It seems everyday I get a lot of questions regarding what you can hook up to your laptop.  What people don’t understand that a notebook or laptop is just a smaller version of a desktop computer.  You can hook up a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer to it just like a regular computer.  Today I will talk about the ways you can hook up a printer to your laptop.

Direct Connection

You can hook your printer up directly with a USB or a parallel printer cable (if you have an older laptop and printer).  This can be handy if your notebook doesn’t really ever leave the desk and is used as a desktop replacement.  It also is the most secure method as no one should be able to intercept your documents on their way to the printer.

Wired Network

If you have a network at your home or office and have a printer that is network capable you can use a network printer.  Basically, the printer hooks up to your network with a network cable just like other computers on your network.  You can also just share a printer that is attached to a computer in the network allowing other computers to print to it.  The catch is you have to have the computer that is attached to the printer turned on.  Wired networking is definitely a cheaper option if you have more than one computer at your location.

Wireless Connection

If you have an existing wireless network in your home and have a wireless printer, you can setup your printer to print from anywhere in your home or business.  Sit on the deck, or in the board room and you can print without the messiness of wires in your way.  Be aware that a wireless connection is never 100% secure, so you may want to wait till you can hook up with a wire to your printer to print documents that require some discretion.

I had the opportunity today to try out a laptop hooked up to a LCD TV with an HDMI cable.  I used the same laptop as the last time (an HP notebook).  This time I connected it to a Sharp Aquos 40″ LCD TV valued at $1899 CDN.

Let me just say Wow.  Even without installing the drivers for the display, it looked wonderful and it is amazing to see all the space available on the desktop.

I only ran into two problems.  First, be sure to set the aspect ratio so that it is not stretching the display in any way.  In the case of the Sharp, I set the aspect ratio to “Pixel for Pixel”.  Secondly, none of the desktop backgrounds from Windows Vista looked exceptionally great on the screen.  This could be due to the fact that the wallpapers were not the correct resolution for the screen.  Also, standing right in front of a screen this big, I would not expect it to look so good anyway’s.

In conclusion: HDMI on a laptop works great provided the TV or monitor supports the resolution and you have the aspect ratio set properly.

I am sure some of you have gone out and purchased a mouse for your notebook.  When you were out shopping, you may have noticed that there were regular mice and notebook mice.  Take a look at the following picture:

The mouse on the left is a “regular” size mouse, and the mouse on the right is a notebook mouse.  Now that you can see the visual differences, let us look at the good (pros) and the bad (cons) of using a notebook mouse.

Pros

• Small, easy to carry around
• Convenient.  Some wireless notebook mice also double as a wireless presenter
• Requires less counter space to function

Cons

• Smaller than a regular mouse
• Extended use can cause hand strain and pain
• Easier to lose because of size
• Hard to use if you have large hands

If you do decide to buy a notebook mouse, purchase it from a place where it can be easily returned.  If you do find that it does cause problems, take it back and get a regular sized mouse.

With the introduction of Windows Vista, you no longer need to look at five different applications to keep your notebook under control.  Now you can use Windows Mobility Center to have access to the common controls you would use with your laptop in one place.

As you can see from the picture above, you have access to your volume, battery control, wireless, display, Bluetooth, etc.  Depending on the manufacturer, you may have additional options available.

How do you access the mobility center?

Hold down the Windows Key + X.

Many gamers try to squeeze better performance from their computers.  This can also breathe some new life in older hardware by making the notebook able to play newer games.  Overclocking is an option.

Overclocking is the process of making your computer running faster than its original specifications.  You can get better performance out of your machine at the cost of more heat, and the reduction of its operating life.  You can think of overclocking as similar to the race cars in the Fast and the Furious:  when they add NOS to their motor, their cars increase speed, but at the same time they may blow the engine.  Many overclockers feel that the rewards outweigh the risks.

Overclocking laptop components is even more dangerous than desktop machines.  Usually notebooks are already running hotter than their desktop counterparts and they do not handle the extra heat very well.  In this case either extra cooling is required, either a custom solution or using a notebook cooling pad.  Also, if you do manage to damage any internal component in the laptop, be prepared for the large repair bill:  the components inside the notebook are more expensive than a desktop machine.

If you do decide to try overclocking your notebook, try out the following utility:  Speedfan.  It will help you to watch the temperature on your computer and let you know when it is running too hot.  Hopefully that will help save your computer from damage.

For those of you with Windows Vista, there is a new technique that can boost your battery life by up to twenty minutes.  You may have heard of ReadyBoost which uses either a USB flash drive or memory card to supplement your PCs memory.  Test have shown that you can get an increase of up to twenty minutes of battery life by taking advantage of ReadyBoost - it keeps your machine from having to use the harddrive and therefore saves battery life.  Try it out!

I know Windows Vista is not exactly news (it came out eleven days ago if you didn’t notice), but I did come across something that is.? It is an opportunity for you to test drive Windows Vista to try out some of the new features and get a feel for the “new” (insert some sarcasm here) interface.? You can test drive it at:

http://vistatestdrive.com

For some of us (like me), it will be the only way for me to try it until I get a new laptop.? Mine doesn’t quite meet the system requirements.? Sigh.? Guess I will have to start convincing the wife…. what a great valentines day present!

Marc

Have you ever wished that you could bring more than one computer on your trip?  Maybe you use windows to do your work, but on your downtime you like playing a game that only works in windows 98.   Maybe you still even use DOS from time to time, but it doesn’t make sense to install it on your laptop.  How about that website you are working on, wouldn’t it be handy to bring along a linux server so that you don’t have to depend on having an internet connection?   I have the solution for you, and you should try it.

I don’t know if you’ve heard about virtualization software, but there have been numerous articles in papers and on websites lately.  It is not a new invention (I have been using it since 2002 - and it has been around before that!), but it allows you to better use your computers resources by “splitting” it into a number of virtual machines that behave just like an actual computer - but don’t require a wall outlet.  This technology can allow you to bring along as many computers as you’d like - depending on the speed of your processor, the amount of RAM you have and the hard drive space you have.  Check this screenshot as an example:

This not only saves you power, but gives you the versatility of the different operating systems at your fingertips.  Also, for testing purposes, it is safer, because the virtual machine is a closed system, therefore, you don’t screw up your own computer.

I would suggest giving virtualization a try - it has worked very well for me over the years (and saved me money on power), and it is now available for free.  The products available to try are:

1.  Microsoft Virtual PC

This product comes in two flavours: one for the Mac and one for Windows.  They are currently in the beta testing stages for the 2007 version which you can try out for free.  This product is the one I use and I have been very happy with it.

2.  VMWare Server

A very good offering.  They have this free version, and paid versions up to enterprise level virtualization.  Very highly recommended.

3.  Parallels Workstation

I just recently read alot of reviews on this product and it seems that it is good.  I haven’t taken much time to try it out but it seems ok.  The catch is there is only a paid version.

I can get eight virtual machines on 2 GB of RAM.  That would make nine computers (eight virtual and one real) that can fit in a laptop bag - let me know how it works out for you!