LG BP06LU10 6x Slim External BD-RW
When first launched, Blu-ray peripherals were a luxury for even the wealthiest of punters. Several years down the line, though, and they've become an affordable add-on for any laptop owner whose kit still finds itself without a super hi-def disk drive and the capacity to burn 25GB or even 50GB on a single disc for a few quid.
The LG BP06LU10 is a decent choice that squeezes rewriter capabilities into a portable box, smaller in size than many of the chunky cases on offer from rival manufacturers. It handles an array of formats and even supports Lightscribe printing – laser etching labels onto disc so you know what's what; crucial given the amount of data Blu-ray media can handle.
Logitech Lapdesk N700
There are many arguments for keeping laptops on some kind of heat sink tray when being used around the house. For starters, it gives the computer's fans a needed break, reducing wear and tear, as well as minimising noise.
When several reports point towards laptop heat limiting sperm count, though, it would seem that a man has far more important machinery to worry about than the innards of their PC.
The Logitech Lapdesk appeared on the scene a few years ago, but hasn't lost any appeal over time. The tray hooks up using USB to power its 'virtually-silent' cooling fans and integrated stereo speakers. It features a heat-shielded design, soft air-mesh padding on the base and even has a slight tilt for easy typing – tray bien.
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COMMENTS
If all you sinister folk weren't so contrary and just learned to use things with the correct hand the problem would go away.
Mains inverters are silly for laptops
Converting to mains and back is inefficient - might not be a problem for charging while driving but can be if using when the engine's off. Far better and more portable to get a dedicated laptop car adaptor (not much more than £5 on eBay). I know you can't plug other things into it but this article is about laptop accessories.
Worse - there are much smaller printers, much smaller projectors (some stupidly tiny), much smaller USB hubs, much more efficient and smaller car chargers for laptops (even generic, multi-voltage ones), and things like the mouse are an abomination.
I was hoping to see a small USB scanner for a half-decent price. I can safely say I would never buy any of the products listed there (£700 USB keys? Buy a fecking external 1Tb hard drive, or even 10, ffs). Even the soundbar is just a nice way to put extra leverage on your screen hinges, and hardly any of it is "portable".
If you want something to be a "laptop accessory" I have to be able to reasonable carry it in an ordinary laptop bag with all my other accessories. I don't think any of those items except the stupidly-expensive USB key would fit that bill.
No TV-tuners? (just bought a DVB-T and analog dual-tuner - so can watch / record two digital channels simultaneously - model for less than £20) No scanners? No external hard drives? No fancy gadgets like, I don't know, some sort of joypad/joystick that folds away? No mention of things like the wireless presenter controls that can slip into an Expresscard slot for storage, etc.? Disappointing, and very misnamed, round-up of useless and expensive products.
