Thinkpads Forum

I am going to drive a long way, and I have a laptop than is connected to the GPS, I wonder if there are something that I can use to fasten my laptop on the side driver's seat.

Since you shouldn't even attempt to operate the computer while driving. This is best solution to avoid any temptation to operate.

Assuming you can close the computer and it still operate.

Use the passenger seatbelt to hold the laptop on the seat. Just put the lap part of seat belt across the keyboard and close the screen.

OR

wrap the laptop in a large towel (why you should never be without your towel...tip of the hat to Hitch Hiker's Guide) and tuck the ends down the back of the seat.

OR

Put your laptop in it's carry with ports facing outwards. IE: When you look through opening of the carry case you see the ports first. Allows cable to still be connected and not get kinked.

Then put the case with the laptop in it on the car floor.

Further, you shouldn't be looking at the computer screen for directions while driving. You should be using aural directions rather than the visual directions.

I have a zero-shock sleeve, which is pretty anti-slip against most cloth seat upholstery. I just set my laptop on top of that it and it stays put. Leather seats may present a bigger problem. Have you considered those rubbery traction pads they sell for in-car placement of PDAs and coffee mugs? A large one should work fine for a laptop.

Also, if your car allows you to tilt the seat bottom, you can raise the front to prevent the laptop from flying off when you hit the brakes.

I'd put it in the floor, closed with the bottom up for cooling purposes. It won't fall as far that way. You can put it on a towel if you're worried about scratching the cover. I wouldn't put it in the case since it will be running and will build up heat.

nonny wrote:I wouldn't put it in the case since it will be running and will build up heat.

The important thing here is to keep the side vent exposed. Since you can have the laptop on a table (or couch or whatever) and run it with the cover off, having it sit in a clamshell sleeve won't give you any heat issues as long as the path of airflow is not blocked.

Kenn wrote:The important thing here is to keep the side vent exposed. Since you can have the laptop on a table (or couch or whatever) and run it with the cover off, having it sit in a clamshell sleeve won't give you any heat issues as long as the path of airflow is not blocked.

Well, this is actually a "do as I say do; not as I do" thing. My work machine is a T40, and occasionally, if it's being stubborn about hibernating or going into stand-by mode and I'm in too much of a hurry to shut it down, I'll pull it off the port rep, stuff it in my bag and head home with it up and running. Even though I'm careful to leave the bag (Brenthaven Mobile Urban wheeled bag) unzipped and the vent unblocked, there is considerable heat buildup on the underside of the case before I get home 30-45 minutes later. For a trip of several hours, I don't think I would be comfortable leaving it turned on in the case, and I'm not one to baby even my own personal equipment. YMMV.

nonny wrote:Well, this is actually a "do as I say do; not as I do" thing. My work machine is a T40, and occasionally, if it's being stubborn about hibernating or going into stand-by mode and I'm in too much of a hurry to shut it down, I'll pull it off the port rep, stuff it in my bag and head home with it up and running. Even though I'm careful to leave the bag (Brenthaven Mobile Urban wheeled bag) unzipped and the vent unblocked, there is considerable heat buildup on the underside of the case before I get home 30-45 minutes later. For a trip of several hours, I don't think I would be comfortable leaving it turned on in the case, and I'm not one to baby even my own personal equipment. YMMV.

I know exactly what you mean, that kind of thing can burn up a battery! In the end, it remains an airflow issue: having the laptop in an bag is another case entirely, as that coccoons every part of the laptop and restricts the flow enough for signifcant heat buildup regardless of how exposed the vent is (especially if there's no space on any of the other sides or the underside where the laptop vents draw in air, as would always be the case if you have the thing in a bag). Since the fan blows out and there's no air coming in, it won't help if that's the only vent exposed. Unzipped or not, it's a classic coccoon + insulator scenario, and it's happened to me a few times.

However, simply having the laptop resting on top of a sleeve or inside an unzipped clamshell sleeve on a car seat should give you nearly the same amount of airflow as if you had it naked on the seat (this is not the case with those sleeves you have to slide the machine into, of course). I've done this many times, and while I'm sure different sleeve profiles vary, I get less than a 2 degree difference via mobilemeter. So I should say it's less about being zipped/not-zipped, bag/sleeve, etc., but rather just that padding the bottom with the rest of the machine exposed should not have an appreciable impact on heat.

To bad you don't drive a Volvo...Volvo makes a laptop support unit that fits on the passenger side seat, buckles in and everything!