Laptop Travel Lifestyle

I recently picked up the Booq Python XM System for my MacBook. Amazing! It's the sturdiest, most well thought out accessory I've ever used so far.

The bag has many pockets for all of the my MacBook's accessories as well as my iPod, digital camera and lenses, lunch, water bottle, spare jacket and just about anything else I can think of for a day's excursion. It's not bulky and even when it's stuffed with heavy items it carries with ease.

Find out more about the Booq Python XM bags

The single greatest improvement you can make to your laptop is adding memory. When I updated my MacBook from 1GB to 2GB the increase in speed was incredible. As they say, there is no such thing as a fast enough motorcycle or computer.

You'll find a RAM upgrade particualrly beneficial if you have an older laptop/notebook computer. I've still got my Acer Ferrari 3000 and HP Pavillion n5425 kicking around and running strong. (It's amazing what a little TLC will do.) I updated to Windows Vista Premium on the Acer Ferrari and 512mb just didn't cut it any more. 1024mb was just the ticket for the older machine and I handed it down to my younger daughter, ready for it's next life.

Here's a laptop memory selection widget I hope helps:

Find Memory For Your Specific Computer! Click Here to Start Apple Compaq Dell Gateway Hewlett-Packard IBM Sony Toshiba ---------- 3C Comm. Abit Acer A-Com Acute Network Technologies Adaptec Inc Adastra Systems Advantech Agfa Aiptek Aiwa Akai Akica Alienware ALR Altima Amedia Amptron AMS Tech AOpen Components Apple APS Aqcess Technologies Aquiline Archos Argus ARM Ashton Digital Aspen AST ASUS AT&T/NCR ATI Technologies ATLMultimedia Audiovox Austin Averatec / SOTEC Axil Computer BaromTec BCOM Biostar Braemer Brentwood Broadax Systems Brother Bull Burdick Canon Casio ChainTech Chaplet ChemUSA Chicony Chip PC Cisco Clarion Clevo Commax Compaq Compuadd Compumedics CompUSA Creative Labs CTX Daewoo Daiyoo Data General Dataproducts Del Mar Medical Dell DFI Diamond Dictaphone Digiframe Digisette Digital Digitra D-Link Dycam ECS Elitegroup Computer Eiger Labs emachines E-Mu Epox EPS Epson Ergo Ericsson Esprit Systems Eurocom Everex FIC FOSA FoxConn Frontier Labs Fuji Film Fuji Xerox Fujitsu G.Mate Gateway Generic Gigabyte Technology Goko Granite Communications GRiD Grundig HAL Hewlett-Packard Hitachi HTC Husky HyperData Hyundai I&C i2Go IBM I-JAM Multimedia Intel Intergraph Intermec Iomega Itronix Iwill Jenoptic Jetta JVC Kapok KB Gear KDS Kedcom KeyData Keyence Kiwi KODAK KONICA Korg Kurzweil Kyocera Lanier Lanner Largan Legend QDI Leica Leo Lexmark LG / Goldstar Logitech Lucent MAG Magitronic Matrox MAXDATA Maxspeed Maxtech Maycom Medion Micro Industries Microdia Micron Microstar Int. Microtel Minolta Mitsubishi Motorola MPC MPuls3 Muskin Mustek NCD NEC Neoware Systems Network Engines, Inc. Nikon Nokia Norris Northgate NTT Nxist Okidata Olivetti Olympus Optoma Orchard Orchid Packard Bell Palm Palmax Panasonic PC Chips PCWare Int'l Pentax Philips Photo Request Pine Technology Pionex Plextor Polaroid Corporation Polywell Pontis Electronic Power Computing Powerspec Pretec ProStar Proteva Psion PuLi QDI QMS Quantex Radisys Radius RCA Reptron Resilience RFC Ricoh Roland Rollei Saehan Sager Samsung Sanyo Sceptre Seiko SENS Sharp Shuttle Siemens Nixdorf Sigma Silicon Graphics SimpleTech Sipix Soltek SONICblue Sony Soyo Spyrus Stratus Technologies Sun SuperMicro SurVivaLink Swan Systemax Tadpole Tatung TEAC Techmedia Teknor Tekom Tektronix Televideo Telexon Texas Instruments Thomson Tiger Direct Tiny Computers Toshiba Trenton Technology TRGpro Trimble Trogon Twinhead Tyan UHER UMAX Uniden Unisys Unitech Vadem VideoChip Viewsonic Visioneer Visteon VIVITAR Voice it VPR Matrix Walmart Wedge WinBook WinSystems Xerox Yamaha Yashica YELO Zenith Zeos Ziatech ZipLabs

It's a happy day for me!

After more than ten years as a hardcore PC advocate, I finally 'converted' and bought two Macs at the end of 2006. When Apple went with Intel chips it opened up new opportunities. Running Parallels Desktop, I am able to run Windows XP at the same time as OS X Tiger. I can use all my old XP software. I love my iPod for listening to music and training seminars, and I now enjoy tracking my runs with Nike+ iPod. So you might say I've become a fan of products from Cupertino.

So what's the big news? After being rejected previously (blog too small and too little traffic... still assessing emotional damage from rejection) I was accepted today and I can now offer the Apple Store through Laptop Travel Lifestyle to all of our readers. Thanks to everyone for visiting this site and bringing my traffic figures up high enough so Apple gave me the nod. You rock!

Check out the New Apple Store

We're just hammering out the details, but it looks like I'll have Lenovo ThinkPads in the Laptop Deals section pretty soon... fingers crossed.

About eight months ago I purchased the acomdata E5 HybridDrive hard drive for my backups. It's a 500gb USB 2.0 external hard drive. It's been a great addition to my travel computer system.

To keep it safe during my travels I use an Outdoor Research padded water bottle 'parka', made to insulate the wide mouth Nalgene water bottles in freezing temperatures when hiking. The drive fits in it with room for the power supply and USB cable.

The drive comes with backup software and 128 bit encryption for password protection of your files. I like the 'Mac' styling, but you can use it equally well with your PC laptop.

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More info on the acomdata E5 HybridDrive hard drive

I've learned the hard way that it's always a good idea to carry a spare laptop battery. I'll be sitting in a coffee shop without a plug-in, nearly finished some website edits for a client. I'll be uploading the files to server by FTP for final testing and the computer decides it's time to hibernate. Grrr!!!

I always travel with a spare battery. One I charge overnight and the other one I put on the charger before leaving the hotel for the day's excursion.

Laptop Batteries, Chargers and AC Adapters