March 18, 2005 Laptops for Luddites Just as computer design couldn't possibly get any sleeker, lighter or more assembly line perfect, along comes this: A PC pimped out with genuine wood. And not just any wood, according to its designer, Gabriele Zaverio, but wood from "an old case of precious Sicilian wines, given to my father years ago by the Baron Antonio Pupillo di Contrada Targia near Siracusa." If you didn't already guess, the guy's Italian. Consequently, his descriptions of this wood-cloaked lap-warmer drip with romance. Zaverio lives in an ancient village in the middle of Sicily. He's quick to stress that this laptop is not covered in wood veneer, but is actually made of wood. The plastic casing has been removed altogether. It's not just lacquered, it's lovingly blanketed in "7 layers of special boating varnish." He calls it the Legnatile, a name which combines the Italian word for wood, legna, with the word for laptop, portatile. If you're wondering why anybody would go to such painstaking lengths to spiff up a computer the caliber of this Dell Latitude C600/Inspiron series notebook, we don't have an answer for that. However, each one is custom made by hand, so you can design the guts of the machine yourself. Once you make your request, expect to wait one to three months for the final product. Prices range from $2000 to $5,350 (based on Zeverio's estimate of 1500 to 4000 euros). If you want a laptop with that old-world feel, start saving your euros. Even in the ancient town of Palazzolo Acreide, PayPal is accepted For more on the Legnatile, visit zevario.net.