Recommended Products

These products are the best I've used in their class, & I'd recommend any of them without hesitation.

Lenovo ThinkPad L520

If you want a good price / performance ratio, matte screen, fantastic keyboard (better than most desktops), and rugged construction then I suggest trying an L520. Shipping to Australia was prompt, too. Linux support seems good so far, with the only caveat being the need to turn off APIC. BSD support is only missing video drivers, which are supposedly coming soon.

After-sales support is excellent too; I called to complain about the DVD being quite easy to eject due to poor placement of a sensitive ejection button. They shipped me a bevel free of charge, so I could simply remove the drive for the 99.99% of times when I don't need optical media. Very impressive (though future models could do with a less sensitive button).

Targus Lap Chill Mat

These are great; cheap, quiet, functional and nearly indestructible. Especially valuable if you use your laptop on soft surfaces like quilts or sofas.

Unicomp On-The-Ball 104/105

I use one of these, taking it with me between gigs. Shipping from the USA was very prompt, if a bit expensive. The finish is good but a bit aesthetically rough in places; the black plastic isn't uniform in appearance and there is moulding flash evident on the back of each key. It's noisy enough to be problematic in open-plan offices, but ... the typing experience is fantastic, far better than even the best non-mechanical keyboards I've used.

Pro-tip: if the trackball becomes a bit sticky, open it up, and put a tiny amount of light machine oil on each of the three tiny ball-bearings on which the trackball runs. That makes the action much smoother, & precise pointing much easier. Real engineering that, ball-bearings and oil ...

Leatherman Wave

I've had my Wave since I arrived in Melbourne, and it's helped me with everything from on-the-go Land Rover maintenance to impromptu gardening jobs. It's well made, fantastically useful, easy to clean and the knife blade can be brought to a shaving edge quite easily. Every real man & every real woman should own & carry one of these.

Portable Standing Station

This is actually a $90 DJ laptop stand from eBay. It's (coarsely) adjustable, and easily moved from desk to desk, so great for fluid workspaces. Very handy as a contractor, it even disassembles to fit easily into a backpack. Hint: use the clamps, not the feet, as it wobbles a bit unless secured to the desk.