Depends I guess on the car/color and breezes, but some trunks get mighty hot here in florida's sun. Just read arizona for kids safefty,, cars interior rises 45F over ambient in one hour, and another site about the same. You might want to look at the specifications for laptop temperature ranges,, both opperation and storage. Wouldnt want to run it when its really too hot from sitting in the truck all day. IBM technote; Note: Be aware that extreme temperature ranges within the trunk/vehicle can damage laptops. My toshiba's spec shows storage max is 149F/65C, opperation max ambient temp 95F/35C

If mine I'd put the battery in, hook the ac adapter up. Turn it on. Explore things. I would maybe instantly make the Restore DVD's before I did anything else then next from Control Panels, Back Up and Restore.... on the left margin make a Image file to DVD's. So I could quickly put it back in 'out of the box' shape... should I need to some day. Maybe hold off starting lots of things.. look in Control Panel, Program & features. Kind of compare what is installed for programs to the Icons on the desktop. Some of the junk items will not be installed until you start them up the first time. Lots will be TrialWare programs that usually come with new computers that will Want money in the months to come. You can decide if you want the AntiVirus program that came with it... and some of the other programs probably too before running them.. Sure is lots cleaner to get rid of them if never installed to begin with.

Any new laptop you buy will be able to connect to the Internet if you already have an Internet service at your house. If you want to switch from BellSouth to AOL or to any other provider of Internet services, it doesn't matter: the laptop will still be able to connect to the Internet through whatever provider you choose. Most providers do not need to have any special software installed; you just need to have a browser installed, like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc., and all of these are free. At least one (probably Internet Explorer) will already be installed on your laptop when you buy it. If your MIL does not have Internet service, you generally can't connect when you are at her house. Think of Internet service like regular, wired phone service. If you are at someone's house and they don't have a phone line, you can't make a phone call. Now I am going to tell yo something a little more complicated. When you have Internet service at your house, the company will typically provide you with a little electronic box called a router. This device hooks up to a cable in the wall that carries the signal the company provides, and then a wire goes from that little box to your computer. You can get access to the Internet from the wire that comes from that router, or you can connect without the wire because the laptop has a card in it that can receive the Internet signal wirelessly (sort of like a cell phone) from the router. That way, you can move around the house easily with the laptop, or maybe even sit outside with it. The disadvantage of a wireless connection is that it has limited range. The computer may not be able to receive a signal in some parts of your house. On the other hand, if the signal was strong, you might even be able to get it wirelessly and connect to the Internet at your MIL's, even though she doesn't have her own service. Given that you know little about computers, probably any laptop will be just fine for you. You should choose one primarily on the basis of the screen size and how much you want to pay. Don't get talked into spending a lot because all the features and speed you need will be present in even the lowest cost computers. If you go shopping and are confused, ask more questions here before buying. Lastly, there are many good books out there that will explain what you need to know in very simple language. Get yourself a book like Computers for Dummies or something similar like the one below. (In trying to answer your questions, I have assumed that whatever Internet service you have that it is not the old-fashioned, painfully slow dial-up that uses a modem. If you do use dial-up to get Internet service, then there is other stuff to tell you. Here is a link that might be useful: Absolute Beginner's Guide

Notebook used to refer to a laptop under 10 lbs. The term netbook is used for the small screen less powerful ones gaining popularity because of lighter portability. Mac is short for MacIntosh computers - both desktop and laptop. A year ago I bought my 1st laptop. I read the big box store ads every Sunday and googled the ones in my price range for specs, reviews and anything else I could learn. I decided I wanted a 15" screen, 2 GHz speed & Core 2 Duo processor, 3 Gb RAM (can upgrade to 4 Mb), B thru N WiFi (N wasn't available in my price range), ordinary graphics (don't game so didn't want to pay for a dedicated card), DVD read/write. Didn't care about a webcam but they all had them. Would have liked a SATA drive (over my price range). Today I could buy my laptop for 1/3 less. You have to start the comparison shopping task after you decide what is important for your needs. Spend some time at the stores and take notes. Unfortunately even salespeople can pass along faulty info. I had decided on a Toshiba and ended up with an Acer Aspire and it has good sound quality which I had neglected to consider. Got lucky. A friend got an Asus with a SATA drive and loves it. A little over $1000. Lucky you ~ you'll get Windows 7 instead of Vista unless you buy a Mac.