Pimp Your Laptop

Are you tired of looking at the same old black laptop? Do you wish you could stand out in your local Starbucks? (After all, nothing goes with your Frappucino like a blinged-out 15-inch Macbook Pro.) Here are a few ways to make your laptop look unique–via skins, stickers, or laser etching–without compromising its ability to do work.

If you want a quick, artsy way to update your computer, consider skinning it. Skins usually cost between $15 and $30, and some companies have already done the searching for you–GelaSkins has assembled an array of visually intriguing designs that are just waiting to adorn your laptop.

(Image from Gelaskins.)

If nothing on GelaSkins catches your fancy–or if you want to personalize your laptop with a huge photo of your puppy, for example–try a custom skin. Schtickers will let you upload a photo, add text, add backgrounds, change colors, and create a skin that fits your laptop for $25.

(Image from Jennifer Judd-McGee.)

Calling all girly girls! Who among you doesn’t want a laptop that shines and sparkles in the sun? There are several ways to add glimmer glamour to your tech: You can attach glitter and sequins yourself; you can grab a sparkly laptop skin (like this $53 Personalized Crystal Laptop Skin from Skyn Mobile), or you can send your notebook to Crystal Icing to have it dipped in Swarovski crystals for $2000+.

(Image from Ed Hardy.)

Vinyl decals offer a great way to get a custom look without the premeditated effect of a full skin, and without the haphazard look of random stickers. Etsy has a number of cool decals for sale, including the $15 Snow White Macbook decal, shown here, and a $12 zebra Macbook decal.

(Image from moviemagicman at Etsy.)

Skins and stickers can make a laptop look cheap. If you have a design in mind–and no issues with voiding your warranty–you can achieve a pretty cool look with laser engraving. Adafruit Industries, an etching service in New York City, charges just $100 to burn a permanent image onto a laptop case.

(Image from Zedomax.)

If your passion-pink laptop has faded over the years from pizzazzy to pallid, why not slap on a new coat of paint? For about $500, ColorWare PC will recolor your laptop (complete with scratch-resistant plastic coating).

(Image from ColorWare PC.)

Looking for more than just a new coat of paint? A professionally airbrushed design may be a better match to your style. Smooth Creations has some pretty great looking airbrushed gamer designs (including Call of Duty). The company isn’t currently taking custom orders, but it plans to start doing so soon. Meanwhile, your local body shop might be willing to step up.

(Image from Smooth Creations.)

You may not have a fast computer, but at least you can look like you do. At far left we see how a guy who wanted the look of a carbon fiber laptop case–but not the price tag–managed to cope: He used some carbon fiber vinyl to replicate the sexiness of an Acer Ferrari 4000 Carbon-Fiber notebook (at near left).

(Image from The Boxer Blog.)