Digital Home Thoughts: That Old Laptop Can Do More Than Take Up Space

"We get it, your new laptop is shiny, super-fast and awesome. But don't forget about your old laptop! It doesn't have to sit around and collect dust. Here are five super easy things you can do to rejuvenate it."

There seems to have been a whole bunch of articles coming up on how to use your old computers these days. I guess everyone thinks that we all got shiny presents over the holidays. While many focus on old hardware in general, Gizmodo's list is focused on laptops, which presents some extra options. The two that I find most intruiging are the digital photo frame and secondary monitor.

While a nice idea, the digital photo frame is only partly useful as I find that laptop screens generally do not have a wide viewing angle and suck up much more power than your typical digiframe. Still, it does allow you to play a wide range of videos too, so maybe it is a good idea after all.

As for the secondary monitor gig, they recommend MaxiVista, which I have tried in the past and works wonders, but for those on a budget, consider ZoneScreen. Not quite as packed with features like MaxiVista, but functional. Neither option will give you the same performance as a monitor hooked directly up to your PC, it is good if you need yet another monitor, or do not have the budget for one. That and since it works over a network, that laptop-come-monitor can be placed almost anywhere!