Has anyone see something to prop up a laptop computer so we can watch movies during the drive? I'm cheap and don't want to buy of those dvd players. Sometimes I just need something to fill an hour or so.
Thanks everyone for your creative suggestions. Very helpful. Found a place online at www.vuegear.com. Think this might be worth investigating. Has anyone used one of these devices?
I bought a lap top tray at Bed Bath and Beyond. That might help. My DVD player has a harness that lets me hang it from the head rest. Maybe you can find something like that.
We just hold ours. I mean... only the driver can't hold it, and the driver shouldn't be watching one anyway, right?
Depending on the type and size of your car, and where you want the computer to sit, you could just use a cardboard box. If you are talking about holding it on your lap, they make all sorts of laptop tables and trays. just be sure not to use a pillow or it will block the fan vent and over heat.
Laptops get hot and can start fires. There are stands you can buy for the bedside that are about $20 at Staples but seriously, a DVD player is not much more.
The computer offers a lot more though. I think it is a good idea but holding it would not be good, it may even burn the skin.
No suggestions, but a response to Gamma G. Laptops can get quite warm, but if your laptop is getting so hot that it can burn skin or cause a fire, there's something wrong with the fan (or it just needs to be cleaned). Some older laptops do run hotter than others, however, and for these it might not be a bad idea to buy a small laptable that includes an external fan.
Also, if you're taking your laptop on the road and will be staying in a hotel that does not have a room safe, I highly recommend getting a kensington lock for your laptop, and make sure to lock it to something that's bolted down and not easily removed in the room (like a radiator pipe). It's not a perfect anti-theft device as the cable can be cut by a determined theif, but at least you don't have to worry about the cleaning or other staff with room access from walking off with it (which is what happened to my boss right before an important presentation).
When we did this we used a bungee cord and strapped it to the console in the middle of seats. It took some time and ingenuity, but we made it work.
I took our laptop on the road, mainly so I could get caught up on photo editing during the seven hour drive. One thing I didn't plan for is that every. freaking. bump. in. the. freaking. road jarred the computer too much. So I had to ride with one eye on the road, looking for potholes or even stupid things like bridge overpasses. I'd probably just shell out the money for a DVD player if you and/or the kids can't go without TV that long.
We have travelled all over...from Alberta Canada to LA and back, then again from Canada to CA to FL and back (that one was a year) and many 4-5 day trips to CA or AZ, the kids were/are great travellers.
We never had one of those DVD players we only travelled with the lap tops (bigger screens by the way.)
We used lap desks and boxes between the seats. We have a mini van so there was enough room to put one of those 3 drawer plastic shelve things from Walmart. The drawers held their toys, crayons books etc and the top was the perfect place for the lap top. We bought a car to 110 converter from Best Buy just in case the battery didn't last as long as the kids.
and the best purchase was a splitter headphone jack so they could BOTH listen to the movie on head phones and I didn't have to!
Have fun!
B.
Family Success Coach
