Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve seen these types of crystal clear plastic cases available for everything from iPods to phones to PSPs before, but this is definitely the first one I’ve seen made for an actual laptop. Of course given the fact that the Asus EEE is pretty much the smallest model on the market, it makes a bit more sense. Made from scratch resistant and shatterproof polycarbonate plastic (the same material used to make protective eyewear) the EEE Crystal Case will protect it from the bumps, scratches and dings of day-to-day use.

The case is completely clear and has cutouts for all of the EEE’s ports, buttons and controls. It even adds a latch to keep the laptop securely closed, which is something it lacks by default. (Though it’s never accidentally popped open for me.) There’s also a double hinge on the case which allows the screen on the EEE to be opened as wide as it’s designed to. It might be a tad overkill, but if you’re tired of using the included neoprene sleeve this will allow you to just slip the EEE in your bag without having to worry about it.

You can get it directly from Proporta for just $19.95.

[ Proporta Asus EEE Crystal Case ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Nothing makes you look like you’re ready for business than carrying an attache case. Even if you only use it to hold your lunch, people will still think you’re on your way to some important meeting with a bunch of corporate bigwigs. So imagine what carrying a carbon fiber version would do for your image? The G3 Carbon Attache from Nikola not only has a sleek design, but the carbon fiber outer finish will make you look like an international spy en-route to an assassination.

The G3 can also be customized with different feature options but the top of the line model will set you back about $3,600. It’s not cheap, but it’s not ridiculously expensive either. However if you want to look like you’re important but are on a tight budget, here’s some free advice. Just get a cheap attache case and a pair of handcuffs. If you walk around with an attache that’s handcuffed to your wrist people will think you’re important enough to carry launch codes, mountains of diamonds or even the results of the Oscar voting.

[ G3 Carbon Fiber Attache Case ] VIA [ Born Rich ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Oakley sells a bunch of different bags and backpacks but if you want to get all their nifty features in one fell swoop you’ll have to go with the Kitchen Sink pack. It includes padded pockets for safely storing a mobile phone and a 17 inch laptop, and the top compartment is even compression molded allowing you to stick a pair of sunglasses inside without the fear of them being crushed. Alternately, the top compartment also has a headphone port if you want to carry your MP3 player in there while still listening to it.

There are cable zipper pulls for the main compartment that allow you to add a lock for security purposes while the mid-body access flap hides an organizer for less important items like pens. I particularly like the bottom compartment which includes drainage holes for items that might get soaking wet.

You can find the Kitchen Sink Pack on the Oakley website for $175.

[ Oakley Kitchen Sink Pack ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m hard on my gadgets, not because I find myself scaling mountains or trekking through the rain forest with them, but rather because I’m just plain clumsy. There are few devices that I’ve been able to carry around worry-free, one of which was a Panasonic Toughbook. Now that’s a notebook that can take a beating. Others such as an Apple MacBook aren’t going to hold up so well to being smashed, hit and dropped. That’s why, if you’re as clumsy as I am, you might want to look at a Rhino Skin Aluminum Case for your MacBook.

There’s really not much to these cases, they’re designed to fit your MacBook quite snuggly, so there’s not any room for your accessories, (or your power cord for that matter) so you’ll need to cram everything into the small pouch along the shoulder strap. I do enjoy the simplistic design and the fact that you can use your notebook without even taking it out of the case. The Rhino Skin case will set you back $129 to $149 depending on which MacBook you have.

[ Rhino Skin ] VIA [ Notebooks ]

By Evan Ackerman

The easiest way to turn a ho-hum product into something slightly interesting is to just dress it up a bit, in a slick looking case. Here’s an example of notebooks from Dell:

Pretty, no? Same goes for these external HDs, from Toshiba:

One of those drives, you may have noticed, is smaller than the others… It’s a 1.8 inch form factor, packing 120 gigs. Toshiba also had a 160 gig 1.8 inch bare drive, but the biggest one you can currently get in a pretty little USB bus powered case is the 120. Yeah, I’d pay extra for that piano black with the blue and silver stripes… Sooo pretty.

[ CES ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There’s not many things that are more annoying than hearing someone try to do a Chewbacca impression. And I can guarantee if you walk around with this plush Chewie backpack strapped to your person, that’s exactly what you’ll be hearing all day long.

But, while he won’t be helping to repair the hyperdrive on your ‘83 Firebird, he can at least be used to carry books, a small laptop, a blaster and maybe even one of those little baby Ewoks if the need ever arises.

You can find him at ThinkGeek for $39.99.

[ Chewbacca Plush Backpack ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

By David Ponce

When art meets technology, even in a very oblique fashion, we get interested. Particularly when it’s something as beautiful as this PC case made by Mr. Valerie Beetle from Pervomayske in Ukraine. Sadly for us, the page on which this was found is written in either Russian or Ukraininan and details of this masterpiece are shrouded in linguistic mystery. We suspect this image has been around for a while, so we’re not claiming any kind of breaking news here. But we figured some of you might enjoy this.

Few more pictures after the jump, as well as links. If anyone wants to follow through and translate some of that for us, that’d be great.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

I won’t go into much detail about why I like the Brain Cell laptop cases from Tom Bihn. I’ve already written about them in a past review, and I’ll just say they’re a great way to turn any bag into a well protected laptop case.

But in an effort to make the Brain Cell even better, the company has now improved the cases by adding a fifth layer of protection made from 12mm of premium memory foam. If for some reason you were worried about your laptop getting dinged up with the Brain Cell’s previous layers of foam and corrugated plastic, this extra layer of memory foam should be more than enough to keep your investment safe.

The Brain Cells are available directly from Tom Bihn in a wide selection of colors and sizes to fit any laptop for $60. Like I’ve said in the past, if you’re in the market for a laptop case or bag I’d skip the stores and head straight for the Tom Bihn website.

[ Tom Bihn Brain Cell ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Why carry around some heavy backup-battery for recharging your gadgets on-the-go when there’s that giant source of power burning in the sky all day? Now I don’t know where the V-Dimension is, but the company of the same name produces a line of bags with a built-in solar cell for recharging your phone, PDA or other small gadgets without the need for an AC outlet.

The Solar Corporate Travel Case, the Optical Messenger and the HELIUS Backpack are all capable of recharging a single device in about 2 hours. They include an assortment of different adapters that support the most popular devices on the market (iPhone, iPod, Razr etc.) and will even store enough power for 2 full charges when the sun isn’t shining.

The three different bags are all available on the V-Dimension website for $129.95 each, in your choice of black, dark black, night black, space black and black. Additional adapters are also available for $1.99.

[ V-Dimension Solar Bags ] VIA [ Popgadget ]

By Luke Anderson

I have something of a creative streak, so I naturally feel the need to customize everything I own. I’d rather that my belongings stand out just a little, which is why I think this new Laptop Canvas Sleeves are an interesting alternative to the traditional laptop case.

As you may have guessed, the outside of this laptop bag is a bare canvas. This means you can take a marker, paintbrush, pen or any other medium and just go to town on it. Before you know it your case will be bursting with self-expression. The bags are lined with a red satiny fabric and come in three sizes: 12-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch and range from $29-39.

[Think Geek] VIA [Random Good Stuff]