D/\SH
11-16-2007, 01:41 PM
How Not to Pack a Laptop
* James A. Martin
* Add articles about laptops to your My Yahoo! add to My Yahoo!
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My friend Mary has been known to do some crazy things. Last summer, she won a hat contest by affixing pieces of fried chicken to a straw bonnet and accessorizing it with biscuit earrings.
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, clothes, and toiletries.
"What's the big deal?" Mary asked me. Her notebook, an ultraportable Sony Vaio TX, 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, 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, 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, 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, all you need is one dishonest opportunist who spots your laptop in an X-ray screening.
For instance, on two different trips, 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 itself. The drive may include information, such as social security numbers, 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, 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, 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, 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, Continental Airlines, United, and US Airways.
What Are Your Options?
If you must pack your notebook in a checked suitcase--as some travelers were forced to do last summer, following an alleged terrorist threat--then you'll need to take precautions.
* Back up your data before you begin your trip, and make sure it's password protected at a minimum. Consider removing your laptop's hard drive and packing it (carefully) in your carry-on bag.
* Pack the notebook in a shock-resistant case, such as an Otterbox, or buy a ruggedized notebook.
* Put a TSA-approved lock on your checked bag to reduce the chances that an unscrupulous baggage handler will steal your laptop.
* Look into buying insurance for your notebook from the likes of Safeware.
* Consider using a service that tracks, locates, and recovers stolen laptops, such as LoJack for Laptops ($50 a year).
For more advice, plus info on ruggedized notebooks, read "Protecting Your Laptop, Part 1" and "Protecting Your Laptop, Part 2."
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* James A. Martin
* Add articles about laptops to your My Yahoo! add to My Yahoo!
Read More from PC World...
Mobile Computing: Back-to-School Notebooks, Part 1 Gotcha: Laptops That Aren't Hardware Tips: Cheap Notebook Tweaks--Maximize Your Laptop Mobile Computing: Laptop Security, Part 2 Mobile Computing: Laptop Security, Part 1
More How-To Articles
* Understanding Your Software Needs in a Laptop
* Scoping Out the CD/DVD Location on Your Laptop
* Stepping through MacBook Troubleshooting
* Exploring Attachments for Your Laptop
* Exploring the Windows Start Thing on Your Laptop
* Sharing Your Laptop's Public Folder in Windows Vista
* Adding Wireless to Your Older Laptop
* Connecting Your Laptop to a Video Projector
* Tips for Out-of-Town Presentations
* Keeping the Box Your Laptop Came In
Blog Posts About Laptops
* Mac Ultraportable Coming in January?
* Hands-on with the World's Smallest Tablet
* Hands-on with One Laptop Per Child's XO
* Asus Eee PC Gets Color Happy
* Rumor: Apple Jumping into Tablet Market
* Japanese Consumers Turning Away from PCs
* How to Boost Your Laptop's Audio Output
* Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday - Check Your Gadgets!
* Macs Increasingly Targeted by Viruses
* Updated MacBooks Boast "Santa Rosa" Chipsets
My friend Mary has been known to do some crazy things. Last summer, she won a hat contest by affixing pieces of fried chicken to a straw bonnet and accessorizing it with biscuit earrings.
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, clothes, and toiletries.
"What's the big deal?" Mary asked me. Her notebook, an ultraportable Sony Vaio TX, 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, 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, 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, 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, all you need is one dishonest opportunist who spots your laptop in an X-ray screening.
For instance, on two different trips, 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 itself. The drive may include information, such as social security numbers, 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, 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, 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, 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, Continental Airlines, United, and US Airways.
What Are Your Options?
If you must pack your notebook in a checked suitcase--as some travelers were forced to do last summer, following an alleged terrorist threat--then you'll need to take precautions.
* Back up your data before you begin your trip, and make sure it's password protected at a minimum. Consider removing your laptop's hard drive and packing it (carefully) in your carry-on bag.
* Pack the notebook in a shock-resistant case, such as an Otterbox, or buy a ruggedized notebook.
* Put a TSA-approved lock on your checked bag to reduce the chances that an unscrupulous baggage handler will steal your laptop.
* Look into buying insurance for your notebook from the likes of Safeware.
* Consider using a service that tracks, locates, and recovers stolen laptops, such as LoJack for Laptops ($50 a year).
For more advice, plus info on ruggedized notebooks, read "Protecting Your Laptop, Part 1" and "Protecting Your Laptop, Part 2."
Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips
News: Vista May Have Greater Impact on Notebooks
Notebooks, which are typically less powerful than desktops, should reap many benefits from the performance enhancements of Windows Vista. For example, Vista's ReadyDrive will enable your system to boot and awaken from sleep mode more quickly. And Windows SuperFetch, a feature new to Vista, is designed to learn what your most commonly launched applications are and preload them into memory.
News: Palm Finally Pushes E-Mail
Been waiting for Palm to deliver an e-mail solution that delivers messages to your phone automatically? Your wait is over, as long as you have a Treo 680 or a Treo 780p. A free, downloadable update to Palm's VersaMail program pushes e-mail directly to a supported Treo, like a RIM BlackBerry device. Push technology uses less battery power than scheduled e-mail syncs.
News: Is Metro Wi-Fi Faster Than Cellular?
Metro Wi-Fi networks in 14 North American cities and towns delivered twice the performance of even true 3G cellular data networks, according to tests conducted by Novarum, an independent consulting company. In Novarum's tests, metro Wi-Fi offered average speeds of 869 kilobits per second downstream. In comparison, true 3G networks ran at 300 kbps to 400 kbps downstream, while 2.5G networks offered only a fraction of that.