Vampire power is the energy drawn from devices that are plugged in but not in use.  According to iGo the U.S. wastes 10 billion dollars annually with this unused energy.

With their new line of innovative products iGo seeks to stop Vampire power.

We had the opportunity to preview five of their newest offerings at CES 2010.

The world’s first “green” laptop charger only uses power when the laptop or net book needs it.  You can leave your device plugged in all the time without having to worry about power being drawn.  It’ll be available for $99.99.

The Power Smart Wall is able to detect when a device is not in use and shuts off Vampire power drawn from the wall.  It contains four outlets and is available for $29.99

Finally their Power Reducing Surge Protector contains eight outlets and also virtually eliminates Vampire power.  It’s available for $79.99.

Head to the iGo web site to learn more about these new products.

Netbooks and eBook readers are gaining momentum (and who knows what will happen if the mythical iTablet moves into the real world from the universe of hope and vaporware?), and if you travel a lot–and if you have a netbook or eBook reader, you probably do, you technogypsy you–then you probably want a case for it.

Uniea has a slightly different solution than the usual pouches, covers, and so on:  they call it a “sleaf”.  Uniea says, “The U-Sleaf reversible universal netbook sleeve for 10.2” netbooks. The U-Sleaf is also not like your typical laptop shell case. Instead of having lots of zippers and pockets, the U-Sleaf is a simple and stylish sleeve that allows you to easily slip your netbook in and out whenever you need it.”  (It’s reversible, too.)

So if you’re in the market for something to cover up your netbook or your Kindle DX, take a look at the sleaf.  It has an MSRP of $19.95.  Full press release after the jump.

Continue Reading

We keep adding gadgets and continue looking for ways to carry and store these devices.  Cocoon Innovations are showing some really cool new products this week in Vegas at CES.  Here is a short preview of what they are offering. Continue Reading

Netbooks are crazy popular.  Dan’s recent, unsuccessful search, for one showed us that.   I believe there might not have been a more popular gadget gift this holiday season.

Last month Dan wrote a post called “Getting the Most From Your Tosiiba NB205 Netbook” here.  The information is so helpful I feel it’s worth repeating as I went through a similar process myself just this week with my new netbook and if many of you got new netbooks this holiday you might want to consider doing some of the same things. Continue Reading

We recently released the introduction of the Camber Netbook Case-Sling from Everki (you can read the release here).  Everki was kind enough to supply a Camber for me to review.  This new case is super compact fitting netbooks up to 13″.  The product is slightly too small to hold a 13″ MacBook Pro (they actually are 13.3″), but a version to accommodate the macbook is in the works for 2010.  As the computing devices we use get smaller, so do the ways we carry them.  See how the Camber stacks up after the break.

Continue Reading

Tom Bihn is a company I have been following for a while now, ever since Judie reviewed the Aeronaut when she was still at The Gadgeteer.  Tom Bihn is not only based right here in the United States, they make their bags in the US, which is a rarity among bag manufacturers.  When Tom Bihn let me know about their new Synapse backpack, I jumped at a chance to review it.

Continue Reading

be.ez: LA robe Netbook has announced a new collection of protective New sleeves. Made from shock absorbing memory foam the sleeves both protect and add “flair” to netbooks. The sleeves come in three different sizes and an assortment of colors.

Priced at $19.99 they are available at online retailers such as Amazom.com. For more information visit the be-ez website.

Yesterday  Larry posted that Skooba is having a big 25% off sale for the next few days. The Skooba bag on the left in the advertisement is a new item from Skooba designed especially for netbooks. The Netbook Messenger is just the right size for carrying a netbook and a few assorted accessories during a day of running around. I’ve been using one for the last two weeks.

Let’s take a look…

Continue Reading

Skooba Design has just announced their new line of Netbook Neo Sleeves, which feature a “form-fitting, stretchy and cushy neoprene skin” so that you can carry your netbook alone or in a bag without adding a bunch of extra bulk. They’re available in catchy color combinations, and they’d look spiffy with Skooba’s recently announced Netbook Messenger.

Continue Reading

Netbooks are tiny.  Finding a stylish netbook case is difficult.  You can generally find sleeves and some smaller bags but sleeves generally fit your netbook a bit tight to fit the power cord too.   If you want a mouse or a few other accessories, you can forget taking just a sleeve. Bolt Bags aims to change this with their new netbook line. Continue Reading

A lot of people are going to a laptop only computing experience.  There are even some that are going to a netbook only experience as a netbook is all they need.  Sometimes, however, it is nice to have a screen that is bigger than what a netbook can provide.  The same can be said about the touchpad and the keyboard.  Wouldn’t it be nice to plop your laptop or netbook down and have it attached to a 24 inch LCD?  That’s where this dock comes in. Continue Reading

A-DATA recently announced the release of a waterproof and shock resistant hard drive.  The sh93 Incorporates rubber and plastic along with special cushion materials that allow it to withstand a 1M waterproof test for 30 minutes and military standard MIL-STD-810F drop test.

The SH93 comes in two colors : racing car yellow and chili pepper red. With capacity up to 640GB, it is designed for users to conveniently carry around massive documents without the fear of damaging files stored in the drive in the incident of accidental drop or water spills.

I’m quite familiar putting hard drives to the “test” and took the A-DATA with me to the firehouse to see if it really does stand up.

Continue Reading

I’ve never heard of Bolt Bags before, but they have brought out a new line of bags specifically for the netbook crowd.  They have enough room for your power cord, a mouse and a few other things that you might need when on the go with your netbook along.  One of the Bolt Bag styles that reminds me of a bowling ball bag, hence the name Bowler Bag; it’s available in Black or Olive.  The Chic Bag is available in Dark Teal.  All three are available on Amazon for $24.00

I recently jumped back into the world of netbooks. Mostly I wanted something on which to use Windows 7. So I tried a number of them running the new OS and settle on the Toshiba NB205. A bit of surgery and the diminutive machine now has 2GB of RAM and an SSD drive. It runs rather well and gets 8-9 hours on a single charge. Now if only I had a way to easily carry it since my other bags are designed for much larger notebooks…

Thankfully Skooba has me covered with a new line of bags especially designed for netbooks. The Netbook Messenger Bag has 20 pockets, holds netbooks with up to 10 inch screens and weighs just 24 ounces. At 14×12 x 3 inches in size it is large enough to carry what you need but small enough to travel lightly.

The MSRP of the bag is just $49.95. Details and more images can be found on the Skooba website. The full Press Release follows.

Continue Reading

If you have a netbook then you know it can be a pain at times to use, thanks to the smaller keyboard and display.  Kensington has released two new docking stations that use DisplayLink technology to add a VGA or DVI monitor to your netbook and more.  The only thing you’ll have to connect to your netbook is a single USB cable, instead of connecting a monitor cable and some USB cables.

The K33926US supports driverless install, where the K33930US will require the installation of a driver.  Prices will be $129.99 for the K33930US model that supports the Mac and Windows, and $149.99 for the K33926US which is Windows only.  The K33926US is now available, and the the K3390US is available for preorder through Kensington.