Tag Archives: Laptop

Sleek tech gadgets, including SSD’s, that make the perfect fun + functional sidekick to your laptop!

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Honestly, I cannot survive without my laptop! The whole basis of my work life depends on it, as well as my precious documents, every significant memory of my life (thanks to the Cloud), basically everything makes me who I am. I’m not proud to say this but a crucial part of my day is spent typing away on it, but it is what it is. This is the era of technology and advancement. I’m sure most of you spend the majority of your day this way as well! So what can make our handy and dependable laptop, even more, handier and dependable? A range of innovative, functional, and nifty laptop accessories! So, we’ve curated a collection of interesting accessories that promise to elevate your everyday laptop usage experience – from super-fast SSDs to a multipurpose accessory with a 15-inch 4K touchscreen display, we’ve got you covered with a whole bunch of options!

Compatible with most USB-C devices, the HybridDrive offsets your need for multiple hubs, dongles, and drives. With a multiport on one end, and an SSD on another, and a USB-C interface connecting the two, the HybridDrive bridges the gap between your portable devices (laptop/tablet/phone) and your desktop – in the sense that it gives you extra ports and expandable storage… something most desktops have in common. The multiport setup comprises a 4K 60Hz HDMI port, two USB-A ports with 10Gbps data transfer, a MicroSD card reader, an SD card reader, and a USB-C which supports 100W of power output along with high-speed video and data transferring. On the other end of the HybridDrive is an SSD that comes in 4 sizes, starting from 128Gb and going all the up to a whopping 2Tb.

Think of everything you wish your laptop had and put it in a laptop accessory, and you get something quite like the Desklab. A combination of a 15-inch 4K touchscreen display, a hub with ports galore, and an external pair of speakers with hi-fi audio, this slim, lightweight computing accessory is cross-compatible across all platforms. It plugs right into your machine, drawing power from it while giving it much more in return. The anti-glare 4K touchscreen is an absolute heaven-send for photographers who want to edit on the go, content creators, freelancers, designers, gamers, coders, and anyone who just desires an extra screen, while the abundance of extra ports on the side of the Desklab allow you to connect MicroUSB pen-drives, while the HDMI port lets you add multiple displays. Heck, there’s even a 3.5mm jack because the guys at Desklab didn’t want to leave a single stone unturned. Given that speakers are always a weak-point for laptops, the Desklab comes with robust, hi-fi front-facing stereo speakers too, giving you an immersive experience, whether you’re playing a game, watching a movie, or just listening to a podcast or to music while working.

The designers of DGRule describe it as an “invisible hub” and I guess we can see why. The DGRule promises to be a convenient alternative to the limited Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports since they aren’t always compatible with all devices. Subtle, discreet, and far from bulky, DGRule snaps onto both sides of the MacBook Pro. The cushion pad ensures it stays glued onto the laptop, no matter which position you work in. Available in Space Gray or Silver, it camouflages with your laptop, appearing to be a natural extension of it. Created from CNC aluminum, this allows the hub to comfortably merge with the MacBook Pro. However the resilient aluminum has other purposes as well, it lends its durability to the hub making it sturdy and reliable. The DGRule encloses two Thunderbolt ports on the same side, leaving the two others on the opposite end completely free. The invisible hub connects your Thunderbolt 3, HDMI display, USB-C, Mini DP, three USB 3.1, one MicroSD, SD, and your headphones!

UGREEN’s combination of a laptop stand and a multiport hub may just be the peanut-butter-and-jelly equivalent of the tech world – it just seems like a match made in heaven. Meet the X-Kit from UGREEN… a slim, portable Hub-Stand that folds down to become no smaller or slimmer than a selfie-stick. With its innovated X-shaped folding design, the X-Kit condenses its functionality into a form that’s easy to carry along with your laptop anywhere you go. Designed with two halves that separate when pulled apart, the X-Kit transforms from a slim, baton-shaped form into a broad platform to dock your Mac or Windows laptop on in mere seconds, with an angling mechanism that can be set at 4 different positions to give you the right angle you need to minimize fatigue… something that most WFH setups fail to achieve.

This MacGyverian briefcase is actually poised to be a photography must-have. Designed to boost productivity, save time, and help achieve finesse, the iWorkCase V3 16 is a laptop case designed for seasoned outdoor photographers. With space on the inside for a laptop, an external battery, and a hard-drive, the iWorkCase carries your laptop to shooting locations and opens out practically into a dark room of sorts to let you easily view and edit photos and videos just minutes after taking them. With an in-built laptop-stand and even a foldout sun-hood, the iWorkCase mounts right on a tripod to give you a makeshift editing studio when you’re shooting outdoors, letting you clearly view your media on a screen in the correct dark setting. Set up the iWorkCase with the laptop and connect it to your camera and you can instantly shoot view, and edit photos on the spot without needing to waste time (and lose out on creative ideas) by heading back to your studio/office to quality-check your work.

Now here’s an external numpad with some real purpose. Rather than just being your run-of-the-mill 21 key number pad, Voamoko’s Type-C Numeric Keypad’s design shows that it really knows and understands its end-user. The portable, external number pad plugs into your laptop or desktop, turning into a powerhouse of functionality. It packs extra USB ports on its rim to function as an accessible USB hub you can plug your pen-drives into, or even charge your phone with. Moreover, it comes with a few extra keys that let you instantly trigger functions like searching (useful for those incredibly long documents and spreadsheets), as well as apps like the calculator, to make number-crunching faster and more convenient. Designed for professional use, whether you’re an auditor, programmer, or analyst, Voamoko’s Numeric Keypad does more to enable your workflow than a regular number pad would. Plus, it can charge your phone too!

Meet the VAVA SSD Touch, a pocket-sized storage device that’s high on capacity, high on security, and on portability. Measuring less than 4 inches, VAVA SSD Touch comes with a sleek-looking metal case made from 100% recyclable aluminum, and a solid-state drive on the inside ranging anywhere from 512GB to 2TB in capacity. Its slick metallic casing is punctuated by a blue square located on the front that gives the VAVA SSD Touch a layer of biometric security. Acting sort of as a password, the fingerprint sensor prevents people from accessing your data without your authorization. The SSD only unlocks after it authenticates your fingerprint, and you can program as many as 10 fingerprints into the VAVA SSD Touch, allowing your family, colleagues, or coworkers to have access to shared data… or better still, use a password to ensure more impregnable security.

moft_invisible_laptop_stand_01_layout

Thin as a coin (barely 3mm in thickness), and light as a pen, the MOFT sticks to the back of your laptop almost like a cover of sorts. When folded, it sits flat against the back of your laptop (thanks to hidden magnets), practically indistinguishable and invisible, and when deployed/unfolded, uses a clever bit of structural engineering to support your laptop in not one, but two angle settings. Channeling Dieter Rams’ principle that Good Design must be Invisible, the Moft sits flat on the back of the laptop. It adheres to the laptop’s body using a reposition-able adhesive pad that allows the Moft to be placed on the laptop whenever needed and removed when you want (just in case you’re using a company laptop, or you’re upgrading to a new one). The Moft’s universal design means it can be placed on any laptop that has a flat base and can support as much as 18lbs of weight, thanks to its unique triangular load-bearing folded-out shape.

The Solo V2 is a small, portable USB stick that acts as a secure authenticator, replacing the need to remember passwords or look out for OTPs. The USB Stick comes in two variants, one with a USB-A jack and another with a USB-C jack, allowing it to work with laptops and desktops, along with older devices and newer devices. Each Solo V2 stick even comes with an NFC chip built into it, which means you can use it with your NFC-capable smartphone by simply tapping the phone on the USB stick to authenticate it. The key features reversible USB ports (so you’re never fumbling with it) and a touch-sensitive button to activate the authentication. It works right out of the box, without requiring any software installs, supports industry-leading FIDO2/WebAuthn standards, and instantly works with all major applications from companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and even with your Windows logon or GitHub repository. The device is robust, waterproof, and supports firmware upgrades that allow it to grow even more secure with time. Moreover, it’s portable, which means you can carry it anywhere and use it at home, your office, a café, or the airport; and doesn’t require any additional costs or interacting with your company’s disgruntled IT guy!

Vulcan isn’t a replacement for wireless charging but is just a remarkably better cable with truly unique features that are designed to work universally across all your devices. Designed to power everything from your Xbox controller to your laptop, the Vulcan cable comes with the ability to deliver up to 100W of power and connects to your devices using a series of magnetic pins. Just plug these magnetic pins into the charging ports of your devices, and they create an interface for Vulcan to snap to, quite like the MagSafe connectors you’d see in MacBooks from before 2016. Different magnetic pins allow you to connect the same cable to a variety of devices. MicroUSB pins work perfectly for gaming controllers and Bluetooth speakers, while the Lightning pin lets you charge the iPhone and your AirPods. There’s obviously even the Type-C pin, which works with most devices, including the iPad Pro, most Android smartphones, and even USB-C laptops. Once you plug the pin into its port, Vulcan does the rest, automatically locating, aligning, and connecting to the pin using a powerful pair of N52 Neodymium magnets.

This WFH setup is our dream workstation, including everything from virtual reality to detachable screens!

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Now that we’ve had a taste of what working from home feels like, we’re all noticing the ways our work setups can be improved. It might be that your desk is too short or that your wires desperately need some organizing. No matter what you do, your workspace should feel comfortable and accessible so that you can move through the workday as smoothly as possible. After one year of intermittently working from home, Lucas Couto dreamed up his ideal WFH setup and it’s safe to say, we all want in.

What appears as a simple computer desk setup turns out to be so much more. For starters, Couto’s workstation setup, “Future of Work,” features a retractable display screen that detaches into a foldable tablet/laptop. The simple OS desktop functions as the workstation base, where files can be created and stored. Then, when Couto needs a tablet or laptop for easy portability, the same files will be made available on the go.

In addition to the desktop’s detachable screen, Couto’s design features another tablet that can attach itself to the desktop for an extended display, offering quick file sharing and supplemental portability. Finally, Couto’s “Future of Work” setup comes equipped with VR compatibility, providing a headset that turns into a dashboard where all of the work station’s appliances are connected. The integration of VR allows for seamless file transferring between devices, like sharing CAD models between devices and other file formats.

Nowadays, it’s important for the technology we use to cater to our needs, from getting stuff done for work to using it at our leisure. When technology doesn’t flow the way we need it to, it can feel like our whole workday has been derailed. Couto’s “Future of Work” conceptual design realizes the ultimate cohesive work setup through multiple device connectivity for a smooth workflow, convenient portability for busier days, and integrative VR assistance for intuitive file transferring.

Designer: Lucas Couto

Following multiple ideations, Couto conceptualized the WFH setup of his dreams.

Following a year’s worth of intermittently working from home, Couto designed a WFH station that includes multiple device sharing platforms and seamless file transferring.

Hinging on portability and accessibility, Couto’s WFH system includes a tablet that transforms into a laptop.

Featuring retractable screens that turn into standalone tablets, Couto’s WFH setup is designed for convenience.

After working on the tablet, it can then be transferred to the desktop’s screen just by dragging your fingers.

By incorporating a supplemental tablet, the desktop’s display screen can nearly double in size.

By including a VR headset, Couto makes it easy to search through his dashboard and organize his work across multiple device platforms.

Remember Phonebloks? This company is trying to bring the same modularity to laptops

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There’s no such thing as a perfect laptop. As someone who’s gone through three of them (and is looking to now buy his fourth laptop), there’s always a trade-off somewhere. Either the keyboard’s pathetic, or there aren’t enough ports (or even the right ports), or you aren’t happy with the screen. Up until now, there have been only two solutions – either accept the problem and live with it, or buy a new laptop to find that it has some other problem. Laptops, just like phones, have become devices that are difficult to upgrade, modify, or repair… and Framework is changing that.

The way the Framework laptop is built reminds me of Phonebloks – a video that went viral in 2013, outlining a modular phone with swappable components. Phonebloks would present the holy grail of consumer electronics by putting the power right in the hands of the consumer. The block-based smartphone would allow you to change batteries, upgrade storage, or replace an old camera or broken screen by simply sliding the old part out and putting the new one in. The idea seemed simple, and Google even tried their hand at building it, but complications arose midway (I suspect it also had something to do with the marketing team saying it was bad for business)… however, Framework is bringing that idea to laptops, which could really use modularity given how expensive laptops can be, and how people tend to hold onto one laptop for at least 3-5 years, if not longer.

The idea, just like with Phonebloks, is simple. Framework just announced a 13.5-inch notebook with a number of modular parts that are easy to repair and replace… even for novices. The screen sits on a magnetic bezel, allowing you to easily snap it off if you ever want to upgrade your display (or replace a broken one). Underneath it is a keyboard with 1.5mm of travel, also replaceable, along with the battery, RAM, SSD, and even the WiFi module, all fitted using industry-standard sockets. On the top, right above the display, lie the webcam and microphone modules, that come equipped with hardware switches that let you disconnect them for privacy reasons… and if you’re looking for a laptop with ports, look no further. The Framework laptop’s infinitely swappable port modules mean you can choose ports you NEED, rather than settle for ports the manufacturer selected for you.

While the idea of Framework’s laptop is about empowering users to rebuild/fix/upgrade their laptops, there’s a case to be made about how the laptop is good for the environment too. It drastically cuts down on e-waste generated, while also meaning less laptops need to be manufactured/sold in the long run. In fact, founder of Framework Nirav Patel (an ex-Oculus engineer) even addresses the fact that the laptops are made from up to 50% post-consumer recycled aluminum and up to 30% post-consumer recycled plastic. The packaging’s designed to be recyclable too, with no single-use plastic pieces, and carbon emitted during shipping will eventually be offset too, making the Framework a laptop that isn’t just great for consumers, but is also great for the planet! The Framework laptop’s due to ship this summer with a variety of configurations to choose from, and if you’re interested, you can just head down to their website and hit the Notify Me button to sign up for updates.

Designer: Framework

Razer’s Blade 15 Base drops to $1,100 at Amazon for today only

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Eager to get Razer gaming laptop without the usual premium prices? Amazon is happy to oblige. The retailer is selling a 2020 version of the Blade 15 Base for $1,100 today (February 21st) only, a whopping $500 off its original price. The outlay gets y...

This 7 screen laptop transforms like a Swiss Army knife to create some serious working space!

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Multiscreen setups are the norm these days for professionals, upping their productivity game by a notch, and the setup does look cool, to be honest. While we have seen dual-screen laptops in the past, UK-based Expanscape wants to up your laptop game to peak productivity with a multiscreen setup that folds into itself for portability. Honestly, what we see here will put even the most sought out multiscreen desktop setups to shame.

Meet the Aurora 7, a seven screen real estate space to expand your productivity, and that too with the promise of packing it up in an instant and carrying it to your living room or even to your pal’s place. The company is in its infancy stage and has created the Aurora 7 laptop prototype that it plans to sell to enthusiasts already – moving into the future. The company plans to have the commercial version ready as soon as possible. Speaking of the design and its form, the laptop looks more like a Swiss Army Knife of the PC world has a 17.3-inch main screen. Then three other 17.3-inch display panels swivel out – one in landscape orientation that sits above the main display and the other two on either side in portrait configuration. All of them have a resolution of 3840×2160, running at 60Hz.

If that’s not it, three more auxiliary displays have a 1920×1200 resolution that folds out to give you a massive workable space that you are sure to have nothing to complain about! The laptop runs on an Intel Core i9-9900K processor and is mated to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. To handle all the required multiprocessing, the design includes a 64GB DDR4 memory and a multitude of drive options for storage bliss. To handle all the screens and the massive processing power required if a gamer wants to take it to the limit, Expanscape has loaded Aurora 7 with dual batteries – one an 82Whr and the other 148 Whr to keep the processing and the displays running full steam. According to them, the battery will last for around two hours twenty minutes under normal load conditions.

The only caveat being its weight. The Expanscape Aurora 7 laptop weighs 17 kilograms, which is not lightweight by any standards, but if you can live with that, it is one hell of a machine. A perfect laptop for people who need multiscreen setup while not sacrificing on the portability aspect – people like DevOps, SecOps, CyberSecurity and Day, Stock, Commodity Trader – Expanscape is targeting to be their potential customers. We hope that this transforming multiscreen laptop will make it to the production lines with a more commercially viable, lighter clean design and a reasonable price tag. What do you think? Will you fancy owning one of the metrics that are just right?

Designer: Expanscape