I have dsl - but my isp told me I can get a local dial up number anywhere I am - of course its with the phone lines so slower (she could get hotmail etc free too).... is there a way to talk to the hospital telecom department - they are probaby the best people who would know if the outgoing phone lines are set up to at least make unlimited local calls...........

I think you can use Aim it's free e-mail with telephone line same
think as hotline. Sorry hubby i forgot you were a sweetie pie. You
deserve some it's hard to see someone you love in
so much.pain.Bless you both, remember we love her to.. Sue

Yes, you're right. As long as they have a phone jack she can access she can dial in to any internet service provider she chooses to subscribe with. I work at a call center for an ISP, among other things.

I do not know of any hospital that could survive without access to the internet....all docs and most medical professionals use it on the job...hey I worked at a clinic where some of the staff would access "overstock.com' on their 'breaks'...I thought that was kind of unprofessional, but, anyway, all hosptials have access, however, they may limit it to patients. She might ask to use the hospital library. I would think they would understand people have to keep in touch online...it is how we live now a days! If she is going to be there any length of time, this needs to be pursued!! There is no way this hospital is unplugged, unless it is Amish affliated. (No I am not offending any religious group---it is just as far as I know, they have remained off the grid....my humor hasn't.)

I *know* all modern hospitals are connected but do they allow patient access? Some hospitals room phones are hardwired to the connection. That is, they aren't connected using a standard phone jack. In that case I don't know how she would gain access.

Depending on the area the hospital is located in it's also possible to hit a hot spot from another wireless provider outside of the hospital.

I spoke briefly with Billye just as she was being taken to PT. She says her hands and fingers are trembly and jerky and she doesn't think she could use a keyboard or mouse. Also, her eyes are extra dry because of her meds. She really wants me to NOT get her the laptop, and says she would not be able to use it. She says her husband is worried that his laptops belong to a client, not himself, and that if he brought it to her it might get stolen.

kmeb, has done a lot of research on this and has found that Billye can get dialup from the hospital phone, and that a Circuit City about 50 miles away would deliver and get her going with a laptop. She's come up with a few choices of machine:

Toshiba Satellite 15.4" Widescreen Notebook PC (A135-S4527) $629.99 after 20 bucks savings and 100 mail in rebate

Acer Aspire 15.4" Widescreen (5100-3357) $649.99 after 100 rebate (slower then other computers)

Sony VAIO 15.4 (VGN-N320EB) $799.99 after rebate

HP Pavillion 15.4 (A135-S4527) 629.99 and after 20 savings and 100 rebate

they all have wireless capability - manu warranty - WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM AND DVD'S AND CDS, 1 GIG RAM

I don't know what to do at this point. Billye is a very humble person in the best way. I think she is just trying to put me off, but I'm stymied as to whether i should respect her request to NOT get her a laptop, or just do it, hoping folk chip in, which I'm pretty sure will happen. I did think it would be less expensive, however, so I'm a bit surprised.

Any thoughts? What is the right thing for us to do here?

Check out the Dell website.... nice ones for about $500.

But if Billye says "no" I would respect that. She may be too frazzled to deal
with it all (I would be).

Vista is a flop and cannot be used with many existing programs and printers and other peripherals...most have to buy all new stuff!
Dell is now offering Windows XP instead of Vista for this reason for those who request it.
http://www.dell.com/content/products...=19&l=en&s=dhs
Inspiron

Inspiron available with Windows XP
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/s...=19&l=en&s=dhs
Don't believe the hype/graph.... XP is still what people should get. Vista has no drivers to connect to your peripherals, etc.

I have been out of town and out of touch and was so dismayed when I read that Billye was hospitalized. I feel so sorry for her as I know the road ahead will be rough and Billye will certainly need all you good people of the PN community! What a great group of friends!

Having gone through something similar with my spouse a couple of years ago, I'm guessing that Billye is being kept very busy in PT and when she is not there, she is more than likely resting. She may have an hour or two to kill in the evening but if she complains of problems with her sight and shakiness in her hands, she probably won't want to deal with a new laptop right now.

HOWEVER, she will more than likely be facing a long recovery at home and, at that point, may feel up to getting connected. I have a laptop for my bedroom (I'm using it now) even though we have a PC in our den. I can rest my feet (and body) while taking care of my internet business or just surfing the net. I love it and I'm sure Billye would as well.

What about a refurbished laptop? They are generally less money and still carry a guarantee.

Liza Jane - please give Billye my best.

Sincerely;
Nancy H.

I know lots of people have good luck with them - but Dell finally gave me my money back on the inspiron I got last year from them after 6 defective hard drives (and an incredible amount of stress on my part loading and reloading and reloading software) (and hundreds of phone calls overseas holding for hours to reach no resolve)..... and I got an (open box) HP that is behaving just fine.... I got a new system just when everyone switched to Vista beginning of year - was a fun program but my ISP was not ready for it so switched back to XP..... now they all are .... Dell is the only one could find now still selling XP - but as long as your MS programs arent real old (most of mine are) - the other programs have upgrades you can typically download.....

Another consideration - service - can you get it locally or do you have to mail in.... Had another laptop several years ago that had to be mailed for service instead of going to local store - it was broken by the shipper but I had to fight for a month to get the money for the system so I could replace that one!

But bottom line - its up to Billye - hoping she feels well enough to get back on line soon - we miss her.....

Well, check Dell. They have laptops for about 500.00 I think it is. Have you tried putting it to her straight, that is, and ask her outright if she really doesn't want access to a laptop right now or if she's just saying that. Tell her to cut to the *real* chase. This is important for her healing process...at least that's what I'm getting from your posts.

One other note: Please, try to get her something with XP instead. Vista is so not ready for prime time. I'm a MS beta tester. I have to decide in the next 10 days whether to install a final version of Vista or go back to XP pro. Guess what I'm doing?