Protect Your Portables

One slip, your notebook hits the concrete, and you're in trouble.

James A. Martin

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Feature: Protect Your Portables

This meeting of the Mobile Professionals' Worrywart Support Group will now come to order.

In our previous meeting I recounted the harrowing story of my friend Natalie, who briefly lost her notebook. For the story, plus tips on how to prevent gadget loss or minimize the aftereffects, read "Don't Lose Your Gadgets."

This time around, the topic is preventing damage. Because we carry our notebooks and gadgets hither and yon, they're subject to being dropped. One good "whoops" and your notebook's screen is cracked, its hard drive has crashed, and so on.

So how do you protect portable electronics from damage? The bag, briefcase, backpack, or case in which your devices are transported is often your first line of defense. Read on for some bags designed to give your gear some extra TLC.

Padded Briefcases

EBags Firewall Laptop Brief. The Firewall Laptop Brief ($70; recently on sale for $50) features a sewn-in padded notebook sleeve and another layer of padding underneath the sleeve. A long, thick piece of cushioning, called a "shim," fits into the bottom of the notebook sleeve. The shim provides an even closer fit for smaller notebooks and can be removed to make room for bigger ones. For instance, my Hewlett-Packard Pavilion DV 1000, with a 14-inch wide-screen display, snugly fit into the notebook sleeve along with the shim. But to insert my 15-inch-screen Dell Inspiron 8100, I had to remove the shim.

Of course, all this cushioning adds weight. At nearly 4 pounds, the Firewall Laptop Brief feels a bit heavy by itself. Add a medium-weight notebook and a few accessories, and you're tipping the scale at 10 to 12 pounds. Also, fashionistas may turn up their noses at the bag's orange nylon interior. These are quibbles, however. The EBags Firewall Laptop Brief feels like a sturdy, protective option for a portable PC.

Targus HP Evolution HP800 and HP800NL. The HP800 and HP800NL notebook briefcases ($80) feature a shock-absorbing, air-cushioning system as well as a sidewall-impact system especially designed to protect a notebook's screen, Targus claims (I haven't tested these briefcases). Weighing less than 3 pounds, the bags are available with the HP logo (the HP800) or without (the HP800NL).

Samsonite XL45 Large Notebook Case. Samsonite's Large Notebook Case (about $60 online), as its name implies, is designed to transport portables with up to 17-inch screens. The notebook compartment is padded with 10mm-thick foam and surrounded by casing that should give your notebook plenty of protection, according to the online reviews I've read (I didn't test this bag). The 5-pound bag is available from Amazon.com, among other retailers.

Wheeled Notebook Bag

The EBags C-Drive Mobile Office ($120; recently on sale for $100) is, in essence, a wheeled version of the Firewall Laptop Brief. Weighing nearly 10 pounds, you wouldn't want to hoist this bag into an airplane's overhead compartment. However, the C-Drive Mobile Office should fit under most airplane seats, unless you overstuff it--which is tempting, with all its pockets. Of the two EBags briefcases I tested, I'd opt for this wheeled version when flying--it's easier on your body than the shoulder-supported Firewall bag.

Hard-Shell Gadget Cases

Matias Products Laptop Armor. This line of notebook briefcases ($100 to $180) features a silver, black, or white rigid aluminum outer shell plus a padded foam interior. Cases are available for notebooks with screens ranging from 12 to 17 inches. Judging from online photos, the briefcases have a sleek, hip look. One possible downside is that some models weigh up to 6 pounds.

The company also makes protective cases for Apple IPods ($40) and IPod Minis ($25).

InnoPocket Cases. InnoPocket makes a variety of metallic cases for PDAs, smart phones, MP3 players, and other portable gadgets. For example, the InnoPocket Metal Deluxe Case, which I've tested with my PalmOne Tungsten T3, features an "aircraft-grade" aluminum shell with an interior neoprene lining that holds the PDA in place. The case is attractive and feels substantial enough to protect an easily dropped gadget. StylusCentral.com sells the case for $24.

Meeting adjourned. Until next time, stop worrying so much, okay? You're making me nervous.

Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips

Notebook Review: Asus Portable Has Built-In Webcam

Here's a cool notebook feature you don't see every day: a built-in Webcam. The Asus W5A ($1749) lets you record video or take pictures at all angles using the adjustable camera that's mounted just above the top edge of the screen. What's more, the notebook is lightweight (3 pounds) and well equipped, with a DVD burner, a S-Video-out port, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, says PC World reviewer Carla Thornton.

PDA News: Wi-Fi Software for Pocket PCs

The Socket Wi-Fi Companion utility ($25; free 14-day trial) makes it easier for Pocket PC users to find, set up, and monitor Wi-Fi connections, according to Socket Communications. The new utility, for Pocket PCs with integrated 802.11 connectivity, includes tools that let you determine the strength of each wireless network, automatically manage your wireless power settings to maximize battery life, and more, the company says.

Business Travel Review: Room to Work in United Economy Plus

Before boarding a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., I snagged a last-minute free upgrade from Economy to Economy Plus.

So what, you ask? Here's the deal: In United's Economy Plus, passengers traveling coach are treated to 36-inch seat pitch (the distance from one point on a seat to the same point on the seat in front). By comparison, standard coach seats in United's Economy class and many other airlines have a 31-inch seat pitch. Those extra 5 inches made working on my notebook and sitting for hours noticeably more comfortable.

Because I upgraded just moments before boarding, however, the only Economy Plus seat still available was in an exit row facing a bulkhead (row 15 on the Boeing 767-300 aircraft I traveled on). Consequently, I had to place my bags in an overhead compartment. Still, the trade-off was worth it. Economy Plus seats are available only to those paying full fare, elite members of United's Mileage Plus program, and last-minute upgraders like me. For more information about using your notebook in coach class, see my "Computing in Coach Class, Part 1" and "Computing in Coach Class, Part 2."

Business Travel News: Japan Airlines Offering Internet Access

By late June, Japan Airlines will begin offering Internet access on all flights between New York and Tokyo. The Connexion by Boeing service, delivered by satellite, provides typical connection speeds of about 5 megabits per second downstream (from the Internet to the plane) and 1 mbps upstream. Cost: $30 for the full flight or $10 for the first 30 minutes.

Wireless News: Documents To Go on Sony Ericsson Smart Phones

The DataViz Documents To Go suite is now available for the Sony Ericsson P800, P900, and P910 smart phones, the company reports. The software lets you view, edit, and create Microsoft Word and Excel applications on handheld devices; you can view PowerPoint files but not edit or create them. Documents To Go for Symbian UIQ adds DataViz's InTact technology, which promises to eliminate the need to convert files between PCs and handhelds, according to DataViz. The software is $50; a full-featured 30-day trial is available.

Wireless News: Is Wi-Fi on the Way Out?

Is interest in public Wi-Fi access waning? That's the question some pundits are pondering after Verizon announced it is turning off its free Wi-Fi hot spots in New York City.

"This may be the beginning of the end," says Bob Egan, president of consulting firm Mobile Competency. Wi-Fi is "a niche application," he adds, with few companies making money from it.

Plus, Wi-Fi has its security issues, and coverage is much more limited than services such as Verizon's EVDO wireless wide-area-network technology.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.