Introducing Mycroft

[tj_teejay]

Let me introduce to you the latest member of my electronic gadget family. I named him Mycroft, for obvious fandom reasons. Though it's kinda wrong to then give him a skin from another fandom (extra points to those who recognize the connection).









There's a loooong and rather frustrating story how I chose this particular model, which I don't actually want to recount because this is, I think, the fourth laptop I ordered before I decided I liked it enough to keep it. You'd think that there would be a decent a 13" or 14" laptop in the 1,500 to 2,000 EUR range that has the basic requirements of full HD resolution, 250 GB HDD, 8 GB RAM, an SD card reader, 3 USBs, a decent keyboard, a decent touchpad, and less than 2 kg weight, right?

WRONG!

So, yeah, I've tried an Acer, a Sony, a Lenovo and then finally the Toshiba. None of them was perfect, but the Toshiba finally narrowed it down to flaws I could live with. Still a darn shame that I can't get a laptop for 2,000 EUR that I'm a 100% happy with. Cause the Toshiba's keyboard isn't great. Big plus, though: It only weighs 1.2 kilos. So, yeah, Mycroft is a keeper. Let's give him a warm welcome.

Comments

[imbecamiel.livejournal.com]

Ha, what a great name! I know what a pain laptop shopping can be - when you're spending that kind of money, you really want something that's gonna work well and last you a while. Hopefully this one'll turn out to be a good choice for you!

(And even though I know nothing about the fandom beyond what you've mentioned, I'm gonna take a random stab and guess the skin's something to do with ReGenesis? ^^)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Nope, not ReGenesis. It's a show that's currently airing.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

The picture is a bit dark, but here's a screencap from Orphan Black. :-)

[imbecamiel.livejournal.com]

Oooo, okay! I've been hearing about Orphan Black lately, but I haven't watched any of it myself. It's a cool design! ^^

[ellestra.livejournal.com]

You have Cosima's laptop :)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Indeed I do! Extra cookie for you. :-)

[ellestra.livejournal.com]

YAY! Cookie :)

[crism79.livejournal.com]

YAY!! Welcome Mycroft! *pops out the confetti*

Wow I know what you mean. When I decided to buy a laptop it took me months to decide which model... I was never fully satisfied with one they always had something I didn't like :S

Anyway, love the name and the skin :D

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, man, it's been a nightmare. At some point I was close to giving up trying to find someting I'd like and just keep my old laptop.

Oh, and there's one more thing I don't like about Mycroft: You can't remove the battery. I'd prefer to take it out when I work on the latpop at home and have it connected to the power cable in order to save battery life. But, well, I think there's only one laptop in the ultrabook range where you can do it, and it's a Lenovo that I didn't quite like.

The way the market looks right now, I just had to settle for compromises, but I'm actually fairly happy with Mycroft, and I love that he's so lightweight. That's a huge plus in comparison to the other models I tested.

[hai-di.livejournal.com]

Great skin & name! War ja wirklich eine schwere Geburt, mit so vielen Modellen und Anläufen. Dann mal viel Freude mit Mycroft!

Cosima Laptop

[suhani mendpara (from livejournal.com)]

OMG! I love love love your laptop. I have wanted one so bad! I love Cosima's laptop! Where did you get your skin from! I NEED to know!

Re: Cosima Laptop

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

It's actually not a skin in the strictest sense of the word. There are several online printing services that will make custom-made skins for laptops, but since my notebook is a not very common business model, it wasn't listed in any of the pre-defined notebook model listings. Apparently these services only print skins that are already pre-cut to fit your specific laptop model.

In the end, I found a printer in Germany (where I live) that prints custom size glossy stickers, so I measured the lid of my notebook and had a sticker printed in that size with a few millimeters overhang on each side. I took a carpet knife and cut the sticker into the right size and shape myself before I stuck it on the lid. A bit elaborate, but it worked pretty well. The image I used as a template is from the official BBC America website: http://www.bbcamerica.com/orphan-black/extras/orphan-black-wallpapers/