"rb" <rbig@bellsouth.net> hath wroth:

>I'm totally a newbie regarding laptops.

Think of them as a portable desktop.

>I'm thinking of buying one to take
>on an extended tour to the Mid East.

Make sure it can handle Hebrew or Farsi depending on which side of the
wall you plan to visit.

>I'm wavering between buying a new one
>for maybe $475 or so, and one on Ebay for half that.

You won't find anything new for $475 that's worth buying. It's
difficult to a generalized recommendation, but I don't think you can
buy anything new I would consider reasonable for less than about $800
(including wireless).

>My questions involve the huge volume of laptops for sale on Ebay. If it
>doesn't say its wireless equipped, does that mean it probably isn't?

Wireless can easily be added to any laptop with a USB or PCMCIA
wireless card. Some laptops have a MiniPCI slot inside that can
handle *EITHER* a modem card, ethernet card, or wireless card. For
wireless, make sure the manufacturer offered wireless as an option or
it might not work.

I've bought laptops on eBay without difficulties. However, I simply
assume that the included battery will be almost dead and need
replacement. That's about $150 depending on source and vintage. For
hard disks that are over 5 years old, assume that is also dead. In
most cases, RAM may also need to be added to run the latest bloatware.

>With wireless equpped laptops, is it as simple as turning the laptop on and
>then connecting to the internet, if I'm in an area with wireless hot spot
>coverage?

Nothing is that simple. There's a "view available connections" ordeal
followed by encryption passwords. Most hot spots have a legal
disclaimer that you must approve. Some charge money and want an
account name and password. It's difficult to tell what you will run
into in the "mid east".

Also, be advised that difference countries have different wireless
frequency and power regulations which must be accomidated in your
wireless configurations.

Most laptops have universal power supplies that will run on anything
from 90-250 VAC at either 50/60Hz. However, you will need a power
plug adapter.

>What about the cards I read about that some seem to require? How do I know
>what kinds and how many I need?

Nope, I don't know without first knowing the make and model of laptop.
In general, if it doesn't have wireless built in, a PCMCIA wireless
card will work on all but the most recent laptops which have a
different slot. There are also 16 bit PCMCIA and 32 bit Card Bus
slots, which also depend on the laptop.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558