Latest Posts in Mobile Mac

MacCase Flight Jacket

When it comes to style, most laptop bags aim for either techie or chic. MacCase’s Premium Leather Flight Jacket, on the other hand, is designed to appeal to rugged types. As its name implies, the Flight Jacket’s weathered leather looks like it was stripped from a vintage bomber jacket—the bag’s stock leather finish is actually called Vintage—and the overall design similarly resembles a classic messenger bag. (If you’re not a fan of the weathered look, the Flight Jacket is also available in Black or Chocolate, both of which appear to be more traditional in appearance. The Flight Jacket is also available in sizes for the MacBook and MacBook Pro.)

The Flight Jacket is also unique in that it’s essentially a sleeve-style case, but it has storage and carrying options not found on most sleeves. So while it can carry more than just your laptop, it's still slim and compact—enough so that you could put it inside another bag.

The main pocket of the model I tested fit a MacBook Air perfectly; although the Jacket offers no rigid protection, this pocket is lightly padded and lined with soft fabric. Just in front of the laptop pocket is a smaller Velcro-closure pocket large enough to hold cables, an AC adapter, and other non-bulky accessories. A thick, Velcro-closure leather flap covers both pockets; the front of this flap provides its own small, zippered pocket. On the back of the bag is a thin pouch for magazines, folders, and other flat items.

Perhaps my favorite feature of the Flight Jacket is a removable, 6.5-inch square pouch on the front of the bag. Made of the same leather as the rest of the bag and also lightly padded, this pouch is made to fit the MacBook Air’s external SuperDrive; it can instead be used for your laptop’s AC adapter and a few other small accessories. The pouch has a Velcro-closure flap, and attaches to the bag via a sturdy, attractive, stainless-steel buckle. When you want to travel light, you just unclasp the buckle and the pouch slips free. It’s nice to be able to leave some of your weight behind without having to empty part of your bag, and the design is very well done: the bag’s main flap covers the buckle, so when the pouch is attached, you can’t tell that it detaches, and when it’s not attached, you can’t tell something is missing.

The Flight Jacket offers several carrying options. There’s a leather handle on top (attached to the body of the bag, not the top flap—too bad more bag makers don’t get this). There’s also an adjustable-length leather strap with sturdy, rotating clips that can be attached to any two of the bag’s four stainless-steel D-rings—use the two top rings for a vertical shoulder bag, two rings on the same side for a horizontal bag, or rings on opposite corners for a sling-style bag. This flexibility is a nice touch. (For an additional $20, MacCase will throw in a pair of backpack straps.) One complaint: some padding on the strap would have been welcome.

The Vintage model I tested is quite attractive in a, well, vintage sort of way, indeed reminding me of a classic bomber jacket. The distressed leather looks good, and the bag’s white stitching complements that leather well. On the other hand, some people may be turned off by the embossed MacCase logo on the front and name on the back.

The biggest downside of the Flight Jacket’s “sleeve with utility” design is of course that it doesn’t hold much; it’s a bag for bringing your laptop and just a few essentials. And because it’s made of leather, it’s not as light as many other sleeves: the non-backpack Vintage model I tested weighed nearly two pounds when empty. But overall it’s a unique and cleverly-designed bag with a great, rugged look.

Zegari Minimalist

Zegari’s Minimalist is a briefcase-style laptop bag meant to appeal to luxury bag lovers. Luxury usually translates to “high price”—in this case, a not-unreasonable-for-a-high-end-bag $285—but with the Minimalist, it also means a carefully considered, functional design.

This Minimalist is impeccably crafted from leather and a mysterious “innovative material” that looks vaguely like metallic leather. The bag is 14.5 inches wide, 12 inches tall, and 3.75 inches thick, and it incorporates only the most essential features and details. The bag’s petite size limits how much you can cram into it, but I consider that to be a clever back-saving feature more than a shortcoming.

Zegari has included a refreshingly good amount of laptop protection for a corporate-style case. The walls are rigid and the interior is heavily padded on all sides. While the bag fits the 15-inch MacBook Pro like a glove, a 13-inch MacBook or MacBook Air will also stay snugly in place, thanks to smart use of stretchy panels on the sides of the laptop compartment. As a bonus, one side of the bag is made of a breathable mesh material so a warm laptop can cool off in transit.

Inside the Minimalist is a clean collection of compartments. There are multiple pouches for PDAs and cell phones, as well as penholders, a detachable keychain, and a clear ID pocket. There’s also a zippered, shallow section and a roomy document holder that can accommodate a decent amount of reading material. The bag unzips almost all the way around, letting you find exactly what you’re looking for without rooting around blindly. The outside of the bag also has a flat, zippered pocket for quick access to any odd-ends.

You have multiple options for carrying the Minimalist: you can clutch the springy, leather handles, or you can use the removable shoulder strap. The shoulder strap is adjustable and made from quality leather, but it doesn’t provide much in the way of padding.

Perhaps the only controversial element of the Zegari bag is its style. Slick and simple without being boring, the bag is definitely eye catching. However, I can’t get over feeling that the angular design and muted brown/black color combo is a bit dated—better suited for a high-powered businesswoman circa 1987 than a modern corporate or casual environment. Still, I'm sure some people will like the appearance, and a benefit of this design is that it’s simple enough to blend with any contemporary look.

Love or hate the design, The Minimalist is an excellent bag. As long as you leave the shoulder pads at home, you’ll be just fine.

Clark & Mayfield Metro Express

Totes are excellent everyday bags. Large and easily accessible, they’re ideal for everything from loading up on library books to shoplifting Cornish game hens. Clark & Mayfield capitalizes on the format’s wide appeal by taking a typical tote and tricking it out with some laptop-specific interior renovations. The result is the MacBook Pro-ready Metro Express Laptop Tote.

Available in three designs—black houndtooth, red plaid, and brown oval—the Metro is constructed from quality faux-leather and polyester. The bag looks and feels well made, and the trim is convincingly leather-like. One if its more appealing features is that it doesn’t have the appearance of a laptop-specific bag and can easily be used as a regular purse. The bag is 15 inches wide, 13 inches tall, and 5 inches deep, and weighs in at 2 pounds, 12 ounces when empty. It’s made for a 15-inch MacBook Pro; a MacBook or MacBook Air will fit, but will jiggle around inside.

Inside the bag, right in the middle, is a zippered document pouch surrounded by a handful of compartments for your computer accessories, gadgets, and other belongings. Your laptop goes on one side of the middle pouch and is secured in place with a Velcro strap. Unfortunately, the bag doesn’t provide much in the way of cushioning for your computer; the walls of the tote are somewhat rigid, but still thin and completely unpadded. Unless you’re packing extra clothing or decorative pillows in the bag’s ample additional space, taking a hit from the side could be damaging to your laptop. The bottom of the bag is reinforced with rows of padded dots on the inside and metal rivets on the outside, so at least your goods are protected from short drops.

The tote style makes it easy to quickly pull your notebook out of the bag. Unfortunately, the same design means the entire weight of the computer is on just one spot—your shoulder. The 28-inch, tote-style straps are just an inch wide and offer no cushioning, and since the bag lacks a shoulder strap, and offers no clips to attach one, carrying a heavy laptop long distances can be painful. I found myself switching the bag back and forth between my left and right shoulders to even out the stress.

Because of this, the Metro Express isn’t for anyone with back problems or rugged lifestyles. It’s a casual bag meant for carrying your computer short distances (a commute to work or class, for example). If a grab-and-go tote is what you’re looking for and the style is to your liking, the Metro Express is a quality choice.

Targus Chill Mat for Mac

If you spend a lot of time Web surfing on the couch—or on the patio, or in bed, or anywhere else where there’s no tabletop in front of you—you know that one of the biggest liabilities of laptop computing is a burned-out lap. In the past, I’ll confess to making ample use of plump living room pillows to block the considerable heat generated by my laptop, but that’s not the optimal methodology (especially since it actually made the laptop hotter—just not on my legs).

I have now reformed my ways thanks to Targus’s $50 Chill Mat for Mac . The Chill Mat, as its name implies, sits directly on your lap while your furnace of a laptop sits on top of it. The Mat weighs about 1.6 pounds and is constructed of a light piece of rigid-mesh plastic on the top (where the computer sits) and a flexible-mesh screen on the bottom (where it sits on your lap). It comes in a neutral color called lunar gray, which by itself is not appealing, but which looks nice with every Mac laptop available. Inside the Chill Mat’s two layers sit two USB-powered fans that run agreeably quietly. An on/off switch lets you control the fans, so you can still make use of the Mat if you choose not to run the fans. However, there’s no speed adjustment; the fans are either on or off.

Booq Mamba Pack

When it comes to having a laptop backpack that provides loads of room for more than just a laptop—books, accessories, peripherals, and cables—Booq’s $135 Mamba Pack has a lot to offer. This roomy and colorful backpack features a dedicated laptop compartment that can accommodate 13- to 17-inch laptops, an expandable compartment large enough to hold a four-slice toaster, various mesh pockets for discs and gewgaws, a removable accessories pouch for cables, and a couple side zipper pockets that can hold a water bottle, business cards, and a couple iPods and iPhones.

Made of water-resistant polyester, the backpack includes the expected padded back (the area that sits against your backbone) as well as padded straps. (It rides up high enough that a belt strap is unnecessary.) And that padding makes it comfortable to wear. Less expected is the padding on the outer sections of the pack. I’ve been known to place delicate items in my backpacks’ outer pockets so having this extra bit of protection is welcome.

That said, the padding gives the Mamba Pack a distinctive shape—no one will mistake this pack for something you’d use for a long stroll in the mountains. This look, of course, is purely a matter of taste. I prefer backpacks that look like the day-packs of old, but you may have a more modern outlook.

Your sensibilities may also be thrown by the pack’s bright interior. The navy blue Mamba Pack in my possession has an orange interior vibrant enough to fry eggs. At first I was put off by it, but then it dawned on me that the bright interior makes it easier for me to find items in the bag. Nearly all my other laptop backpacks have black interiors, which make it difficult to find darkly colored items in under-lit environments.

Each Mamba Pack has a unique ID number inscribed on a metal plate stuck to the inside of the bag. You use that number to register your backpack with Booq’s Terralinq service. Should you lose the bag, an honest citizen can report its whereabouts to Terralinq and help you recover it.

Booq’s Mamba Pack certainly fits the bill in regard to capacity, organization, and comfort. And the extra padding on the outside and the hope of tracking a lost pack are welcome bonuses. If you also like its look, the Mamba Pack could be a good choice.

Review: Logitech AudioHub laptop speaker

Apple’s top selling Macs are laptops, but many of those have a semi-permanent home on a desk, like a desktop Mac. Logitech’s AudioHub is a compact, desktop speaker system for your laptop that aims to enhance your movie watching and music listening.

The AudioHub's main section, which hosts a 3-inch woofer, rests behind your laptop; a pair of 2-inch tweeters extend to peek from behind the edges of your laptop. Measuring 20-by-3.75-by-5.25 inches when the speakers are fully extended (17-inches wide when the speakers are not extended).

Logitech's AudioHub

The AudioHub has only a USB connector for grabbing USB audio from your computer; there’s no line-in for plugging into your laptop’s audio out port, or to connect an iPod, iPhone, or other audio device. The AudioHub isn’t bus-powered, either; it requires the use of a power adapter. But the speaker does have a three-port powered USB hub for connecting other peripherals.

As far as sound quality, the AudioHub creates a full, warm sound, but bass sounds muddy. For movies and video the AudioHub sounds good, but if you like music with a lot of bass, the AudioHub’s lack of bass definition may disappoint.

The AudioHub provides a substantial power boost over the built-in speakers of the 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro I used for testing. The built-in speakers are ideal for when you're sitting directly in front of your laptop, while the AudioHub volume is loud enough to allow you to sit back 7 to 10 feet on a couch while a video plays. (Because the AudioHub is a USB audio device, you can't use it and the built-in speakers at the same time.)

How the AudioHub looks when placed behind a laptop.

The other major improvement over the built-in laptop speakers is with stereo separation. Because the AudioHub speakers are farther apart than the laptop speakers, stereo separation is much more noticeable, especially when watching movies.

Macworld’s buying advice

It’s too big to carry around with your on trips, but if you often use your laptop at your desk, the AudioHub can enhance your experience when watching videos or listening to music without taking up a lot of desktop space. If you’re nitpicky about sound quality, you can probably find better sounding speakers at a competitive price.

[Roman Loyola is a Macworld senior editor.]

Laptop bags for the ladies

There’s no shortage of durable laptop bags—backpacks, messenger bags, briefcases, you name it—on the market. Unfortunately they’re not always, well, pretty. As one of Macworld’s resident dames, I volunteered to take some of the more feminine bags out for a spin with the various laptops we have here at Macworld HQ. Today I cover two of these “women’s” bags; one turned out to be a real head turner and the other a much-needed back saver.

Pocket Full of ‘Puter

The unfortunately named Pocket Full of ‘Puter ($198) is a kicky and colorful take on the simple shoulder bag. By far the most stylish of those I’ve been testing, it’s a young and appropriate look for students and sales reps alike. Measuring 14 by 12 by 4 inches on the outside, the case will hold your 15-inch MacBook Pro nicely. For a MacBook or MacBook Air, there’s the Half Pocket Full of ‘Puter ($149), which is just 13.6 by 9.5 by 2.8 inches. Both bags are made from a Teflon-coated felt material available in an array of stylish colors. They keep their shape thanks to a reinforced leather bottom and rigid edges, with slightly more malleable front and back walls; all sides provide a protective layer of foam. Each bag can be carried by the sturdy leather handle on top or the detachable, lightly-padded shoulder strap.

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Tom Bihn Zephyr

Tom Bihn’s Zephyr is billed specifically as a laptop “briefcase” for good reason: This sturdy, waterproof bag has a pre-formed shape that makes it best-suited for business-minded people who have a lot of material to haul. If you require crisp, clean, organized files when you arrive for a meeting, this bag is for you.

On the other hand, the Zephyr isn’t well-suited for users demanding versatility. As someone who is used to cavernous messenger bags, I found the pocket access points difficult to manage. The most-useful utility compartment is under a flap secured by a buckle; it required some effort to dig out my Chapstick.

The bag’s most valuable asset—expandability—is also its biggest downside. By itself, the Zephyr is a solid briefcase, but offers no laptop protection. If you want to use the Zephyr as a laptop bag, you must purchase a separate laptop sleeve; for example, the hard-sided Horizontal Brain Cell ($60; can also be used separately) or the soft-sided Soft Cell ($30). And if you want more organizational features, you can add the Horizontal Freudian Slip, which offers a file organizer, zippered pockets, and spaces for a phone, pens, and the like—but that will cost you another $35. Pretty soon you’re talking real money. And these add-ons add bulk: with everything packed and loaded, the Zephyr is nearly as heavy and cumbersome as a traditional briefcase. (If you want a shoulder strap, you’ll need to pony up another $10, $20, or $30. I tested the $30 strap, which was great for single-shoulder use, but uncomfortable when used messenger-style.)

The Zephyr is attractive and well-made—Tom Bihn bags are manufactured in the U.S. and include a lifetime guarantee—but you pay quite a bit for that quality. Unless you have specific organizational needs, there are more-versatile options out there.

Transferring files securely

If you're traveling and you need a key document, such as the latest draft of your business plan or the presentation your colleagues just finished, there are many ways you can get it: e-mail, iDisks, and online file services such as SendThisFile or YouSendIt. But if the document you need is super-confidential, you may not want to trust any of those file-transferring tools, because they aren't secure; if someone really wanted to, he or she could probably intercept and open the file somewhere along the line. There are several alternatives, however, and most of them are quite simple.

Sending Securely

E-mail is the most straightforward way to transfer files or information in text form, but it has its limitations: most ISPs restrict the size of e-mail messages to 10MB or 20MB. If you have files of moderate size that you want to transfer, e-mail is the best solution, and it’s easy to do so securely. The key is to set up your mail program to encrypt the message you’re sending, and then make sure the person at the other end can decrypt it.

To work with encrypted e-mail, you first need to obtain a certificate—a way of proving who you are and providing a private key for encryption. You can get a certificate for free from Thawte’s Personal E-Mail Certificates page. Create an account there, choose the appropriate browser and level of protection, and then download the certificate and add it to your keychain. (For more information, see Keep Your Secrets with Mail. That story explains how to set up Mail to send and receive encrypted messages; the procedure is similar for Entourage, but check its help files for details.)

If you don’t want to bother with obtaining and setting up certificates, there’s another way to send encrypted files by e-mail: you can put them in an encrypted disk image and then attach it to your message. Apple’s Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities) can help you do this with just a few clicks.

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‘Checkpoint friendly’ laptop bags explained

Back in early August, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced new rules covering “checkpoint friendly” laptop bags. The goal of these regulations is to increase the speed and efficiency of airport security checkpoints by allowing passengers to keep their laptop computers in their bags during X-ray screening. However, there’s quite a bit of confusion about what, exactly, constitutes a checkpoint-friendly bag and the specific rules for using one. Today’s Mobile Mac gives you the lowdown.

What is a “checkpoint friendly” bag?

According to the TSA, these are the criteria a laptop bag must meet to be considered checkpoint-friendly:

• It must have a designated laptop-only section.
• The laptop-only section must unfold completely to lie flat on the X-ray belt.
• No metal snaps, zippers or buckles can be located inside, underneath, or on top of the laptop-only section. (In other words, metal elements must be positioned so they do not overlap the body of the laptop in an X-ray image.)
• It cannot have pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section.
• Nothing can be packed in the laptop-only section other than the computer itself. (This is more of a guideline for packing than for designing a bag, although a laptop compartment that fits a computer perfectly makes it more difficult to fit additional items.)

Not listed in the guidelines, but mentioned on the TSA Web site under the topic of Industry Process and Guidelines, are warnings against thick bag dividers and thick emblems or seals on the laptop-only section. These elements can prevent security-checkpoint X-rays from obtaining a clear image of your laptop.

What kinds of bags meet these guidelines?

Vendors are meeting the requirements in a couple ways. One is by designing bags that unfold so that the laptop section presents an unobstructed X-ray view. (There’s no restriction against having zippers, buckles, or other metal parts on the sides of the laptop section, as long as these parts don’t in any way obstruct the X-ray view of the laptop.) Another is by hosting the laptop in a basic sleeve or cover that detaches or can be removed from the main bag.

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