Can Your Old Notebook Be Your New Media Hub?

As the first of our series of Mobile Makeovers, we took reader Cindy Hwang’s old Sony VAIO V505BX and turned it into a brand new media hub. The 5-year old, 12-inch notebook cost Cindy $1,800 back in 2004, but these days its 512MB of RAM, 40GB hard drive, and slow 802.11b Wi-Fi were starting to show their age. Cindy told us that the VAIO had already been displaced by a Macbook that her job provided so it was just sitting around gathering dust and waiting for the day when she finally had the heart to throw it in the garbage can. But with just a few inexpensive components we were able to transform the old VAIO into  a set-top box that allows Cindy to view online or stored videos on her TV, listen to her library of iTunes music on her stereo, and even back up and share files from her other PCs. Check out our video to see how you too can turn an old notebook into a media hub. Then read the step-by-step instructions and let us know what you think in the comments section below.