My question is ,if you watch a movie in the
>sleeper with the truck moving and bouncing will the laptop
>drive gets messed up.
Yes, it could get messed up that way. Or it might do just fine. If you are watching a DVD movie, note that your hard drive will be running too. That is more fragile and critical than the DVD drive.
We've been running an HP laptop in trucks for over a year and it's still plugging along. But we also bought an extended service plan when we bought the computer. We bought it from CompUSA which has stores and repair facilities nationwide. As a former computer consultant, I'm fully capable of diagnosing and repairing my laptop. But I bought a service plan because I fully expect the computer to crap out on me in relatively short order. The service plan gets me a replacement computer fairly easily and inexpensively.
Laptops are made for office people that take their work home with them and fly on airplanes and connect to the Internet from hotels. A truck is a much harsher environment. In addition to the vibration you mentioned, there are temperature extremes. When you are out of the truck (no heating or air conditioning, engine off) and the computer is in, Arizona summers and Minnesota winters put consumer electronics it to the test.
If using your computer while the truck is in motion, place it on a lap desk that you can buy at any office supply store. That puts the computer on a hard, flat surface, which is important for air flow and cooling. Then place the desk on a pillow and the pillow on your lap or the bed, or wherever you want it to sit as you watch your movie.
>Also any advice on wifi systems will be appreciated, are
>there free hot spots etc.I know the truck stops all are set
>up for WiFi but I was curious about the cost.I would
>probably like to pay as you go basis rather then locking in
>a monthly fee. I have heard about Sprint offering coverage
>anywhere on their network and also T Mobile but the cost
>seemed high.Thanks in advance.
Wi-Fi is fine if you want to go to truck stops or hunt down hot spots to get on the Internet. We favor the cellular access you refer to. It costs us $80 a month for unlimited access. At this moment I'm sitting in the truck behind a shopping mall as we wait for Dallas rush hour traffic to clear, and I'm on line. At other times, I've been on line for hours at a time as we drive down the Interstate. That's well worth the money.
I can't say for sure, it may be even cheaper than truck stop plans if you are on line a lot.
