Looking for a messenger-style bag, but hate the single shoulder strap? Timbuk2 has a new Swig Backpack in two sizes that'd be happy to help you out. It's basically got the messenger styling and utility that Timbuk2 is known for (as seen on the streets of San Francisco, New York, and Austin), plus it has backpack straps.
The durable Swig is available in two sizes, Small (holds up to 13-inch notebooks) for $80, and the Medium seen here (up to 17-inch notebooks) for $90. It's got a main compartment, like most messenger bags, that will swallow all your books and folders whole. The main compartment also has a built-in pouch for your notebook, with padding and a Velcro equipped strap to keep it in. It held the 15-inch MacBook Pro I used quite securely and safely. If you're the type that just dumps everything in one big pocket, then the Swig is your bag.
It might have a cathedral-like capacity, but that also means that the bag itself is huge. It's over 20 inches tall and 13 inches wide (7 inches deep), so it may look big on your back. The Small version is more proportioned for shorter folks. Though large, the Swig pack is comfortable to wear with both straps. The Swig's name does give it a hint to its ultimate purpose: the inside pocket can fit many bottles or cans of your favorite beverage and there's a "carbonated beverage opener" on one of the straps.
If you're looking for a unique, slim, and light case in which to tote your laptop and also want to make an artistic-type style statement, the GG2G Foleo ($56 direct) fills the bill--and it's made from recycled materials, too. What could be cooler? These necessarily one-of-a kind bags are crafted from recycled highway billboards, of all things, and can come with or without bamboo padding--your choice.
The bag is sturdy and nicely made, and the "re-vinylzed" water-repellent outer material has a sleek, shiny look and feel. All the Foleos come with a handle on the side (though you may not see them in the Web site's images), so you can carry the bag that way or tuck it under your arm like a clutch. The Foleo has one inner pocket--a thumb drive compartment. But if you need more storage space, you could easily stash this sleeve inside a larger case.
The Foleo bags pictured on GG2G's site are all currently available. Once a bag is purchased, it's replaced by a new one, and no two look exactly the same. But if you have your heart set on a color palette, you can
email Dayan Moore (a co-owner of GG2G), and she'll do her best to help you out.
Chinatown changed the game by inventing knock-off Burberry and Chanel bags. Now DXG, famous for inexpensive cameras, will bring Chinatown tactics to the tech world by introducing knock off Burberry and Chanel pocket high-def camcorders at Chinatown prices. These beauties will retail in August at $129, which is roughly the price of a Burberry or Chanel handkerchief. The camcorders capture HD video at 720p30.
DXG was extremely meticulous when ripping off these designs; the company nailed everything from embedding jewels on the Chanel model to adding a leather tag on the Burberry. The packaging will even match the design of the camcorders. The icing on the cake is that each HD camcorder will come will a matching case that looks like a mini purse!
DXG plans on selling the devices in its existing retail channels (Sears, RadioShack, and Wal-mart) but is also planning on breaking into upscale locations such as Bloomingdales. Call me crazy, but I expect these to A) sell like gangbusters, and B) get me out of any girl trouble. A $99 water-resistant model was also shown off. It was ruggedized and light, and offered 720p30 capture, MP3 player, voice recorder,offered in a few colors as well as a bad-ass "ice camouflage" design.
Being fashion-conscious, I was excited to try the PortPack from Speck. It has a brown, black and cream plaid design or a black pinstripe and was made to hold notebooks of up to 15 inches. This bag is the cutest one I've tested! But it's also lightweight and sleek.
The 11.75- by 16.25- by 3.5-inch bag comes with a plush micro-fleece padding to protect and secure your notebook. A quilted nylon inner lining protects your accessories. The bag has so many components to keep you organized, including a detachable key ring and various storage pockets. Store your water bottle in the mesh zipped pocket and your iPod in the media player pocket with headphone cord passthrough. Also included are a padded shoulder strap and a tuck-away handle.
Created by Portuguese designers Joao Sabino and Mario Belem, each Keybag is clad in 393 randomly arranged old keyboard keys. The high-tech handbags come in four different colors and seem particularly apt for for toting your portable gadgets around.
Keybags are available in black or white for approximately $165 each and red or pink for approximately $185 each.
Did you know that 33 percent* of people said they would prefer to send an SMS when asking someone out for the first time? Yes, it's a geeky, geeky world we live in, but thankfully, there are some geeky ladies out there just waiting for that text...
OK, so the text might be a bad idea, but these Valentine's gifts will surely woo your tech-savvy babe. Check out Part Two of Gearlog's Valentine's Day gifts for geeky gals, but make sure to peruse Part One for ten other Valentine's Day ideas.
Heart Meter Shirts (above)
So, you know how in video games, if your heart meter reaches zero, you die? Buy one of the 8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirts for you and one for your girlfriend. During regular activity, only two and a half pixelated hearts will light up, but when you're in hugging distance of your honey and she's wearing her shirt too, the hearts on both shirts will light up until you "have full health." Yes, the shirt is extremely cheesy, but if your girl is a fan of Zelda, she'll appreciate it. $24.99 from ThinkGeek.com.
I know this might surprise some of you, but there are women in the world who like things done a certain way--in a nerdy way, to be more specific. For example, they prefer their marriage proposals to arrive via a video game, or at least tangentially related to video games. That's right, geeks aren't just guys--there are lady geeks, too.
So what do you give your geeky girlfriend for Valentine's Day? Check out Gearlog's gifts that only a truly geekified gal will appreciate. And make sure to check back for Part Two of our geeky Valentine's Roundup!
The iBuzz (above)
Treat your love to some pleasure--set to the sound stylings of Barry White or Al Green, of course. Plug your MP3 player into the iBuzz Two, and the toy delivers music-activated vibrations with four pulsing patterns and 11 vibrating speeds. You can plug the two provided bullets into the iBuzz Two, or you can plug in any sex toy that has a mini-jack plug. It's £19.99 (about $30 in the US).
Looking for an iPod nano (fourth generation) case as groovy-looking as the player itself? Agent 18 (love that name) is offering the Nano FlowerVest (G4) case, in hip pink/light pink and yellow/white versions, for $24.99.
The company sent us a sample case. Besides the nifty flower design and colors, I like the silicon FlowerVest's snug fit. It's thin enough to allow for easy access to all the nano's controls, but thick enough to provide bump protection to the player--as well as guarding its colorful finish.
The case also comes with a Cord Wrap (which was too small to help much with my non-Apple headset cord but may be helpful for controlling the nano's included earbuds cord).
And you thought there was no way to make Casio Databank watches any cooler. Apparently, all you have to do dip them in bright paint and trick out the buttons with funky checkered patterns.
Such is Casio's way of invigorating the Databank series and giving "Geek-Chic" a whole new look. Why? Because life is not always black and white, says the king of digital watches, offering the limited-edition line in black, green, orange and white.
Regardless of the color, all Databank timepieces come loaded with the archaic but comfortably familiar features like the 8-digit calculator, auto calendar, and 25-page data storage. The colorful new Databanks are available for $59. Though, strangely, the classic pure-black version costs ten bucks more. View Casio's new timepieces here.
If you are, ever have been, or even know any cheerleaders, you know that cheerleaders eat, sleep and breathe anything cheer-related. I was the captain of my high school cheer squad for two years, and I jumped (no pun intended) at the chance to try out THQ's All Star Cheer Squad for Wii. Along with Nicole Price Fasig, another PC Mag ex-cheerleader, we went back to the days of "Bring it On" and totally had a cheer-off.
More about All Star Cheer Squad and a cheer-tastic video, after the jump.
If your daughter is one of the many girls obsessed with Pixie Hollow, then this year's gift list will probably feature Techno Source and Disney Consumer Products' new Clickables Fairy Collection featuring Disney Fairies. Pixie Hollow is Disney's newest virtual world, and over 7.5 million Disney Fairies avatars have already been created. Girls can escape into Tinker Bell's world to help bring about the change of seasons by meeting friends, playing games, and collecting items in nature.
Can't get enough of your plush Littlest Pet Shop Virtual Interactive Pets (VIPs)? Hasbro recently announced the new limited-edition VIP Friends, an extension of the VIPs brand. Each pair of plush best friends come with a secret code hidden in the collar to unlock both pets in the Littlest Pet Shop virtual world.
There are a lot of iPod cases available, but few are quite as useful as the iStik. Equipped with eight Neodymium magnets and a hard, clear Lexan plastic case, the iStik pulls double-duty, protecting your iPod nano from minor injury while offering a hands-free method of music enjoyment.
Meant for active iPod users, the iStik's magnetic fastening system allows you to attach your iPod to your clothing, bag or other thin material--or even your iron chestplate. (Ah, the joys of magnets.) The thinner the fabric, the closer the magnets are and the more secure the iStik is, so it's not recommended for use on heavy fabrics.
I began by attaching the iStik to my t-shirt while I did household chores. The iStik held on superbly. The case itself is designed to allow access to the click wheel as well as hold switch, earphone plug and power outlet. This handy video explains exactly how to assemble the case.
Bay Area-based Timbuk2, which has made some of my favorite laptop bags over the years, has a new line of messenger-style bags covered in a nubby, upholstery-like fabric, in very cool retro-modern designs. The company sent me a couple to try out. First, note that you won't mind carrying these fine-looking bags for any reason, even if you don't have a laptop to tote. The bags are light and easy to carry; my one quibble with messenger-style bags (of any make) is that the large flap can make it awkward to get into the bag quickly.
The one pictured above is covered in a fabric called "Night Bird," which has a dark-blue background with multicolored concentric rings. Open it to find, in the waterproof interior, a multitude of open and zippered compartments for phones, pens, and so on, as well as a large corduroy-lined slot for the laptop.
Timbuk2 also includes an extra "cross strap" to help stabilize the bag's weight across your body; I haven't seen this before with messenger-style bags. The shoulder strap is easily adjustable and has a padded center. The bag comes in two sizes: 13 inches ($150 list) and 15 inches ($175). Shop around for deals.
After the jump is a picture of the red-with-curvy-shapes "Sanguin" bag, which comes in the smaller size only (also $150).
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