How to Use Laptops Outside
When it's a nice day outside, the last place you want to be is stuck inside working. But if you can do your job on a laptop, then you don't have to be stuck inside. Unfortunately, just running outside with your laptop won't get you very far, since there are a few things that you have to take care of if you want to work on your laptop outdoors. While the biggest problem you will run into is sun glare on your screen, there are also other potential problems that you should be aware of before heading off to the beach.
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Instructions
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Charge up your battery, and charge up and bring a second battery, if you have one. Because of the adjustments you will have to make to your screen, expect to get about half of the battery life that you normally get when using your laptop inside. Since most outdoor locations do not have electrical outlets nearby, once your battery runs out, there's nothing you can do.
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Buy a wireless card so you can have Internet access while you are outside. Some outdoor places, more every day, have a Wi-Fi connection that you can connect to, but these areas are too spread out to count on. With a wireless card you can connect to the Internet anywhere that you get a signal with your cell phone.
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Check the weather forecast before you head out. If you don't have a way to protect your laptop, and your laptop bag is little protection, getting caught in a sudden storm will destroy your laptop. If there is a good chance of rain, don't take the laptop out, or at least stay close enough to the cover of a building or a car so you can get under cover if it starts to rain.
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Turn the brightness on the screen all the way up. For most laptops, do this by holding the function key and pressing one of the arrow keys. The arrow key will be one of two with a symbol that looks like a sun. Continue to press the button until the screen brightness is up as high as it will go. Keep in mind that this will quickly drain your battery, so if you can easily see the screen without having the brightness all the way up, than leave it at a comfortable level.
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Find some shade to help you see the screen. Even with the brightness all the way up, it will be a little difficult to see the screen in direct sunlight. If you can sit under a tree or umbrella, you will find it much easier to view the screen.
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Purchase an anti-glare cover for your screen. These covers will help you see the screen in brightly lit areas. If you are sitting in the shade and have an anti-glare cover, you may find that you don't even need to set your brightness to the highest setting, saving battery power and prolonging your time outside.
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References
- Photo Credit Sun image by KPICKS from Fotolia.com
