I am going to tell you here about the Mobile Computing setup that I use On The Road in my Semi, my experiences with it, and a bit about how it has evolved over time.  It is my hope that, if you are needing to implement a full 'mobile office' in your business, that my experiences may help you in getting it going.

As I said, this setup is in my Semi - a 1999 Freightliner.  I am an Owner-Operator, running long-haul freight all over the U.S., usually living in the truck for a month at a time.  I have been packing Laptops on the road ever since Windows 95 was the state of the art - and now have a widescreen model with Windows XP (soon to be upgraded to Vista).  My system has progressed over the years, from a mere 'hobbyist' way to check e-mail via an available phone jack somewhere, once or twice a week - to now, where I have a cellular wireless card and subscribe to a nationwide wi-fi network, and the computer is an indispensable part of my business.  In the latest advance, I now get paid by scanning my paperwork direct from the truck, as soon as a load is delivered - instead of having to hunt for an overnight airpack dropbox, and hope the papers don't get lost in transit.

Admittedly, a Semi has more space available to stretch out and work than some other types of vehicles may have - and that is where you will need to tailor your gear to your own operation and needs.  What I am using, though, could be just as easily used in a small delivery truck, a pickup truck, or a car (if you don't routinely haul a full load of passengers).

The 'heart' of any mobile system, of course, is the Laptop computer.  There are literally tens of thousands of variations available, in all kinds of price ranges.  Whatever your needs are, or what you think they are, they will ALWAYS grow AFTER you buy into a system - so I highly recommend buying more computer than you initially think you will need, so that it will have the capacity to readily grow with you.  I am speaking from long experience here.  Pay particular attention to getting as much Hard Drive space, RAM Memory, and Processor Speed, as you can stand to spring for.  A computer that is well-spec'ed in these details will be faster and more capable, and thus more satisfying to use.  It will therefore last longer, as it will meet your needs longer - and my experience suggests that it will also stand up to the rigors of the road much better than a basic model. 

I hesitate to recommend particular brands here, as I have owned several, and all were pretty well 'up to snuff' for their day.  The entire market of available Laptops has improved greatly over the years, in versatility and overall quality and durability - to the point that ANY should be able to withstand life on the road, with reasonable care.  My last 'road computer' was a Compaq Presario, which handled my needs for nearly four years, and stood up well under heavy usage.  After replacing it with my current Acer Aspire 9400 (which in its first six months has been the least troublesome of all the laptops I've owned), I resold the old Compaq to another eBay'er, who is quite happy with it.

How to support the Laptop when using it? - is a matter of personal tastes, combined with what your location and space will allow.  In my Semi, I use it mostly while sitting in the driver's seat (though definitely NOT while driving!).  For this, I constructed a custom 'deskboard' - which covers the steering wheel, hooking over the top of the wheel, and has a cross piece which supports the bottom edge of the computer at the 'just right' position.  A cheap and effective solution, easily made, which tucks out of the way behind the passenger seat when not in use.

To power and recharge a Laptop on the road, you have two main options.  You can get a DC Adaptor to connect it directly to the vehicle's lighter socket - or, you can get one of the many Power Inverters now available, and plug the AC Adaptor into that.  I believe the second solution is better for your computer, as most of the AC Adaptors that come with them provide some degree of filtered, regulated power. 

A basic Power Inverter of 100-150 watts capacity, around $20 in most markets now, is quite sufficient to power just the Computer.  If you want to run a whole 'mobile office', as I do, go for an Inverter in the 300-400 watt range - in the $30-$40 bracket.  This gives you extra outlets and plenty of capacity.  The respected Coleman brand offers models in the 100-175 watt range, and Cobra and Sima are two good brands in the 300-400 watt models, all available in practically any truckstop in the country.  You can also find them here on eBay, of course.

The other major piece of hardware in my 'mobile office', is a compact Hewlett-Packard 'all-in-one' machine.  I am currently using the model F335, which is under $50.  These run just fine plugged into a Power Inverter, and offer you full Print-Scan-Copy capability in a small package.  In my Semi, it rests securely on the cabinet behind the driver's seat - and I can easily set it up front, in easy reach, when I'm doing a batch of scanning.

For a mobile Internet Connection, I am using the Novatel Wireless Aircard from Sprint, which allows decent connection speeds in most places that Sprint has cell coverage - notably at its fastest when in a G3 metro area, of course.  Unlimited service for that runs about $60 a month. 

In addition, for even more speed when I'm parked for the night, I subscribe to the Flying-J wi-fi network, which covers about 400 popular travel stops nationwide for $19.95 a month.  This is just one of many wi-fi services now available.  Note that wi-fi service will require the use of either a wi-fi card (like I used to do it) or a computer that has it built-in (like I do it now).  The built-in version - in which the antenna is located on the back of the screen, thus having a clear shot thru the windshield, when you're using it as I do - seems to do a better job of connecting, and staying connected, than any plug-in cards I ever tried.

With a mobile setup tailored to your needs, you can do most anything on the road that you could do on a home computer - especially if the 'heart' of it all is one of what is called a 'desktop replacement'-class Laptop, which are becoming more and more common.   And now priced in the $1000 range, more accessible than ever to those of us who can make use of them.