Hey, we just got our
Hello Rewind laptop sleeve in the mail, and we're pretty psyched about it. If you'll recall, Hello Rewind is a startup in New York City dedicated to helping the survivors of sex trafficking learn new skills by running a business turning old T-shirts into laptop sleeves, and all of the proceeds are used to sustain the enterprise and help more survivors. Pretty neat, especially since helping out just requires you to donate a favorite old shirt and $49 -- and the sleeve itself is actually quite nice. Be warned, though: it fits pretty snugly around 15-inch MacBook Pros, and it wasn't even an option for our bruiser 15-inch HP Elitebook, so you might want to get a size up if you've got a bigger machine. Of course, that pales in comparison to the bigger problem: what T-shirt are you going to use?
posted May 1st 2010 4:04PM
Nilay you still punk (with your studded bracelet). :)
Great choice a T-shirt.
And congrats to the company for the initiative.
@SmoothMarx
Great choice OF a T-shirt.
feel free to downrank this comment.
@SmoothMarx
This is interesting enough to buy. I hope I don't get the fabric trim from the armpit area though..
@horchata no we don't use that material :)
@SmoothMarx I'm ordering one for my iPad made of my Engadget t-shirt now! Woot!
@horchata
From what I can tell on the website, you can send one of your own shirts in and they will make it from that .. and on top of that they won't use that part.
@ColinScatt
OMG YOU JUST GOT YOUR OWN ARTICLE.
What a great cause! The sleeves look snazzy. Unfortunately I've got a 12" Latitude XT and they don't seem to do that size :( Why can't they do something other than Macs?
@guruboy Actually, based on how snug the 15-inch sleeve fits the MBP, I'd bet the 13-inch sleeve would be perfect for that Latitude.
@guruboy it's easier to standardize with macs - we also include the dimensions so you can see if your laptop will fit. you can email us directly if you'd like to talk about a custom size :)
@hello rewind Hmm maybe the 13" one could work. The width dimension seems a little long for my laptop in particular. Might have to think about giving up the 'ol $3 Meritline case!
@guruboy I have a similar problem, but my laptop is an Alienware m11x. Similar dimensions as the mbp 13, but its a little thicker...
i'd donate a T-shirt that say "Im A Mac"
@Stevenk Says*
@Stevenk lol, also "I'm" and just "a" not "A".
@legolover64 I failed
@Stevenk
It's okay most of us just think something, mash on the keyboard and pray it comes out right too.
it happenas;dihfj al;sfj; oie;sfjn asicf ldasfnlv udgjdn f;a csin
;-)
@Stevenk I hope you actually don't own a t-shirt that says that
ive got that exact shirt.
What's up with the velcro strips? They don't line up.
@Apathetic Hey hey hey! You're paying for supporting a good cause, not for quality craftsmanship.
@Apathetic By making the one on the flap vertical, it allows more leeway in size.
@FallenArms3 correct :)
@FallenArms3
That's what I thought, but why not make both vertical than? Even more leeway?
@Apathetic
long strips of velcro stuck together makes it very difficult to open. To the point that it will just rip the material. The contact surface needs to be relatively small so that it doesn't cause this problem.
I have a pair of bermuda with a long strip of velcro that just sticks all together as one long piece. You can't even open it with one hand (back pocket). And sure enough, after opening it a few times, the material ripped and the triple stitch sewing ripped out.
@ounkeo
Makes sense.
do they do it for string vests too?
They really need some sort of compatibility list. I'm skeptical that their "Netbook/iPad" sleeve will fit my ASUS 1005HA.
@Kyusaku we have the exact dimensions on our website. it's difficult for us to make for all the different computers out there and account for them, so you can see if your ASUS will fit in the dimensions specified.
@hello rewind Thanks for the reply. After some research on the exact measurements of my Netbook, it will no way fit. 1005HA
Measurements: 10.3 x 7 x 1 inches
Disappointing considering there's close to 100 different netbook models in the 10-10.2 range of size from several manufacturers. None of which will fit 9.6" x 7.5" x .5
Good luck with your endeavors.
Cool, should get one of these for my ipad.
This seems like a pretty cool idea. However, I am a bit confused as to the purpose of "Hello Rewind."
I don't see how one can connect "sex trafficking" to "laptop sleeves."
Hey, you've suffered through some pretty severe psychological trauma--how do you feel about laptop sleeves?
:/
@Joseph9307 They don't give laptop sleeves to survivors. They've just come up with a good craft they can do effectively, and they're using it to raise money to help survivors. That's a win.
@FallenArms3
Uh, yes, I think everyone reading the article is old enough to understand that they don't actually GIVE the survivors a laptop sleeve (I don't see how you could have gotten that from reading my post).
But still, it's weird how sex trafficking and laptop sleeves have somehow been intertwined.
To me, this would seem like something for the "going green" movement, as it encourages the reusage of an old article of clothing.
@Joseph9307 we agree that the two things seem a bit disconnected. however, our mission is to create renewal - both in the materials we reuse, and in the lives of women who are starting over again.
@Joseph9307
It's a great cause. Sometimes it's hard to pick yourself back up and try to reintegrate after being the victim of anything traumatic. It's a creative endeavor and sometimes doing something is better than doing nothing (which is worse). Small steps to recovery.
As much as I appreciate supporting a good cause, I sometimes wish that people would simply donate directly to a cause, as opposed to investing by proxy in these sorts of products, e.g. (RED) et al, since you don't know how much exactly goes towards helping people. I know they state that "all of the proceeds are used to sustain the enterprise", but that doesn't give me any figure - by the time all is said and done, it may just be a couple of dollars after labour, shipping, packaging, overheads, etc.
If I cared about this particular cause so much, I'd rather donate money directly, and buy a laptop sleeve (if I was looking for one) that actually offered a tad more protection - this looks like it would be less shock-resistant than even those ubiquitous neoprene cases that are making the rounds. Or I'd make one myself if I wanted to customise one - this stuff is pretty simply to do.
I just think that the "feel good factor" for these kinds of purchases can often be false economy as to the difference that you're actually making, regardless of how noble your intentions may be.
@meeku Well, they're actually employing survivors and teaching them new skills, so it is essentially a direct donation.
@meeku we are actually not like project (red). our business centers around helping survivors who have been rescued from sex trafficking rings in NYC. our goal is to help their reintegration into society by supporting them financially (through work) and training them with job skills that will help them get to the next stage in their lives.
The whole thing sounds shady to me. Maybe I'm alone in this.
@dannyry would love to chat offline if you have other questions. but we are completely well-intentioned and work with a non-profit in nyc to help facilitate what we do. those of us who work on the project (aside from the women we help) volunteer an extraordinary amount of time, effort and money in helping this little startup grow, and we wouldn't do this if it wasn't something that we were passionate about. talk@hellorewind.com
@dannyry
You yourself seem shady to me. What's shady about this? I hate it when people like you come out of the woodwork .. people who have never done anything for anyone (and no I don't want to hear about your supposed for-show charity) .. criticizing or trying to find fault with others who are trying to do good. Get some evidence first.
@JS I prefer to donate directly to charity like a couple others have said, but you have every right to blast me and I respect your opinion. It's just a form of charity like I've never heard, so I apologize to those I have offended.
@hello rewind ignore me I'm a pessimistic douche. I'm truly sorry and it's great to see someone doing something creative like this.
OMFG I would kill for that particular sleeve u have Engadget!
I have a nice Wu-Tang t-shirt (circa early 90's) that would make a nice Eee PC sleep just hope it fits!
*would make a nice SLEEVE :P
@anthonygobot we'd love to see that one :)
Would a "That's What She Said" t-shirt be inappropriate here?