Handy Best Laptop Accessories
Spending doesn’t stop after you buy the laptop. No – there are many, many laptop games that you can buy. Beyond the software are the abundant gadgets and tools. Some of them are standard computer peripherals, such as media cards, but most are great and useful items that you can get to enhance your laptop experience.
Laptop bag or travel case
A handsome travel laptop bag is a must.
Backup battery
Nothing screams “Freedom!” To the laptop road warrior more than an extra battery. Having an extra battery doubles the time you can count without the AC power cord in the wall. Some laptops allow you to quickly switch from one battery to another while the laptop is still running, which means that the total time you can use the battery greatly exceeds your ability to do work.
Unfortunately, the current trend is that laptops do not have a removable battery. Damn these manufacturers!
Make sure your laptop’s backup battery is certified, whether it comes directly from the manufacturer or from a trusted source and compatibility is guaranteed. Using the wrong battery in your laptop can be disastrous.
External storage for laptop
Get a USB or SSD powered hard drive for your laptop. This portable storage device is intended to act as a backup drive. Even if you use cloud storage, even if you have local network storage, an external hard drive or SSD comes in handy.
Laptop Cooling Pad
The perfect accessory for any beloved laptop, especially the larger models, is the cooling pad. It is a device similar to the one on which a laptop appears. The cooling pad contains one or more fans and is powered by either the laptop’s USB port or standard AA batteries. The laptop is located on the board, and the fans help to eliminate the heat generated by the battery and microprocessor. The result is a laptop that runs cooler, keeping the laptop happy.
- Pay attention to whether the cooling pad operates from the power supplied by the USB port or from its own batteries.
- If you’re getting a USB-powered cooling pad, buy a model with a USB pass-through port so you don’t lose the USB port when adding a cooling pad.
- Some cooling pads also double as USB hubs.
Minivac
A mini computer is useful for cleaning your laptop, especially the keyboard. This item is found in most office supply stores, many of which are portable (battery powered). You’ll be amazed (and disgusted) at the sticky substance the Minivac can suck up from your laptop.
USB lamp
The laptop screen is backlit and even appears in the dark. However, unfortunately, most laptop keyboards do not light up. To help you see the keyboard as well as other important areas around your laptop, you can light things up with a USB-powered lamp.
The lamp plugs into a standard USB port on your laptop. It has either a stiff or bendable neck or a clip so you can put it on. Flip the switch and let the light go!
Some laptops may already have keyboard lights built in. Check if there is an LED on the screen, or maybe the switches themselves are lit. A special combination of Fn keys can be used to activate the keyboard lights. If this feature is not available, get a USB flashlight for your laptop.
Even when the keyboard is lit, the USB light helps you see things near your laptop, such as a notepad or reference.
Full-size keyboard and external mouse
While you may not want to carry one with you, it is a pleasure to have when using a laptop with a comfortable full-size keyboard and mouse. The mouse does not need to be full size; There are plenty of laptop-sized mice available.
If you really want to get rid of those pesky wires, get a wireless or Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The wires go back to the office, not to the road.
You probably don’t want a full-size PC keyboard. Maybe you just need a numeric keypad? If so, buy a USB keyboard for your laptop.
When using your tablet as a tablet, consider getting a digital pen or stylus. It works a lot like a mouse. Plus it’s a better input device for creating text on a touch screen—much better than your short fingers.
Screen privacy filter
Being in public with your laptop means, well, that you’re in a public place – in the crowd.
To keep prying eyes away, get a privacy screen filter for your laptop. These devices consist of a thin mesh that hugs your laptop screen. Directly, you see the information on the screen. Stay away from the screen even at a shallow angle and you won’t see anything. That is why it is called a privacy screen filter.
The good news: Privacy screen filters are everywhere. Find one that fits your laptop screen.
The bad news: These devices don’t work well with tablets. The screen interferes with touch input. That might be fine for a while, and most tablets let you attach a keyboard, but it’s a frustrating trade-off.
ID card or return service sticker
Back in the day, your mom might have written your name on the laptop, just as she wrote your name on your underwear. Seriously, Mom: Who would have stolen my underwear? Did they do that in the old country?
My point is that your laptop is yours only because you keep it with you. What you need is your name on it somewhere. For example, business people typically install their business cards somewhere inside their laptops, like a bit on one side of a touchpad.
The idea here is not only to claim ownership of the laptop but also to pray that if your laptop is lost or stolen, it will be recognized as your laptop. A good citizen will call you and offer to return the laptop he found with your name on the ID card.
While you’re at it, attach a business card to other portable devices you might leave behind, such as portable printers, power supplies, and video projectors.
The best solution is to use the returns service and take advantage of the tamper-proof asset tags.
Anti-theft system
The perfect gift for your laptop: some kind of cable to keep it from walking away, an alarm that’s annoyingly loud, or that special program that tries to “call home” when your laptop is beeping. Alleviate your fears!