Using an Alienware in Public: Tips to deal with Alienware-hating trolls and bullies

Hey guys I want this laptop, but worried about criticism in public. Like example a Starbucks or Barnes & Noble type of place. Do you guys out there with one get looks or questions? Does it look to flashy for public eye? I don't want it to attract to much attention since that would get annoying when people point or state, "ohh, ahh flash lights expensive! @#$@ etc". Does age play a factor in it? Would that stereotype you? Mid 20's here and don't want to be looked at as something different.

What's your experience out in public?

 

IMO, if you like the laptop and you feel it's appropriate for your needs, get it. Life's too short to be worrying about things as insignificant as what some stranger thinks of your laptop. Chances are you'll never see them again.

 

It's probably not so bad if you have the black version and have the LEDs off.

 

24 male here. I've only taken it out in public once, and I received three complements.
1- Goth guy - RED, YEAH ( he creeped me out so I changed it to rainbow )

2- Asian Women - "oh thats soOooOoo pretty. where did you get it? Whats the name, ill tell my husband about it; he likes tech stuff."

3- Some utilitarian guy ( guy who wears mostly clothes bought from Whole Earth Provisions and eats mostly cliff bars )
" Oh wow that's really nice.It looks really sturdy too. "

and not really a complement, " My little brother wants one of those really badly."

 

Yeah, you can turn the LED's off, and if you get the black color it wont stand out much at all. Personally I think you should do what you want to do. RL isn't the internet and most people I have seen with them in public, especially with the lights on and red panels, get nothing but curious/friendly comments about them.

 

You can turn the lights on and off instantly with a keyboard shortcut if you're worried about drawing attention. But if you're so image conscious buy something boring instead.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

Black alienware without the lights off = normal laptop no one will ever notice it really

turn the blue lights or red etc and everyone will be looking.

 

Just "Go Dark" on alienFX and you are good to go.

 

Ah I didn't think about turning the lights off! That would definitely do the trick. Purchasing in a week or two. Thnx guys


@dave I lol'd when you said you changed it rainbow! But rainbow!? Lol

 

I'm with ^^^^^ , Flaunt what you got.

plus , I will play music with the volume down so the strangers can see what my LEDs are doing...

fyi , Here is my m17x-R3

Armin Van Buuren Feat Laura V - Drowning (Myon & Shane 54 classic Mix) - YouTube


I would go to the dark corner of Starbucks and have my own mini club ..

Enjoy

 

Rofl! A friend of mine is a DJ and he uses an M18x onstage. Only reason he got an alienware was because of the light effects .

 

I think the blue lights are fairly tame. You can dim them in AlienFX for a much subtler look.

Bottom line, there are guys in Starbuck with $2500+ Mac books... Don't feel out of place because your laptop lights up.

That said... Don't sit in the center of the room if you wanna keep a low profile.

 

I've got animated rainbow lights and I've heard nothing but compliments, oh yeahhh!

 

just watch your back when you are leaving the store

 

As with any high priced laptop, a Kensington lock is also a good investment.

 

even my advisor envied it, never got a bad comment, anyone who sees it instantly falls in love with it.. except for my girlfriend! she hates it

 

I take my M11x all the time with me to coffee shops along with my D700. I'll setup on a table and edit some pictures and have people come by and ask about the camera and M11x. I get more clients from doing this then anything else I do.

 

That's what happens when you go to bed hugging your laptop, girls get jealous lol (i kid, i kid)

To OP, the Alienware is a flashy laptop. Even those that prefer less flashy platforms like sagers get envious when they see a lit up Alienware. As far as i'm concerned, these are the best that money can buy, so just get it.

in public, like others have said, just turn the lights off and try to stay anonymous

 

I've brought my R2 into public (Nebula Red), it does catch eyes but I don't think it surprises that many people anymore. I think that is such a thick and massive laptop and the LED lights that catch people's eyes moreso then it is an Alienware.

 

It may not get you as many women as say something made by Apple, but if it does get you one -- you'll know that's a women for you.

 

This.

Who cares what the guy on his MBA/MBP thinks.

When I bring mine in public it gets positive attention everywhere I go.

People aren't going to secretly gossip "Oh look at that guy with an Alienware LOL what a loser" ...that just never happens.

The guy with a MBP that has comparable specs to a M14X pays nearly double the price, so what's funnier?

A) Your AW laptop design or B) The fact that someone paid almost 2,000$ for a similar spec'd machine.

Ask yourself this - If someone pulled up next to you in a:

...what's the first thing that would come to your mind? Stylish. Sexy. Beautiful.

Same applies with AW laptops.

It's admired

Mac Disclaimer -
I realize that some people truly need OSX for Mac exclusive software and/or prefer OSX
The "poke" was at people who purchase it just for the brand name and to look cool (not its features).

 

Cant wait to sit in a coffee shop near a macbook user and start a rave...

 

I've seen many ppl at Starbucks with Alienware laptops...I walk by and think, good choice. Dunno why would anyone be embarrassed to use one in public.

 

I've yet to see anyone with an Alienware in public, I think I'm the first one to own one and use it in public, in my area at least. ;p

 

I travel extensively with my M18x and public reaction is part of the fun. The comments and stares are priceless. Even TSA agents smile when they see it. Tech savvy geeks that recognize it is an M18x almost always engage in conversation. The haters are almost exclusively limited to underprivileged sissies lurking on forums. Even Mac fanboys have a difficult time concealing their envy. What is also cool is that I very rarely ever run into another Alienware owner. It's so nice to not find yourself swimming in a sea of insignificance by owning a "belly button" computer.

And, in the rare event I encounter a bitter soul that demonstrates an absence of appreciation my Alienware, I borrow the timeless words of Vinny Barbarino and say, "Up your nose with a rubber hose" LOL.

 

+1 This guy here.... knows what he's talking about.

 

x2ruff4u, just do what you think is right for you. Always. Regarding anything. Otherwise they will eventually bully you into buying a white macbook. Do you really want that?

 

nobody cares. period.
porsche, on the other hand...

 

Maybe it's just me, although judging from these comments I don't think it is, but I think it would be a pretty sad existence if I had to worry what other people thought about what I want to buy, and would allow that to influence my purchase decision. This applies to computers, and anything else in life.

Unless they are paying for it, they have no say...and their opinion matters not!

 

You're right. It doesn't matter what anyone else things. Opinion are like belly buttons. Everyone has one. Some have really ugly belly buttons. But, what they think--whether positive or negative--can be leveraged for additional fun as an Alienware owner. Bottom line is, I absolutely don't care one iota what they think about my Alienware or anything else we don't agree about, LOL.

I think it is legitimate for some people to be concerned about making a good impression in a business environment. Honestly, mine is frequently seen in a professional business environment and it always impresses those that see it. It has never solicited a negative response in that setting.

 

I think the OP is more concerned with unwanted attention in general than critical comments from strangers. I also think he got his answer (to go dark via AlienFX).

Mr. Fox has a good point, though, regarding the business aspect of things.

 

I have receive some unwanted attention at work, since then I've changed my keyboard backlight to white and have left other lights off.

 

Was it "hey guys, this guy has an AW lol" attention? Or was it "hey guys, lets steal this dudes nice laptop" attention?

 

Just bang keyboard on white, turn off all the other lights, no one notices, unless its an M18x, to which there like "holy thats a big laptop"...aside from that most people that are not really into computers won't realise...

 

To tell the truth, sometimes when I am seeing pictures of how people set up their AlienFX, I myself am rolling my eyes.

If you are like 30+, male, supposedly having serious job, and your laptop is lilac/vivid pink/white/purple in any combination, something's up, let's face it.

I like to keep my lights all in the same color giving the laptops quite an uniform look. m18 is all green and m14 is all dark orange. I'd never use pink for keyboard backlit.

It is all subjective of course, but would you really drive a vivid pink BMW, for example?

 

The goth comment made me roll over and die. Not sure why, but the "YEAH" comment and picturing someone saying that is hilarious. The comments some people are giving are insanely funny. "ohh, ahh flash lights expensive! @#$@ etc" was also hilarious from the OP.

I think I'll take mine out with full-lights and see what I get at the local starbucks.

 

So true.

I've only seen one in public personally with someone having an m11x, but even though it had all the backlighting as red it still seemed professional enough to be out in the open. I think it's really when you set the lights to strobe and all different colors that people will start going "uhh.." and giving you some looks.
All blue is another good option in public.

 

yup. i'm color-blind when it comes to bmws

 

I've taken my m17x R2 in public a few times. And I've gotten nothing but, questions about it. Never criticism. The common folk of the world don't even seem to know alienware exist. And everyone that has seen my laptop want to know where I got it. They love the custom keyboard lighting and love the screen. And I'm in my mid 20's also. And unless someone is my close friend or I'm dating them I could careless if they didn't like my laptop.

 

Yeah I agree if your doing backflip rainbows on your laptop your going to get wdff questions. Especially at an older age. Uniform look seems like a clean cut professional look for everyone. You shouldn't care what people think I understand, but your asking for attention with strobes and beats unless of course you got headphones on and look like a DJ you might get girls lol.

 

I think it also depends on the color of your laptop tbh. My M11x R3 is in soft-red finish so the red lights go perfectly (especially with my Diablo 3 wallpaper), but my M11x R1 (still being delivered) is in glossy black with looks alot better with white back-lighting.

 

I don't think anybody really cares about the flashy lights or not. People who notice it will have either a positive, neutral or negative reaction, but unless they're really forward they'll just keep it to themselves. And then 2 minutes later they won't even remember seeing the laptop.

 

Pretty much true. As many looks and comments that you'll get, will be forgotten as soon as people leave the coffee shop or wherever the hell they saw it. No one goes home and thinks about what they saw for more than a few minutes. Unless they saw a Maserati or something. I'd dream all day if it involved high-end cars.

 

Haven't tried bringing my M17 out but age? What the hell? I'm 37 and I dont give a ^%$^%

 

That's the spirit!

 

I think the OP has definitely got all the answers now. I'm on the wrong side of 30 (just) and it seems like everyone here has given awesome responses. I've never had an Alienware machine, and am weeks away from getting my M14xR2 shipped and am now simply excited about changing the AlienFX which previously I was never all too concerned about.

And Starbucks yes! I'm down to try it out in my town. BUT REMEMBER! Buy adequate insurance or accidental damage cover - I have. If one thing can happen in Starbucks it's a Frappacino dumping all over your Alien's Wares...

 

Gotta love people hating on pink/purple.

I am working at a regular engineering job and wear a purple or pink shirt to work at least once a week. If people are still that old school I don't know what to say. I will certainly be rocking purple lights on my 17x in public.

 

Positive, neutral or negative seems to cover all the bases, LOL. I don't think there is a fourth option available.

Haters are always gonna hate. They seem to thrive on it, but they're only hurting themselves in the process. For the rest of us, there's solace in our self-righteous smugness... enough so that it would cause the haters to have a coronary if they had any clue what we actually thought about them and their opinions, LOL.

A variety of colors keeps things interesting and does not suggest there is something off kilter with a person. However, there are still perceptions and stigmas some people have to deal with, especially when working for large corporations run by narrow-minded leaders. When dealing with customers, you have to care about their narrow-mindedness if you want to be totally successful. For those that are faced with that reality, making a statement is of no value if the end result is loss of earnings. It's really no different than having a short haircut and keeping tats limited to concealed areas to avoid having to deal with perceptions of old-school fuddy-duddies that wish the world was inhabited by clones of themselves. There's a hidden wild man in a lot of us, shrouded in a facade of political correctness. Owning an Alienware is a hint of that inner beast. The ability to act as a chameleon on demand, or going dark to blend with the environment is just an added bonus.

 

/end thread, that was the best explanation of anything, ever.

 

^^thank you

...I'll be here all week.