Built: A Fashionable Way To Protect Your Laptop!

Laying in the mud under the vehicle, lay my laptop. It had slipped out of the laptop case that I had forgotten to zip. Thankfully, it was unhurt but as you can imagine the thoughts of my laptop being destroyed were definitely playing in my mind. All I could think was "I just got it out the shop and now this!"

I love laptop bags and backpacks but sometimes it is nice to have some extra protection for your computer. We often put other things in our cases and backpacks exposing our laptops to possible damage. Built has created a special laptop sleeve that allows your laptop to stay protected in a fun, fashionable way.

I had the privilege of reviewing one of their sleeves and was very impressed. My laptop sleeve is such a fun, colorful polka dot and is perfect for my personality. Built has a great many different sleeve styles to choose from so that you can find the perfect one to match your personality.

I love that the Built laptop sleeve is made from Neoprene which is a great fabric.  It is the same material that is used in wet suits so it will keep my computer dry but also if there is moisture, it will wisk it away and not mold. 

I have used this sleeve for everywhere. I love that it snugly fits my 15.4 inch laptop and keeps it protected. It is not bulky which allows it to even go through the airport without being taken out of the sleeve!  I always put my sleeve and laptop inside my laptop bag not only for the extra protection but also so that I can safely carry my cord, the items I might be reviewing at the time, and my planner. I now feel good about taking my laptop case somewhere because I know that it is protected from all harm and it looks stylish at the same time! Also if I forget to zip my laptop bag, it is now protected if it should fall out.

The zipper on this sleeve is also impressive as it is very heavy duty and very unlikely to break.

Built has a great collection of laptop bags, laptop sleeves, and many other really neat items to choose from. There are great colors on everything which I love.  They have some fantastic grocery totes and kitchen items as well as diaper bags and other baby related items.  There really is something for everyone!  These would make a great gift or even just a great purchase for you. You can check out their site at BuiltNY.com.

Logitech Laptop Cooling Pad

My computer was so hot, you couldn't touch it!  It was reaching 185 degrees in 10 seconds and was in danger of burning out some very important components of my laptop!

To combat that this known HP issue, my husband bought a Targus cooling pad, which retails for $34.99.  We really thought that this would solve the problem.  Not even one week later, my cooling pad sounded like a rocket ship was going off in my house.  It was so loud that I couldn't think to work so I would turn it off.   It couldn't cool the computer because it wasn't working but I just couldn't think.  My husband tried to fix the issue and it stopped cooling as well.  We thought this was an isolated problem with my cooling pad so he bought two more for our church's office.

Huge mistake!!  Every single one of these sound like a rocket is going off and no one can work with the noises they make.  We all figured there had to be a solution so I contacted Logitech to see if I could review one of their units.

The unit that they sent me is the Logitech Notebook Cooling Pad (N100) (ARV $29.99) . I was immediately impressed with the sleek, modern design.  I love the curve of the design because it allows air to flow through easily keeping my computer cool.  There is only one fan versus the two fans that the Targus had but I have found that this fan seems to be more powerful than the two of the Targus.

The Logitech keeps the computer up a little bit making it not only nice to type with but it is easier to see the laptop screen.  The Targus cooling pad was flat and offered none of these nice features.

The noise level on this one is nothing.  I was so used to the loud, obnoxious sound from the Targus that when I received the Logitech to review, I couldn't figure out if it was running or not.  I actually turned it upside down to see if the fan was moving.  It was so quiet!  I received the unit at the beginning of September and after two months of use (I have moved the laptop and cooling pad around my house), it is still quiet!

It has keep the computer very cool and I am very much in love with it.  It connects by USB and I have not noticed that this reduces the battery life that much.  My laptop runs at least 12 hours a day so I have run the cooling pad pretty hard and I am very pleased with its performance.

If I were to buy another cooling pad today, I would definitely choose the Logitech over all the others I have tried.  (To date, this is the 4th brand of cooling pad.) 

You can purchase Logitech Notebook Cooling Pad (N100) from Amazon.com.  This would make the perfect holiday gift for any college student or individual who uses their laptop on a consistent basis.  Cooling pads are an necessity with any type of laptop.

Disclosure: This review is based on my own honest unbiased opinion of Logitech Cooling Pad. You may or may not agree with my opinion. I was sent product free of charge to review. No one from Logitech was involved in the writing of this post. 

Protecting Your Precious Equipment

At the end of August, I had my computer's fan go and out and almost lost everything on my computer.  My laptop was getting so hot that the repair man told me that it was getting to 185 degrees in 10 seconds!  I have an HP and all though I love HPs, I think I am pretty determined that I will never buy nor recommend one unless I find out that they have fixed this problem. 

I learned some very important lessons however and this week I am going to share them with you.  Some I already knew and some I benefited from learning.  Protecting your computer can really be the most frugal thing you can do because not only will it save you time but it will also save you money.  We all invest a lot into our laptops so we expect the best out of them.