News19,135 Articles

March 7, 2009

The 10 most innovative & unusual laptops of all time

Notebook PCs that stand out from the crowd

Paul Trotter

PAGE 5


So that's the fully-released and soon-to-be-launched laptops done with. Let's move on to the designs you're unlikely ever to see in the shops.

PS3 laptop

Desktop PC modders have switched allegiances to laptops in recent years, with devoted techies fighting it out to build the weirdest custom-built portable computer.

For example, Ben 'Heck' Heckendorn - the modder who created an Xbox 360 laptop with a built-in camera - turned his attention to the PlayStation 3 (PS3) last year, building a laptop using the hardware components of Sony's console.

PS3 laptop

The PlayStation 3 laptop is based on Sony's original 60GB PS3, but includes a 17in HDTV 720p screen with an HDMI connection, a built-in keyboard and a stereo amplifier. The 7.26kg machine measures 431.8x349.3x76.2mm.

Steampunk laptop

The PS3 laptop is run of the mill compared to this contraption.

steampunk laptop

Apparently a fully working laptop with USB and Ethernet connectivity, it was developed by a Japanese modder and includes mechanical keys, a wooden space bar and an all-important Morse key over the trackball.

See more designs here.

Apple MacBook Wheel

We can't run an article on design innovation without mentioning Apple and, to be fair, the MacBook Wheel could be the biggest laptop advance of them all.

Apple has replaced the archaic input mechanism of yesteryear - the keyboard - with a sleek, touch-sensitive scroll wheel. The design will make typing a thing of the past, according to The Onion's exclusive video (below), with users able to type messages and search for files using one all-purpose device. "Everything is just a few hundred clicks away," according to an 'Apple exec' in The Onion's video.

Fair enough, the Apple MacBook Wheel is just a spoof, but the other products here can lay claim to being the world's weirdest laptops. But given that the list includes systems that were launched in the last few years, are there any other models that should have made the list? Let us know using the comments section below.

< PREV | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

<<newer story | back to index | older story>>

What is this?

Subscribe to PC Advisor now and claim your FREE gift

Keep up to date by adding PC Advisor News to your iGoogle home page or Google Reader


Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

% of PC Advisor readers agree with you

Yes
TBC
No
TBC

Which parts of the desktop PC/laptop experience can't you get on your smartphone?

119 characters remaining

Follow the conversation at @SmartphoneFocus

web browsing, search facilities, voip, email, word processing everything RT @Graham_D_C

Mainly email but getting better at spreadsheets etc, RT @IDGdan
Google


Recent reviews

Reviews index


Latest reader comments

Latest reader comments


Top news

News index


Latest blog entries

Blogs index


 Our RSS feeds

Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now