Pink Laptops World

Every year it’s the same: one moment you’re walking around in shorts and flip flops, basking in the warmth of the sun, and the next, Christmas is a few weeks away and gift buying-panic sets in. Here are 11 items that’ll give you a head start on your holiday shopping:

Noteworthy Notebooks

With the look of a chic evening bag, suitable for any dressy event, the yet-to-be-named Vivienne Tam-designed clutch notebook from HP is the cutest laptop I’ve seen in a long time (perhaps ever!). The outside is dark red with painterly pink and purple peonies, the national flower of China where it is considered a symbol of riches and honor, and inside, the return key sports the Chinese character for double happiness. It comes with an embroidered sleeve (also designed by Vivienne Tam) and the only downside to this fabulous laptop is that it won’t be available until 2009. But why not ask for a homemade gift certificate for it for the holidays, and you’ll be all set once it hits the market. Newsflash! I just found out that this gorgeous little digital clutch will in fact be available in time for the holidays. It will be priced around $699, and you can reserve one by calling HP.

I’ve written about Ego’s laptops before, but it bears repeating. They are so ultra-fabulous I just can’t help myself. They currently offer 4 different pink designs, but they keep adding new, fresh looks continuously, so if you don’t like what you see now - just keep checking back with them. They were previously only available in the US from Avant Gallery in Miami Beach, but now, Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC also sells them.

Awesome Accessories
It somehow feels like a shame to put your Ego laptop in a bag, but I have to say that their pink leather “Enrichment Bag” is too cute to resist. It looks like your Ego but with pockets and a shoulder strap (which can also be detached from the bag and put on your laptop directly).

Abbi New York makes adorable laptop bags and keeps coming out with new fabulous collections. I absolutely adored the dusty pink Sienna messenger bag, but alas, it is no longer available (bring it back, Abbi!). However, Abbi’s new collection, Erin, is equally delightful with its retro styling. Erin is available as a briefcase, slim carrier or clutch and is made with water-resistant nylon and patent leather trim and adorned with Abbi’s four leaf clover logo.

Cool Gadgets For Kids
For the kids (and who enjoys Christmas more than they do?), I love the Tag Reading System from LeapFrog. Intended for 4-8-year olds, the specially printed storybooks (currently over 20 titles to choose from, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Olivia, and The Little Mermaid) come with a pink and white (or green & white) “Tag Reader”, a pen-looking device that when moved across text in the books, reads them out loud to your kids.

The Nintendo DS Light in Metallic Rose is super stylish, light, and features two bright screens, wi-fi, surround sound and touch-screen technology. It’s backwards compatible too, allowing you to use Game Boy Advanced games as well.

Sweet Stocking Stuffers
Mice
The pink leopard patterned G-Cube Lux Mouse (wired) is an inexpensive way to add some sass to your home office.

HP’s wireless mini mouse (in metallic dusty pink) is the perfect “travel mouse”. It’s tiny, works on almost any surface, is designed for both left- and right-handed users (great for situations when you can’t use it on your “regular” side), and the USB receiver fits into the bottom of the mouse when not in use, making it a bit harder to lose.

External Memory
Kingston’s 8GB Traveler flash drives are pocket sized, cute, affordable, and come with an attached cap. The accompanying software lets you create a “privacy zone” on the drive - a password protected area only you will be able to access. A great idea, since flash are one of those things that people inadvertently leave behind in various places.

To store a bit more data, consider iOmega’s eGo 250GB portable hard drive (it comes in several colors, metallic Flamingo pink being one of them). At 3.5×5.2″ and 7.7 oz, it can easily fit in a pocketbook or laptop bag, and it also has what they call “drop guard”, so it can handle being banged about a bit.

If you need a lot of external memory on the go, check out Western Digital’s My Passport Essential. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac, has a 500GB capacity, and is actually even smaller and lighter than the iOmega above: 3.1×4.9″ and 0.4 lbs.

Posted: October 13th, 2008 under Gifts & Gadgets.
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I can’t help but wonder why Apple still chooses not to add colors as an option to their MacBooks. Sure, white, black and silver are colors, but you know what I mean. Fun, vibrant, brilliant, like the colored laptops so many of the other companies make. With such a devoted following of die-hard Apple fans, I know they would be a smash hit. But alas, we have to keep waiting.

In the meantime, those who have their hearts set on a MacBook and want to jazz it up a bit do have some options, ranging from the very inexpensive to some serious customized luxury.

Skins
Starting with the least expensive alternative, skins - best described as perfectly sized vinyl stickers for the top of your notebook - are available in every color and design you can think of. Some companies even let you upload your own photos and designs, so there is almost no limit to the customization options here. The skins are really easy to apply, and come off just as smoothly, leaving no sticky residue or ugly markings behind. In fact, since they provide a protective cover in addition to looking great, once you remove one, you’ll notice how scratched up the rest of your laptop looks in comparison! Most skins go for around $20-$30, making them a very affordable option.

Cases
Another option is to put a form-fitting case around your laptop. Most are made from hard plastic and encase the entire outside of your notebook (with cutouts so that you can still access all the sockets, ports, buttons and drives). Even though they have a very snug fit, they are easy to snap on and off, and will also protect your computer. They are available in a myriad of colors, and most cost around $50.

Customized Color
The next step up is to have your MacBook customized. ColorWare, located in Winona, MN, will apply any color of your choice to your laptop. You can either send in one that you already own, or buy a customized one directly from them (they also customize mice and many other electronics such as iPods and iPhones). Make sure you choose your color carefully though - once it’s applied, there is no un-doing or changing it. The price? $450.

Custom Plating
If you really want to go all out and splurge, check out Computer Choppers. They will plate your laptop in precious metals (such as rose, white or 24k gold, platinum, copper, chrome and nickel) and build the Apple logo out of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, or any gemstone of our choice. The logo will cost you from $500 and up, and you have to contact them to get a price for the plating.

Posted: September 3rd, 2008 under Colored Laptops.
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Gone are the days when computers only came in dull gray or black. These days, we can all match our laptop to our outfit with the addition of colorful laptops. Pink laptops in particular are quickly gaining popularity among women (and even a few men). It comes as no surprise; who wouldn’t rather be showing off a shiny pink notebook at their local cafe rather than the run-of-the-mill black or gray one. Many of the large computer companies - Dell, Samsung, Asus, Sony to name a few - now offer laptops in various shades of pink. This past spring, Dell added several color options (pink being one of them) to their sleek, high-performance XPS M1330 and M1530 laptops. The addition of color was a good idea; they have proven incredibly popular and everyone from customers to reviewers raves about them. The XPS M1330 received 37 awards in 2007; PC World named it their “Winner of Best Buy” and it got “Winner of the A-List” from PC Authority.

What if you have your eye on a particular laptop and it (gasp) is not offered in pink? (hello, Apple fans!) No worries, there are companies that will customize the color for you. Gen-X-PC for example will match any PMS (Pantone) or Hex color and you get a choice of 4 different finishes – solid, metallic, pearl or color shift. They can also add a custom design if you want your notebook to stand out even more. Colorware, Inc. takes it a step further and offers customized color on a variety of devices in addition to laptops, such as mice, iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, gaming consoles and even HDTV screens! You can buy your laptop (or iPod, iPhone, etc.) directly from them or send in one you already own for customization.

For the most splurge-worthy design, the Tulip Ego laptop made by the Dutch company Ego Lifestyle gets my vote. With rounded corners and a chrome handle that makes it look more like a purse than a laptop, it is absolutely stunning. And the colors! Wow! It comes in a ton of designer fabrics and finishes (which can be changed whenever you want) that make you want to throw caution to the wind and slap down that credit card. Just check out the fuchsia “Goddess” and the pale pink “Zephyr” from their Exotic collection, or “Destiny” from the Design collection. Prices range from $5,000 for the basic leather design, to over $300,000 for the diamond-encrusted edition…

Whether you decide to buy one of these new stylish pink laptops or customize the one you already own, you can be sure that your notebook will make you stand out from the crowd.

Posted: July 19th, 2008 under pink laptops.
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