computer help please.,.,

[sofa----king]

my parents are going back to cyprus.,in 4 weeks.,.,what can you recomend???/./
 
they want a laptop that
 
built in web cam
get online wirless thingy .,like the vodaphone thing i got .,.,will it work out there?
15 inch screen
they have no wireless router or anything out there so it will all have to be done with a.,.,3g?or something similar.,do they get this set up here?or out there?

thanks for any help

[The_nun]

James, Just go to CAT SYSTEMS repair shop in Huddersfield. It seems one can just walk in, pick any they fancy and walk out free of charge...
 

[brummieboy]

Sofa,

I was going to take my Vodaphone card with me to Vegas, i'm on the unlimited usage deal but this doesn't cover abroad, told it was something like $10 a minute in the US so think this might not be the best option for your mum.

 

[sofa----king]

Sofa,

I was going to take my Vodaphone card with me to Vegas, i'm on the unlimited usage deal but this doesn't cover abroad, told it was something like $10 a minute in the US so think this might not be the best option for your mum.

 

surley they got got wireless stuff in us or europe that they can connect to?

[Nem]

Are they going back to Cyprus for good or on holiday?

Surely there must be t'internet over in Cyprus.

[Longines]

If they buy the laptop here I expect it will be much cheaper than buying it over there. However, any warranty issues will be a problem.

Restricting yourself to a built-in webcam is going to severely limit your choice and up the budget. Why not buy a £500 Dell and put a designed-for-a-laptop £50 Logitech webcam on the top?

Vodafone Cyprus (http://www.cytagsm.com.cy/default.asp?id=306) do the 3G cards but it's CYP£45 + VAT for 1GB/month. Each 20MB beyond that costs CYP£1. Will get very expensive if that is their only method of net access, given I assume you're going to be using that webcam a lot for MSN.

Domestic ADSL costs a total of about CYP£18 to CYP£42 + VAT per month depending on the speed you want. It looks like you need to pay the phone line company for an ADSL enabled line and then pay an ISP for the net access.
See http://www.i-choice.cyta.com.cy/english/timologio.php for the phone line costs details and http://www.cytanet.com.cy/Services/connectivity/price/index.html#via%20NetRunner for an example ISP.

Hope that helps.

[Royal Flush]

Are they going back to Cyprus for good or on holiday?

Surely there must be t'internet over in Cyprus.

There is, Cytanet.

[TheWhisper]

HP do a good range with built in webcams, I borrowed a couple recently and they really are the business
http://h41306.www4.hp.com/itemDetails?SID=7637bacfe071d149790d5f1fd91fbc90d79:1223&sku=RW773EA

[CRIPPIN]

best webcam i've seen is my kids using the platstation eye toy thing. sometimes hard to get the drivers but the picture is fantastic.

you'll need a teccy to explain more!!!!!!!!!!

[RichEO]

Are they living in a built up area in Cyprus? Do you have any idea what the 3G signal coverage is there? If there is no 3G coverage then the connection will be just gprs and will be slow, dial up or slower speeds. Any mobile network connection will be expensive compared to a broadband connection too. If its a permanent or semi permanent move then definately broadband is best. (but i know nothing about cyprus' infrastructure...)

Acer do some nice laptops with built in cameras. Not exactly ultraportable but good performance. I would highly recommend this laptop and the company (if i'm allowed to do that!) bought a couple of things from them http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_9301AWSMi_Laptop_LX.AWP0X.054/version.asp

As for a built in webcam, yes they are limited in that you can buy an external one with a higher quality, but most people who buy one of those end up not using it cos they don't get it out of the bag and connect it everytime, so I see that as a good choice. The Acer one works well, it was a little dark at first but there is a brightness setting which is easy enough to use.


Rich.