Building your own travel proof laptop — a step by step guide

by Grant Martin on

The x60s is my fourth generation travel laptop and at this point, I have my laptop system down. Far have I traveled around the world with my Thinkpads, starting with my 240 in Vietnam and evolving up to an x20, x30, x40 and finally an x60.

Fact of the matter is, everyone can use a cheap, lightweight throwaway laptop these days. As long as it runs an internet browser, plays MP3’s and you can upload photos to it, it’s a great alternative to taking your $1600 Macbook into the Amazon and dropping it into piranah infested waters.

Is the solution really in a new fangled netbook though? It’s true that you can get a fancy Acer, Dell or IBM netbook straight off the shelf for $250. New shiny objects can be a blessing and a curse though — many of those units are difficult to modify, some of them are complex and all of them are going to be eye catching to potential thieves.

Instead let Gadling take you through the steps of putting together a good, reliable computer for very little cost, using recycled parts and software from the web and saving you a bundle. With a few tweaks you can make it modular and interchangeble, so that if you drop it in the water or run it over with your rental car (this has happened to me) you can still probably save your data. And If you play your cards right, you can put the entire package together for $150 or so.
Hardware

The CPU: $25 – $125

First, you’re going to need to invest on a laptop on which your foundation will be built. They call these “barebones” systems in the computer world, with only the bare essentials to get your system operating.

You’ll want something small, lightweight, not too complicated and cheap. This can be any brand, but you want it to have at least Pentium III processor over 400MHz or so. Under that point it gets difficult to run an operating system, web browser and Java or Flash (ie, Youtube.) My personal choice is among the IBM X series of notebooks, with the X20 as the lowest vintage machine you want to invest in. With enough RAM you might be able to get away with a 240X as well, but it’ll be close — and there are other problems with that unit as well, so let’s skip it.

Asus and Acer both are fairly easy-to-work-with brands as well, you just need to keep your minimal requirements, sizes and weights in mind. Older Dells, on the other hand, are frequently difficult to disassemble, so you may want avoid them. Apples suffer from the same problem.

You can invest in a laptop in any state of repair that you choose. Starting on ebay, you can pick out systems with no hard drive, memory or battery and a la carte your accessories as you see fit. In a way, this is an advantage because now you have more control over your project.

Expect to spend anywhere from $25 – $150 on the CPU. As an example, two barebones X20 laptops just finished up on ebay for $25 plus $10 shipping.

Memory: $10

You’ll want at least 128MB of memory in your machine to run Firefox, and since it’s so inexpensive, get at least 256MB. Just make sure you get the right type of memory (pc100, pc133, pc2700 etc) or else it won’t fit in your laptop. Go to the product page for your laptop’s manufacturer when you start building to see what variety you want.

Hard Drive: $40 – $100

The hard drive is where you’ll store all of your data from the trip, so you want to make this as robust as possible. Using an off the shelf 20GB IDE is inexpensive and fast, but it’s also got the highest probability of failure because it’s got moving parts. Instead, consider two options:

Solid State Drives (SSDs) consume lower energy and are sturdier against shock and damage. The technology is still fairly new though, so to get an IDE SSD it can cost over $100. But they’re a great alternative to a moving drive, and my last two notebooks have run swimmingly with them.

Alternatively, consider using the combination of an IDE converter and a Compact Flash (CF) or Secure Digital (SD) card. You can get an IDE conveter with an 8GB SD drive combo on ebay for less than $40 shipped. Think 8GB is too small for you? Is it really? If you’re just using the computer to surf the web, write up a few documents and store some photos, you should be able to get away with 8GB or even 2GB without much strain. Heck, if necessary, you can bring another 8GB USB thumb drive with you.

The best part about using a flash card as you hard drive is that the data is portable. If you drop your laptop at the airport, kick it across the street or run over it with your scooter, chances are that the SD or CF card is in tact. Pick that card out, stick it in your change pocket and bring it to a cyber cafe and you’ve got all of your data back. Or, buy another identical laptop off of ebay for $50, put the hard drive in and forget anything happened.

Afraid you’ll drop your notebook in the water? Try getting a waterproof SD card.

WiFi capability: $20

First, check to make sure if your laptop has internal WiFi built in. If it doesn’t, see if it has the capability. Many units come with a WiFi slot and no card installed. You can get a new one on ebay for $10. If you don’t have internal wireless capabilities, you can get a PCMCIA wireless card for about $20 (search “PCMCIA wireless” on ebay.)

Battery: $20 – $40

Depending on your model, a new battery on ebay will run you around $30. Don’t get a new battery from your local Best Buy or direct from the manufacturer. They’ll just rip you off.

Software

Installing a proper operating system and software can be tricky. Effectively there are three routes you can take:

Buy it: $80 upward
At the very least, you need an operating system like Windows 2000 or Windows XP to run on your notebook. You can buy clean versions of these on ebay for around $80 or you could just

Dowload it
Which is basically stealing. So I’ll let you follow up on that if you want to.

Use Open Source Software
Operating systems like Ubuntu and Fedora have made expensive operating systems a thing of the past. You just have to come to terms with your fear and give them a try. Fact of the matter is, system slike Ubuntu are so well engineered and logical that they work just like Windows — you just click on the appropriate icons and run your programs — so the learning curve is fairly shallow. The installation process, furthermore, is just as easy. Which brings us to:

Installing your operating system
All of the above operating systems and example notebooks support a full install by just dropping a CD into the drive and booting. The problem is, none of the above notebooks have CD-ROM drives. You’ll need to find a friend with an external USB CD-ROM drive, buy one yourself or get crafty to get figure out how to install without the hardware. The latter is doable, but chances are that if you can figure out how to do that you don’t need to be reading this article.

Aside from the operating system, you’ll want to install the basics to keep your computer running, Firefox, Macromedia Flash and Open Office (a free alternative to MS Office) as well as some basic drivers depending on your CPU.

Summary

So what have we got?

$50 — CPU
$10 — Memory
$50 — Hard Drive
$20 — Wireless
$30 — Battery
$0 — Software

$160 — Total. That’s still $90 less than most netbooks on the market. Along the way? You’ve put together your own computer, ensured that you’ve got the best value for your dollar and finished an amazing project. Pat yourself on the back, you just created your own modular travel notebook.

Daily gear deal – Logitech cordless laser mouse for $15

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s deal is for a Logitech cordless optical mouse. Carrying a cordless mouse is perfect if you need to get some work done on the road and don’t want to deal with the trackpad on your netbook or notebook.

The mouse features a small cordless receiver that snaps into the bottom, 6 months of use off a single battery and will work on Windows and Mac machines.

With a low price like this, there is of course one thing you’ll need to know – the mouse is refurbished, which means it was once returned to the vendor and has been brought back to its “as new” condition.

Still, if you can deal with a great mouse that doesn’t come in a snazzy retail box, then this is a fantastic deal at just $14.99, especially since it comes with free shipping.

Product review – Belkin FlyThru TSA checkpoint friendly laptop bag

by Scott Carmichael on

In this product review, I’m going to give you a brief look at the newest checkpoint friendly laptop bag from Belkin.

The new regulations from the TSA permit you to keep your laptop inside its carrying case if the bag meets certain rules.

Essentially, the TSA X-ray operator has to be able to see through the laptop, with nothing obstructing it.

The Belkin FlyThru checkpoint bag accomplishes this by placing the laptop in its own compartment, like any other bag, but adds the option to unzip that compartment from the rest of the bag and fold it flat.

Unlike any other checkpoint friendly laptop bag I have seen so far, the FlyThru even has a large clear window showing the laptop, which should make the screening process even easier for the TSA agent, as they’ll instantly be able to see that you are using an approved bag.

The FlyThru bag has 3 sections; one for the laptop, one on the front, and one main section for your paperwork and other larger items that also hides a small internal zippered pocket. The pocket on the front is expandable, making it perfect for stuffing full of any last minute things you decide to carry on your flight.

The FlyThru bag is designed for laptops up to 15.4″. The FlyThru pocket itself is very cleverly marked, with a zipper pull that attaches to the bag using a velcro strip. When you arrive at the checkpoint, you simply unzip the laptop portion, and fold the bag flat. It’s a simple design, but one that should help get you through the security screening nice and quickly.

The Belkin FlyThru checkpoint friendly laptop bag costs $59.99, making it one of the cheapest in its class. The bag feels very well made and is surprisingly light; just a little under 2lbs including the strap.

The Belkin FlyThru checkpoint friendly bag will be available later today directly from Belkin.com and many other (online) retailers.

Muji Chronotebook: Right for the Road?

by Mike Barish on

I’ve never been one to plan my trips down to the minute. I’d rather have a list of sites and activities that I want to check out and then figure out the timing of it all once I hit the ground. Schedules and agendas remind me too much of the office. Trips are supposed to help me break out of my cubicle and live my life untethered. But the Muji Chronotebook may be the day planner that changes my mind about how I organize trips.

Rather than being a linear day planner like the old-school Filofax, the Chronotebook lets you plan your day around a small circular “clock” in the middle of the page. The left side is for AM and the right is PM. The circles are large enough that you can recognize what time you are assigning to an activity but small enough to have most of the page left for notes, addresses, comments and other details you want to write down as you are out and about on your travels.

What I like about the Chronotebook is that it can be both a planner and a notebook. I don’t want to carry any more than I need to when I travel, but having a notebook to jot down my thoughts or ideas is key. And with the Chronotebook being a planner first and foremost, it could help you maximize your trip without feeling like you’re being too rigid with your leisure time.

I could definitely see myself in my vrbo apartment at night, planning my next day’s activties in my Chronotebook, adding details such as what trams to take and what market my favorite guidebook recommends and then going to sleep content in the knowledge that the following day in some exotic city is going to be totally rad.*

* It’s my daydream so I get to say “rad.”

[Via psfk]

Product review – The Notebook Buddy

by Scott Carmichael on

In this product review, I’m going to give you a quick look at a simple, yet effective product that makes using your laptop on the road a little easier (and cooler).

The Notebook Buddy is a 13.5″x9.5″ mat designed to place under your laptop. The mat is about half an inch thick, and is comprised of what I can only describe as thousands of little plastic springs.

On the top of the mat is a fabric mesh and by creating this open design, you can put your laptop on the mat, and heat will be transported away from it without blocking the vents.

If you have ever used your computer on your lap for any period of time, you’ll know that after about 30 minutes the heat can become unbearable. In the past, I’ve used all kinds of active cooling pads with little fans, but the major disadvantage of those, is that they drain your battery really fast and that they are a nuisance to carry around, The Notebook Buddy weighs just 3.2 ounces, and slips right into your laptop bag.The product is about as simple as it can get; you don’t need to plug it in, it does not require much space and it is ready to use right away. Another added advantage is that the padding makes it a comfortable product to use on your lap.

I put the product to the test by letting my laptop run for 30 minutes without a cooling pad, and measured the temperature. When it was directly on my lap, the temperature of the bottom of the machine was 114F.

After letting the machine cool down for 2 hours, I tested it again, using the Notebook Buddy. In this test I could not measure any rise in temperature on my lap, even after the laptop had been powered on for 30 minutes.

Naturally, the half inch gap between my lap and the notebook helps insulate things, but the special material used in the product helps circulate air from under the computer. If you have ever placed your computer on a bed, you’ll know that the bottom of the machine is where most of the vents (and heat) can be found.

The Notebook Buddy retails for $18.95 and can be purchased directly from their web site. Shipping is with UPS Ground, and is just $5. With Christmas slowly approaching, you might also be interested to know that the company behind the Notebook Buddy can customize the product with your logo, turning it into a nice corporate gift.

There are other cooling products out there, but this is by far the lightest, easiest and cheapest product I’ve found. The design of the Notebook Buddy really follows the “keep it simple” principle, no moving parts and nothing to bend or break. The price may seem a little steep for what you get, but when you consider that overheating on your laptop can cause the entire machine to become unusable, it’s a pretty justifiable investment.