[Arolte]

Okay, here's the story. While getting my sleep light repaired at a local Apple Store, I was offered to get a replacement part for the wrist rests on my 12" PowerBook because it had been badly corroded by sweat. So of course I took the generous offer made by the Apple Genius and it's now on its way to get fixed.

Still, that doesn't solve the corrosion problem. Even if I get a new case part to replace the corroded one, it'll simply get corroded again after a few months of use. So now I've been looking around for adhesive pads I can place to solve this problem.

I'm not the type of person who is good with DIY projects, so I did a little searching for products that specifically addressed this issue. The first one I came up with was TiArmor. The material appeared a little cheap for its price, but I figured it saves time from having to measure and cut your own materials precisely.

I was just about to buy it when I saw that it didn't cover the very edge of the 12" PowerBook model, where the bezel meets the aluminum. Considering this was where some of the corrosion started I declined to go on with the order in hopes of finding another product.

I then heard about Wrist Rug, a japanese-made wrist rest protector for iBooks and PowerBooks. This has a lot more coverage, is made of better material, and costs the same as the TiArmor. I knew I had to have this ASAP. But there's one problem, nobody in the US seems to have for the 12" PowerBook.

I was only able to find two companies that had it in the US.

MacSensei - They have it, but not for the 12" PowerBook.

Century Global - They have it, but only for iBook and TiBook.

I've heard that macimports.com has them, but a recent visit to their website reveals that they no longer carry it. I did somehow sneak into an area of the website which had the Wrist Rug description and a button to buy it, but the button contained a dead link and it was only for the TiBook model.

So, the only other option is to somehow learn how to read Japanese and order it from the original company's website (which I'm not even sure accepts international orders). If anyone knows where else I can buy this product in the US, please let me know. Or perhaps one of you might have access to it at a local store (anyone live in Japan?). If that's the case I'll be happy to send payment for the product and cover shipping charges via PayPal.

It's a shame nobody here in the US makes products like these. Japanese people always get the cool stuff.

[wily]

Think different.

1. Felt padding from Wal-Mart - thin enough for the enclosure, cheap adhesive.

2. Matte board cut to fit - lots of colors and a $5 sheet will last years.

3. Vinyl cut to fit - local fabric store would probably GIVE you a scrap big enough.

4. Cork - call a flooring company. May cost you $10 or so.

5. Cut up a mousepad and stick it with double-stick tape.

Dunno what else. I bet the inside of a pop tart would work, too provided you let it cure for a few days.

[Fellow2000]

Think Different.

Wash your hands?

[tavilach]

I rest my wrists on the same area, and when the PowerBook gets hot, my wrists...get really hot! I asked my friend about it, and she said that my wrists shouldn't even be touching that area.

...turns out I've been typing with the wrong posture for a long time!

Clickie

I need a shorter desk .

[Arolte]

Heh, like i said I'm not good with DIY projects, Wiley. It would probably take a dozen sheets of material to finally get a perfect cut with an x-acto blade. I'm just not willing to put up with that at this moment. I really, really suck at that kind of stuff, trust me. I really appreciate the help though. Thanks.



Fellow2000, it's really not about washing hands. I'm usually very protective of my computer from getting damaged or dirty, almost to the point of obsession. I do in fact wash my hands and avoid eating while next to my PowerBook. Unfortunately because of the heat generated by the left palm rest (due to the hard drive and the aluminum material that's used to conduct its heat), you're bound to sweat on it one way or another.

I admit, I use my PowerBook for many hours a time per day. I love it. So does that mean I should get off the PowerBook every two hours just so I don't get sweat on it? That's just ridiculous. What's the point of even using it if you're going to be so limited with its use? Clearly this is a design flaw and right now the only way to deal with it is to rely on 3rd party products.

Sorry for ranting off like that. Again if anyone knows where I can get Wrist Rug or has access to it at their local store, pleaaaase let me know. Arrgh! It's just so disappointing. I have the money to buy this product, and the only places in the US which carry it don't have the 12" PowerBook version. I mean what are the chances!?!?

[Arolte]

Welp, I've decided to go with TiArmor. For anyone else who wants to protect their aluminum PowerBook against corrosion, I'll let you guys know how it is.

[Lancer409]

Good Luck Guys

[teknopimp]

Originally posted by tavilach:
I rest my wrists on the same area, and when the PowerBook gets hot, my wrists...get really hot! I asked my friend about it, and she said that my wrists shouldn't even be touching that area..turns out I've been typing with the wrong posture for a long time!

your mom gave you some bad advice: your wrists and palms will still feel the heat, even without actually touching the palmrest area, especially on the left side of a 12" powerbook. pda screen protectors work well in protecting that area from sweat and dirt.

[tavilach]

Originally posted by teknopimp:
your mom gave you some bad advice: your wrists and palms will still feel the heat, even without actually touching the palmrest area, especially on the left side of a 12" powerbook. pda screen protectors work well in protecting that area from sweat and dirt.

Heat, yes. As much? No. Sweat getting on that area? No.

...and it was my friend, not my mom .

[manero]

Arolte,

Any update? How is the TiArmor working out?

[Arolte]

Unfortunately I still haven't got it in the mail yet. I've been waiting and waiting. Fortunately the guy who sells 'em quickly responded to my e-mails. He said something about a problem with the e-mail system with the guy who ships 'em out, so apparently it was shipped a day late or something.

Anyway, hopefully it'll arrive by tomorrow or the day after 'cause I'll be leaving for college over the weekend. When I get it I'll let you know. It better be worth the wait!

[Arolte]

I finally got it. It's an excellent product, but I screwed up the application of it royally. The large brown envelope came with written instructions on how to install TiArmor, a PayPal invoice, and two TiArmor pads.

First off, you'll spend a good three or four minutes trying to peel the darned thing apart. There are no tabs or anything that can help with this. You just need to do it the old fashioned way and pry the thin protective layer apart. Even with long nails it can be tedious. But as always it may vary from person to person. Anyway, that should be the least of your worries.

When they say wipe your PowerBook thoroughly before putting it on, they mean it. I actually did that step, but I didn't use alcohol or water to dampen the q-tip before wiping it down. And I wouldn't recommend using a q-tip either, since it leaves behind some cotton hairs as it did with mine. So just wipe out down with whatever you use to clean your screen with and wait for it to dry before applying.

The application of TiArmor will vary in difficulty from person to person. If you're good with placing stickers or decals down precisely, you won't find a problem. If you aren't, like me, you may run into some problems. You pretty much have to eyeball it on. Luckily the pad covers 99% of the area it's meant to protect, making your job of lining it up easier.

But still, actually applying it is another story. Mine had tons of air bubbles, even when pushing it down evenly from left to right as suggested. I probably removed and reapplied the pad about five times to finally even it out and remove the air bubbles. The good news is the adhesive is very forgiving. So don't worry if you don't get it down on the first time.

Unfortunately because of the improper cleaning I did earlier, I've decided to reorder another one. That's the price I have to pay for stupidity, I guess. There's still a good amount of dust and cotton hairs packed under the TiArmor pads, thanks to the q-tip, and a few air bubbles remain. I'd just rather not have that if I'm going to be leaving it on for a long time.

Anyway, the good news is that it works. TiArmor feels good on the wrists and it sticks to the wrist area of the PowerBook very well (even after all the times I applied and reapplied it). The material they use is hard to describe. It's sort of like an ultra-thin layer of plastic gel. It's not as cheap as I thought it would be. It's also clear. You really don't notice it at all unless you're up close to it.

If you can manage to install TiArmor correctly by being extra careful, it'll definitely be a rewarding product for you. I just happened to screw up the application of it. But I'll still be paying an additional $16 for a second one because in the long run it'll protect my PowerBook from damages that can cost up to $600 (that's the estimate I was given by Apple for an enclosure replacement). So if you want to avoid getting corrosion on your PowerBook, I'd highly recommend TiArmor.