Axim's battery is very good. ...clip...
>
>http://www.pocketpcmag.com/Sep02/solar.asp

Given that the AT is frequently referred to as "the long green tunnel" and
town stops are (or can be) fairly frequent I wonder how practical solar
recharging would be as an AT thru-hike option. The DELL site doesn't say
how long the Axim will run between recharges but my Palm runs several
months of intermittent use on AAA batteries (never over an hour/day). I
would think carrying a couple of spare rechargeable batteries and charging
them all during town stops would be less bother.

>...clip...However, the axim does not now, and most likely never
>will, support SDIO peripherals such as the Toshiba Bluetooth card that I
>almost ordered. Dell would have to do some mighty impressive finagling
>with the hardware & bios on them to get something like that working.

According to the DELL site, one of the customizations available for the
Axim is Bluetooth connectivity. I admit to knowing next to nothing about
Bluetooth but why do you say the Axim doesn't support it?


>Probably a little TMI, but this is a subject near and dear to my heart
>:) .
>
>Casey