As we are introducing a new laptop into the family it made me think of the things that you need when you have a new laptop. For us, there are definitely these two that aren't the typical computer things which are very important.
A laptop sleeve is important because of how the laptop gets used. I despise specialized bags, preferring to go with a standard backpack, and then protecting the laptop with a sleeve. The ones made by WaterField Designs are by far the best I've ever seen. They've got a neoprene inside and a protective nylon outside that makes the entire sleeve durable, yet soft to the laptop. We're now on our third, and I can say that all of them are still in really great shape. I prefer the vertical one because it sits in a backpack nicely and I can pull the laptop out while leaving the sleeve in the middle of all my papers and books.
Another very important item is a keyboard cover. Perhaps it is just because my laptops get more pressure than others, or that screens are getting larger, but I always get oil from the keyboard into the screen. That problem is now solved with Radtech's keyboard covers which are thin enough to fit between the screen and the keyboard, but yet protect them from each other too. A happy screen makes a happy programmer.
posted Dec 10, 2005 | permanent link
