Cheap low-power laptop?

November 13, 2007 12:39 AM

Help point me towards the best laptop for taking into the backcountry...

I will be spending next summer in the backcountry and am looking for the most efficient, low-powered, cheap laptop that I can still word process .doc files on. (I'm a writer). I have a very nice very serious 30W foldout solar panel but my iBook G4 actually uses too many watts to run or even charge directly from that, so I'd have to haul more hardware. I'd rather get something super old, cheap, linux, etc. used or otherwise that's cute and yet can do Word and has a decent keyboard...AND has a SUPER-LONG extended battery life.
Anyone use an XO computer yet? The 1-laptop-per-child project . I could buy one of those and help some poor kid out as well for $400 - so that's the standard to go by. Can anyone recommend me any older model, cheaper thing than that?
No, I don't want one of those one-line-screen typing machines. I want a real computer.

posted by wavejumper to computers & internet (2 comments total)

Oops, I see that this topic has been awesomely addressed. How do I remove my post now?
posted by wavejumper at 1:00 AM on November 13, 2007

FWIW, I ended up getting a NEO, and it's the mutts nuts. Mefi Mail me for more.
posted by Happy Dave at 2:10 AM on November 13, 2007