TOP 9 LAPTOP ACCESSORIES

So you have your spanking new laptop sitting on your desk. You now want to make full use of your investment. Your laptop model and make will help you decide the kind of accessories that might address your requirements. However irrespective of the kind of work you do, there are some accessories that you must have for your laptop to get the most out of a portable computer.

1. Laptop Bag: A cosy comfortable home for your laptop with lots of compartments to make room for laptop accessories, pen, paper, etc. is essential. Laptop bags come in the form of a shoulder-strap bag, as a backpack, and even in a wheeled trolley for those who travel quite so often. Price Range: $20 - $120.

2. Power Adapter: What good is your laptop if you can’t watch your favourite film at 30,000 feet or get the road directions while driving? A laptop power adapter will charge your laptop anywhere. Try to get one that works with different models and across continents. Prices start from $120.

3. Back-up: Back up for all the data in your laptop is absolutely necessary. You can choose a portable external hard drive that you can carry around in your laptop bag. If your laptop doesn’t have a DVD burner you can consider adding an external DVD burner to take back-ups in CDs. Keep some thumb drives or flash drives to take back-ups or for file transfers. Price depends on the type of back-up.

4. Security Cables: A laptop is a portable device. Anybody can pick it up and take it away if you leave it unattended. Having proper security measures for is important. Security cables are generally made of steel and have locking devices at both ends. Price: $5.00.

5. External Keyboard and Mouse: If you plan to work on your laptop at a stretch then it is advisable that you get an external keyboard and a mouse. The compact keyboard of a laptop and touchpad mouse is not ergonomically sound for long time use.

6. Docking Station: A docking station helps you in optimising your time spent in connecting or disconnecting your laptop. Connect your peripherals like the keyboard, printer, etc. to the docking port which is connected by a single cord to the laptop. So to take your laptop somewhere else you just need to disconnect it from the docking station. An USB mobile port with Ethernet will cost you around $100.

7. Networking and Connectivity: If you are Internet-savvy or need to stay connected all the time and anywhere, then the must-have laptop accessories for your laptop would be an external Bluetooth (if your laptop doesn’t have an in-built one) for data transfer and a Wi-Fi card to get connected in Wi-Fi Hot zones. You may also think of having correct cables to connect to Ethernet or a telephone modem as per your requirement. A wireless broadband router can also come handy.

8. Maintenance Kit: For long and smooth performance of your laptop, you need to maintain it regularly. Keep a stock of disposable cleaning clothes and a keyboard vacuum handy. A laptop cooling pad helps you when the laptop fan fails to deliver.

9. Communication: To make communication personal and easy via your laptop opt for a webcam, a set of speakers and headset microphone.