Laptop Accessories

So, you’ve just purchased a new laptop! Quite excited about it? Great! What about some additional accessories? Laptop accessories are like the icing on the cake. The plain cake is good enough, but, the icing adds to its flavor. So do the accessories. You can get your work done with a laptop, but the additional accessories can sometimes help in getting work done faster and enhance functionality. Here are some of the top computer laptop accessories that you could consider buying:-

Bluetooth Mouse – A Bluetooth mouse can be one of the best laptop accessories. It is useful for people who are accustomed to desktop PCs. Using the small trackpad and its mouse buttons might be a little uncomfortable. So if you do get the option of working at a table, getting a Bluetooth wireless mouse can make working, very convenient. You can even plug-in a mouse with a USB extension cable, to your laptop.

A laptop case/sleeve – An easy to carry laptop-case can make travels convenient. You could go in for a case with shock absorbing capability. This should keep you from worrying about the physical safety of your mobile computer. There are backpacks, shoulder bags or trolleys (for heavier laptops) available in the market.

Headphones – A nice pair of headphones is an absolute necessity. You can buy them if the laptop does not ship with a pair. You then will not be disturbing fellow travelers when listening to music or watching videos during your journey. Here again you can get a pair of stereo Bluetooth headsets too, if you do not want a mess with wires.

Mobile broadband USB modem – If accessing the internet on the go is essential, then you can opt for either a “pay as you go” or a ” pay monthly” mobile broadband package, with any of the network providers. The USB stick usually ships along for free or for a certain amount. Many of these providers also offer free laptops with their mobile broadband deals. If you’re not much of a traveler, then even a wired Ethernet connectivity will do. Or if you do not require to be online all the time, you can even use WiFi hotspots for accessing the internet when you have to. Some netbooks come with integrated 3G technology. These mobile computers, do not require an explicit mobile broadband dongle for internet connectivity.

HDMI cable – This cable needs to be bought only if your laptop has an HDMI port. This will be the case with entertainment laptops. The HDMI port of your laptop can be connected to the HDMI port of your HD television, via the cable. Videos and movies that you download on your laptop can be watched on the big TV screen.

Other laptop cables – Cables like the USB extension cable, stereo plug to stereo socket cable, IEC socket to IEC plug cable, a VGA cable and so on might be useful.

Memory cards – Most laptops have slots for inserting memory cards of different formats. However, most of the mobile PCs do not ship with the cards. Hence you might need to explicitly buy them for memory extension or even for data sharing with other gadgets.

Speakers – If your laptop speakers aren’t that powerful, you can buy a set of speakers with high quality sound reproduction and stereo ability. This can really add to the sound effects when watching movies or playing games.

An external optical drive/hard drive/USB drive – You might even want to buy an external DVD player or Blu Ray player for entertainment; and an external hard drive or USB drive for additional portable storage.

Docking station – In case you need to connect peripherals like scanner, printer, external monitor, network cards and other desktop computer peripherals, then a docking station could be quite useful. Some laptops come with a docking port, which can be connected to this docking station.

Laptop batteries – If you have long journeys in your schedule, then carrying a spare battery is always wise.

Laptop skins – Personalise the way your laptop looks with skins. If you’re a gamer, you could get a car-like skin or a boxing glove and so on.

Apart from hardware, you can even install additional software. An antivirus and security software are must in case you handle sensitive and confidential data. Some of these software come for free and can be downloaded from the internet. However, such free-ware will only have limited protection capability. For advanced protection, you can speak to your laptop dealer to help you in choosing a suitable software.

Here are some brief tips:-

Gaming laptop accessories – Consider buying a pair of headphones, suitable laptop skins, a gaming keyboard and a gaming mouse.

Travel laptop accessories – Consider getting a pair of headphones, a mobile broadband connection, a laptop case, a laptop battery and may be additional storage.

Entertainment/ Fun laptop accessories – a pair of headphones, a Blu ray or DVD player, external speakers, HDMI and audio cables, additional storage and mouse could fit the bill.

Car laptop accessories – In case you are using a netbook with GPS installed in it for route navigation, you can get a mount for holding your portable PC in place.

You can check out laptop accessories UK online shops like Amazon, Play, Laptopshop, PC World and so on.