those puppies can get up to 10 pounds total weight. ive actually read bad things about them though i cant remember what they are. a lot of returns i believe. when buying a laptop for my sister i passed on it because of the reviews lets say you make more than 1K a day then it's well worth spending extra to get something reliable. if you avoid at least one down day because of the laptop then it's worth it
I wrestled with this issue many times myself and came to this conclusion as well. I spent a lot of time and effort getting my home network stable and the idea of having to find a stable connection out in "the world" would make me uneasy. As long as your home network is stable and your automated just log in with one of the many programs (someone mentioned gotomypc, good enough) I think is best. Gave me the comfort I was looking for..........
By the way if you go the route of logging into your home pc you'll be able to use one of the many light "netbooks" now available and save yourself some $$ on the laptop side of the equation. Check out newegg.com for some excellent models anywhere from $299 on up
Many traders desire more monitors while trading. Of course it depends on the individual. One screen works for you? That's great. Some people trade on an I-phone and they love it. Whatever works. I didn't realize you are traveling through Europe as the original post didn't indicate such. Yes agree travel light is more desired over there.
I've used PC laptops for several years for trading while travelling, and now use a Macbook Pro. Here are some observations: 1. Cost - go for the best you can afford. If you are bringing down 1k+ per week, then it is silly to try to save 500-1000 by getting a cheaper laptop. Max out your chip & RAM, and get a laptop with a good solid feel. 2. 17/18" laptops are too heavy for proper travel IMO. If you are just staying in one place for a week or two, then ok, but otherwise I would go for a 15.4" widescreen if you can get enough trading windows on your computer desktop. A <3kg laptop is so much nicer to carry around. 3. Ergonomics are really important. Try before you buy. I love the Mac keyboard and touchpad for example. Never get a laptop without a touchpad - trying to use a trackball or point is a pain in the ass. 4. Gear: consider getting a good travel mouse, and bring a backup battery, charger, and a couple of long ethernet cables. 5. Choice of venue - go for business hotels, or higher-end boutique/name hotels. You need good service so that if your net connection plays up, they can fix it fast. And the business or more expensive hotels will not be getting some cheap-ass wifi that cuts out or runs slow. This is especially important once you are out of N America or Europe. Always use a wired connection if possible, wifi should be only used as backup. 6. Support/warranty - choose a larger manufacturer that has good customer support. 7. If you are going to use it in more rugged environments, consider getting a Panasonic Toughbook, they are pretty resilient. Personally I only trade from hotels, net cafes, and rented houses/apartments, I am not going to trade on a beach or something. 8. Bring a PDA/Smartphone as backup in case your laptop or the net connection goes down, have your broker's emergency order number on your phone memory, and if you have some PDA trading apps then install and test them before you go. For example, Bloomberg do a good free app for the Iphone. 9. Remember to keep your laptop in a safe in your room or behind the front desk, since losing it could cost you a fortune in missed profits. Always carry it on board on planes. 10. If necessary, inform your broker & cellphone provider that you are travelling. You don't want your phone getting cut off because you spent $300 on phone calls, just when you need to phone in an order. Basically, go for something that is a pleasure to trade from - pay up for quality, reliability, ergonomics, and customer support. Lastly, have fun! There is nothing quite like popping into a net cafe or trading poolside, paying for your vacation in one day and then banking coin for the rest of the week while everyone else is getting sunburn or reading shitty paperback novels.
Since the cost of a missed day could easily be over $2k, it's a false economy to save money for a travelling trading computer. A good machine will last 2-3 years before getting too slow/obsolete, that is 700 per annum for a top laptop vs 350 for a cheapie. 350 a year is nothing. About the remote PC, I would not rely on this - if your PC back home crashes, freezes, or gets a power cut then you are in trouble. I'm also wary of the security issues of allowing your home PC to be accessible online, you are just asking to be hacked and for a trader that could wipe out your account. I'd also be concerned with lag/latency, which is important if you daytrade. Regarding extra monitors, I would never carry one travelling - travel light. Lugging around a 17" monitor in addition to your laptop will be a nightmare. Instead, just borrow a monitor from the hotel if possible, or buy a cheap one out at your destination for $100-200 for your trip and then sell it back when you leave.
That may not be a factor. In my experience you have to have it fixed in the country you purchased it in. So either plan on a local repair out of pocket or bring/buy a spare. If you aren't staying in one place very long, moving around a lot, it's not too realistic to get it fixed. Or you send it to one place for repair and have them FedEx it to your next stop. Been there done that. At least with a remote PC setup you have a backup plan, assuming you can access it from a business center computer in the hotel.
Keeping at the front desk is not always safe, dad had once a laptop gone "missing" and another one tampered with. After that he thought it was better to use two pelican boxes: one as his "suitcase" and the other as "carry on luggae" which held his laptop. In the room he would take a stainless steel wire with two eyelets and use that with a padlock to lock his two pelican cases together and keep the laptop in the large suitcase. No cleaning staff walking away with that! Sometimes he had it attached to something heavy. Most of the times thefts are opportunity thefts and you cannot stop someone who is dedicated. But he could not see someone smuggling in cutting tools. Never had a problem afterwards (and most thought he had diving gear in the suitcases) Maria