Tech I use: Volume 3 - Laptop as a Desktop

Ten years ago you didn’t really have much of a choice; laptops weren’t that prevalent; so if you told someone you had a computer, they probably assumed you had a home PC or Mac; one that was on a desk somewhere in your house that didn’t have the great luxury of portability. Those were the old days though; we don’t have to deal with that anymore.

For the past little while they’ve been on the move; executives, young professionals, students – all need to use a computer, and require it to be portable most of the time. The fact that a computer is portable means that engineers have to make some concessions when they’re designing units; obviously this means draw backs. Typically: a smaller display, congested and less than full keyboard, no external mouse, smaller hard-drive, and an audio system that is nothing to brag of.

Sometimes, it’s best to be working at a desk, sitting up right, instead of slouching and lounging on the couch. A more professional and/or formal setting helps you work a little more efficiently; at least that’s what I’ve found. I can’t use Adobe Photoshop or Premiere (image & video editing) as efficiently as I could without a mouse and full keyboard, let alone the desktop space.

My solution is what you see before you:

My Macbook setup with an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse

A wireless mouse and full keyboard ($39.99) attached via USB (operating through the wireless transponder). A 21.5″ Samsung LCD display ($149.99 a year ago, bought it on sale) allowing me to take advantage of dual display – attached via DVI to my MacBook’s Mini-DVI to DVI adapter ($25.00), and a 1TB external/portable hard-drive ($109.99, again on sale) to store all my television shows and movies.

Everything you see above, I find to be nothing short of a necessity for a good workspace. Personally, I find that I do my best work when I’m at a desk and using a full setup. My Macbook is great on the road, but when I’m home and want to get into ‘work mode’, the desk with a complete setup is where I need to be. On top of that, without that portable drive, I wouldn’t be able to store the hundreds of hours of entertainment that I have so readily available.