Originally posted on January 20, 2010 @ 9:38 am
You know, travelling doesn’t just mean vacations and whatnot. If you take your laptop to work like I do, then you must be pretty familiar with the tedium of the daily commute carrying a huge and heavy laptop around. Granted, the laptops that we’re carrying now aren’t as huge and bulky as the ones that came out fifteen years ago, but they’re still heavy. You can argue that with the advent of netbooks, commuting has never been easier, but sometimes working full-time on an Atom-powered netbook isn’t enough. I need a full-powered computer for office work, and a huge, bulky laptop fills that particular need.
Now going on a crowded train with a laptop in tow isn’t exactly a great thing to do. A lot of things can happen in trains, and I’ve lost a cellphone once in a particularly crazy crowd. Not exactly the most ideal conditions to carry a laptop around. Now, how do we get to protect our precious, expensive gadgets from thieves and the usual damage that it’s going to get from commuting?
First line of defense would be using a nondescript bag. This one is pretty much common sense, why should we use the bags that came with the laptops? You look like you’re carrying a laptop, plus the manufacturer’s logo is on the bag itself. It’s like advertising yourself to muggers and whatnot. I use a backpack that costs around $40. Keep a good eye on your laptop at all times.
Also, remember that your privacy is at stake at well. Imagine what can happen to your personal files if they ended up in unscrupulous hands. Keep your sensitive data out of your laptop and store it in a USB thumb drive. Make sure you have a data backup too. You can never be too safe.
For all you commuters with laptops, what other tips can you share? Leave them in the comments!