Datamancer.net - Technical Art and Steampunk Contraptions

Hello everyone,

Finally after all this time and thouands of inquires, the day has come....I'm going to start building and selling the famous "Steampunk Laptop".

The photos above are the prototype that I built about 5 years ago for my own amusement using inferior tools, a free laptop, and very little money. My abilities, resources and standards have grown tenfold since then and the new laptops will be loosely based upon the general theme of the original, but with much finer fit and finish and with emphasis on usability.

NEW!- Here are some rough pics of the unfinished woodwork on the new laptop.

These new versions will be better and faster than my original prototype, featuring cutting-edge internal components capable of running any of today's games and other software. They will also be much lighter and slimmer, so as to actually still be "portable" and as convenient as a standard laptop, and have a much more refined and professional design while retaining the elegant Victorian styling of my other work. Several customizations will be available including a few different options for the design on the LCD lid including clockworks as seen on the original (except these will be semi-functional and spin), recessed gold foil maps, brass plates with a variety of designs engraved or photo-etched into them, and any other ideas I can think up along the way. I also plan to include a key-shaped USB flash drive with every laptop that will also open a brass lock on each machine. Why not add a little analog security to your digital device? You will also have several options as to the color of the wood stain from light oak to a dark red mahagony and anywhere in-between as well as key fonts, metals, LED colors and styles, etc, etc.

For the sake of standardization and in consideration for the extremely proprietary nature of Mac's hardware and software, I will probably only make a PC hardware version at first, but if you have your heart set on Mac, there are many simple ways to install the Mac OS on a PC laptop with almost no noticeable differences in function.

The specs of the laptop will be:

          * 17.3" HD+ (1600x900) LED backlit Widescreen LCD
          * nVidia GeForce™ GT 540M w/1GB GDDR3 w/Optimus Switching Graphics Tecnology
          * Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM (2.2~3.3GHz, 45W) w/6M L3 Cache - 4 Cores - 8 Threads
          * IC Diamond upgraded thermal paste on CPU + GPU
          * 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston HyperX DDR3/1600 Memory - CL9
          * 750GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive
          * Blu-Ray Reader/8x Super Multi Combo Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW CD-R/RW Drive
          * Internal 8-in-1 Card Reader: MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo
          * Built-in 802.11a/g/n WiFi Card + Bluetooth
          * Smart Li-ion Battery 6-Cell
          * Windows 7 Premium - 64-Bit Pre-installed w/Recovery Partition + Drivers & Utilities CD
          * ASUS Clean Windows 7 Install DVD - For a clean OS Install - No Bloatware or Scamware
          * Full Range Auto Switching AC Adapter

If you are interested in purchasing one of the laptops of this first exclusive batch, I am going to be opening up a pre-ordering system where you can place a deposit on one of these signed, numbered laptops. The laptops will take a little while to build, so as pre-emptive thanks for your patience, I will be offering a discounted price on this first pre-order batch, as well as only requiring a 50% deposit, as opposed to most pre-orders where you are required to pay in full. For pre-order clients, I will also be opening up a special mailing list where I will post frequent worklog updates, including exclusive private Youtube videos detailing the designing and building process so you can join in on the fun and watch your laptop being lovingly handcrafted.

The price on this first batch will be $5500, but the anticipated retail price for future batches will probably be $7500 or more, so don't miss out on this opportunity to be among the first to own one of these very unique and eye-catching computers at a discounted rate! If you have any questions or are interested in placing a pre-order deposit, please write me at 'laptops@datamancer.net' and we can discuss the issue further.

Thanks everyone and have a great day,
-Richard R. Nagy
www.datamancer.net