Wardriver Wednesday

The Elemental Road Warrior: Part III: Fire & Water

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Compatibility Legend

12" G3 iBook
14" G3 iBook
12" G4 PowerBook
15" G4 Titanium PowerBook
17" G4 PowerBook

This week I'll be wrapping up my series on the Elemental Road Warrior with a double feature of Fire and Water. If you remember from the previous installments of this series, I have already found viable solutions to the problem of earth and its effects on your 'Book's appearance as well as wind and how to use its cooling abilities to your benefit. This week I'll look at harnessing fire by protecting your 'Book from surges and spikes. I'll also look at controlling the forces of water by doing my darndest to find ways to keep it the heck out of your 'Book in the first place.

First thing's first ...

Fire: You could say that fire is the force that overheats your processor ...you could say that, but you'd really be messing things up for me if you did. Fire, for the purposes of this series of articles is the force that powers your 'Book ó electricity. Why do we need to protect our portables from a force that is necessary to power them in the first place? Electricity is great for laptops. But too much electricity or the wrong kind can damage your 'Book. Admittedly, this problem usually only occurs when your 'Book is plugged in via an AC adaptor, but if you're like me, you spend as much time powered by the battery as you do powered by the wall socket.

Here are a few suggestions for how to improve quality and regulate the quantity of power entering your 'Book.

SmartSockets Portable - Provides surge suppression (210 Joules, 400 Clamping Voltage) for your AC adaptor and your modem connection in a portable package. Includes a build-in telephone splitter and telephone cord storage spool onboard. The SmartSockets Portable comes with a lifetime warranty and up to $10,000 in connected equipment replacement warranty.

+: Nice neat little package.
-: Covers up both outlets and offers only one.

Universal AC/Car/Air Adaptor - Answers the need for power, surge suppression and various types of connections all in one portable unit. This feature-rich product includes over voltage protection, current limit, over temperature protection and short circuit protection. There are also adapters (sold separately) for cel phones and PDA's.

+: Very versatile.
-: A bit pricey at over $100, but then you do get a full AC adapter.

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Computer PowerCenter PC 200 - Made by Monster Cable, this portable unit has a maximum 1110 joule surge protection for two AC power outlets, telephone line surge protection and flashy visual and audible indicators for damage, protection, and ground status monitoring. It also beats the Kensington SmartSockets' warranty by an additional $40,000 for the replacement of connected equipment.

I have not personally tried this product, but it comes highly recommended.

Now, last but not least...

Water: Water and laptops do not mix. And if you are inclined to take your 'Book swimming or give it a sip of your coffee, there's really nothing I can recommend that will save you. There are few if any products on the market that will make you 'Book watertight without placing it in some kind of case or bag. The best I can do is suggest a few products that might help prevent or minimize damage due to occasional wetness.

Port Cover - These items made the rounds a while back and seem to have all but disappeared. I was able to find the link above through a Google search but have been unable to get in contact with the vendor to acquire on for this segment. They seem to be a silicon port covers designed for the 12" iBook but they would probably work on the 14" also. Might be worth a look.

-: Hard to find. No help to PowerBook users.

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iSkin - As was mentioned in the first part of this series, the iSkins are designed to protect both the screen and the keyboard and come in many different colors. They are made from a type of silicon and, thought they don't create a watertight seal around your keyboard, they might prevent some damage if you were to spill any liquid on your open book.

+: Fine product. Might help a bit in the rain but not a downpour.
-: Still no iSkins currently available for the Aluminum PowerBooks. Opaque models hide the Caps Lock and Num Lock lights.

?

Desiccant - Many 'Book bags these days have mesh pockets that face the compartment where your portable is stored. These pouches are the perfect place to put one of these reusable moisture absorbing Silica Gel packs (just like those "Do Not Eat" packs that come with electronic equipment only better (no, you still can eat them)). Just drop one in one of the mesh pouches near your iBook or PowerBook and it absorbs dampness and prevents condensation. When the crystals become "full" they turn blue and all you need do is pop the desiccant in a 300? oven for 3 hours and, viola, the crystals are pink again and thirsty for more.

+: Will minimize the moisture and humidity inside your case. Reusable.
-: Desiccant packaging might scratch your 'Book while in your pack ó placement is key.

Like I said, there is not much aside from a water-tight case that will save your portable from being damaged by any liquid that might have the misfortune of encountering. The best suggestion I can offer is to try and prevent the situation from coming up in the first place...

MacMerc.com Stainless Steel Travel Mug

I know what you're thinking: this whole series was just a set up to promote the MacMerc.com Online Store. Not so. I actually wanted to promote some of the cool Barista travel mugs that are available at Starbucks, but they don't seem to make them available for online purchaseóhello!!! The internet age has started, Starbucks!!!

Anyhow, these 15oz stainless steel mugs are really nice and feature a sealed lid and sip cover to keep you from spilling a drop if you happen to tip it over while ejecting a CD or something similar. The mugs are available with the classic MacMerc.com grenade logo/dictionary definition or the wildly popular and ever so cryptic Option-Shift-K (for those who are still wondering, Option-Shift-K is the keyboard combination that allows Mac users to type the Apple logo).

+: Snazzy. Help support MacMerc.com while supporting your caffeine addiction!
-: If you neglect to put the lid on, you could still spill on your 'Book. Coffee not included.

That brings me to the end of the Elemental Road Warrior, I hope you have enjoyed this series.

  


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