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Hello,

Inline 100-240V laptop surge suppressors are readily available from online electronics retailers. Here are a few that will work for you:

• APC - APC Notebook Surge Protector for AC, phone and network lines, 3 pin connection, 100-240V
• CyberPower - CyberPower CPS500NBP Notebook Surge Suppressor - 500 Joules 2&3 Prong RJ11/RJ45 EMI/RFI
• Lindy - Laptop Surge Protector with USB Charger, Cloverleaf
• Tripp-Lite - Protect It! 2-Connector (C6, 3-Prong) In-Line Surge Protector, 306 Joules, Tel/Ethernet Protection

I've used the APC model without any issues, as well as models from Targus and TRC that has since been discontinued, but occasionally show up online for sale.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

I'm currently using this mouse. http://www.targus.com/US/product_details.asp?sku=AMB08US It's got separate buttons, 2d _optical_ scrolling, middle button, and two side buttons. It's quite a nice mouse, about the same size and weight as the Apple Mighty Mouse, and has the advantage of being 5 buttons. The config software it comes with is rubbish and doesn't give you alot of options, I'm using the mouse with Steermouse drivers instead. There's that lag when it wakes up that everybody mentions, but that's about it. I personally don't mind. All in all, it's great, has the horizontal scrolling and I love having lots of buttons.

I've used every keyboard since the Apple ][+, and I have to say there are two favorites:

The first is the Compaq Keyboard (Spare Part Number: 269513-006). Relatively rugged, and I've never seen one fail. They are super easy to take apart and if you remove the controller, you can put them through the dishwasher if you want/need to.

The second (current favorite) is the Targus AKB0404. USB, Half height, half travel, sleep key, volume control, music control, and 11 application keys, all in a standard size layout. http://www.targus.com/US/product_details.asp?sku=AKB04US You can get them for $25 at any reasonably astute computer store. I've got three of these.

The primary differentiator on any modern keyboard though, in my opinion, is if the |\ key is above the enter key. If it has one of those monstrously larget enter keys, it's junk. And the Lenovo keyboards where the Fn key is in the exact spot Ctrl should be? Yeah, those are junk too.

For those who are curious as to what these new bags look like or what makes them different, Targus has one posted on their website here, along with pictures.

Basically, the whole carrying case just splits in half right down the middle while staying hinged at the bottom, allowing for the laptop to be x-rayed without interference from the other materials in your bag.

I feel safe now, don't you?

I've used an older version of this simple Targus lap desk for 3 years. Very satisfied with it. http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=PA243U

I had once hard pains in right fist and got used to handle the mouse with left hand, but soon the pains also came to left hand (in a week or 2) but I found out that using a very tiny mouse (like this one: http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=PAUM01U but I think this has low quality button switches ) the fingers don't need to be so high and cause much less discomfort.

So I always asked myself why there are almost no flat mouses on shops (I know of one with a PCMCIA card, but I din't want to be so extreme:)?

Right now I use 2 mouses (one on each side of the keyboard) connected via USB and I use both whatever I'm more pleased at each time a hand leave the keyboard:)

I have a charger for my cell phone, Nintendo DS Lite, my two digital cameras and an iPod.

Sometimes I will have one for a portable HDD and laptop.

there are lots of actually.

trust mi5300m
trust mi5400x
anycom btm100
kensington pilotmouse mini bluetooth
level one blm3000
logitech v270
sony vgpbms30
targus amb02us
targus amb03us

shall i go on?

there are lots of actually.

trust mi5300m
trust mi5400x
anycom btm100
kensington pilotmouse mini bluetooth
level one blm3000
logitech v270
sony vgpbms30
targus amb02us
targus amb03us

shall i go on?

How many people *have to* play Oblivion as *their work* ?
(I mean, really. Not what's the average slashdotter's dream).

Look around : in most enterprise, computer are just used for basic office work and accessing the intranet/googling information from the internet.

A lot of enterprise (inssurance companies, etc...) are starting to use laptops as working station for their employee, because it's easier for them to move their data around with them, faster to relocate them to different office, lets them work at home or in their train etc...

And docking a laptop to nice big screen and a full sized keyboard, isn't that much different than hooking a smartphone/PDA to those same peripherals. The only difference is in the "work in their train" part, where the Smartphone/PDA user loose some screen/keyboard estate.
(although there're nice fullsized foldable keyboards. I use one with my Palm. And in some professions having a pocketable unit is BETTER than a laptop. HINT: Doctors. We like to have drugs database on pockter-sized devices that are much more handy than carying around a full sized laptop when visiting patients)

Now look at the current trends in products :
- foldable keyboard (like Thinkoutside's, Targus', etc...)
- or even laser virtual keyboards
- smart phone that can be hooked to TV-Set and Projectors (initially designed so you can watch the nice picture you took with you phone. But now company realised that they can market them as "able to display your PowerPoint presentation without a PC !!!")
- Laser-based matchbox-sized Projectors are currently researched.

So yes, your home made l33t Beige Box is more powerful.
But for a corporate worker it is also clunky.

Tomorrow traveling salesman are very likely to have their work stored on their Smartphone/PDA.
(Even today some doctors keep their patient's medical imaging handy in iPods - Powerful radiology stations are nice, but taking an iPod to a patient's bed is easier).

Is there some reason you can't use this? http://www.targus.com/ca/product_details.asp?sku=T CG650

I use this for college and its incredibly roomie and will carry everything. Yes its not hip and european, but it carries a ton of stuff. I easily carry:
Laptop
antec coolign pad
1/2 dozen CDs or so in the slim CD insert
cell phone in the cell phone pouch
USB mouse in the side pouch
water bottle on the side
2 textbooks
a notebook
several network cables
a binder
my lunch
a stapler
a calculator
several pens and pencils
etc
it should easily hold everything.

I've tried 3 products and only 1 has accomplished the task of keeping the computer cool.

The first one was from laptopdesk It worked nice on an older laptop but didn't prevent my toshiba from over heating. I then bought this and it stopped my machine from overheating.

When my wife got a laptop I bought her this Was cool that it had a usb hub. However, the fans broke in 5 days.

So, I'm still using the simple one that reminds me of legos. Works great and no moving parts. the angle it puts the keyboard is also quite nice and you can change the height by removing some of the "lego" bricks in the elevation legs.

I've tried 3 products and only 1 has accomplished the task of keeping the computer cool.

The first one was from laptopdesk It worked nice on an older laptop but didn't prevent my toshiba from over heating. I then bought this and it stopped my machine from overheating.

When my wife got a laptop I bought her this Was cool that it had a usb hub. However, the fans broke in 5 days.

So, I'm still using the simple one that reminds me of legos. Works great and no moving parts. the angle it puts the keyboard is also quite nice and you can change the height by removing some of the "lego" bricks in the elevation legs.

I've tried 3 products and only 1 has accomplished the task of keeping the computer cool.

The first one was from laptopdesk It worked nice on an older laptop but didn't prevent my toshiba from over heating. I then bought this and it stopped my machine from overheating.

When my wife got a laptop I bought her this Was cool that it had a usb hub. However, the fans broke in 5 days.

So, I'm still using the simple one that reminds me of legos. Works great and no moving parts. the angle it puts the keyboard is also quite nice and you can change the height by removing some of the "lego" bricks in the elevation legs.

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=O CN700

Winter's fast approaching. Wear a jacket with a few pockets for the next few months (not as much of a gadget geek here, but I carry darts, cigarettes, wallet, cell phone, etc without issue between my pants and jacket pockets), and do some research on good laptop bags in the meantime.

Timbuk2 and Targus both have bags that have satisfied my needs in the past and currently (laptop messenger and sport deluxe bags, respectively). I still currently use the Targus backpack, as I tend to carry more books around, and it has plenty of pockets and elastic straps to carry all of my random junk, but I'm sure there are fancier models out nowadays.

I picked up one of these so I could take my laptop to school and with me on my sports bike.
It works great. I think that mine is a little larger though.

I'm pretty sure Targus and Digital Persona both produce the kind of addon you're looking for. Also, there's a biometric flash key available. Hope this helps :)

If you don't mind using a touchpad, I strongly suggest getting a coolpad and just lap your laptop.

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=P A241U

The Coolpad is probably the best money I have spent on a product for my laptop usage. By positioning differently for different conditions. ie. laying down in bed, leaning on steering wheel while parked, or just on a desk).

JsD

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=P A460U

Targus has a model that fits the Zaurus excellently, is available in most stores, and is quite inexpensive.

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=C HUS01

It even has a little sleeve inside for your wifi or other accesory card.

However, using a CoolPad for heat disapation would probably work fine.

As products like this http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=P A460U/ become more prevalent (I saw one @ Fry's for 50 bucks) I hope this becomes less of a problem. A USB fingerprint reader that stores all of your passwords would be great. In order to access them you must

Use your fingerprint which brings up a dialog box where you can

Enter a pin number Thats something I would buy (and trust)

Here's a standard looking backpack that's designed to fit your laptop and accessories. Of course it still looks like a shiny new backpack so maybe you want to sandblast it to look a little more worn.

Here's a targus bag that looks (and is) like a trail bag. rip off the targus label and drag it through the airport (or a trail) a couple of times and it's just another beat up bag that happens to have a laptop pocket.

There are many more fancy input devices working with Linux available, e.g. the Twiddler a tiny wrist keyboard made by Handykey.com, different Linux applications featuring your cell phone as a remote control and the WireLess NoteBook Presenter made by Targus; to name just a few. BTW: The WireLess NoteBook Presenter doesn't feature mouse gestures in the air, you have to provide mouse events by pushing a mouse button, but it works with Linux out of the box and seems much cheaper.

Having worked at the campus computer store at UNC-Chapel Hill for four years, I've seen a lot of bags come and go. As of 2000, all incoming freshman are required to own a wintel laptops, so as of now there are ~13,000 floating around our campus.

By far, the most consisten bags we've sold are Jansports. They're not fancy, but they have two advantages that you can't beat for the money: One, a padded foam brick with a bowed plastic "spring" in the bottom of the bag, important because that bottom edge of your bag takes a hit *every time* you set the bag down. Sounds like common sense, but most laptop bags (even the high-dollar ones) have about 1/4" of padding around ALL edges. Two, a lifetime warranty. Straight up, something great to have.

So, for the money, I'd go with Jansport. Particularly The Optimizer, though this is beyond your pricepoint.

However, what you're asking for is a bag you can really beat the hell out of, and the lifetime warranty on the Jansport bags doesn't mean that the things won't break, it just means you can get them repaired if you do. If you want something tougher, you're going to spend a lot more money - probably twice the dollar amount. I've been impressed with the design of Crumpler bags, as they have large YKK zippers, ripstop nylon, and other materials that you look for in good camping gear. That said, I haven't seen how they actually perform.

The only bags I would recommend against are the Targus bags. In particular, the Sport Deluxe model. The thing looks coo, but it has a lot of absolutely useless mesh, tassles, rivets, and other bag design gie-gahs that do nothing but snag and tear. I have seen a lot of customers' Targus backpacks go to pieces. This is a brand built on marketting to the business executive type, and they have failed at building a bag for the "urban adventurer."

A final word on your choice of a $50 price point: when your bag fails, you're 1,000 miles from a repair center, and you now have a $2,000 4.9lb paperweight that you must drag around with you, you'll wish you had spent another $50. I don't think you need an exotic $200 bag, but understand that with Jansport, Crumpler, and perhaps a few other bags, you get what you pay for.

As for bag reviews, I've used the Targus Slam backpack for the past year and I think it's great: http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=R GS012

It's incredibly roomy, with enough space for a change of clothes _and_ text books. Targus put in lots of extra features like separators to keep papers together. The shoulder straps are very well padded. The only down that I can think of is that the waist belt is only webbing (not padded). This bag is very big and roomy and easily accomodates everything I carry around with me at school: two+ textbooks, a binder (or two) my laptop + cables and my lunch pail. There's extra pockets on the sides and a comm-pouch on the back. The comm-pouch can hold media or a discman (with an audio-out port in the bag) plus a cell-phone and pens.

I have last years model of this: http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=T CG650

I know you already said you were impressed by some of their bags but this thing is awesome. My 15" Fuji fits in it perfectly and the three big pockets will basically expand out to hold anything. I carried an Oxygen8 keyboard, a firewire external soundcard including my bulky power adaptor and the thing still had room for more.

The only bad this about it is that there's so many tiny pockets to stash stuff that sometimes stuff gets lost in there.

I have one of these, which holds my laptop, all the various and sundry crap to keep it connected, my cell phone (with charger), a notebook for work, two cd cases (music and software), my iRiver cd player and a hardcover copy of Cryptonomicon. And it still fits underneath the seat in front of me. Of course, the Highly Trained Airport Security Person may have been tempted to ask "Where's your laptop case, and what's all this junk in your backpack?"

repeat? somebody said the exact same thing in the thread you linked to.
anyway, this is my favorite. looks good too.
http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=T CG200

Here's the direct link to the bag i talked about above:
Targus Sport Deluxe Notebook Backpack

FYI, Targus and Rakgear are different companies. One has it's HQ in California, the other is in Connecticut.

I got a suprisingly low priced Targus Puls Backback It's very well made, been hauling it with me in a 45 min comute each way to and from school for the past 2 months, very well made. I even carried it with my laptop inside in a somewhat rainy day (I know it's stupid risk, but the wind destroied my umbrella :P), I arrived at school soaking wet, the bag was dry.

it's a good bag, I recommend it.

I've had the Targus Groove notebook backpack for a couple months.
I love it! I nicknamed it "the geek's bag"... It's rough, around $30, contains enough pockets for a laptop, the power cord, an external mouse, a portable music player with headphones hole, a couple of notebooks, two small water bottles on each side.
Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was buying it only to replace my old backpack and I just plain love it.
I found mine in Office Depot, and I'm sure you'll find Targus' notebook backpacks good!

I've had the Targus Groove notebook backpack for a couple months.
I love it! I nicknamed it "the geek's bag"... It's rough, around $30, contains enough pockets for a laptop, the power cord, an external mouse, a portable music player with headphones hole, a couple of notebooks, two small water bottles on each side.
Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was buying it only to replace my old backpack and I just plain love it.
I found mine in Office Depot, and I'm sure you'll find Targus' notebook backpacks good!

Targus make some backpacks without the targus logo prominently displayed. Mine looks nodescript and a little ugly... just what I want to deter theives. It is, however, comfortable and protects my laptop well.

See it here. The only targus logos I can find are the ones embossed on the zippers.

I travel alot, an awful lot. Land sea and air. Had a reasonable case that started to tear with the monstrous Dell inspiron I used to lug. The way the bag was designed, it most likely would of been fine another few more trips but I thought I'd not risk it. Got a cheap and cheerfull case and I was cursing it, not enough room for everything, didn't seem sturdy enough, and I just couldn't get it comfortable to wear. Eventually found; http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=C DB1 and its wonderfull. Looks awfully plain, but it's got silly amounts of pockets all over it, protects well, and best of all, comfortable. It isn't cheap, but think about how much the laptop you're going to be carrying around costs, small insurance to have a good case.

Here's the bag that I use. I've had no problems with it. It's really really comfortable, fits a bigger than average laptop and seems to keep it safe. It's got a good number of extra pockets. My only complaint is that it doesn't hold much else besides the laptop. It's not as big as my old Land's End backpack.

Maybe you want to look at the Targus model then. While not the greatest thing, it's both cheaper and apparently better designed.

At least I'm happy with mine.

They also have a similar PCMCIA version that seems to be clever (although I didn't really looked into it).

Anyway just to say that Kensington may be the best known, but that there are other makers of such gadgets.

Bifurcati, I would suggest the Targus Notebook Wireless Presenter. It retails at 49.99 but I've seen it online for as low as 41.

It works via USB and uses RF to control the mouse. It basically subs as a mouse and you can program the buttons to do different commands.

I like laser pointer that it comes with too.

I've used this before, it works nicely and I've liked Targus for their notebook companion items a lot. If you have warranty issues they'll take care of it right away.
Let me know what you think of it.

Alternatively, you could use a Radio-Shack Rechargable battery pack (couldn't find URL, but catalog no. _was_ 23-047). It's about the size of 4 cassette tapes, ~12.6oz (~350g), output voltage selectable from 3-9v output and rechargable by plugging it into a wall output or from a 12v400ma source. If you are a doit-yourselfer, buy a 4 "cell" holder and wire it in series. Radio Shack sells battery adapter extension cord and heads singlely. You could choose capacity and weight by cell size (though note, I've often seen "D" rechargable cells with same ratings as the "C" indicating they've just stuck a "C" cell in a larger container.

Externally powered, this _should_ slightly increase laptop runtime (i.e. active external cooling => less internal fan use).

It holds the laptop on rubber feet about 7mm above 2 fans sucking air from center of underside and venting out the back.

-l

or something similar. I have a gateway solo 5300, and it gets HOT.
so hot, that when I compile things, it's too hot to hold. as in it has a little metal cover on the bottom over a component that's painted black and the PAINT IS PEELING OFF.

My father-in-law got a lapdesk, and after a while he went out and bought something like what they describe. after seeing how well it worked for him, I got one too.

It's sorta like a lap tray that folds in half. it has non-melty rubber strips on a plastic frame to keep the laptop from sliding off, and the structure is sorta accordian shaped and rigid, running left to right.

The nice thing about it is you can fold the thing in half and it has a like unfoldable leg that props itself up, creating a little wedge... The laptop is sitting on the desk right now on the tray and not burning my crotch or my desk.

I highly suggest trying one out, especially if you have a Gateway Solo5300 and run Gentoo on it:)

I'm not much for product cheerleading, but this thing has done it's job. it's not perfect, but it keeps the valuables from getting cooked. 7.5/10

I use an inconspicuous nylon Laptop/Notebook Backpack manufactured by Targus but carry smaller gadgets in internal pockets so I don't lose everything if my backpack is ripped off me.

Most of the tech shops on Tottenham Court road sell these for baqckpacks for about 50 quid.

I guess I should clarify
Most airlines don't give people power-plugs unless they are in First/Business Class. Secondly, in order to use the plug, you have to get a special adapter for your plug (Targus makes these)

Perhaps not exactly the same, but it's already been done for $50.

All you really want is decent note taking right? Instead of a $3,000 POS, get a decent PalmOS PDA and a Stoaway folding keyboard. Spend the >$2,500 you save on beer and condoms.

I have one of these.
IMHO, it's the best laptop case around.

My suggestion: This backpack. The thing has tons of padding on the back. It's clearly rainproof, and accessing your gear is extremely fast due to the zip-down pocket for non-laptop stuff instead of the standard zip-across-the-top pockets.

Yeah, I have to concur that backlit keyboards are nice. My Sony Z1A doesn't have one. It'd be nice if it did. My Treo 600 does have a backlit keyboard. It's a necessity on a handheld. I've got a little Targus USB-powered clip-on light for my Z1A.

This is the one I have here. I use it to carry my 16" pro-star desktop replacement laptop. It weighs in at about 12 lbs, with about an extra 5 lbs in accessories. And due to the design, I can carry it for hours without hardly any fatigue on my shoulders. I've had it now for 2 years and it still looks brand new.