HP laptop surgery – it lives!

Part 3 in the continuing saga of the broken trackpad button.

Thanks to my friends Phillips the screwdriver, a very well written and illustrated HP service manual, outstanding HP design, and my HTC Hero phone (serving as camera), I succeeded in near total disassembly, replacing the top cover, and restoring my laptop to working order. Total surgical time: 1h 40m. I didn't lose any blood or otherwise injury myself, and ended the procedure with no extra screws, wires, or other parts.

Renewed faith in HP, CompUSA, and Best Buy

My HP laptop's broken trackpad button story continues....

HP's escalated support department and Best Buy's Geek Squad have renewed my faith in both companies.

Multifunction mobile devices (MMD, not to be confused with WMD?)

The recent iPad hype in the news and this flowchart got me thinking about multifunction mobile devices. I saw a TV news story that questioned the need for an iPad when one already has a laptop, mobile phone, digital camera, mp3 player, etc. That's a lot of devices to carry around, but a smartphone combines several of those, lightening the load significantly. I am a recent smartphone supporter, both in concept and device.

Broken HP trackpad button may result in data loss

I have an in-warranty HP laptop whose left trackpad button broke today. I contacted support for repair options and they require me to send in my laptop. Estimated turnaround time is 7-9 business days! It gets worse.