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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?"
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
-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)
Make sure to get:
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.
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.
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!
I fully agree with you. I also have a Latitude LS, and absolutely love it for its size and portability. While it's certainly not the most powerful machine on the planet, I find myself using it quite a lot.
And I find myself not missing the CD and floppy drives very much. With 802.11, I simply share the CD and floppy drives in my desktop over the wireless lan. Or I just connect the external drive.
I can certainly attest to the convienence of this small laptop (note that it is NOT uncomfortably tiny or underpowered like some other laptops. It's similar to the 12" powerbook). Being able to toss it into a breifcase or backpack is awesome, not to mention that's quite durable, so I don't really have to worry about it being tossed around. Once you use an ultraportable, you will never go back to a 5+ pound laptop. If you find yourself lacking the performance of a heaver laptop, buy youself a cheap desktop. Very few people need a powerful machine on the go (and a powerbook would be perfectly suited for those that do, specifically graphic artists).
Now, On to the 12" powerbook which I got to work with for a bit. It came out about 2 years after Dell discontinued the LS. It was almost the same size, but thicker and slightly heavier (still a feather compared to most). But, the big advantage. It has a built in cd burner (or DVD-R if you pay the extra bucks). I'd daresay it is the perfect laptop for most users. That is, if it weren't for the astonishing amount of heat it created. I am not kidding when I say that this thing would burn you if you left it on your lap long enough. I hear the problem has been fixed in the new model.
Basically, what it comes down to is that you're not going to need an incredibly powerful laptop. I'm still happily using my Latitude LS at 450mhz and Win2k without a problem. For things like word, powerpoint, and even the occassional photoshopping session, it's perfectly fine. I save everything else for my desktop machine. And I anticipate using it for a few years more to come.
If you really need power, go get a powerbook. As many have said, the biggest disadvantage to a mac is the lacking library of games for MacOS. Since you're not going to play games very well on ANY laptop, I don't see this as an issue. All of the other power-hungry software you would ever want is available for the mac. The 15" and 17" powerbooks are very nice, and while it's over the 6 pound mark, trust me when I say that it's heavy because it has to be. If it were much lighter, the weight of the screen when tilted backward would cause it to tip over.
Oh, and get an extra AC adapter (or a few!), an external mouse (those new ones with retractable USB cords are cool), and if your laptop doesn't have any form of removable storage built in, get a USB memory key. Just remember, keep it light!
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
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
It's worth knowing that some of the literature concerning ergonomic keyboarding suggests that you don't incline your keyboard towards you but keep it as flat as possible on the desk, and have your desk as low (close to your knees) as possible.
/james
Personally, my hands get tired more quicky when working on a keyboard that has its 'feet' raised at the back - I'm the guy who always flattens the feet down on lab computers before beginning to type.
- 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!
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.
I always like the MS Natural keybards that lifted in the front.
Also if you actually bother to read the coolpad page they have a note and picture on the right side of the page siting research stating that "experienced touch typists" try to type using a negative incline. The picture shows the laptop on the coolpad with the direction of the coolpad reversed.
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
They do this because many of the rado shack "off the shelf" power supplies dont deliver clean power w/ enough juice to correctly charge the newer batteries correctly.
I could accept that, but the Dell laptops regularly don't recognize the Dell power supplies and refuse to charge the batteries!!
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 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
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