If you have a laptop built in the last couple of years, then odds are good that you’ve experienced the heat, maybe even the burn, of having th laptop sit on your lap. Many of the newest laptops get extremely hot, even with internal fans trying to keep the heat down.  LapLogic is offering a cooling solution called the Laplogic Aerogel Extreme that is made with Aerogel (from a company called Aspen) that promises to offer you a more pleasant, cooler, computing experience.

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If you own a Dell laptop and your warranty has expired you should take note of parts-people.com. I am working (and sometimes playing) on a Dell XPS M170. This beast has given me an outstanding performance so far until both system fans started to make a loud grinding noise. Over a few days, it got worse. Although you can give Dell a call and ask for parts, I decided to try parts-people. Their website is straight to the point with pictures of all the parts you might be looking for. It took me seconds to find what I needed for my specific model thanks to the well done categories. You click on the series and then the model for your laptop and you are taken to a parts list. You can then browse and look at the pictures of what you need. They provide very useful details to better identify what you need: a nice touch. In my case, I needed two system fans and they were clearly identified as the smaller and larger CPU fans with pictures.

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Are you sick and tired of people complaining that they can’t hear you during Skype phone calls?  Have people been telling you that you sound like you’re in a tin can? If so, then maybe this little microphone is for you.

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Are you the type of person who always asks what time it is?  Do you have a clock on your desk even though you have a clock staring you right in the face every time you look at your computer?   Do you always wonder why your office is so darn cold?  Do you need a USB hub?  Well if all of these apply, then the USB Fever USB 4-Port Hub with Thermometer and Clock is for you!

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You might recall that I recently posted about LapWorks’ new line of painted Futuras? Well Bill, their PR guy, outed me in the comments for admiring the Largely Leopard version. I recently received the one that he took upon himself to send me my friend…not that I am complaining, mind you.

I thought it would be fun to post pictures and initial impressions, to show you all first-hand what one of these painted Futuras looks like. As you can see, the leopard print is fun but not obnoxious…

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It’s the age old problem: laptops get hot, and heat is bad for them. To top things off, portable computers aren’t exactly ergonomic when lying on a flat desk. What to do? Adding an adjustable height cooling platform is the easy solution; so today we’re going to take a look at one of the newest from LapWorks: the Attaché Laptop Stand.

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If a laptop desk made of gunmetal gray seems a little too utilitarian for you, then allow me to show you the newly colorized Laptop Desk Futura.

I know someone who would absolutely love that Largely Leopard one…

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Is it ever possible to be too obsessive about backing up your data? I’ve learned not to think so. Need I remind anyone of the events of March 1? Yeah, I thought not.

Since the crash I have learned exactly how obsessive some people can be when it comes to their backup methods. For instance, many of you read the transcripts - perhaps with some amusement - where Ewdi told me his method:

Here is what gives me piece of mind on our network: I use two hard drives, 1 is main and 1 is mirroring (in case 1 hdd dies, the server is still on) using raid. I have auto rsync backup to tapes weekly, I have auto iscsi backup to nas daily, and each month I back up the sites to my local hard drive - of which I keep 1 at home and 1 in a safety deposit box in my bank

My formerly sporadic method of backing things up once in a while just to be “extra safe” has quickly evolved into one that some might find redundant and more than a bit obsessive, but those who have suffered their own devastating data losses will understand. Whether it be your website, treasured family photos, or your entire MP3 music catalog, data is precious; just how precious is not usually known until it is gone.

So how can you make sure that your data is protected and backups are done in a timely manner? How can you ensure that your data will be still be around when - not if - disaster strikes? One of the tools I am using is the SimpleTech Signature Mini USB 2.0 Portable Drive.

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I just missed posting this review in time for Texas’ Spring Break, but it should still be timely for everyone who plans on traveling this summer. I’ll warn you now though, in order to use this product you’ll need to give up one of your vehicle’s cup-holders.

Why would I ask for something so uncivilized?

Because by giving up a cup-holder you might just gain the means to charge up to three devices at the same time, all from a single cigar lighter or power port.

Intrigued? I was, which is how I came to be in possession of the Targus 100W Auto Power Inverter.

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Ever feel paranoid about dropping your MacBook? The smart guys at Case-mate have a simple, yet effective solution to keep a grip on your 13″ Apple bundle of joy.

The Case-Mate Handle-it for MacBook is an easy to install handle accessory for your Apple notebook.

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