SkinIt Coupon Codes

Scratch dull work surfaces for vivid computer 'skins'

SkinIt Inc. and Hewlett-Packard, for instance, have teamed up to produce custom-fit skins for certain HP desktop models and HP and Compaq notebook PCs.

Information about skins for HP and Compaq products is available at HP.com. HP's partner, SkinIt, also offers skins for other brands of notebooks at SkinIt.com.

Other sources for notebook PC skins include Schtickers.com, GetYourSkins.com and DesignerSkins.com. Costs range from about eight bucks for a notebook-lid skin to as much as $35 to completely skin a desktop.

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Jul. 24--Yearning to stand apart from your company-logo-shirt- wearing peers slaving away on identical computers in sterile cubicles?

Pimp your PC.

I know, I know: The IT department has your computer locked down tighter than the cells at Club Fed. Pimp your PC? You can't even change the wallpaper.

Ah yes, but you can slap some "skin" on the outside, turning that drab black box into a celebration of your favorite team, school, pet, child, significant other or just about anything else.

Don't worry, the skins -- essentially high-tech vinyl stickers -- come off, so you won't be permanently defacing company property. The manufacturers swear removing the skins leaves little, if any, adhesive residue.

You'll find more skins available for laptops than for desktops, but that is changing.

SkinIt Inc. and Hewlett-Packard, for instance, have teamed up to produce custom-fit skins for certain HP desktop models and HP and Compaq notebook PCs.

HP skins are available in many designs, ranging from licensed sports and entertainment brands -- think Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Spider-Man and Tweety Bird -- to a selection of artsy designs.

If you'd rather, you can even upload your favorite photo to create a one-of-a-kind custom skin.

Information about skins for HP and Compaq products is available at HP.com. HP's partner, SkinIt, also offers skins for other brands of notebooks at SkinIt.com.

Other sources for notebook PC skins include Schtickers.com, GetYourSkins.com and DesignerSkins.com. Costs range from about eight bucks for a notebook-lid skin to as much as $35 to completely skin a desktop.

OUTMANEUVERING IT

IT people are good and dedicated folks who keep our office networks running, endure our stupid questions and tolerate our incessant whining. They're the unsung heroes of the modern office.

Don't think so? You go troubleshoot the network the next time it goes down on a Friday afternoon as everyone's rushing to get their work done and head out the door.

Yet by definition, part of the job is to make sure we don't have too much fun. OK, it's really more like making sure we don't do anything that's going to mess up the company's computers or networks, but the end result is the same.

As part of that mission, many IT departments prevent workers from installing or using popular instant-messaging services for fear of viruses, lost productivity and other reasons known only to those who make such decisions.

If you're one of the more than 100 million Americans who use instant-messaging, those workplace prohibitions don't necessarily mean you have to be cut off from your IM buddies once you step foot inside the office.

Meebo.com is a new, free service that lets you log onto your AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN/Windows Live Messenger, GTalk or Jabber account from any Web browser.

There is no voice support or other bells and whistles, but Meebo works fine for sending and receiving instant text messages.

Another free service, eBuddy.com, around since 2003, also offers a way to connect to popular IM services through a Web browser.

Both eBuddy and Meebo work from behind corporate firewalls -- at least until IT starts blocking them.

Credit: Tampa Tribune, Fla.