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HEX Convertible Laptop Briefcase: A TUAW Video Review
Sometimes you need the professionalism of a briefcase to carry your MacBook; other times, you need both hands free so a backpack is the answer. The HEX Convertible Laptop Briefcase (US$109.95) provides both a clean-looking briefcase and a race-through-airports backpack in one sleek package. Check out the specs below, watch the video review, and then enter our giveaway to win this versatile bag. Specifications Outside dimensions: 16.5 x 11.5 x 8.75 inches (41.9 x 29.2 x 22.2 cm) Weight: 2 lbs, 2 oz (approx. 1 kg) Interior padded & fleece-lined 15" MacBook slot, interior zippered gear pocket, external zippered iPad pocket 2 external gear pockets and rear document pocket Quickly converts from a briefcase to backpack Zippered pockets designed for both horizontal and vertical orientation Slim profile design Conclusion While the HEX Convertible Laptop Briefcase is certainly versatile and can handle a 15-inch MacBook Pro, it's a bit pricy compared to other laptop bags and somewhat plain-looking. If you're carrying a 13-inch or smaller MacBook Pro or Air, you might want to consider the equally-versatile and much sportier Hayward or Westmore Convertible Laptop Sleeves and save fifty bucks in the process. Rating: 3 stars out of 4 stars possible Giveaway With summer travel heading your way both for business and pleasure, the HEX Convertible Laptop Briefcase could be just the thing for carrying your MacBook Pro all over the world. We're giving one away, courtesy of HEX. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before May 24, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive a HEX Convertible Laptop Briefcase valued at $109.95 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
3D printer cuts vinyl, mills, draws, fits comfortably inside a briefcase, is generally fab
Is there anything this tool from MIT's Ilan Moyer and collaborator Nadya Peek can't do? Probably, but that list seems likely to be shorter than the list of those it can. So far, Popfab has been shown doing a little printing during a brief video, but Moyer has promised a lot more to come, telling Core 77, "we also have toolheads working for vinyl cutting, milling and drawing," all of which promise to show up in subsequent episodes. The tool (which has other fans) has apparently already made its way around the world in the form of carry-on luggage, helping fulfill its creators desire to support "the nomadic designer" -- just a briefcase, a power source and a dream.
Holiday Gift Guide: Portable cases
Welcome to TUAW's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We're here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you've received your gifts we'll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget's gift guide. One of the first purchases to make for your new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro is a good case. It'll be invaluable both for storage at home or toting it around town while keeping your precious portable safe. There are several styles to use from, and don't be surprised if you find yourself alternating between a couple of them. Backpacks A backpack should be the first choice to consider if you're a student, deal with a lot of books and papers on a regular basis, or find yourself needing to tote a lot of gear and needing to run through an airport. My current backpack of choice is the Tom Bihn Synapse (US$130). The entire Tom Bihn line is fantastic, and this particular backpack is the smallest on offer. It holds my 11-inch MacBook Air, iPad, Kindle, gear and books with ease. I've carried a full load in the Synapse on daytrips in New York City and have flown internationally with the Synapse with no weight issues. All of Tom Bihn's bags are built extremely well, and my Synapse still looks like new nine months after buying it. There are no built-in laptop pockets here, so you'll need to pick up a sleeve (covered below) to protect your MacBook. The Synapse is good for up to a 13-inch laptop, which means it covers both MacBook Airs and the smallest of the MacBook Pros. If you want more capacity for a 15-inch or 17-inch MacBook Pro, the $150 Brain Bag can fit up to two laptops and the $140 Smart Alec is the midrange bag between the Synapse and Brain Bag. I'm also a fan of Incase backpacks, which also wear well and have an insane number of pockets. The Apple Store sells the Incase Compact Backpack for $79.95, which appears to be the successor to an older Incase backpack I used for several years. The bag was well-padded and protected my electronics well. This particular model will carry a 15-inch or smaller MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. Messenger A pick from Engadget's list is the Timbuk2 Snoop, which is a fantastic multitasker for keeping a lot of gear at your fingertips. The company bills this bag as a camera bag, and it also has a laptop sleeve. If you tote a camera around, the different compartments are good for its accessories, or you can tailor the pockets to suit your own needs. It's $150 through its site or you can find it starting around $103 on Amazon. If you have the money to spend, a Muzetto from WaterField Designs is worth considering. These sumptuous vertical messengers maintain a slim profile and are good if you're toting the basics and want to look stylish. They range from $219 for the MacBook Air to $259 for 15-inch MacBook Pros. For 13-inch and 15-inch laptops, however, you will need a protective sleeve like with some of the Tom Bihn bags. Briefcase If you're heading to a business meeting and want to look your most professional, these cases are the ones to check out. Space is sacrificed for a slim profile. Brenthaven has a number of briefcases for a good price that are durable and fit an office setting. The ProStyle III-XF is one of these and can be custom fit up to a 17-inch MacBook Pro. It has an X-Ray Friendly design, meaning you do not have to remove your laptop while going through airport security. These bags range from $99.95 to $119.95. For more rugged gear, Thule has a line of attache cases available through the Apple Store that allows you to use your Mac while still in the case. These run about $79.95. Sleeve For the absolute basic protection, picking up a good sleeve will allow you to toss your laptop in any bag. If you want to grab something while still at the Apple Store, the Incase line is there for you to peruse, and the cases cost roughly $40. If you're willing to wait a few days and want to order something online, the Tom Bihn Cache is $30 and dispenses with zippers. Waterfield has elegant-looking Sleevecases ranging from $37-45 and has a number of other sleeves geared toward the MacBook Air. Or, if you want your laptop to blend in with the books on your coffee table, TwelveSouth's BookBook cases are always a conversation piece.
Inception Blu-ray with Limited Edition Briefcase gift set is available in the US
For a moment it appeared that the sweet Limited Edition release of Christopher Nolan's Inception on Blu-ray would be a European only thing, but Warner Bros. has made it available for US customers as well, exclusively via its WBShop.com website. Located by a few Blu-ray.com forum posters, it looks to have all the fixings, with art cards, totem, PASIV instruction manual and of course the metal briefcase itself with Inception Blu-ray and DVD held inside. Preorders are $49.95 and ship December 6, so don't forget to figure in overnight shipping.%Gallery-107316%
Inception European Limited Edition Blu-ray (w/ briefcase) listed for December 6
After The Dark Knight, there's no doubt many Blu-ray fans can't wait to see Christopher Nolan's next blockbuster on their HDTVs, and now the Inception special edition has been listed for pre-order in the UK. Specs confirm Warner will include its Maximum Movie Mode where the director walks you through key moments of the film and two digital comics that serve as prologues to the film's events. The packaging itself is also special, with a case resembling the PASIV (Portable Automated Somnacin IntraVenous) device that controls dreams in the movie, a spinning top to remind you when things are over and of course, DVD and digital copy version. Play.com lists a December 6 release date, here's hoping the US gets a similarly full-featured treatment for one of this year's biggest movies.
Tom Bihn's Checkpoint Flyer laptop bag in the wild, reviewed
We could tell from the press shot that this here laptop bag was far and away the most beautiful of the TSA-approved bunch, and a recent review over at Gadling confirms it. Put simply, the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer is "fantastic," and even the reviewer found himself startled at just how much he dug it. The build quality was remarkable, the ease of use was commendable and the design itself was obviously worthy of praise. The only real rub is the bloated sticker; the price of admission is a stiff $220, and that's before you add in any useful straps or extra packing cubes. 'Course, you're probably wondering how this thing fared in real-world use, and we're happy to report that no cavity searches were required when passing through security on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam. Check the full writeup and a hands-on gallery in the read link.
Tom Bihn's Checkpoint Flyer: a TSA-approved bag worth owning
Now that the TSA has doled out the official verbiage about what it considers a checkpoint-friendly laptop bag, expect to see the usual players toss in an option or two for frequent fliers. Thus far, all we've seen are cases that get the job done while throwing style to the wind in the nearest dumpster; now, however, we've a better option to choose from. Tom Bihn's stylish Checkpoint Flyer meets all of the TSA's requirements while still looking like a briefcase we wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with. The 2.6-pound bag is crafted from US 1050 denier ballistic nylon and 500 denier Cordura and includes a trio of pouches on the outside, splash-proof zippers and ten smaller pockets for stashing those increasingly rare bags of peanuts / pretzels. It's available now in three colors for $220 (yeah, we know, but it's made in the US of A).[Via Electronista]
Microsoft busts out its own rolling laptop case?
Here's an intriguing one. While casually browsing the always spontaneous pages of Costco's website, a rather interestingly-badged rolling laptop case managed to appear, but the Microsoft branding induced a bit of head scratching. 'Course, Microsoft's no stranger to the peripheral market in general, but we can't say we've ever known Redmond to take on the laptop case biz before. Hey, you'll need something to shove that multi-touch machine (or Oracle's newfangled ultraportable) in, right? Click on for a few more shots of the $99.99 accessory.[Thanks, Phil]
Pro-Idee kicks out pricey, portable go-cart funfest
We're down with fanciful portable gaming, and we're certainly crazy over limited edition toys from overseas, and Pro-Idee's suitcase-based go-cart track fits both bills quite nicely. Even if your work regulations won't allow you to toss a PSP or DS Lite in the otherwise pointless front shirt pocket, your boss will have no idea that the sleek, silver briefcase you're toting actually contains a two-player cart racing game, complete with a two-meter long track, stop watch, and a built-in battery pack for "five hours" of rubber-burning madness. Sure to make those long flights zip by, this jewel will be supposedly be limited to 60 units and will demand a whopping €598 ($766), which is probably a good bit less than you'd pay for an oh-so-coveted Playstation 3 right about now.[Via TRFJ]
