Expert: Edison - 11/12/2005

Question
Hello - I am working with my church to procure and set up computers for an orphanage in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  I am starting to discover that purchasing the computers in the U.S. may not be a good idea or even possible due to international laws.  I'd like to know what difference there is in power connections in this part of Brazil and if they are compatible with the U.S. connections.  I also must have operating systems in Portuguese.  I do not speak Portuguese and will need to find an english speaking sales person if I need to purchase them in Brazil.  Have you any suggestions for me on what may be the best path to try and accomplish this?  We are looking to purchase eight PCs and two printers, set them up in the orphange and network them together.  I'm also needing to know what kind of internet connection options there are in this part of Brazil.  Is there Cable or DSL available?

Answer
Hello Travis,

Usually is very costly to bring PCs to Brazil, because of the very high duty taxes. However, donated equipments for a church may have some special treatment. You need to contact somebody for your church in Brazil for more details.

The voltage and frequency is the same in Sao Paulo as in US (110V, 60 Hz), but the power cord plugs are rounded instead of flat.

I would recommend buying from Dell in Brazil (contact Dell in US and check if they can help you). The Dell site in Brazil is Dell.com.br.

Internet cable is available in major cities in Brazil. Here are two internet providers: http://www.uol.com.br and www.terra.com.br.

Also, the labor is very cheap and you can hire somebody to setup the computer for you. Usually the stores that sell computers can help you.

Please rewrite again if you need more help or need somebody to translate something for you.

Good luck and thank you for helping some kids in Brazil.

Edison