Dislike your boring looking Jet Black laptop? Here's a simple mod.

NOTE: All images can be enlarged to 2500 pixels horizontal by clicking on the thumbnail.

I don't know what struck me to do this, but it just did. I am a Architecture Student, and I was doing some facade design of my building, I added a silver finishing trim on every glass-cladded curtain wall jointing detail to cover the bolt and nut combination on my AutoCAD. So while I was working this on my laptop, somehow I had this insane idea to implement it.



Neat? Well, depends on the individual I guess.... A simple touch of reflectiveness on a rather black and boring matte finish topping may add a touch of class and style to it.

LAPTOP SPECS. AND SETUP
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In this mod, the notebook I am using is my current Dell Inspiron 1720, a 17" which arrived on April this year with a Jet Black Matte finish. The lid and design of your machine may vary significantly.

NOTICE: Probably one of the main differences is the black keyboard which I'm using. So for those Dell Inspiron 1720 owners wondering "Hey I see a Vostro 1700!" nope, I harvested the parts from a UK friend for free who didn't want his Vostro 1700 anymore. The original Dell Inspiron 1720 came with a white keyboard and white power button cover with the 1720 logo on it.

Rounded rubberized laptop raisers were added to its base just yesterday, for that nice inclined typing angle.

GM965 Santa Rosa Chipset
X9000 2.8GHz
6GB DDR2-667 (soon to be 8GB)
640GB (320GB 7200rpm x2)
8600M GT DDR2
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Vista Ultimate x64

THINGS YOU'LL NEED
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In this mod, you'll need only 3 things;

1. Silver Tape. (Any thickness you desire)
2. White Graphic Tape (Thin, 2-3mm ones preferably)
3. Pen Knife (For cutting the tapes)



In total for the 2 tapes they cost just less than SGD$10.00. You can get them from any ma and pa arts and crafts store.

(Singapore Currency) SGD$10.00 = ~ USD$7.15

PROGRESSION
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Planning is important. Proper finishing is also important, you need to decide or ask yourself how would the start and end of the tape will be. How would the start, and termination be like?

Which part of the laptop would you want the tape end? Do you want the tapes to "wrap" itself around the corners of the screen for maximum coverage, or just end at the edges of the lid, exposing the corner with the tendency to be peeled of due to rough use?

You'll need to decide the finishing touches. Study the finishing of the laptop carefully.


In this picture, you can see how the edges are finished.
They're "wrapped" around and into the lid near the screen
for maximum protection of the tapes and provides a neater finish.

In a design aspect, thickness of an object represents weight and its heaviness in visual proportions. So due to the metallic tape in its thickness, it would advisable to tape across your laptop about 1/4 near the bottom part of the cover lid as seen.

The tapes provided are all very, very sticky and hard to be peeled of, so measure for accuracy and height, and while laying the tape, accuracy and precision is key. You don't want to see something slanted and off-balance or poor workmanship. Use a pencil or a marker to mark 3 points from the starting point, middle point and the end point lightly with a small dot, for the tape to be laid accurately.

Make sure no air bubbles are presented or seen while laying metallic tape.

I would highly suggest that you start tapping from the inside of the lid, near the screen.

PROGRESSION II
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Well next, after laying the metellic tape it's time to use the white graphic tape for a nicer edging and finish to end the edges of the metallic tape, so that a nice transition can be achieved between the contrast of black and metal.



For the rest of the images, I think I'll just let em' speak for themselves.... Much easier that way. As usual, the 3mm white graphic tape is very very sticky, especially for a small tape, so be careful where you stick at.

More images are shown to display reflectivity of the metallic tape.

Careful, careful, steady, steady; you don't want to have crooked lines. LOL.


It is important that you tape properly
if you were to terminate the tape
in the insides like this image.

FINISHED?
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If done properly, your final outcome should look something like this. Note it's reflectivity especially the 2nd picture showing the pink wall at the background.



More updates to come ASAP. Stay tuned.

Woot, this is my 300th post!

 

nice job

 

X9000 in an inspiron?

Wow.

 

Where would I find tape like this in the US? At a hobby store like Michael's?

 

Yep, Michael's, Hobby People, and possibly even a craft/scrapbook store. In LA county there are a couple large chain stores then two or three graphic design spots to also choose form. All depends on where you live as to what hobby chain will be readily available, YellowPages is your friend. I am sure you could also buy it online and have it shipped to save you the time in-store.

 

Micheal's? Is that some kind of hobby store? I don't know anything about US stuff, I'm not a US citizen. Sorry!

Thanks guys!

 

What a slick looking lappy! You did a great job and supplied good instructions. Excellent job!! I'm sure your buildings will be fantastic

 

It seems like it would peel off quickly with normal wear and tear. I guess it depends how you use your laptop.

 

hmm im not a fan. I think you ruined the looks of a nice looking laptop.

 

Thanks prescott...

Sparta @ Not that I heard it will. Like I said, stickiness of these kind of tapes are way much stickier than the average tapes you find in a hardware store. I've dealt with laptop skins alot of times before, and to be honest these tapes are even much more sticker. One can't judge by just looking at it. The tapes are wrapped around the corners of the screen as well for maximum coverage.

Anyway yes, I take suggestions seriously, and will continue to monitor. Thanks.

 

Well I least I did not cover the entire thing with it. That's ugly. I personally disliked laptop skins either. They cover up the entire lid and casing.

That's alright. Some people think Frank Gehry's Titanium claded geometrically warped buildings are hideous. It's all a matter of the individualist. But hey, thanks. I respect your opinion.

 

Hey, it's not so bad.

It comes down to personal choice. I may like a piece of Salvador Dali's artwork, someone else might not! Either way, it engages good conversation, and it gives someone else ideas ~ as to what they could potentially do when wanting to make changes to their own notebook, etc.


Cin

 

Dali's work is the best

 

I think it would look better right across the middle, where the dell logo is.

 

HA! So do I I have one of his prints! My Mum...she doesnt appreciate his work so well, my friends they don't mind!

Now, a Dali' piece would be so cool on a laptop


Cin

 

Yo SomeFormOfHuman guy! It's me, Porkey Ham from hardwarezone singapore.

Kinda reminds me of this


Great mod, but the Cons are: a don't you think it's little too contrasty? Maybe get a darker gray tape, and a lesser reflective tape, sumthin like that? The Pros is, design effectiveness is there though, and cheap to mod!

 

salvador dali.... sounds veri familiar. iz it some art guy?

 

It'd be pretty cool looking in a + fashion.

 

Yup, he was a Spanish Surrealist painter! Probably best know for his piece *The Persistence of Memory*

It would be very cool looking...

(Sorry OP..didn't mean to take away from your thread)......



Cin

 

I think it looks great, and very original.

rep+

 

a.k.a the melty clock one right??


I think this looks real cool and maybe ill try it on one of my old machines one day but tape is iffy for me. Great job though! I also think it would look cool going right across the logo.

 

Looks pretty cool....suppose it could wear off. But nice job, good creative touch. :GEEK:

 

looks good, +rep!

 

Well my laptop gets enough use that the clearcoat on the titanium lid wore off!

 

Cool, I like it.

I think it would’ve been better if you stopped the silver strip at the edge of the black lid, without taking it around to the other side.

 

Yup that's it..the flat as a pan, melting clock one! oh lulz.

He did a nice line...on the laptop, the more you look at it..it kind of grows on you!


Cin

 

Woah man, I can't believe I didn't even check back this thread and reply to them!! Thanks guys!

Yes, I am familiar with Salvador's work, they're the surrealist art... I was kinda influenced by his work for my photography.

 

Very nice, I like! I think the off-centered placement of the tape is a good touch, I would prefer it where it is to closer to the middle of the lid.

 

This is a good mod. A bit boring and "business like" but a good tip nonetheless.

My Asus has something similar on it as standard, black lid with horizontal browny colored pin stripes (I'm assuming they're a failed attempt by Asus at gold pin stripes) with a silver strip at the bottom of the lid near the hinges.

Looks horrible to me mainly because the lid is super shiny so it shows all the dirt and marks and everything.

I've bought a lapjack skin to put over it - with an Alienware "Alien" logo on it.

Of course your mod could be used to cover over those annoying branding logos, like where mine has Asus written in the middle of the lid...

 

Ok i think Dell must view this thread because it seems like they did the same thing pretty much just in leather in their new studio xps series.

 

Very simple, sleek, and easy to duplicate --- I love it! Great job.

 

thats awesome loll

 

great mod, i think even better is what people said put it in the middle but don't cover the dell logo, instead just cut the tape to go around it and BAM you got yourself an incredible and creative mod, not that you're already isn't :]

+rep

 

Well, now you know to check back more often..your still getting nice comp's

Salvador Dali his work is awesome to me. That's cool he influenced you!

Cin

 

Good job man.

 

im not a huge fan of it but it looks decent and is definatly one of the better mods ive seen

 

Pretty interesting

 

Not bad.. Dig it

 

just put your lappy in an oven for, lets say, 10 minutes, and you're going to have a perfect Dali-style modification)))

Disclaimer: Nor me nor Salvador Dali are responsible for any damage this message may lead to

 

looks kind of like the studio xps imo!

great job! rep added!

fattail95

 

Wow, beautifully done. I always thought the M1730 was good looking to begin with, but you just took it to the next level.

I really ought to try this out on my jet black Studio 15. I gather the color and finish are similar to those of your Inspiron 1720.

 

I'm not sure I'd call the XPS systems "good looking" - the term that comes to mind more often is "garish," but, hey, I'm just an over-the-hill geezer, so it could just be me.

 

Nobody asked you anything, old man! Why don't you just get back in your Buick and drive yourself back to your nursing home! It's probably time for your glass of prune juice anyway.



Seriously, though, I do see why someone might think that. I like the way they look, but I can understand why you wouldn't.

 

Nice, simple and easy mod, thanks for posting.

Gorgeous XPS M1730, SomeFormOfHuman.

 

great mod on both of yur laptops. adds a very nice, classy touch to it.

only gripe is on the 1730, i woulda done the 2 middle lines first. then laid the surrounding "frame" on the 2, side, XPS logos. it would create a much more seamless and clean look. i don't like how the 2 middle lines overlap the "frame".

 

Prune juice - sonny, we mainline purified prune extract here, and what's a "Buick"? One of them newfangled thingys that's always splashing mud on my Model T?

It is (mostly) a matter of personal taste - although there are a few isolated cases here and there that are so bad that the only solution are the fashion police. I think my reaction also comes from having been talked into buying a _Sony VAIO 6 years ago, largely on its "looks" (which were very nice) and precious little real discussion of its capabilities (which were mediocre even back in 2003 when it was brand-new). Since then, I've noticed that there tends to be a tipping point at which glitter becomes a means of obfuscating a lack of performance. So, basically, I'm inclined to distrust anything that looks like the manufacturer spent a little too much time on the pimping, and not enough time on the performance enhancing.

Then again, there are those folks who won't buy anything but a Mac.

 

u and yur essays about laptop looks...

it's 2009! u don't have to choose between looks vs performance anymore! get with it man!

 

Haha, thanks for the input guys. For me, I like to marry form and function together. Form, for its design, function, for its performance. Some people thought the M1730's shield wings seemed deliberately added and may not blend well with the lid design. So my idea was to blend the two winged elements together and "tie" them across like what I've just did, as if everything on its lid is unified.

LOL thanks, actually that's what I did; I placed two center lines first, the overlapped it with the frame of the two sides. This will help hold the central elements together and will not tear out easily.

 

More stuff I took today.