Have Laptop Will Travel will not be complete without the occasional dig at the RIAA and what the morons in the organization are doing to stop “piracy”.

Take for example, this statement from Jennifer Pariser, chief of litigation for Sony BMG, which was uttered during the trial of Jammie Thomas, a woman from Minnesota who was ordered to pay $220,000.00 by the court for sharing 24 songs online. Pariser testified that: “When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song.” He added that when one makes that copy, it’s “a nice way of saying ‘steals just one copy.’”

Pariser just said that even if you own a CD, copying it to your hard drive for your own personal listening purposes constitutes to stealing. Isn’t that just stupid? I’ve heard the RIAA has already modified their statements regarding this topic but nevertheless, that earlier statement just shows how blinded the RIAA can get just to protect their interests. They don’t even care if they alienate legitimate CD buyers.

I wish 2008 will bring the geriatric geezers at the RIAA to their senses.

Yesterday, talk here in HLWT centered on the contentious issue of net neutrality. Well, you have to give it to the presidential run-up in the United States to really roil the technology pot. Now, the issue is about ODF or OpenDocument Format.

Recently, Sen. Barack Obama — showing his very progressive stance on technology issues — said that he will put government data online in a format that is universally accessible should he be elected president.

I’d rather not paraphrase Obama’s very persuasive and well articulated statement so here it is: “We have to use technology to open up our democracy. It’s no coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in history has favored special interests and pursued policies that could not stand up to sunlight. As president, I’ll change that. I’ll put government data online in universally accessible formats.”

Obama made this statement in a speech he delivered at the Google campuse in California. In the event, he also revealed his detailed IT plan that revolves around a more open and technically progressive government. Obama’s stance is being hailed by technology experts and activists. Obama’s move can really open up the government and make information more accessible to everyone. There will be no more need for proprietary formats just to open important documents or to access information.

Of course, you should expect conservatives to oppose this move because they see a democratic approach to information is tantamount to practically giving so called sensitive information to enemies of the state. Let’s see how the debates will fuel this issue.

Marino Marcich, managing director of the ODF Alliance, applauded the move.

“Public information that can be read and downloaded by anyone without need of a particular brand of software is central to the mission of the ODF Alliance and a key feature of the OpenDocument Format,” Marcich said. “We are excited that leading American officials are joining the growing chorus of international and domestic voices that have already recognized

I think it is safe to say that laptops are the new must-have, status symbol accessories. Forget about mobile phones, laptops are the new neck-turners. To prove my point, just go to any restaurant, cafe or coffee shop and I’ll bet the moment someone whips out a cool sub-notebook or the newest “IT” item from Apple and you’re bound to look at the person with envy or wonder how the hell he or she could afford such a great gadget.

I admit I’m one of those guys who can’t look at a new Macbook Pro or Fujitsu Lifebook without drooling. The bad thing is that I go all metaphysical because of it. I begin to wonder how THEY can afford it and I can’t. Am I destined to forever be relegated to the group of people who always have to settle for low-end or low-midrange laptops?

In my envy, I also start mocking these people. I look at the websites they surf (Ha! Plain old Yahoo! Entertainment. What a bore!) or even the kind of information that they look for (Beyonce! Josh Groban! What atrocious music tastes!). I know that I’m being unfair and that my desire to have a really cool laptop has made the worst come out of me. But I also know that I am not the only one who feels the same way. I guess the best thing to do about it is just ignore them, be happy with what I do have — and try to “accidentally” spill cafe latte on those damn Macbooks.

One of my biggest beefs about the last two generations of the Windows operating system is the very annoying Windows Genuine Advantage carousel ride that all users have to go through periodically. It is irritating that a person who has legitimately bought a piece of software will regularly have to be made to feel like a criminal just to assuage the mind of Microsoft that they are not being duped. So much for giving the customer the best experience possible.

Last August 24, the Windows Genuine Advantage gave Microsoft a big headache when an error in processing validations erroneously tagged legitimate Windows owners as using pirated software. Microsoft’s help line were inundated with calls from irate customers and forums were flooded with messages that came short of calling for a lynch mob in front of the Microsoft Campus.

Microsoft claimed that the problem was immediately fixed and that only 12,000 systems were affected by the problem. But whether it is 12,000 or 12,000,000, the fact still remains that Windows Genuine Advantage sucks. Microsoft has to rethink of a better, more customer friendly way of proving the legitimacy of its software — or even scrapping that process altogether. It’s not like Microsoft is going bankrupt, right?

The price of laptops are really dropping. It really is a great time to buy a portable now because of the very competitive prices on units that possess equally impressive features. Gone are the days of getting “affordable” laptops that do little more than word processing because of the crappy specs.

I think one thing that is driving the prices of laptops in the market are the proliferation of so called generic or whitebox units. These are laptops that come from little known computer companies. Actually some of these companies are OEM manufacturers who have contracts to produce laptops for top name brands. They then use the knowledge that they have acquired from manufacturing parts for other companies to produce their own laptop with their brands.

Are whitebox units a good buy? Well, if the price is really attractive and the features are good enough then I say buy one. The most common issues with these types of laptops is the fact that warranty can be a bit spotty because these companies do not have the reach and capabilities to service their units. But in my view, a strong warranty service also drives prices up. If you do not plan on keeping a laptop for more than three years, then a one year warranty is more than enough for you. But if you do find a similarly price branded unit, then go for the one with the brand on it — you know, just for the peace of mind.