Perhaps I can help, since I spend a lot of time in Spain. First, I
suggest that your son contact the program he will be studying with to
inquire about computer and internet availability. He may find that
taking a laptop along is not worth the effort. However, here are a few
notes of interest in case he does decide to take one.
The power supply for most laptops works with a variety of voltages, so
no special adapter should be necessary, However, just in case, you
may wish to check the details printed on the machine's AC adapter to
make sure that it will indeed work on 220-240 volt, 50 cycle current.
When the time comes, your son will, however, need an adapter for the
wall plug; outlets in Spain are different from those in the U.S. You
can get a very simple one in Spain for a couple of dollars (more in
the US), although I'd recommend a type that is a little more expensive
but can be used with a variety of types of outlets.
The options for connecting to the Internet will depend on the group
your son studies with since most programs have arrangements to
facilitate access. I don't recommend that he plan on accessing the
Internet from home because he will need to arrange for an Internet
provider and pay monthly fees or, under some plans, only for phone
usage. However, because phone costs are so high in Spain, if he lives
with a family, they will become quite nervous about his using the
phone so much. He's also likely to tie the line up quite a bit, which
will not make the family very happy, either. So...he'll need to
forget about downloading music if he's used to doing this.
If your son does decide to connect from home by modem, he will not
need a special cable since the modular RJ-11 connector that is
standard in the U.S. is also used in Spain. However, easy phone
connections in hotels are no as common in Spain as in the U.S., and,
in general, I would suggest that he use internet cafés instead of
taking his laptop when traveling away from his home base.
Before purchasing the machine, I suggest that you check with the
manufacturer about the kind of support that is available in Spain.
Most major brands have phone support, although some are more effective
than others. I've been generally satisfied with Dell in spite of the
long waits and the lack of weekend and holiday hours.
Security issues are just about the same in Spain as anywhere. When
traveling, one needs to be careful. My rule when using public
transportation is not to let the machine out of my sight.
Rita
"Whelan" <wood.whelan@gte.net> wrote in message
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