Monster-Mod: How To Wear Your Computer

[Brad Isaac]

There is a small series running over at informIT this month called Monster-Mod: How to Wear Your Computer So far, there are two parts to the series. Part one basically involves the author fed up with toting a laptop around and finally makes the decision to go with a Pocket PC to replace the cumbersom notebook of old.
"Pain inspired this latest mod. I was two hours into a tradeshow floor tour, and the laptop was a hangman's noose around my neck. Shooting pains tore deep into my right trapezius muscle, and white heat emanated from my thoracic vertebrae."
Part Two delves deeper into the subject by discussing the add-ons and expansion options one can use to further replace all of the functions of an old rickety laptop.
"The pressure is on: We have less than two weeks to order parts and finish building our wearable office. We've already ditched our laptop on eBay. But our PowerPoint presentation is just around the corner, and we're running out of money fast.
The Expansion Sleeve
Our biggest expense is behind us, but it has taken most of our precious funds. The venerable old iPAQ 5555 will be worth every penny, as we'll soon see. According to HP, future iPAQs won't support the so called "expansion sleeve." This is a shame, since these sleeves can form the core of many cool mods. But our iPAQ 5555 definitely supports the sleeve. In this case, we're looking for the deluxe sleeve version. Like its more basic predecessor, the Expansion Pack Plus (see Figure 1) adds a much-needed extra battery for the iPAQ. It also adds plenty of room for accessories. It retails for $150; luckily, we immediately found a refurbished one, with warranty, for one-third the price."
What do you think? Sort of preaching to the choir. If the author had spent one afternoon here, he would have avoided all those trips to the chiropractor!