10 Great Accessories to Enhance Your Laptop
These 10 accessories and add-ons will have your old laptop doing brand-new tricks in no time.
Thu, August 14, 2008
PC World — Here are ten cool ways to add useful new features and functionality--plus security and convenience--to your laptop without your even having to crack the case. (Note: Prices quoted are usually list.)
Get Connected, Wi-Fi or Not
Wi-Fi is super convenient, but hotspots can be hard to come by, and many proprietors charge a pretty penny to use them. One easy way to enhance your connectivity options is to add a 3G Wireless WAN (WWAN) data device to your laptop. The three big carriers (Verizon, AT&T Wireless, and Sprint Nextel) all offer such devices, available in several formats: PC Card, ExpressCard, or USB. The best place to get one of these devices is at your wireless telecom company. If you commit to a service plan at the same time, their prices range from free, for AT&T's USBConnect 881 (it's free after rebates, anyway), to about US$150, for Verizon's USB727 Modem. Performance doesn't vary much from carrier to carrier or from device to device, so buy the one that has the best coverage in the area where you typically work or travel.
Watch Live TV From Anywhere
Don't be a slave to the endlessly looping CNN feed on the solitary TV in the airport departure lounge. Instead, get whatever TV programming you want by tuning in to your cable box at home via a Sling Media Slingbox. The Slingbox attaches to both your cable box and your home broadband connection, and intercepts whatever's coming through the cable box and "slings" it to your computer, wherever you might be. Controls integrated into the custom Slingbox application you install on your laptop let you change channels on your cable box back home. Plug in a TiVo or a DVD player, and you can watch video from those sources as well (physically changing DVDs, however, is beyond the powers of the humble Slingbox). The bright red, $230 Slingbox Pro is the top of the line; its component connections let you hook up even a Blu-ray box (though the device downconverts high-def footage).
Never Run Out of Juice
The AC adapter that came with your laptop is probably a fairly one-dimensional device. It can charge only one thing (your notebook), and it can obtain power from only one place (a wall outlet). A couple of new products let you ditch your boring old brick in favor of something more flexible. For starters, check out Kensington's Wall/Auto/Air Notebook Power Adapter with USB Power Port ($140), which comes with adapters that let you charge from outlet power, from your car's 12V adapter, or from airplane power ports; several included adapter tips work with most major laptops out of the box, and you can buy additional tip packages for other devices at prices between $15 and $20. As a bonus, a USB port lets you charge a phone or MP3 player directly from the brick.
