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What Extras Should I Buy When Buying a Laptop?
HarleyPig asks: "I'm using my tax return to buy a laptop. I don't want to know which laptop to get (that's a religious discussion I'd like to avoid). What peripherals do you find yourself wishing you'd bought, or have ended up buying? I know I'll need a mouse, extra cabling, extra batteries and some kind of case to hold and carry around the laptop. What else should I consider putting in my list of stuff to buy with a laptop?"
802.11b card (if not built in), so you can use it whilst in the bathroom.
"Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney
i hate touch pads :)
:)
Get wireless B/G card. B is common, and G is fast and will be more common in the future.
On a side note, I just got the widescreen 15.4 inch kind, and I really like it. Good for watching DVD's
Toshiba makes a nice laptop
Definitely one of the best purchases I have made. It lifts the laptop to a height that is better ergonomically and helps keep it cool (by allowing air to flow underneath). Here it is, and you can find it in most stores now...
I dunno who it is
but it prolly is fhqwhgads.
-backup AC adapter
-backup HD with an image of your OS
(until recently this, and a CD with your data on it, was a pretty good backup but these days if you run windows you need to pretty much have a paid copy of AV software for each installation you have)
. . . what other peripherals do you need for your laptop? What other peripherals do you think you would find useful for your laptop?
You ought to keep a space AC adapter, I think. I can remember having at least two of them fail, and it isn't too much fun trying to expand a few hours of battery life into several days of usage while waiting for a replacement to arrive.
Ubi dubium, ibi libertas.
So you are buying a portable computer, so you need the following:
Battery
Battery charger
That's about it. Who knows or cares what YOU need on a laptop. Only you know that.
I have been pwned because my
I'd get an extra AC adapter - not as a spare, but so that you can have one live at your desk and one live in your notebook case. It makes it a lot quicker to just grab the computer and go.
Also, for the love of everything sacred, get a security cable!!!!!!
When we retired our old Toshiba, I wound up buying a used Dell Latitude LS. what I love about it is what's not built in - CD, floppy, some of the usual ports like the serial port.
The result is a laptop that really small, really light and really easy to toss into a briefcase and carry along.
When I look at some of the current laptops they seem so big and heavy that I doubt I would want to lug them around.
So think in terms of some of the models that lets you leave the less used stuff like CD drives at home and just carry the essentials.
Although Powerbooks... mmmmmm.
Three Squirrels
I know many a person who has lost their laptop or had it stolen/damaged. May never be needed, but it's nice to have...
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
Make sure to get:
Purchase an extra battery. Batteries will only last for so long. They are also expensive to replace if your manufacturer no longer makes laptops that use that battery. I've also seen some laptops that will not work if the battery is bad.
Pay extra for the extended warranty. Since laptops are proprietary, the only place you can go to for replacement parts is from the manufacturer that made it. And the parts for laptops are not cheap. I recent tried to fix a laptop that had a broken screen (someone obviously sat on it). The only problem was the warranty had just expired. The cost of the replacement screen was over $900. Whether the manufacturer even offers an extended warranty is an indication of the quality of the laptop. I wouldn't purchase one from anyone that would only offers a 1 year warranty. For this reason, I will also pay extra for name brand laptops. Yes, you can get a no name one for next to nothing, but who are you going to turn to for repair parts when the company is no longer around.
Go not unto/. for advice, for you will be told both yea and nay (but have nothing to do with the question)
But call Dell, and tell them you want a spiffy laptop with all the bells and whistles. If you get a halfway decent salesperson, they'll try to throw in every laptop peripheral you can think of.
Outside of that, depending on your use, you might look into the targus motion sensor alarm/lock.
A portable mouse, docking station, and mini USB hub are all things I use.
An AC/DC power adapter is a must have. The company I buy them from has an AC/DC/airplane adapter. It's a beautiful thing.
I have a 15" PowerBook, and when I am in class, I can always use another battery. Having an 802.11b/g card is always helpful. For a bag, look at Brenthaven .
Depending on your situation, I suggest buying an inexpensive daypack and installing some foam rubber in it. It's much more comfortable not to look like a target for theft, I've found. A bubble pack envelope large enough for the laptop may be enough cushioning if you put some foam rubber at the bottom of the daypack.
On the other hand, if you always travel by limousine, I suggest you bring along a supermodel to distract thieves from the laptop.
Buy what you feel like buying, don't rely on the opinion of others. If later you find that you need something in addition to the laptop then buy it. Buying in advance based on other people's advice is pointless, and a waste of money.
In linux libertas
I recomend a hardcase briefcase, like this cheap Vanguard case I bought at Rite Aid. They come in all sort of styles, the aluminum has suited me fine. Even though the case is crummy looking after six months of travel, the laptop looks great. Softcases are a no-no. Also, as much harddrive space as you can afford. I used the firewire drives and find that lugging them around all over the country is kinda tedious. I end up not using them even though I've packed them away in my luggage. Just too lazy I guess. :)
Todd.
iSight
iLife
iPod,
Airport
AppleCare plan.
But, I won't suggest a laptop...
If you've set up a wireless network and will be using your laptop in many rooms throughout the house, you probably don't need to purchase a docking station.
Before I set up a wireless network, I only used my laptop at my desk. After I set up my wireless network, I found that the 'docking' and 'undocking' process was to slow and annoying.
So spend your money on something else.
Get the warranty. You will find that the price of the warranty varies a lot from manufacturer to manufacturer and should be factored into the price part of the buying process.
Everything else you can get on an as-needed basis after you have the machine and use it for a while. No need to buy a bunch of stuff that you might find out that you don't need later.
Get a 256M or larger USB thumbdrive. Since this is a laptop, odds are you will be mobile. (go figure) I find I use a 512M thumbdrive all the time for moving files between machines, or sharing stuff. I keep a pack of handy programs on there as well - putty, cygwin, jdk's, javadocs, and a few others if I end up calling a desktop machine home for a while.
+++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
I got a Toshiba 5200 for my birthday last july and it's the first laptop I've had which has been my primary work tool as a programmer. I take it to work, plug it in and take it home at the end of the day (for extra security, since equipment has a habit of "going missing" at work).
The first thing i did was use a second power cable (with the figure 8 connector) to keep at work (tethered to the physical desktop for easy reaching). That way all I have to do is plug my battery pack into the cable and I can keep my power cable in the bag and only unravel when it's needed.
That brings me to the bag. As I have a large 15.1" laptop screen (for the time), it took me literally a dozen bag tests to find one that even fit the bloody thing. I went for an STM Alley bag bag. But there are a lots of good ones out there. A good bag with good compartments can save your day and make carrying the laptop more than a burden!
In the front pouch of my bag, I have:
- a crossover cable (has proven its worth many a time)
- a kensington key-based security cable (have used it once.)
- A/V out cable (came with the laptop. also comes in handy for presentations and shows)
- a usb memory key ( 128MB USB 2.0). invaluable for when a network's not available. High speed helps as well.
Oddly enough, I don't have a mouse in my bag. I'm one of those people who like using the touchpad.I recently got a mini-pci wireless card for my laptop. It's very useful on the road, but not so much if you don't have a wireless network to plug into. I still prefer wired if available, because of latency and performance issues.
I'm considering getting a second battery. But it's not an urgent requirement as Toshiba is usually pretty good with spare parts availability. Getting access to available parts is an entirely different manner. it'll be more relevant further down the track.
I'm quite happy with my setup. There's nothing I miss or terribly need. But it all depends on what you want to do with it. How often do you plug stuff into/ out of your laptop?
click-clack, front and back. I'm not moving this car otherwise.
A 30 mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun for your car's roof-mount docking station.
Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
I'll bet he's jacking something in there if he has a computer in there..
..........FULL STOP.
Be wireless. I have a bluetooth mouse, but I also need a bluetooth keyboard for when I'm not on the road. I haven't found a laptop yet that a has a keyboard that keeps me happy. The mouse, however, is small enough to be taken almost everywhere.
In my opinion... don't buy many peripherals. The problem with buying lots of peripherals is that your ~2kg laptop suddenly needs a bag the size of a small suitcase weighing in at 10kg or more to carry around all the junk you "need".
Take the mouse, for example. You've already decided to get one. Why? The trackpad really is not that bad. The mouse needs a flat surface to work on, which ties you to a desk. I've found I can work the trackpad fairly well, after just a few days practise.
Cables? Why? If you're going to be in a place where you need a cable, there's likely to be one there already. Take for example people who carry a serial cable around so they can "plug-in" to a Cisco router while onsite. Have you ever seen a comms room without a serial cable? I haven't. So why carry the cable? Same for Ethernet. If you simply *must* have a backup cable, put it in the boot of your car.
Extra batteries are only useful if you keep them charged. In my experience, nobody is that organised. They'll have two batteries and one of them is always flat. So when their live battery goes flat... well... they're in the same boat as the rest of us with only one battery.
I managed to avoid getting a computer bag for the laptop. A leather briefcase costs the same and looks heaps more professional. Modern cases have fairly soft interiors and it's not like I will be throwing this thing around, anyway.
One thing I would buy as an additional extra is a second power pack. It's useful to have your home setup permanently "wired" with the second supply in the bag.
And a USB key. Damn, those things are so useful!
Eraser Nubs & Touch Pads just don't cut it. Buy one of the cheap $15 tiny optical usb mice. It's easy to throw in the laptop bag, and it is so much better to use especially for on the road entended computing sessions.
A big-ass sturdy (leather, preferably) bag with lots of pockets. I got mine for $20 at Sam's club, and it's great.
:P
I have two laptops in my bag, with room for CDs and crap like that. I even have my Spy Kids 3D glasses in there, although I can't think of any reason why they should be in there.
Get a big sturdy bag and you won't regret it.
Ron Paul 2012
Unlike your desktop, you can't easily take apart a laptop, troubleshoot what's going wrong, and fix it yourself. Fixing anything is going to cost you some serious cash unless you get a warranty to match. If you buy from Dell, consider getting the CompleteCare accidental damage warranty. It might be expensive, but if you plan to travel with your laptop a lot, disaster is one slip of the arm away.
Also, an extra battery would be nice. Your mileage may vary, but I found that buying a spare primary battery for my laptop during the sale was much cheaper than buying one after the fact. It also might be harder to get a replacement battery when the laptop is several years old, and this is when the battery that came with the computer might start wearing out.
Well, here's what's in the cavern I call a backpack:
A Mini-Mouse
I don't know about the rest of you, but for me a button pointer or trackpad just can't beat the feel of a mouse. MacAlly makes a niftly little mouse called the iOptiJr, which is just the smaller version of the iSweetNet. Nice and small, thus very precise; two buttons, wheel button, and programmable, and it's Mac/PC compatible. But... you'll have to get used to it being so small. I think other mice are big and bulky by comparison now, but that's because I got used to this one. You may need to install drivers, depending on your machine. You can get a wireless version, but then you have to worry about batteries. Optical is WAY better than your basic mechanical ball... unless you're using it on the surface of your laptop, or another shiny/sparkly surface. Think ahead.
A Mini USB Hub
Here's a slick one by IOGear. This has proved useful occasionally, but I haven't used it in over six months. Buy at your discretion. Mine (Not the IOGear one; a different brand) came with a cable that was split into two USB plugs; one to provide basic functionality, and one to provide added power, so you could use more power-hungry devices (like external USB floppy drives, scanners, etc.) without needing to plug the hub into the wall. But... this can drain the power of your laptop if you aren't careful.
A Wireless Network Card
If your machine doesn't ship with one (or with functionality on the motherboard), buy yourself an 802.11g PCMCIA card. They're backwards compatible with 802.11b, and network access (copying files, etc.) is up to five times faster. However, this won't matter for internet access unless your sitting behind a T3. If you aren't planning on networking large files EVER, than spend half as much on 802.11b. Definitely get one though, because most internet cafes and hotspots are swithcing to wireless-only access, if they haven't already.
A Portable Flatbed Scanner
Obviously, this'll only matter if you need one. But I've found Canon's LIDE series (I've got the LIDE 30)to be a nice addition to my bag. Good quality, fast, small (same footprint as my 17-inch powerbook, and only 1.5 inches think!), and it's powered by the USB cable!
A Webcam
there are about a billion and a half of these out there. Think about what you're actually going to use it for, if anything. Don't spend extra because it's detachable and can take still photos. You're better off buying a digital camera. I've never needed one, but you might.
A Bluetooth Adapter PCMCIA Card or USB dongle.
This may be a non-issue for you, but if you have or think you might get any bluetooth devices (such as a wireless mouse or Bluetooth-enable PDA), this could well be worth the money. Again, it may already be on your motherboard.
Cables! (Oh, and a cable bag.)
Okay, one USB cable, normal-sized, and one of the mini-plugged ones, for digital cameras and other devices. Although... I've never needed to use this. (I try to stay as modular as possible, and use things that work with more standardized cables, etc.) A firewire 6-pin to 6-pin (for large devices such as drives), and a 6-pin to 4-pin, for smaller devices such as DV-camcorders. Other cables (such as a USB light, A/V and monitor cables, etc.) are up to you.
A Digital Camera
Obviously, not a necessity for a laptop user, but usually pretty handy if you don't have one. Buy one that uses Compact Flash (cheapest memory, MB/dollar), and AA batteries. Buy rechargables, highest capacity you can find... usually around 1800-2200 mA. Oh, and you can get a great 30-minute charger by Energizer for about $40 at Best Bu
I got a 40 gig, 3.06 ghz p4 w/ ht, cd-rw/dvd drive, wireless 802.11b & g, ethernet, and modem (don't use the last 2 ever haha) Inspiron 5150, and let me tell you, if I had an usb mouse, I wouldn't even need my other computer (FSP is not that great w/ touch pads haha!)
Targus rechargable mini wireless optical mouse plug in the little USB key go.
My company has a lot of Dell D-series and X-series laptops. The power supply has a chip in it that the laptop checks when you plug it in.
If you try to use a clone power supply, the laptop will complain, and refuse to charge its batteries from the clone. It will still work from the AC though.
This would be bad enough, but the genuine Dell power supplies are extremely fragile. We've returned several dozen under warranty when the Dell laptop refuses to recognize the Dell power supply as genuine.
A quick search with google will describe the problem in greater detail.
I've got a HP laptop that has died twice with power problems. It's shouldn't be any big deal since it's still under warranty. With my warranty once the laptop is determined to be dead HP arranges a fedex pickup and I get it back in a week. Both times the system has died it has taken over a week to arrange the fedex pickup(no fault of fedex). I think the biggest problem is that every single support number I tried goes to bottom dollar Indian tech support. Now I've worked tech support and had to deal with bad support before but I've never sworn off buying a companies hardware until now.
Does anyone see the problem with the following: Tech support must arrange pickup of a laptop, despite repeated instruction given by you that you do not in fact live in a city named "how-sin" that's what they'll be telling fedex. (Houston in case you couldn't tell). And all the problems aren't just communication related, there were several other problem like support tickets that were never filled out or closed and many, many more. I'd go on further but I have a HP web survey to fill out that I'm going to save up most of my anger for.
My Hello World is 512 bytes. But it's also a valid Fat12 boot sector, Fat12 file reader, and Pmode routine.
Also, I had no idea that a Dell extended warranty would apply to an Apple laptop.
There are 10 kinds of people: ones who understand ternary, ones who don't, and ones who think this joke is about binary
When the OS crashes, when the cell rings, when I'm feeling mad... these are a few of my favourite things, and then I don't feel so bad:
Home wireless. Nothing like checking my stocks while I'm on the shitter!
Rewired power plug: using RCA jacks inline, the DC/laptop end of my power is now a right-angle dongle. Far less susceptible to breakage, and the extra few feet of cable is really nice. Plus the RCA jack makes it dead easy to replace the plug if it ever does break.
Laptop desk: no more burnt knees.
Good laptop bag: kinda wish I'd grabbed a knapsack style one instead of briefcase/purse style. The one-shoulder thing is fine for short distances, absolutely sucks for long walks.
--
Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
If you're a student, or possibly will have weight on your laptop, buy a THIN mousepad... I won one from Alienware at a LAN, it's wonderful!!!!
more specifically, put the mousepad between your keyboard and your screen, it keeps finger grease off your screen, which doesn't come off after a month or so... and the mousepad is rigid, which is nice to have around for optical mice....
Be sure to order the lightweight bits. After lugging around 40 gb of heavy bits all the time you will be sorry that you didnt order the lighter version. It will cost a little more but it will be worth it.
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.
Here's another tout for the usb memory key:
I'm a student and I write a lot of papers.
I am afforded SO much extra peace of mind by quickly backing up my papers onto my usb key, just in case of some sort of accident or failure.
I also recommend as much wireless as possible; I am very used to my desktop, however when I started using my laptop with wireless net access, no power cable, bluetooth (built in) mice and keyboard, I couldn't believe what a relaxing experience it was to use the computer. I am sensitive to clutter and I never even knew it.
I have a dvd burner in my laptop which at first seemed like it might be overkill, but I actually use it very often for data backup, and I do tend to make dvds often for projects or simply get data to friends. Sometimes it's just a slideshow with music, in a format mom and dad or aunt and uncle can easily experience.
Another thing about my laptop - I should have done this a LONG time ago. I don't even bother with my desktop much, anymore. I love working anywhere, anytime, and taking my environment with me.
A wise choice you make!
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
I'd recommend a Flylight. Basically it's a LED hooked up to the power rails on your USB port. It's really useful on flights and car trips. They sell other things that might be useful as well.
Also, take a look at something along the lines of this thing for presentations. They're extremely handy, and have an extra "cool" factor when you leave the podium during your talk.
Michael C. Hollinger
Or rather, don't buy one for when you wear out your current one. Buy a second if you think you'll want to use it. I have an iBook G4, and it gives me 4 hours easy. I don't need one.
The reason you don't want to buy a replacement battery before you need it is because Lithium Ion batteries start losing their charge capacity when they're made. After five years they've lost 25% of their max charge, even if they've never been used. Add to that, it'll be cheaper to pick up the extra battery later.
However, if you're buying a big fatass dell or something, you'll need the extra battery.
I got 802.11g and bluetooth with my laptop. The power consumption on the iBook is laughably small. I wasn't sure I'd use bluetooth, but it's very nice to have the option. I'm considering getting a GPS gadget with bluetooth, at the very least.
I'm as mimsy as the next borogove but your mome raths are completely outgrabe.
If you're getting an iBook, get the apple care package because your laptop will have expensive parts that will break.
I bought a laptop a year ago and on the whole I am pleased. One regret I have is that the speakers on the model I chose are terrible little tinny things that aren't worth using.
;-)
If I had to do it over again, I would have given more thought to what's important to me (for instance, playing mp3's on the laptop) before my purchase.
At least I can still use headphones
Don't forget the UPS. You wouldn't want the power to go out in your house and lose all your work, would you?
(Oh, sorry, this is Slashdot. I meant, "...and loose all you're work...".)
- Ethernet cable
- TV- and Audio- breakout cables, for watching anime at friends' houses
- Digital Camera adapter: I have a USB card-reader, as it's faster and easier than my digicam's serial interface, but the sync cable would be ok too.
- Kensington lock
In addition, here's what I'd kinda like to have but don't:Hope this helps!
priceless moderation
A USB memory key is also quite incredibly useful if you move moderate amounts of data between computers, like spread sheets and word documents.
--I am Sun Tzu of the Borg. Resistance is feudal.
Not exactly a peripheral BUT... Spend the extra cash and buy the extended warranty for the unit. Most retailers offer an option that inclues accidential dammage. It's saved me on more then one one occassion with a broken LCD that would have cost me a fortune to replace otherwise and more recently with a CD-ROM drive that went south on me. I always found this to be a great investment especially if purchasing a higher end model.
... get (if the thing doesn't come with one built in) an external floppy drive -- USB or whatever. It CAN save your OS, and they're awfully nice when you can't network some comps together and have to transfer a little bit of data.
if you're a klutz or around anyone who might be a klutz, definately consider the extended warranty that covers such things. laptops get used and abused a lot more than other things. wether it be a broken keyboard, banged hdd due to a drop, cracked, etc. its one of the few times that this insurance policy makes sense.
If you ever travel with a companion, having a 3 dollar headphone splitter can allow two people to watch a DVD on your laptop at the same time. Of course, you'll probably also want an extra battery. I've never made it through an entire DVD without running out of battery power...
Some airlines have power cables under the seats, but they use a special airplane power adaptor, which can range from 30 to 99 USD.
I second the iPod as External HD idea.
I've used a London Fog case for over 2 years now. It's expandable, has an internal padded laptop sleeve, provides quick access to the laptop in airports, and is made of high quality leather. I swapped the strap for a Victorinox strap which is bouncier and softer... good for extra load.
I use a docking station at work (although a port replicator would work just as well), plugged into 21" montitor, keyboard, and mouse. I keep an extra power brick in the laptop case, like many others here have mentioned.
The facts have a liberal bias. --The Daily Show
1. More RAM
2. external mouse (I can't use those fucking pad things)
3. Linux distro
4. Screen wipes
What else could you possibly need on a new laptop? nowadays they come with just about everything.
I'm using my tax return to buy a laptop.
Here's my advice. Send the tax return to the IRS, and use the tax REFUND to buy the laptop. Otherwise the shopkeeper might laught at you, and you won't get the laptop.
while a little off topic, I have a question that has to do with laptop peripherals. A friend gave me an old toshiba laptop recently that only has pcmcia typeI 16bit slots and I can't find a typeI pcmcia-usb card anywhere. Is it true that noone ever made one? This just seems crazy if it is the case. Is there any place where I can get a 16bit pcmcia-usb card, even if it is only usb1.1, which is all I really need.
I'm guessing most new laptops sold these days come with at least 4 USB ports. Even so, consider getting a USB hub. My laptop only has 2 USB ports, and I'm always plugging and unplugging USB peripherals (my Logitech mouse takes up one port, so all my other peripherals have to share the other port).
Laptop cases are thief magnets.
Regular backpacks, with a little padding if you are paranoid, are much better for conveying your multi-kilobuck investments.
no thanks
First off, I have a powerbook g4, I'm a student, and I'm typing this from my laptop. I've had it for just over two years now.
USB 2, Firewire, it doesn't matter. The case itself runs somthing like $25 for a decent case, and another $60 for a gianormous drive. The drive serves two purposes: 1) you can put all your personal, non work/school related stuff on there (porn, music, warez install backups, digital camera photo collection, etc.) and 2) you can back your shit up from time to time. Your laptop hard drive will never be big enough, and your computer will eventually puke, causing you to reload everything. Being able to boot from an external drive and recovering all your stuff before wiping and reinstalling on the internal drive, without hassle is amazingly easy. Think you have a virus/can't get rid of annoying pop-up/spyware? Re-install. Just pop the install CD in before you go to bed and it's ready to go the next morning.
Compact flash reader. My digital camera uses CF. Bypassing the silly included software is awesome, and it doubles as a USB floppy. I also have a PCMCIA CF reader.
Two pink, rubber erasers. They go on the back corners of my laptop, elevate the keyboard to a more ergonomic tilt, and provide better cooling, while not scratching the case. Also helpful for getting rid of smudges on your pretty, new laptop.
Trackball mouse. It works on the plane, in the back seat of a car, on the beach, wherever. It also doesn't keep my roommate/girlfriend up at night with the light of a regular optical mouse. I personally bought a silver-ish looking logitech optical trackman wheel, which i reccomend.
Wifi card. AIM + TV + Food = awesome.
Things I wish I had:
Two spare power adapters. One for my backpack, and one for the living room.
USB sound card - better quality sound output + more options for input (my laptop didn't come with a line in option)
A spare keyboard (on the off chance i break off one of my keys/this one wears out). They're usually about $100, but well worth the investment.
I'd like a webcam. They're neat, and often more handy than a digicam.
Kensington USB flexlite/flexlight. Just enough light at night. $20.
A 10' extension cord + single outlet travel sized surge protector. That outlet is never close enough to the desk, wherever it is you end up.
Get a crossover cable if your computer doesn't do auto switching like all mac laptops do. It's quite handy.
With 4 hours of (Real time) battery life, I don't need a second battery. I can get from dallas to miami on a plane and get plenty of work done with the b. life I have. One battery is not $129 worth of convenience for a second one. Wait at least three months before even considering buying one. Chances are, you won't need one.
And get a case. A really good one, preferably one made specifically for your laptop. It should have a removable sleeve so you can toss it in a briefcase and go on a day trip, and not drag everything else along. I spent $220 on my brenthaven, and it still looks new. If I had to replace it tomorrow, I'd buy the exact same one, and pay double that for it, if I had to.
moox. for a new generation.
In general I agree that battery purchases should be delayed until you need them, but the availability of the battery must also be considered. Oftentimes, new batteries will no longer be available from the manufacturer if you wait five years to buy one.
Always takes the better part of a day for me to get a new machine exactly as I like it. I need to just burn a DVD or two with ghost images one of these days....
I write code.
Extended Warranty
Wireless ethernet is essential. I've found that I don't even use CDs or DVDs that much and when I do could just as well transfer the contents / image from another networked computer. It's been a few years since I've used a 3.5" floppy or a modem, but I'd say the modem is good to have.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
If your a car person get a power inverter, 100 watts or up should do it. sux to run outa batteries on the road, and you can use it as a car mp3 player.
-and occasionaly a giant moose.
1. CDRW drive. If not CDRW/DVD drive or CDRW/DVD burner
2. As much RAM as it will take
3. Best video card available
4. Warranty covering accidental damage (dropping, running it over with your car, etc)
5. USB Thumbdrive. 1GB or better.
6. Bag that doesn't look like a laptop bag. They've got some that look like ordinary backpacks, but have a special compartment inside for the laptop. Check CompUSA.
7. Wired and wireless NICs. Integrated.
8. External USB mouse
9. 4 port USB hub (Fry's has one thats under $5 and doesn't require an external power source).
Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
I carry my laptop to work every day and have for 2+ years. It's an iBook, but the advice works for any brand.
1) Good carrying case. I use a Marware Sportfolio II, but get whatever works for you. Just get something with good padding and a shoulder strap. I chose the one I did because it's very light weight to go with my sub-5 lb laptop.
2) A retractable Ethernet cable and a retractable phone cord. When you're in a hotel or on the road or whatever, you'll love these, and they won't get tangled in your bag like a regular cable.
3) VGA adapter cable and AV adapter cable to get your video output onto TVs, projectors, and other places you need to show presentations, do code reviews, etc.
4) A Kensington Flylight is invaluable when you're on an airplane or somewhere dark and need to use your computer.
I hope these suggestions are helpful.
- Vincit qui patitur.
Unless you're getting a notebook which supports using two batteries at once, I'd suggest not getting an extra battery right off the bat. Wait until you know you need it. It'll die just as fast as the one you use even if you don't use it.
Get an extra AC adaptor (or two or three) I like being able to take mine out of the bag and hooking it up at home without also getting out the power brick and cord.
Carry a network cord.
Wireless - built in. Built in wireless allows for a larger antenna than a pc card, and better reception.
If you think you can use it, a travel scanner is very handy once in awhile. I have a targus pc card travel scanner.
Forget the mouse, unless you're going to be gaming at odd places and times. The trackpad is perfectly usable (actually, with synaptics software it's even better than a mouse) for regular work, and you don't have to move your hand as far from the keyboard to use it. Keep mice at your more stationary locations for long work sessions. If you must have a mouse, try out some of the wireless travel mice. They are fairly small, some even keep the USB adaptor stored inside the mouse when not in use.
Buy the three year extended AND additional 'oops' protection warranties. I cannot stress enough how many things will break on your laptop during normal use no matter how gentle you are. Remember that the manufacturer's warranty only covers manufacturing defects, and after 90 days usually only covers parts, not labor. A laptop is one of those rare devices that both is not cheap to fix yourself, and has a resale value so replacement when it breaks is not normally an option.
-Adam
I travel alot for work, and have a Dell C840 as my main PC at work. Here's some of my essentials:
1) Stickers all over the lid! (From thinkgeek, of course). This makes it more recognizable from all the other "dudes who got a Dell" at airport security. I imagine it also deters thiefs since it doesn't look as attractive
2) A good backpack/case. Targus makes some nice ones. Make sure it has good padding and sensible pockets. If you can run with it comfortably (Chicago terminals!), all the better.
3) Bunches of power adaptors! I have one on my dock at work, one on my dock at home, one in my bag for travel at a moments' notice and a Targus airline multi-adaptor. Use SeatGuru to determine which seats have power on your flight.
4) AV port cable. Has S-Video and RCAs
5) Headphone splitter. It's nice to share your DVDs with a travel partner or whomever may be sitting next to you on a flight
6) Crossover cable (short), Patch cable (long! for hotel rooms with crappy desks), wireless ethernet card.
7) USB keychain. Go big or go home.
8) At least 2 batteries, but that does make it heavy. I need 2 for transcon flights.
9) USB PDA Charger and sync cable. Power your PDA thru the USB slot! Brando has some cheap ones.
10) Media wallet with backups of essential software and essential personal backups. In the event of catastrophic failure on the road, could you buy a new HDD and rebuild your PC in time for that technology demo the next day? It's happened...
11) Notepad and pens. For when you have to go analog.
12) Travel mouse. They're great on flights, even though I prefer the keyboard
13) Small gamepad for playing MAME. Always a great conversation piece too!
Get a desktop in your car's booth.
Honestly with so much rubish the portability is completely lost.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Just got one at DFW; works on aircraft (both types of connector - AA use the cig-lighter, everyone else some weird custom crap), mains power and from the car cig-lighter socket. Nice. Powers the Sny PCG-GRX600K (big, hungry) w. no problem.
1.) Extra power cables (or 2 extras) - one for work, one for home and one to take with you
2.) Extra batteries - My Dell precision has a place for a second battery - I have 3 and I can travel on a 8 hour plane trip and still have enough juice for playing 3D games or watching movies for the whole trip!
3.) 802.11x card if it's not internal already
4.) USB 2.0 card if it's not internal already
5.) USB infrared mouse - I hate the touchpad. You cna't play games with a touchpad!!!
6.) A keyboard light (think geek has a cheap USB one) if you don't want to turn on the room light and keep everyone up - also good if people are watching TV in a dark room and you need to type.
7.) Good, but cheap foldable headphones. You want something that you can pack with you on a trip, so you can watch movies or play games on the plane - I bought a pair of sony headphones for like $10 and it's REALLY worth it! I hate earbuds, so I got normal headphones that are foldable.
What NOT to buy:
* Don't get the APC "Power case" with th universal adapter. I plugged it into a car charger and it TOTALLY FRIED my old computer's ability to recharge batteries. Bad, Bad, Bad, !!! After I used up all of my batteries (copying all my work off the machine) I had a worthless hunk of plastic and silicon - and APC didn't do a thing about it.
I had heard that laptop batteries tend to lose their effectiveness over the course of 3 years or so even when not in use. In other words, a battery might lose its effectiveness sitting in my closet just as quickly as it does sitting in my laptop. Anyone know if this is true?
jf
I still miss the laptop I had 3 years ago, but had to give that up when I left...
A good travel case is essential. There are many designs, find one that is right for you. Some people use the backpack because it is easy to carry, others the traditional "briefcase", and others have a wheeled contraption. Make sure the laptop, and the accesories you get fit. This is first for a reason: downsize everything else if you must to get a good travel case.
Get a laptop where the CD/floppy can be replaced by a second battery. I almost never had the CD drive installed, instead I had the second battery. I sometimes did use the ability to go 9 hours without mains. Not just in flight, but also some classrooms didn't have power.
Wireless is critical. I would put a AP in the house and the office (likely you already have it), it is very nice to not have to worry about cables. This is useful enough that I'd want it built into the laptop if there is a choice. (But make sure there is linux support) My wireless connection was "only 1 megabit", but it worked at the office just fine. I'd get something faster today just because you can, but if you already have something that works I didn't see a need for more speed. (but then I didn't use it for anything high bandwidth either. YMMV)
You still need ethernet and modems, make sure they work with linux. External is fine, just toss is in a pocket of your travel case and forget about it until you need it. You need long cables. Hotels phone jacks tend to be a bad places. Ethernet is often better placed, but don't count on that. If there is room get both a long and a short cable so you don't have to roll the long one up all the time.
You might consider a mouse, keyboard, monitor, power supply, etc to leave at work or home, depending on how often you use the machine in those places and what annoys you about the settup. I never wanted one, but I could see the use.
Putting a mouse or USB hub in your travel case sounds like a good idea, but I'm not sure if you would use it. I'd start without (if you are using your tax refund money is limited I'm guessing) and buy what you decide you really want. Most towns have a store where you can buy these things, so get them when you need them.
Other things that I've seen people get:
A portable projector. Obviously this means you would give presentations often. Still it is something to consider if you have the money. When you want to watch the video of your nephew's choir you might like to project it on the wall so everyone can see.
Screwdrivers. A travel toolkit could come in handy. I know that I used mine several times on the road.
If it is a work laptop (for others reading this) get the manuals for all the products you will be dealing with. Preferably on the harddrive, with hardcopies of the equipment you will need to reference most often. Also CDs with the latest software. Make sure that you check what copyright law allows you to do though.
Game pads, headphones, video games, e-books, music, and so on. If you have a goal in mind for the laptop you might forget about these until you want them. Eventially you will have half an hour or an entire flight to kill, make sure you have something to do.
Remember, everyone is different, and your needs are different. Decide what fits you and get that. Don't forget that a lot of things can be bought anytime. Computer stores are everywhere (including Walmart), while some charge too much you can get the accessories you need in pretty much any town.
Another really good thing to have is a copule of regular pencils (unsharpened) which I use to raise the laptop up (has no flip out feet) which I use to imporve the air circulation under the laptop.
HEAT is the #1 ENEMY of laptops, keep it COOL!
Go for the longest most feature filled warrenty you can get. In one laptop I had to replace a CDRW/DVD drive and 3 months out of warrenty they wanted $650 for the spare!
Hardcase, find yourself a nice case or backpack for it, but don't be afraid to add some masonite on the side where the display is.
Try it before you buy it! Be sure that you like the keyboard layout.
Get that external mouse, and maybe a keyboard. If you hunch over that laptop instead of getting a good ergonomic setup you will have lots of back/neck strain. So Make a workspace for it. If the workspace really is your lap and you're in a recliner or something get a lapdesk with a cushion on one side and a board on the other. Don't set it on your lap or you'll either get no ventillation for the laptop or a space heater for your privates! While built in wireless is great, be sure you can disable it easily when you need to. There's nothing like a portable having a wide open backdoor.
"Can there be a Klein bottle that is an efficient and effective beer pitcher?"
Please. A mouse in a bag is just an invitation for it to get lodged over the screen, pushed on from outside the bag, and - Crack! - there goes the LCD screen. I can't keep my people from carrying mice with them, but I sure hate replacing screens a couple of times a year. If you have to have one, get one of the mini models and make sure you put it in the bag beside the laptop, not on top of it.
Get an extended Warrenty.
They may be a hassle and they may be expensive. Mine for 4 years was around $300 from Circuit City.
However, in 1 year of use (don't get a laptop if you don't USE it), including traveling, and use as main computer all inside my apartment I have gone through:
3 Harddrives : $100-200 each. All covered.
Mouse buttons wore out: $75
2 Power cords: $90 ea
And all of this is just due to normal wear an tear of using a laptop as a primary computer on the road. They slip off of couches, they fall off of desks, their button's are good but they wear out and peripherals are expensive.
So in the course of one year I've already matched the price of my insurance and then some in damages that I would have had to fix myself out of pocket.
All of these happened after the original warrenty expired.
And don't blame it on the manufacturer. I had the same issues with my dell that I had at my old job. 1 harddrives on that one, and one power cable, in 6 months. The things melt if you travel (cables). I suggest stocking up on them via your warrenty if you have the chance.
I love my laptop, it's great. But I don't trust data to it. I don't trust data to my desktop for that matter. Everything is reduntant. Hardware is very prone to failure. but you can't take a desktop in a backpack so what you gonna do. You pay for the ability to be portable.
If i continue to travel, I doubt I'll buy another one. I'll just let my work pay for it.
IMHO a real keyboard and in my case trackball (mouse if you must) is necessary for long-term work and although there does not seem to have been a test case in the courts about the meaning of long-term yet, would seem to be a requirement of the Display Screen Regulations in the UK, and sensible anywhere else. You will not want to develop RSI.
I rarely, almost never, use an external monitor, the laptop screen is 1600*1200, and I would definitely recommend that resolution for serious work.
I also have a plug-in Zip drive, which was a waste of money as it never gets used, plug-in floppy which shares space with a second battery, and a CF memory card in PCMCIA/CF adaptor. The last item is very useful indeed if you have a camera. My largest card is 512MB, beats the Zip drive any day, and I put a CF thing in my main desktop so I can also use it for data interchange.....
I also have a backpack for carrying the laptop and accessories, that gets used regularly, usually in briefcase mode but about 10% of the time, on my back.
You will need a backup device, possibly on your network, but many laptops have a combined CD writer/DVD reader. I use mine quite a lot.
Oh, and concerning trivia, as mine is a Dell Inspiron (which I would recommend) I got a set of coloured wrist pads, to make it obviously different from my friend's similar model. I fitted the yellow ones, his are purple.
Hope this helps.
Get a Laptop Desk. These are very handy for sitting in your easy chair with a laptop and mousepad for extended periods. Just using the laptop makes me force my knees together and this is no good after a while. Also, as others have mentioned a mouse does have advantages over a touchpad (ever played Quake with a touchpad?). They also double as a keyboard tilt/screen riser if you like that.
- Laptop
I get by easily without extras. I have a brick both at work and at home and the laptop has integrated wireless. I never run into a time when I need anything else.The Li-ion batteries used nowadays have a finite life span and unless you plan to store them in a cool place at 40% charge for max life span you will find that after a year or so, they will begin to lose (or should I say: loose) their ability to accept a charge- JUST LIKE the one you are using on a daily basis.
I bought an extra battery for my iBook almost 2 years ago and hardly ever used it, but occassionally gave it a full charge cycle every few months (when I remembered...) Now it only accepts an 85% charge, just like my daily use battery that is installed in the iBook.
YMMV, but that's my experience.
Get as many AC adapters as you can afford and stick them all over the house where-ever you plan to sit.
We have 2 iBooks and Wireless in the house and its great to go anywhere in the house and be able to plug in without UNplugging a power adapter and lugging it around.
I like microcars
while you still can;
for the ability to resell!
A blog I run for the wealth
In my last journal's comments I mentioned the UTP-7220. Much smaller than a full cable.
Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks: temporary loans from the Public Domain, not real property ("intellectual" or otherwise)
We bought a bunch of security kits, "standard" Kensington types, which work nicely with the Compaq laptops we bought for our Postgrad students. But one of our lecturers got a nice shiny Acer laptop. He was leaving it in an unlocked office, so we thought it was time to apply both a) clue and b) a security lock.
But could we get the lock to engage with his security hole on the laptop? Could we heck. We prodded and poked and twisted and fiddled but *nothing* could get the thing to stick. It looked like the security hole wasn't quite deep enough for the lock to engage.
We dont know if its the lock or the laptop, but we'll try and find some other ones that work. I dont want his 17" screen Acer walking...
I would highly recommend using an ordinary AA flashlight with a Jakstrap or similar headband. Its versitle, cheap, and damn handy. Its good for doing work in the dark on anything, whether you have your computer with you or not. I used one way back in high school to study on the bus (in the winter, school starts before dawn and no light on the bus) and when working on my car or doing plumbing under the sink. As a bonus, you will definitely look uber-geeky!
You can get a jakstrap here for $5. And you probably already have a flashlight. If not, you can try this LED headlamp from energizer for $7.50 instead. And if that's too rich for your blood, here's something similar for a whole $2
USB key USB key USB key. Oh, and a USB key.
1) Wireless built-in with the hope that the built-in mini-PCI card would be more efficient than a PCMCIA card.
2) If you want a CD-RW or DVD-RW drive, buy it at the same time as getting the laptop. Even if you don't want one, you can buy it and sell it on eBay at an immediate $100 profit (at least with Dell stuff).
3) If you want a huge drive in there, look at getting it seperately. That was the cheaper option for me and now I have an extra 10 GB laptop drive to play with.
External battery packs aren't cheap but also are not all that more than purchasing a new internal battery. They often come with interchangeable plugs so you can use them with different vendor's laptops. Depending upon how much you are willing to pay, you can get such batteries with 4-5 or 9-10 hours of extended use (over and above the capacity of the internal battery - the external battery pack can also be used to recharge the internal battery). In addition, external battery packs simulate an AC power plug thus your laptop will run at full power and not in reduced battery mode. Often you can also power your cell phone or PDA from an external battery pack. The primary disadvantage is the added 2-3 pounds of weight you'll need to carry - if you are running around a lot with the laptop versus sitting some where a long time this can be annoying.
I've had excellent experience with the N-Charge battery power system from Valence Technologies ( http://www.n-chargepower.com/). It is a flat battery that can sit under your laptop - (although I also use a CoolPad) and easily slides into most carrying bags. There are others available but I have not used them.
OK, I like toys. So I've bought quite a few bells and whistles for the laptops I've owned. Some are useful, some are "ooo, that's neat. what's it good for?" I'll assume since you're getting a laptop, you intend to use it as such, as a portable. A lot of the gadgets and accessories I have are geared toward that theme.
:-)
- Extra battery. Manditory. Maybe not often, but you WILL use it, and you WILL be thankful for it.
- Laptop bag. I've seen all sorts, and it really depends on your taste in how much weight you want to carry around, but get something that will protect your laptop. The better bags now have an inner "liner" that the laptop slides into, that cushions it from every direction. Keeps it safe when you drop the bag. (it happens)
- CD wallet. You'll have a dozen or so CDs that will come in very handy from time to time. I've taken one of those large wallets that holds four discs on a side, and stripped the pages out and re-attached them with the posts. Then I hang it across the folder separator in my laptop bag. Keeps the discs safe and easy access. Handy if you carry a lot of them with you like I do. (~40 DVDs, ~20 data CDs, and don't forget to pack a few blanks if your laptop can burn) I recommend adding some mylar or duralar plastic sheets between the pages, as most of the wallet pages allow discs on adjacent pages to rub on eachother's labels, and that WILL eventually grind away and ruin the discs. (duralar sheets available at any major art stores)
- Network cable. Just a 10ft cat-5 will do nicely. Handy for networking your laptop to whatever you run across. Even more convenient if your ethernet jack is auto-sense for crossover, otherwise carry one of each.
- Earphones. Something like the iPod earphones - small and portable. Just tuck them in a mini ziplock type bag for when you want your music and others around you want their quiet time.
And now, "the kitchen sink"... i.e. all the other stuff I also carry with my laptop. Yes there's a lot, but then I'm not wandering around campus all day with it on my shoulder so it's OK with me...
- A/V adapters. Like headphone to dual RCA, S-video to RCA, etc, for jacking into TVs to watch a movie.
- Trackball. What FPS can be played properly without one?
- RJ-45 (ethernet ends) and crimper. Yes, I'm a geek, but it comes in handy from time to time.
- Phone line checker. Stops me from frying my internal modem on an unexpected digital phone line.
- A few empty CD sleeves. For those times when someone wants to borrow a DVD or CD from me, or I borrow one from someone else. Keeps them from getting scratched.
- Compactflash to PCMCIA adapter. For when I have the camera with me.
- Mini USB floppy drive. Might get ditched soon, but has its rare uses.
- GPS. I wrote some satellite photo gps tracking software so...
- Firewire cable. If you bought a proper computer, *cough*Macintosh*cough* you have a firewire port, and so will your friends. Target disk mode is superior to ethernet for large transfers. That, and if you have an iPod, it's a given.
- USB to serial adapter. For the legacy ports your newer portable lacks. (why does my NEW gps use a SERIAL port??)
- 10ft phone cable. Because sometimes all you have is the jack on the wall.
- Small paddalock. I prefer the ones with the dials so no key is required. Keeps people from borrowing your toys when you step away for a moment.
There, that'll weigh you down to about 13 lbs if you have a good stock of CDs/DVDs. But it's the geek's swiss army knife.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
or
Downside to the airline powercord is that the only major airline to deploy the jacks throughout coach seating is USAir, and they went bankrupt (what's to happen is anyone's guess). The electrofuel's been losing some charge, but it's still rather sweet, giving me far more than I would ever need (even when I fly to europe).
Zip-Linq cables. They go by many different brand names (Boxwave Minisync is another) but are extendable cables. You can get ones that do USB A-B, A-mini, and extender (good for thumbdrives). The minisync is for PDAs.
If you have a PDA, then some sort of USB charger is very handy
You seem the kind of guy who likes something like that UP YOUR ASS.
If the questioner is afflicted with presbyopia (the loss of accomodation or ability to change focus from far to near) an important laptop-related purchase may be a specialized pair of eyeglasses. Those under ~45 can either ignore the rest of this or file the information away for future reference. Barring some sort of breakthrough you'll eventually need it as presbyopia is an all but universal effect of aging.
The number of factors determining an optimum solution is large and probably exceeds the number of factors used in choosing the laptop in the first place. Since I don't want to start a religious discussion I'm just going to offer the solution that works for me and the major factors that determined what it was along with a few suggestions. I should say I'm neither an eye doctor nor connected with the eyewear industry but just someone with a lifelong interest in vision and a collection of vision problems that makes optimization of my visual function important.
For me, the major factors are:
1. My preferred distance for a CRT or laptop screen is roughly 24". My reading correction for 16" doesn't work at all at the CRT distance. A correction averaged for the two distances works at neither. 2. My neck and shoulders get very unhappy if I have to hold my head up to see the screen for any length of time. This is most important at a CRT and when using the laptop on a table or desk and less so when it is on my thighs. 3. A significant use for my laptop is taking notes at meetings or lectures where I must rapidly change focus from laptop to distance and back. 4. My vision is such that I must wear glasses to see clearly at any distance. I can't wear contacts.The pair of single-vision glasses I use at a CRT don't work because of factors 3 and 4. Many people may find progressive lenses such as Varilux which change your focus to near gradually as you look down a good solution but the combination of factor 2 and the pecularities of my prescription rule them out for me. Traditional trifocals where the intermediate region has 50% of the "add" (the change in power between the distance and reading portions) don't work - either the intermediate region focuses too far away for the laptop or the reading region is too close for comfortable reading.
My current solution is a pair of bifocals where the lower region is my CRT prescription and the top of the bifocal region is somewhat higher than on my standard bifocals. This allows me to use the laptop without craning my neck and to switch between the laptop and distance without a lot of head movement. So far so good.
Before going to your eye doctor to discuss glasses for use with the laptop try the following. Set the laptop up and put on your reading glasses if necessary. With your eyes closed, pretend you're using the laptop and adjust it so the keyboard is at a comfortable distance. Then open your eyes and see if your reading prescription works. If so, lucky you. If not, have someone measure the distance from your eyes to the screen and take that number with you when visiting your eye doctor. Some thought on what situations the laptop will be used in and what your personal "comfort zone" is as to head placement etc. can also prove useful before going to your eye doctor and optician.
Laptop Laidback :)
I have one of these.
IMHO, it's the best laptop case around.
I haven't read all of the responses on here (but most of them) so I don't know if this has been posted yet, but wouldn't a USB 802.11x adpater be quite handy when visiting friends/family for the weekend? (because of course you got a laptop with wireless built-in)
If they're running winblows, it'd be a 2 minute operation to plug the USB wireless in, set up Internet Connection Sharing and voila! Your surfing in the living room. A little more work perhaps for a linux install, but hey, portable, instant wireless network!?!
No, I've never actually tried this, as I don't have a USB 802.11 adapter yet , but I just wanted to throw the idea out there... this is totally possible, right?
Extra Battery (My Dell Laptop has a spot for 2 batteries, so both can be charged at the same time or installed at the same time and give you 2x the battery life.) Auto/AC adapter. extra home ac adapter small usb mouse (some have built in card readers and are optical) but only if you can't handle the touchpad or mousekey (who likes that thing anyway?) or maybe a small trackball instead. Gateway used to make laptops (so did Compaq) with built in trackballs. Those were the days. A decent case. suggestions I have seen varied from a standard briefcase to a flight bag (it has wheels) to a backpack. go with what fits your budget and your look (nobody on /. mentioned that.)
PDA?
Don't think anybody mentioned that.
Other people did mention WIFI devices.
Make sure your laptop has infrared. also make sure it has USB and/or firewire.
Nobody mentioned a small wireless access point. That could be useful if you don't want to carry around a long network cable.
Also, mentioning cases be sure you plan in advance for how much stuff you are planning on carrying. I never dreamed that I would cram as much stuff in the laptop case as I have.
FWIW,
Kyle