Tag Archives: laptops

The $199 Netbook?

199 laptops bill kurtis AT&TIf you’re contemplating adding an ultra-portable laptop to your traveling writer arsenal, a recent set of AT&T ads featuring Bill Kurtis has probably intrigued you. AT&T has a promotion where you can get a mini-netbook for $199 when signing up for a service plan.

You get that final price after rebates and instant savings, but many tech blogs criticize the plan, saying the final cost of the laptop is far more expensive because of the $60-per-month data plan (for 5gb of transfer). When your two year contract is over, you’ll have paid as much for the data plan as you would have for the laptop.

It’s easy for freelancers to get swayed by these arguments, but I always remind my friends that data plans, laptop costs and other expenses can be written off, so that’s a bit of a moot point, at least for me. I know there is calculator voodoo you could do here, but I’ve already moved on, thanks. Continue reading The $199 Netbook?

Coffee Shops to Laptop Freelancers: You Suck

coffee shop wi fi access freelance laptopby Joe Wallace

A Gothamist report says more and more coffee shops are turning their noses up at laptop customers. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a clear case of biting the hand that feeds you the money.

Granted, Gothamist was citing a Wall Street Journal piece aimed specifically at New York City coffee shops, but if this is a trend that catches on, I predict armies of annoyed, decaffeinating freelancers fleeing the coffee shops in favor of more friendly environs. And trust me, there are plenty of retailers willing to step in and take advantage of any blowback from coffee shop snobs who hate laptops.

Here’s a golden opportunity for Starbucks to get some of its own back. Open the floodgates and offer free wi-fi, plus some signage welcoming the terminally connected. The sign would say, “Your Home Away From Home: With Caffeine“.

Attention coffee shop corporate HQ–you can pay me for that one, it’s mine and copyrighted now. I’ll let you have it for 10K plus free beverages for life. In the meantime, doom on you, laptop-hating coffee shops…your days are numbered.

Offi Modern Laptop Desk

offi-modern-laptop-desk1.jpg

Ever hear that horror story about the guy who was working on his MacBook Pro in bed? Apparently the Mac got so hot that it ignited the mattress!

Whether or not it actually happened, it does make you think about all that heat…laptops do get awfully warm on the legs at times. This laptop desk by Offi is great for writing in bed, on a rug by the television, even in a beanbag chair. It keeps the machine–and the heat– off your body and provides a nice, stable platform for typing.

That arm on the side is great for a cup of coffee or tea, and the whole thing can also double as a handy breakfast-in-bed tray. We love any design created for the insomniac writer who doesn’t want to leave the comfort of the bed. Keep this and your laptop in your snooze room and you’ll always be able to send out a quick query from that warm bed.

Buy the Offi Laptop Desk for $189.00