Laptops have become much cooler in recent years, but heat is still an operational problem.

Cooler notebooks last longer and too much heat can make your system crash.

Here are some simple tips:

1. Make sure the vents are not covered up, this is especially a problem when they are at the bottom of the notebook and you put the machine on cloth (like watching a video in bed).
2. Try to use notebook cooler or under layer made of glass or metal (like a metal mouse pad). If you don’t have neither use some small object like a real book to tilt the computer a bit, so air can circulate better under the machine.
3. Notebooks are like Hoovers they suck in all the dust around them. After a few months the inside of your notebook is clogged up with dust. The ventilator has to work harder and harder to cool it. That is why many notebooks get noisier over time. Open up the notebook (or let some support guy do it) and use your Hoover or some compressed air to clean out all the dirt.
4. Some notebooks with high end graphic cards can overheat nevertheless during demanding gaming sessions. A notebook cooler can only blow from below, so it might help to get an additional USB fan to add some cooling air from above.

I highly recommend doing #3 at least every six month – it really helps a lot.

I have only two questions: Does it run Linux? And has it enough memory to store my porn collection?

Actually I once owned a small portable typewriter – but I would never have dreamed of using it on a train or plane. What a strange paradox: today we consider people typing on a notebook everywhere normal, in the old days we would have laughed at anyone sitting an an airport typing on a typewriter …

No, you don’t need to be always on and connected everywhere just because you get a WiFi signal.

Finally the digital revolution enters the next stage of small and affordable computing. The success of the Asus Eee PC has spawned a whole range of competing machines. The Eee is so far a huge success: it’s small affordable (under 300 Euro), very portable (just around 1 Kg) and it simply works (the screen and keyboard are obviously not very big – but bigger and better than anything a cell phone or PDA like a Palm can offer).

Now this is finally a machine that has enough power to surf the web, do some work and communicate with your buddies (via Skype or instant messaging).

It’s a great secondary machine – because it has not enough memory to hold your complete MP3 collection no does it have enough horse power to do image a lot image or video editing. Not to mention it’s graphics are far to weak to play any serious game. But give it some time and those weaknesses are solved as well.

Most of all: the machine is CHEAP. So mobile computing becomes a cheap commodity (all machines are around 300 Euro) – so you are less afraid of carrying your precious computer around. Plus our global infrastructure offers more and more free wireless access – without which such a machine would be worthless.

I am looking forward to a whole batch of machines for next Christmas – and by one in addition to my other – heavier – notebooks.

I love fluffy tech and I like monsters. So this Monster Notebook Sleeve is just fucking brilliant. It even has a proper mouth and tongue when you open the monsters “jaws” to insert your precious machine.

Check it out!

I am sick and tired of Apple getting all that hype for it’s new MacBook Air. My Samsung Q-35 is already 14 months old and isn’t considered a hot item these days. Here are some numbers to illustrate my point that Samsung built a great machine over two years ago that still is almost as good as Apples new Yuppie gadget:

Weight:
Apple: 1.36 kg
Samsung: 1.9 kg

CPU:
Apple: Intel Duo 2 Core / 1.6 Ghz
Samsung: Intel Duo 2 Core / 1.6 Ghz

Battery Life (according to official propaganda):
Apple: 5 hours
Samsung: 4 hours

Display:
Apple: 1280×800
Samsung: 1280×800

Dimensions:
Apple: 325 x 227 x 4 – 194 mm
Samsung: 299 x 214 x 27.4~35.8 mm

My Samsung has more ports (Ethernet, Modem, 2x USB, Firewire, PCMCIA card) and INCLUDES a DVD drive plus a slot for all sorts of memory cards (why is that missing in a Mac?).

The Mac has a built in video camera and better graphics card (no surprise two years later). The 80 GB hard drive is more or less identical. The Mac has a bit newer Bluetooth and WiFi, but not that much different or better.

The new Apple keyboards are terrible – dunno if the MacBook Air feels as rubbery as these. The Samsung keyboard is brilliant – since I write a lot this was an essential point for me.

The new trackpad in the Mac seems to be a big innovative plus, but I am not sure if it makes any difference while writing or designing. Most people use an extra mouse even while traveling – and hardly anyone does design work with Photoshop or Illustrator using the trackpad anyway.

The Samsung Q-35 is no longer available – but you can get it’s successor Q-45 under 1.000 Euro with more power, bigger drive, CPU and better graphics. The new MacBook Air will set you back 1.600 Euros with NO DVD drive …