Have Laptop Will Travel

ASUS EEE ships

Originally posted on November 1, 2007 @ 11:25 pm

I’ve written about Asus’ amazing EEE series of affordable subnotebooks before. It was one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets this summer but a series of setbacks meant delays in shipping the units to stores.

Well, finally the ASUS EEE is going to see the light of day, with units being distributed to retailers as we speak. The prices of the EEE will range from $299 to $399, with colors ranging from the usual black and white to funkier blue and pink colors. Initial batches of the EEE will run on Linux but ASUS revealed that a Windows version will become available by the end of this year.

According to ASUS managers, students are the primary target for the product but they are also going to target full time moms who may not require a laptop with all the bells and whistles since their primary purpose for these units is to go online to do email and search for recipes.

MSI comes out with GX600 gaming notebook

Originally posted on October 24, 2007 @ 11:45 pm

MSI Computers is one of the most popular IDMs in Taiwan. In  fact, it is so success that the company even decided to expand by entering the market for branded computers itself. MSI, as a brand, has become quite popular and has also built a reputation for quality products at very competitive prices.

A few days ago, MSI announced the arrival of the GX600 gaming notebook.  This new gizmo offers a very unique feature, the ability to overclock by just a touch. The 6.16 pound notebook will come in two “flavors”. One of them will have a cool flame graphic design while the other will have a more “traditional” look.

The one touch overclocking actually serves like the old “turbo button” of computers years and years ago.  A simple press of the button and the speed of the CPU improves by as much as 20 per cent. Cool isn’t it? Actually this feature can also be done through a mere software tweak but a hardware button makes it look very cool.

Laptop mods are for the brave and the bold

Originally posted on August 9, 2007 @ 8:24 pm

I’ve always been fascinated with modifications made on desktops and laptops. I’ve seen features on how to modify desktops and the inherent benefits of making these changes. I got so intrigued that I actually modded the case of my first PC. I think I was one of the first people to do it where I live because when I brought my PC for repairs all of the technicians and customers milled around my PC, asking questions about the simple intake vent that I painstakingly cut from the side panel of the case.

Now, PC mods are quite common. Vents would never even get a second glance from people because PC case manufacturers now incorporate these on cases. What is making people take notice though are modifications made on laptops.

People who modify laptops are a different breed altogether. These are people with nerves of carbon fiber and balls of steel. Why? It takes a man of courage to actually open a very expensive piece of electronics and then tinker and change something that was not even specified by the manufacturer.

Take this guy, for example. He modified his Apple laptop so that the Apple logo would glow. The modification was a success and the result was quite impressive.

I’m now looking at my trusty Acer notebook in a whole new perspective.

Laptops in a meeting

Originally posted on September 7, 2007 @ 6:31 pm

Yesterday I went to a story meeting with a couple of my colleagues. The meeting’s purpose was simple AND complicated — to develop topics for a new online IT resource for managers that will cater to the more technical and IT related aspects of managing a company. The goal is simple but arriving at that goal was really hard because we had to simplify very complicated IT terms and concepts for the regular manager.

Knowing that we’ve got our work cut out for us, each one of us tried to bring as many helpful tools as we can to the meeting — and funnily enough, that meant bringing our laptops with us for the meeting. When the discussion shifted to the  nitty-gritty of the topic selection, we all whipped out our laptops almost simultaneously. This made us all laugh. One of my colleagues blurted out that about a few years ago being in a meeting where all of the participants have a laptop would have been unheard of because of its high cost. And it’s true, the constant evolution of parts, the new methods of making these parts at a cheaper cost, and the increased demand has really driven prices down, so much that practically anyone can afford a laptop now. Heck, I’m even shopping around for a second laptop just to make it easier for me and my wife to handle our projects! Talk about unthinkable.

A workaround solution to the Acer 4520 keyboard lag problem

Originally posted on August 23, 2007 @ 7:33 am

I’ve been blogging about the Acer 4520 problem regarding keyboard lag and have posted some of the theories and “solutions” that owners have performed as a way of addressing the lag problem. All of the methods used have proven to be ineffective so the search for a solution continues.

Recently, an avid Have Laptop Will Travel reader from Singapore gave an ingenious workaround to the problem. His suggestion is quite simple and he said it will immediately address the keyboard lag.

The workaround? Just press F7 to deactivate the Touchpad of the Acer 4520. Of course you will now have to attach a mouse for navigation. Our reader said that it is the touchpad’s drivers that are creating a conflict in the system and producing the lag. As I mentioned earlier, this is more of a workaround than a total fix. He said that you will have to do this everytime you open your laptop, or else look for a way to deactivate the touchpad automatically everytime the laptop is opened. He said that until the conflicts are addressed by Acer through a Bios update or a patch then the “workaround” is the only option.

To Acer 4520 owners, why don’t you try the workaround that our Singapore reader has suggested? Do email me about your experiences with this fix.