Play 'dress up' with your laptops as technology providers combine functionality with cutting-edge design.
Laptop owners comprise no occlusive fraternity these days, especially at a time when aggressive pricing strategies have been the major driver for the growth in the domestic notebook market. But there is also a move in the opposite direction "" towards driving the upper-end spectrum. |
The same companies that are launching sub-Rs 30,000 laptops are also launching fashion-friendly glam notebooks and high-margin peripherals for big spenders. So if you don't like the hard, indistinct lines of most laptops and their technology propositions don't fascinate you, you can play dress up. |
Hewlett-Packard is setting the trend with the launch of Fashiontronics, a collection of fashion accessories for computers. These include PC and laptop skins, laptop bags, designer notebooks, and ahem! Swarovski-studded headsets (can't leave out Skype users, can we?), starting at Rs 600 for skins and Rs 5,000 for notebook bags, some of which were designed by Suneet Varma. |
HP heralds this as the latest in personalisation, allowing laptop and PC users to create a unique style statement "" a concept that's clearly an extension of HP's "computer is personal again" marketing campaign. |
There's fashion-friendly add-ons like skins 'n' things and then there's the laptops themselves. "Technology has an element of psychological satisfaction, in the same way that a luxury product does," says Andrew Tsui, MD, Asus India of the to-be-launched (in India) limited edition Asus-Lambhorghini VX1 laptop that has received worldwide attention. |
And perhaps less for the fact that it boasts a Centrino Core 2 Duo mobile processor, is a 15" screen yet weighs less than most 14" ones, has 2GB of 667MHz DDR 2 memory and a 160GB hard drive, and more for its sleek industrial design details and special mirror painting finish available in yellow or black. |
But at a retail price of Rs 2 lakh (just under), is it too dear for a cool paint job? Either way, tempted consumers should hurry; Asus has assigned a mere 20 models for sale in India. |
Asus follows the example set by Acer last year in its partnership with Ferrari resulting in the Acer-Ferrari 4000. Priced at Rs 99,999, the 4000 runs on AMD's Turion 64-bit processor technology and is encased in the same black carbon fibre that is used by Ferrari in its racing car chassis. |
The Asus S6F, which denotes "classic luxury", comes with a hand-embossed leather cover and jeweled hinge keyboard; the 1GB memory and 100 GB hard drive are clearly just incidental. |
Even peripherals like the mouse and keyboards are getting dressed up for increased functionality and performance. Sony has just launched the VGP-MBMS30 mouse (priced at Rs 3,990) with bluetooth wireless technology and an 800 dpi optical precision. |
Microsoft's latest addition, the wireless notebook presenter mouse, is a four-in-one device that functions as Bluetooth laser mouse, slide presenter, digital pointer and media remote. |
Niche technology player Vu technologies has 2.1 Vu Sound Bluetooth speakers that connect to a host of devices like mobile phones, iPods and laptops. Priced at Rs 9,000, it has a 40-foot radius. |
"It's like buying a car and "souping" it up, adding alloy wheels and a great boom box. Once you buy an expensive piece of technology you only want to add to it, not take away from it, says Devita Saraf, CEO, Vu technologies. |
But while hardware with no dangling cords are great, ergonomically designed ones are even better. Health hazards from prolonged usage have forced manufacturers to pay attention to the ergonomics of peripherals. |
A year ago, Microsoft launched the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 that attempts to correct poor typing posture. The keys are laid out in a curve, the palm rest is well padded, there are hot keys for Internet access and a zoom feature. The price tag on a well-looked after wrist and palm? Rs 3,500. |
Adding a cute webcam to your notebook is another great way to get your tech-savoir faire noticed. The Microsoft LifeCam NX6000 is a 2 megapixel camera that is designed for mobile interaction. the lens is fully collapsible and retracts into the aluminium body of the camera when not in use. |
Of course, the simplest way to get your laptop noticed is to just stick on a skin. A host of websites offer a diverse range of laptop skins and even allow you to upload your own image and create your own. At about $20 a pop, it's an instant makeover for your shiny new toy. |
Speaking of skin, some misguided entrepreneur has decided to create laptop bags from synthetic human skin, with a rather (unfortunately) striking similitude. (Shudder!) For $600, you can lose every friend you ever had. |
Or differentiate by size, for in the mobile market, small is invariably better. Sony India has introduced VAIO UX, the world's smallest PC (with Microsoft XP Professional operating system and Centrino Mobile technology) in a pocket size. Designed with a biometric fingerprint sensor, two built in cameras for VoIP communication and wireless LAN and bluetooth, this is perfect show-off material for Rs 99,990. |
So what's a true-blue techie's reaction to all this concern with appearances? "I'd rather spend the money getting the fastest laptop I can buy. It's about size, weight, battery life and being able to run the latest games at full resolutions. It's about as much memory as you can cram into it, as fast a processor as you can shove into it. Is a paint job worth an additional Rs 40,000? Not in my notebook." |
So....Exclusivity or capability? Or both? You decide. |