It is not a so-well-kept secret that I travel quite a bit for my day job. While 2009 has seen a slow down in travel for me, I still will easily make my American Airlines Platinum status for the 4th year in a row. As a reminder to everyone: Airline status is not something to be proud of. It means that you spend too much time on airplanes and that you know exactly which seats and rows have power outlets… but I digress. Since September 11, 2001 the single biggest challenge with air travel has not necessarily been the airlines but the security process you have to go through in order to get to your gate. I’m not complaining – security has kept us from having any significant airline issues since 9/11 – but it can be challenging, especially for seasoned travelers.

Normally when you go through the security checkpoint at the airport you are required to remove your laptop from your bag and put it in a seperate tray in order to be x-rayed amongst the other things you have to removed from your person – shoes, belts, etc. For most this is not that big of a deal but for people who have a lot of stuff in their bag along with their computer, it can take a minute or so to get the computer out of the bag and onto the belt. Meanwhile, the seasoned travelers are tapping their toe behind you waiting impatiently.

To help solve this challenge of travel, Skooba Designs has released a wide range of bags they refer to as their Checkthrough series. This series of bags are approved by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) for allowing your computer to remain in the bag and be x-rayed. It is a tremendous time saver, especially on those days when the airport security is exceptionally busy. Skooba Designs was kind enough to send me the Checkthrough Roller bag for this review and after several trips with it I have to say it is a winner. Not only does it help you get through security checkpoints but it is a roomy and functional roller bag.

The Skooba Checkthrough Roller Bag

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Day in, day out, Gear Diary writers scour the web tirelessly, bringing you the latest and greatest technologies and gadgets. With all of the new gadgets that come out and are reviewed, there is always temptation to stay on the cutting edge. Want to know what the writers carry with them daily to work (at least today)? Read on to find out. You’ll be surprised at what some of us carry.

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I’ve just received the welcome news that Skooba Design is introducing two new Checkpoint friendly bags to their Checkthrough collection: the Checkthrough Roller and the Checkthrough Backpack. Both are designed so that you can leave your laptop in the bag when passing through Airport security, and both look pretty darn good!

Let’s peek…

Checkthrough Backpack

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I’ve mentioned several times how much I love the idea of convergence devices.

From my iPhone, to my clock radio, to my USB hub/dock I’m all about getting the most function out of every device I own.

The Voltaic line of gear bags not only will carry all of your gadgets around town for you it’ll charge them too.

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I just noticed an email waiting with the title “You’re the first to know”, but because of the mountain of messages I’ve been working through all morning, it took me almost an hour after it was received for me to even see it! Ah well, my email management nightmares are a post for another day.

In the meantime, let me pass on the information telling Skooba Design’s way to end the week “with a bang!”. They are offering 50% off any one order when you use the code HALFCRAZY. This sale is only good until 11:59 pm tomorrow, so if a new Skooba bag is in your list of “want to buys,” you’d better act now!

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When it comes time to leave your home, are your pockets overflowing with all the different things you take along?  Hey, if David Beckham, Robery Downey Jr. and Brand Pitt can carry man bags, then so can you.

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If you’re in the market for a new laptop bag, camera case or designer iPod/iPhone accessory, Rushfaster’s offering a storewide 20% discount, ending Tuesday 14th April. Their prices are usually lower than Amazon, and comparable to eBags, but what I like about them is their range – it’s not the largest, but they have some pretty quirky and unique offerings. Bit annoying, but the good stuff goes very quickly. They’re based in Australia, so the prices listed are in Australian dollars (A$1=US$.73 according to xe.com), and if you’re buying from overseas you don’t pay GST (it’s like sales tax) so you get a further 9% off at checkout. Their international shipping rates are quite reasonable too. Also, it ends midnight Australian time, that’s 9AM EST, Tuesday morning.

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It is not often that I’ll spot someone carrying a bag which prompts me to ask questions about it, but that is exactly what happened at Digital Experience, when I saw Vincent carrying his black ACME MADE Courier. His bag looked sharp; it was stylish, not bulky at all, and I liked the way it conformed to his hip. Vincent flipped open the front flap to show me how much room the bag had and how the sections were laid out, which brought on something I have not felt in ages…bag envy.

Bag envy is an ugly beast; even after two months of abuse, the ACME MADE Courier is not

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Today I had an opportunity to talk to Julian, the Director of Design and Development for Cocoon Innovations. Last week I posted about their unusual and fashionable laptop bags, and in the end I think I was left with more questions than answers.

What were they made of? What the heck was the Grid system they were talking about? What would they cost? Would they look good in person? Would I really want to carry one?

Read on for the answers and lots of pictures…

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I fully expect to see a lot of exciting, intriguing, and wonderfully innovative products at CES next week…even if the very thought of all that walking is already making my feet and lower back hurt.:-P

With that in mind, I wanted to tell you all about one of the press releases I’ve just received, for a new collection of stylish bags which will be shown:

Cocoon Innovations is launching a new line of computer bags and cases designed specifically to provide personal storage and organization solutions for today’s digital lifestyle. With an intelligent, functional design unlike anything on the market, Cocoon’s full range of products creates a place where the technological extensions of our lives can be kept safe and organized. Cocoon products are an idea solution for protecting and organizing iPods, iPhones, BlackBerries, cameras, mobile phones and more.

[Ed. note: this is the bag that particularly intrigues me...]

Available Spring 2009, the Cocoon collection will offer a complete line of laptop computer bags, totes, portfolios and accessories that redefine the way consumers stay organized in an ever-increasing digital world. Each bag is designed with an organic shape, which serves as a protective shell to safely transport your virtual cargo. The interior of each bag features The Grid, a proprietary universal, elastic organization system providing customized digital device storage. The Grid offers endless configuration possibilities and keeps digital devices organized and secure when moving from place to place.

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Ever since 9/11, air travelers have been forced to take their shoes off, take their laptops out of bags, and…well you know the drill.  Now the TSA has worked on developing a standard for letting us keep our laptop in its bag as we go through through the checkpoint.  I got to take a look at Skooba Design’s version, called the Skooba Checkthrough.

The bag is actually a lot smaller than it looks and a lot larger than it looks.  I know; how can it be both?  Well when all zipped up, it’s a little thinner than the backpack I used to use; however I have everything I normally carry in it.  The only thing missing is my digital camera, but when I get another case for it, it should fit too. The Skooba Checkthough is relatively slim, but can hold a lot of gear. Continue Reading

I’ve got a thing for notebook bags and over the years I have collected quite a few. This was, however, my first experience with a Tom Bihn bag and boy am I impressed.

This is among the first of the new, TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) approved notebook bags that do not require removal of the device while winding your way through  the security checkpoint gauntlet.

The new TSA rules allow a notebook to remain in its case as long as there is an unobstructed view for the x-ray machine. That means there can be nothing blocking the notebook and that includes pockets, zippers or anything you may have packed next to the notebook. Numerous notebook manufacturers have been designing and releasing these TSA bags and each is taking their own unique approach to it. The Checkpoint Flyer was the first TSA approved case to be released and it is impressive.

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It never fails that when I pack my gear, there are always small items which will sift to the bottom of my bag’s cavernous pockets. This doesn’t even take into account all of the times when I have needed a particular something, and no matter how neatly I thought I had it packed, I couldn’t find it when it was time. Well, no more.

Tom Bihn makes a variety of Organizer Pouches, and I think that it would be safe to assume that there is something for everyone. Let’s take a look…

Cordura Organizer Pouches

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Don’t let the name of Tom Bihn’s Yarn Stuff Sack throw you off. While it’s true that this Japanese-made Dyneema rip-stop fabric bag was created to work perfectly with their Swift knitting bag, this approximately 9.5″ wide x 8.25″ tall drawstring bag can also manage all sorts of loose gadget peripherals.

Let’s take a look…

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When Asus brought out the Eee PC, they did think to include a case.  The neoprene case holds just the Eee PC itself, but if you need to carry the Eee PC and a few things, you’ll need something else.

Enter the Proporta Gadget Bag.

As you can see, it’s barely as wide as the Eee PC itself.  This case is the most ideal carrying solution that I have found for the Eee PC 701.  It is lightweight, very durable, and each compartment is padded so you won’t have to worry about bumps damaging your Eee or anything else. Continue Reading