With notebook computers, get the fastest P4 processor you can afford, 512 megs RAM, and a CDRW/DVD.  Bigger is better in hard drives, so look for 40 gig minimum.  Keep in mind that most of the wireless Internet companies will start charging you a per minute charge as soon as you roam to analog, so check the plan carefully.
 
With digital cameras, the two main factors are megapixals and the lens.  The more megapixals the better the pictures will be and the more you can blow them up.  I would suggest at least 4 megapixals.  Camera salesmen will talk about optical zoom and digital zoom.  Forget digital zoom, because you can do the same thing later on the computer.  Look at optical zoom only.  Also, in my experience, the camera companies do better lenses than the electronic companies now looking for a piece of the digital camera market.  Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Minolta, and some others have been making cameras for a long time.  You won't go wrong if you stick with them.  By the way, I teach digital photography (and computer science) at the college here, so I have experience with a lot of different cameras.  I also teach astronomy, so if you decide you want to hook up your digital camera to a telescope, let me know.
 
Bill in Willcox
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Ken Akerman
 
I need a new home computer, and I am thinking of getting a laptop with wireless Internet access.  Therefore, I can bring this computer with me while traveling, look for caches in the places where I visit, and enter my cache findings and travel bug movements a lot faster.  I would also like to use my computer for downloading digital photos.  Does anyone have any recommendations about the best laptop computer to buy?  What requirements, such as memory, processor speed, and hard drive space, should I get?
 
Also, I am also considering replacing my digital camera.  The one I have is not working well, and I never liked it much in the first place.  I am thinking of upgrading to something better, but I don't want to spend a lot of money.  Does anyone have a recommendation for a high-quality, affordable digital camera?