Must Haves for Netbook Owners!

Bag it up!

Finding a good bag is absolutely key — and it will take a while (unless you’re very indifferent, in which case.. shoo!)…

As I see it, you have three options for bagging your netbook: 1) buy a bag specifically for your type of netbook or your specific size, 2) buy a slightly large bag designed for the smaller laptops, or 3) get a sleeve, put it in whatever bag/case that you own. Not protecting your netbook is not an option in my book.

Be.ez

When searching for my own netbook bag, I absolutely fell in love with this brand. They do have some dedicated netbook accessories — sleeves mainly — but I’ve found that any of the bags designed for the 13" Macbooks will work perfectly if you have a 10" netbook.

These bags follow option 2 from above. They’ve got a lot of room for other things, which is exactly what I wanted! I didn’t want to have my 10" netbook bag and also have to carry around either a purse or small tote for my notebooks, ipod, camera, and small country that I tend to carry with me at all times. Top it off, these bags look sharp! I love the LEvertigo bags and I’ve received a lot of compliments on my Lime Drop backpack from them. However, be warned about the pockets. I totally lost my house keys in on of them for about a week.

Other brands to try: Belkin or Timbuk2

Dedicated Netbook bag

The Impulse™ Netbook Case is designed for 10". There are a lot of cases for 7-10" netbooks. And yes, these are basically just sleeves with handles.

When you’re looking at these smaller bags, try to think about every single thing you might want to take with you (power adapter, mouse, etc) and see if it’ll all fit.

Track pad too small??

It took a while for me to get used to my tiny little track pad and the tiny little buttons which were right on the edge of my netbook.

So for projects I know I’m going to spend a lot of time on my netbook, I went and found a wireless mouse. Being a tiny little netbook, I decided I didn’t want some monstrous dongle on it. So I found a mouse with a nano USB. It’s been love at first click.

back it up!

If the netbook is going to be your main computer, then you will definitely need an external hard drive. This one from Seagate is 320GB and only $90.

Oh, you’ll want to get a case or a sleeve for this too — if it doesn’t have it’s own pouch/pocket in your Be.ez or Belkin bag that is…

Skin-it

What better way to personalize your netbook… I’ve mentioned these guys before, but I absolutely love skin-it.

I’m actually going to be ordering my netbook’s skin soon, and hope to have it in time for BlogHer ‘09 as I’ll be attending LobbyCon this year. The hardest part is picking a design. Skin-it’s got a lot of pre-made designs or you can customize your own…

Sleeves please...

This particular sleeve is sort of a weird hybrid of a case and sleeve…

The true purpose of having a sleeve it to make sure your netbook stays all nice and shiny. This one, well, though stylish it may be, won’t keep the dust out of your bits. Also, it’ll set you back about $95.

Sleeves with straps...

I’ve enjoyed seeing some of Janine King’s creations on her store on etsy. It’s been crazy over there ever since Martha Stewart gave her a nice plug. But what can I say, they’re put together nicely, and you can indeed find designs that will appeal to the under 40 crowd.
She has a lot of different cases and bags, and I’m sure you could convo her about various questions. I did a while go and got a prompt response! She even suggested a few bags that might work for what I was looking for!

Built NY - all cozy

Built NY is another company I just love. I’ve got one of their lunch bags and I think it’s just awesome.

They’ve got a small selection of netbook sleeves which are ideal for those who want to just pop this in a bag and go! If you’re the type that all ready carries a briefcase, backpack or large purse, this works perfectly as you don’t need an actual laptop divider for this!

I found my sleeve (not a Built NY or even a Be.ez sleeve) online. It fits my netbook perfectly — even with the larger battery, and even has an outside pouch for things like my power cord.

Mini Mouse to the Rescue!

Keeping things small? Yep. Try a mini-mouse. You’ll get the full functionality, it won’t look out of place next to your small netbook, and it’s easy to pack. Oh, for the fashion forward? You can find these in a number of colors… and for about $15 each, if you really wanted to, you could get a few for every occasion…

Flashdrives -- trust me.

I normally don’t think about USB flash drives all that often… but since I’ve been using multiple computers, these are a must. Search around to see what’s on sale — I found an 8GB for a good price and I’m happy with it. My brand of choice is Kingston, but there are other great ones out there too like SanDisk or Lexar.

Turn it up!

Though my netbook speakers work great, there are occasions when maybe I’d like more.

These JLab speakers are great because they’re USB and small, so they’ll travel well with your netbook. I also like the bendy-flexy-ness of this so you can maneuver your speakers how you need them.

Other speakers to look for: ones that don’t rely on power sources. I have a pair that just plug right in to the headphone jack and that’s it. They’re like overgrown earbuds (but not, mine were $9).

And if you want it all...

Sharper Image has it for you…

This is their laptop essentials case. It sells for about $45 and has a lot in it… USB Number Keypad, USB Mini Light, Metal Pen with Laser Pointer, Retractable USB Mini Mouse, Retractable Mini USB Cable, Retractable Ethernet Cable, Retractable USB iPod Cable, USB Adaptor with 4 USB Ports, and Earbuds all in a nice leather case.