JWise

Just acquired a ST2 from Jim. I have a 3yr old Sony Vaio laptop with Intel Centrino Duo Core 2.0GHz running Vista, but it's pretty big and doesn't have much battery life to speak of so I'm considering alternatives.

A search didn't turn up any threads, just some passing references within some posts. The Asus Eee PC was mentioned by Ken and Jim, but that was two years ago and things have progressed. Furthermore, the 10" screen Asus comes in about a dozen different models and I don't know where to begin to narrow that down.

I'm running a Netgear dual band wireless-N gigabit router here at the house. I wondering:

• What specs should I look for?
• Will Sharktuner run on Windows 7?
• Anything else I should consider?
• Recommendations?
• Should I just save my money and run it with the Sony I currently have?

Thanks in advance. Oh, Asus does have a Lamborghini model whose awesomeness tempts me greatly:

http://usa.asus.com/Eee/Eee_PC/ASUSA...NI_Eee_PC_VX6/

John Speake

I just bought a Samsung Netbook N145 plus, mainly for it's excellent battery life (8 hours).

Just the job for SharkTuning. It runs Windows 7 and no problems with the SharkTuner software.

tonka858

might look into this
http://www.amazon.com/Transformer-TF...6686061&sr=8-2

Up to 9.5 Hours Battery Life

John Speake

You need a good keyboard for ST usage - I don't think a tablet would work ?

Bill Ball

I use an original model Acer Netbook (Aspire One). Very handy in the car and perfectly legible with its 8.9" screen. I use a car charger when mobile, wall charger on the dyno, although I bought a 6-hour battery that works well. I've done tuning sitting in the passenger seat while George Suennen has been running at 145 MPH. Obviously, it's best to just collect logs, then analyze them later, rather than at 145 MPH.

Newer Netbooks have larger screens, but this little guy seems perfect. The only accessory I've bought, beside a slip-case, extended life battery and car charger, is an external USB CD/DVD drive (~$30-40 on eBay, WalMart, elsewhere) per chance you need to load some software that is only on CD/DVD. Otherwise, it has everything you need.

Newer models are the same except slightly larger with larger screens. The Acer Netbooks usually get higher marks than competition, like ASUS or HP, due to their better, near-fullsized keyboards. As John said, you will find you need the keyboard, although in theory the virtual keyboard on a tablet would work.

The Acer Aspire One 8.9" is NLA new, but the 10.1" still is available and is very inexpensive. For example:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-10.1-...i_sku=16352472

I would recommend that. The even newer 11" model, which my son uses at college, is nice, but I don't think the extra screen space and size is an advantage for ST'ing, particularly if you plan to do any street/mobile tuning.

jleidel

HP's Slate 500 is a nice compact tablet that runs a full version of Windows7. The on screen keyboard is pretty good, but it has multiple USB ports [and/or built-in blueetooth] for use with a keyboard. I have a colleague that just bought one and he loves it.

http://shopping1.hp.com/is-bin/INTER...AAAAEvKwJKiY4p

Lizard928

I use an HP HDX 18.

I bought an inverter with enough watts to power the laptop and then I never run out of battery life.

blown 87

Dell XPS here, also with a inverter.

Don Carter

I bought an Acer A500 Tablet recently, and love it. It has a full size USB port, and fits perfectly between the console edges in the vertical position. Great for GPS use. I really like this tablet, but it's running Android 3, and I guess Windows is needed to run any software that can talk to the 928.

jorj7

I use an old Fujitsu Stylistic st4121 tablet with my LM-1/LMA-3 for monitoring and logging. I use it
with the Sharktuner also. I've got a cigarette lighter plug charger for it, so it plugs in without an
inverter.



But when Bill is there we use his ACER netbook since it's easier for him to use.

the flyin' scotsman

Atari 1 still works but can t get past the ping pong game

JWise

Thanks for the feedback so far, please keep it coming - particularly specifics on what you've found that works well for you and why. For now, the consensus seems the basics need to include Windows OS, high speed USB, built in wireless network, and a keyboard.

I'm looking forward to getting the ST2 hooked up and doing some tuning. Following the Motorsport SLC X, she feels good and strong up top but doesn't feel as smooth down low as before, say from idle on up to 2,500 rpm or so. I suspect tuning can help in this regard, as well as further improving the top end as we know they're usually too rich up there. I must admit still being a little intimidated by it all, however.

jorj7

Here's a better photo of the set up:

dprantl

I use an old Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium. It is mounted on to the windshield with a mid-length RAM mount and ends up being just above the center vent and beside the pod. It is a perfect size and placement where it doesn't obscure the windshield at all. The Q1 premium is older, but has a 1.33Ghz CPU, 2GB RAM and 1024x600 screen resolution and runs Windows 7 beautifully. Sharktuner software runs on it just fine. I also have a car notebook adapter (hidden behind the stereo inside the center console) that plugs in to the lighter socket and provides the 19V required to power the Q1. I have a lighter socket behind the center console as well, and the ST2 is with the LH/EZK, so there is nothing at all in the passenger footwell. The Q1 premium has a keyboard split on either side, but I find the touchscreen very easy to use while tuning. I also don't have to hold anything in my lap or have the computer on the passenger seat, it's so easy to just look to the right of the pod and make adjustments on the fly. If I really needed a full size keyboard, I could just bring a wireless bluetooth one along. Even though I really don't need to tune my car anymore, I just love messing with the ST2 pretty much every day. I also use it for GPS with a dongle and it has wireless built-in. The cameras are fun when I want to video something ahead of me, and the thumb print reader is fun when I have a passenger who hasn't seen one before They don't make the Q1 Premium anymore, but you can find them on eBay.

Sorry for the crappy phone pic.

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft

JWise

OK, I like how some of you have your tablet style mounted in-car, but still like the option of using a keyboard if necessary. With that in mind, what do you guys think about this one:

http://usa.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Slate_EP121/

It has:

• Intel Core i5
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Multiple data input options including Bluetooth keyboard
• Multiple I/O ports including 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• WLAN 802.11 b/g/n@2.4GHz

As long as I could figure a way to mount and preferably power it from the car, looks like it would work well.