Laptops or Netbooks

[Justin Jett]

Hi all,

Question: I have a tray for my wheelchair, but we have not tried the tray in the parks yet. If I wanted to bring a laptop or a netbook into the parks sitting on my tray, would the WDW bag checkers/security allow it?

New idea to add to my wheelchair design.

 

[NC Belle]

I don't have a netbook yet, but I think it would be lighter weight on a wheelchair tray plus a smaller footprint. You may need to consider the key sizing in either forms.

 

[Justin Jett]

Thank you Belle.....

Key size and screen size are very important for my needs. I am thinking of downsizing, but a Netbook may be too small.

I am curious to know if WDW would allow someone to bring a laptop or netbook into the parks.

BTW.....I live in Greensboro, NC.

 

[NC Belle]

We live almost in the heart of Carolina.

I was thinking that you may need to consider that either choice may produce too much heat on the tray itself. You may need to find a special gadget for it to elevate it off the tray (www.tigerdirect.com as an example carries some accessories at decent prices...I saw some at Target). Plus, can you cover/put away either one quickly when it rains?


I don't see computers on the prohibited list ( http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/dress-code.htm#prohibited ), but you can write directly to Disney to confirm ( http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/contact/ ).

 

[Justin Jett]

Elevating the computer is an excellent idea. Thanks! It would also prevent scratching on the tray.

Here is a picture of me with my tray:

 

[thatslygirl]

Hi Justin,

I own the 8.9" Acer Aspire One netbook (1.6GHz Atom N270 Processor, 1GB RAM and 160GB hard drive) and think it's pretty good for traveling. Mine weighs less than 3 lbs. It comes with a 6-cell battery so it can run 3-5 hours without the AC adapter. I haven't had any issues connecting to the internet in places that has free wi-fi (Cosi, Panera Bread, library, etc). I find the size to be perfect, but keep in mind I'm a shortie (5' 1") with small hands. My bf is 6' 2" and even though he likes the netbook I think sometimes it is awkward for him to type on it.

I agree with NC Belle re: gadget to elevate the netbook, as the fans for the Acer Aspire One is located on the bottom of the netbook, so after a few hours it does get pretty hot. The speakers are also located on the bottom so sound kinda sucks but if you have good headphones it is not a big deal.

The only thing I don't like about it is because of the small screen, it can't really be used for hours of computing before your eyes get fatigued. Also I find that it's a lot easier to use if it's propped on some books so you don't have to stare down at the screen all the time. It also doesn't have a DVD drive but I usually put video files on a flash drive. We watched a few episodes of my favorite Chinese drama series on a bus ride from DC to NY. Doubles as a great DVD player. Overall I really like it, and I paid about $295 for a pink one

I don't think Disney security would care if you bring in a laptop... they allow video cameras and lots of kids bring in their DS' and PSP, but I don't know the official rules.

 

[FireDancer]

You are allowed to bring a laptop or netbook into the parks.

As far as which way to go I have a couple of suggestions. First, make sure you know the advantages and limitations of a netbook. A netbook is designed around using offsite processing or cloud computing, like using Google Docs instead of Office. If you are planning on doing anything processor intensive like photo editing or running multiple programs you might find the ATOM processor lacking.

I might also suggest paying a little more for a solid state drive. They are a bit more epensive than a standard hard drive and will be smaller capacity but there are advantages. They boot quicker, run cooler, use less power which is nice when you are running on batteries, and they have no moving parts. If you are going to be running the machine while you are in motion on the chair the no moving parts is nice because the most common cause of hard drive failure in portable devices is from jostling.

If you are planning on getting an XP based netbook instead of a Linux based one I would also look into upgrading to Windows 7 when it comes out. The beta version runs great on netbooks and you will get all the added benefits of the new architecture that you lose when using XP.

 

[lady danger]

I have an Eee PC 1000HD and love it. Very lightweight (about 3lbs) and has a 10 inch screen. I've had an earlier, smaller model netbook of the same brand that had a 7inch display, and the slightly larger model added a lot of keyboard space. Still might be a bit tight if you have big hands, but still pretty easy to handle.