How Not to Pack a Laptop

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Most notebook manufacturers offer Acer BTP-52EW Battery models with bright, high-gloss screens standard or as an option. These notebooks tend to be geared toward consumers interested in multimedia as opposed to strictly business uses. Often, upgrading to a bright screen adds little to your cost. For instance, adding bright, high-gloss LCD to HP's Pavilion dv6000t is an additional $20.


The current crop of notebooks with bright, glossy screens favorably reviewed by PC World includes the Dell Inspiron E1505, the Fujitsu LifeBook P7120, the HP Pavilion dv2000t, and the Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV660.

Dell's Inspiron E1505 was recently number 1 on our Top 5 All-Purpose Laptops chart, earning a PCW Score of 83 (Very Good) and our Best Buy designation. The notebook features a 15.4-inch wide-screen display with Dell's TrueLife screen technology. Our generously equipped test unit was priced at $1139 when we reviewed it in February 2007.


Fujitsu's LifeBook P7120, recently number 3 on our Top 5 Ultraportable Acer BTP-63D1 Battery chart, earned a PCW score of 78 (Good). This 3-pound lightweight features a 10.6-inch Crystal View screen. Our test unit was $2099 back in February 2007; lower prices are available online.


HP's Pavilion dv2000t was recently number 4 on our Top 5 All-Purpose Laptops chart, having earned a PCW Score of 79 (Good). The dv2000t features one of the first high-definition wide-screen notebook displays. The model we tested cost $1570 when we reviewed it in February 2007.

Toshiba's Qosmio G35-AV660 was recently number 2 on our Top 5 Power Laptops chart, earning a PCW score of 82 (Very Good). The hefty portable weighs 10.3 pounds, features a gorgeous 17-inch screen, and includes an HD DVD drive and other high-end multimedia features. Our review unit cost $3000 when we tested it in February 2007.


My friend Mary has been known to do some crazy things. Last summer, she won a hat Acer BTP-42C1 Battery contest by affixing pieces of fried chicken to a straw bonnet and accessorizing it with biscuit earrings.The notebook battery.


But before boarding a recent flight, Mary did something particularly crazy: She packed her laptop in her checked bag, a canvas duffel that also contained shoes,acer laptop battery, clothes, and toiletries.

"What's the big deal?" Mary asked me. Her notebook, an ultraportable Sony Vaio TX,acer btp-43d1 , was enclosed in a padded envelope. Wasn't that enough protection?

At this point, I hasten to add that Mary wasn't born yesterday. She's a savvy entrepreneur whose small business has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal. Still,travelmate 220 battery, her laptop packing strategy leaves much to be desired.

So why shouldn't you pack your notebook in a checked suitcase when you travel by plane? Here are three excellent reasons.

1. Your Notebook Could Be Damaged

You may have taken the utmost care in packing your notebook. However, Acer BTP-44A3 Battery , what happens to your suitcase and its contents once you check it is out of your control.


"Airlines often load bags on top of one another in the cargo hold of your flight," warns the Transportation Security Administration on its Web site. "Your baggage may be loaded with hundreds of other bags, ace btp-60a1, with possibly several on top of yours. Hundreds of pounds of pressure in conjunction with high altitude and the resulting low temperatures" while the plane is in flight "create an ideal environment for damaged laptops," according to the site. "These conditions crack cases and damage screens among other things. For these reasons, we recommend that you keep your laptop in your carry-on bag when traveling."

2. Your Notebook Could Be Stolen

While I'm sure the vast majority of baggage handlers and airport screeners are honest,travelmate 240 series battery , all you need is one dishonest opportunist who spots your laptop in an X-ray screening.

For instance, on two different trips,ace btp-52ew, I packed low-cost electronic items in my checked baggage--mainly iPod accessories--and found them missing when I unpacked. (Needless to say, I no longer pack any electronics in my checked suitcase.)


Also, keep in mind some thieves are more interested in a laptop's hard drive data than the computer Acer BTP-550P Battery itself. The drive may include information, such as social security numbers,ace btp-63d1, that can be sold or exploited for identity theft. Do you really want to risk having data like that fall into the wrong hands?


3. Your Notebook Could Get Lost

If you've packed a notebook in your checked bag and the airline loses that bag, you're out of luck. Oh,travelmate 2300 battery , and do you think the airlines will reimburse you for that laptop? They probably won't.

On U.S. domestic flights, there's a $2800 compensation limit per person total (not per bag) for lost or damaged baggage. And so, in theory, if you've packed a $3000 laptop in your checked bag and the bag goes missing in action, you're out at least $200. For international trips, aspire 1680 battery, airline liability is capped at $1500 per passenger.

However, many airlines specifically exclude computer equipment from their liability--meaning they don't have to pay you anything if your laptop is lost, stolen, or broken during a flight.

For example, go to Delta's Declaring Baggage Value page and you'll read this policy: "Delta is not responsible or liable for cash, camera equipment, commercial effects,aspire 1410 battery, computer software and equipment, electronic equipment, fragile articles, jewelry, lifesaving medication, negotiable papers, irreplaceable business documents, works of art or other similar valuable items contained in checked or unchecked baggage."


Other airlines have similar policies, including American Airlines,travelmate 4500 battery ,Acer BTP-73E1 Battery ,asus a42-a3 Continental Airlines, United, and US Airways