Gear Diary » Netbook Gear

Gear Giveaway: Judie Attended Intel’s Upgrade Your Life Event, Now You Can “Upgrade Your Netbook”

Dan Cohen — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:00:14 +0000

Judie attended Intel's Upgrade Your Life event last week and wrote all about it in this post: Intel’s “Upgrade Your Life” Event. She came away from the even with an Acer Aspire One Happy Netbook and we are giving it away! The Netbook has a 10.1" screen, an N570 Atom processor, 1GB DDR3 RAM and a 250GB drive. How can you enter to win? We explain it all in this video!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The fine print–

1. This contest will be open until Wednesday July 27th; the winner will be announced shortly after. 2. Shipping address must be in the USA 3. If you’re entering

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OWC Debuts Mercury Aura Pro 1.8″ SSD for Netbooks, Subnotebooks

Douglas Moran — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:45:39 +0000

It's funny, really. Just yesterday my 12 year-old son Joseph was asking me, "Dad, what does SSHD stand for?" I'm a geek, of course, so I immediately answered "Solid state hard drive. But why would that be in something you're reading, Joseph?" (Turns out he was looking at some nerd catalog or other, and the term/acronym was being used there.) So it's with full knowledge of my son Joseph that I mention the new products by Other World Computing (OWC), which include both solid-state and SATA hard drives for the netbook and subnetbook market. And frankly, I assume that's it's not too very long from now when these will be hooking up with tablets and Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Speck Product’s A-Line Bag for Netbooks May Be the Best Looking Gear Bag Yet!

Judie Stanford — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:30:22 +0000

This is going to sound jaded and awful, but I am going to say it anyway: One of the absolute best things about being a product reviewer is that sometimes companies surprise you with packages containing items you didn't know existed and you certainly didn't expect to receive ... and that you can't wait to try out. But on the other hand, one of the absolute worst things about being a product reviewer is that sometimes companies surprise you with packages containing items you didn't know existed and you certainly didn't expect to receive ... and you don't necessarily even want to remove from their wrapper. It's true. So today FedEx pulls up Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Speck Introduces Two New Bags for Netbooks and iPad

Dan Cohen — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:09:45 +0000

Speck has introduced two new bags for taking your netbook (up to 10") or iPad on the go. The CorePack-10 and the PortPack-10 both feature Speck's excellent design and high quality construction. Each has an MSRP of $49.95 and are available now. Here's a quick first look at both. We have review units of each and will have a thorough Gear Diary look in the next few days. CorePack for Netbooks and iPad

Open up CorePack FLY 10’s butterfly design and it instantly becomes a portable work surface. The butterfly feature is also airport security checkpoint friendly, allowing you

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Pixel Qi Lets You Take Your Gadgets Outside, DIY 10.1″ Screen Kit Sold Out Day 1

Francis Scardino — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:17:08 +0000

Image courtesy of Pixel Qi

Just Yesterday Makershed.com started selling a Pixel Qi 10.1" Do-It-Yourself screen kit and they are already out of stock and accepting preorders. If you've been living under a rock and are not familiar with Pixel Qi, then you should know this highly coveted technology is basically a normal viewable color screen indoors, and a super high contrast energy saving screen outdoors. The fact that it consumes 80% less energy while in outdoor mode wouldn't even matter to me, just being able to see a screen at all really outdoors is worth it. Here's the Pixel Qi definition of their screens:

Like standard backlit LCD displays, Pixel Qi displays renders quality full-color images

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Buy One Get One Free Deal from Skooba Design!

Douglas Moran — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:00:23 +0000

Longtime Gear Diary sponsor Skooba Design is offering a deal: buy one of their red, white, or blue Neo-Skin iPad/Netbook sleeves, and get a second one for free. (Red, white, and blue; fourth of July -- you got that, right?) The Skooba Neo-Skin has an MSRP of $19.95, and in these lean times everyone needs to save some change. So if you're looking for an iPad or netbook sleeve, surf on over to Skooba Design and check it out.

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Tom Bihn Ristretto Bag for Apple iPad – Review

Dan Cohen — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:00:56 +0000

I carry my iPad with me pretty much everywhere I go these days. That means I need a good case... and a good bag. Tom Bihn was kind enough to send me one of their Ristretto bags. The Ristretto was originally designed for carrying netbooks but it works perfectly as an iPad bag. As soon as you look at the bag you are struck by the realization that this is a bag that was designed for use in the real world. It is relatively light when empty which is a good thing because part of the attraction of carrying the iPad instead of a netbook is the reduced weight. As you put items into Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Skooba Design: Buy One Get One Free

LarryGreenberg — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:30:39 +0000

The Neo Sleeve from Skooba Design is a protective case for your netbook or iPad. Starting today and ending on May 6th, if you order one Neo Sleeve you'll get a second one for free. That's right, two for the price of one.

The Sleeve comes in four color combinations and retails for $19.95.

To get in on the deal head to the Skooba web site and place any two colors of the Neo Sleeve in your shopping cart. Then click the "UPDATE" button.

Made from neoprene it features a removable shoulder strap and smaller front pocket which can

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Mobile Edge Women’s Netbook Bag Review + Giveaway!

Carly Z — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:00:17 +0000

The tough part of trying to look professional is finding the right bag. It's especially difficult if you are a woman; do you carry a purse AND a briefcase? If you choose briefcase, do you grab a bag small enough to double as a purse, or do you keep a small bag in your desk for lunchtime errands? Personally, I hate purses, small bags, etc. My pants came with pockets for a reason! Sadly, they don't make cargo pants for women's suits. That's where bags like the Mobile Edge Netbook Bag come in... Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Skooba 40% off $40+ Sale

Mitchell Oke — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:45:51 +0000

If you're in need of a new bag for your gear and have been holding off, or are looking for a change, wait no longer! Many of us here are Skooba bag fans (myself included), and they are having a ripper of a sale across their range of bags and accessories. The catch? You have to checkout their blog at www.skoobablog.com, which keeps you up to date on the latest news and product releases from Skooba. Amongst the posts you'll find a 7-digit code hidden in a post or a photo that will give you 40% off a cart filled with over $40 worth of items! The coupon ends on 3/26/10 so get in quick! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Mobile Edge Intros Checkpoint Friendly Netbook Case Collection

Travis Ehrlich — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:00:01 +0000

Everyone knows that a trip to the airport can be a tedious adventure. Long lines, security checks and baggage checkpoints can all lengthen what is our fastest mode of travel. Very few people travel without a computer any more. Not only do they travel with a computer, but a growing number travel with a netbook or small laptop. Many of these travelers want something more than just a sleeve for their netbook. Something that can become a small gear bag. To speed up the check-in and boarding process, the TSA has set guidelines for check point friendly carry-on luggage. Mobile Edge has created a nice selection of bags that meet these guidelines and has just expanded their offerings with ScanFast Netbook Cases.

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Be.ez LA robe 11.6″ Netbook Case Review

Allistair Lee — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:08:51 +0000

Be.ez (be easy), a French brand that designs stylish accessories for the mobile lifestyle, announced a new addition to their popular line of protection sleeves for netbooks – LA robe Netbook 11.6. This netbook sleeve is nicely made with a very thick shock absorbing material, and it’s available in 2 different colors -- Black & White and Red Kiss. So, how good is this sleeve in doing its job, protecting your precious netbook? Read on to find out! Features:-

Low Resilience Polyurethane (LRPu) Technology
Robe protection Thickness 5MM
Trendy, Unique Design
Inner Lip for maximum protection
Stand alone or in your bag
No more scratches for your Netbook

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Marvel Superheros Come to Gelaskins

Joel McLaughlin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:30:35 +0000

Larry previously reviewed Gelaskins and we've recently posted about their release of National Geographic Gelaskins. However, just this week Gelaskins has gotten a lot more super! Marvel characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, Wolverine, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Daredevil, the Punisher, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange and others are now available in various forms direct from Gelaskins. The company was kind enough to send me two of the Iron Man skins for netbooks and I decide to apply the skins showcasing Iron Man and War Machine. The skins went onto my netbook in a flash and looks great! Any air bubbles were easily pushed out and if I decide I want a different Gelaskin at a later date, it will peel right off and it leaves no residue. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Review: Altego Clear Laptop Sleeve

Joel McLaughlin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:00:51 +0000

Some people decorate and adorn their laptops with stickers or Gelaskins. Sometimes you can buy a laptop that comes with a design on the back of the LCD that just begs to be shown off all the time even when it's in the case. That is exactly what the Altego Laptop Sleeve was made for. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Skooba Design Wants to Stable Your Cable … Among Other Things

Judie Stanford — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:30:31 +0000

Tell me that you haven't been bothered when it came time to pack for a trip, and you didn't have an organized and protective way to carry your cables, chargers, and miscellaneous gear. I'll tell you what I usually do with mine - charging cables get put in the side pocket of my carry-on, syncing/charging cables go into my laptop bag, and camera chargers and other items that don't get put in my laptop bag usually get shuffled into the cracks and crevices of my carry-on. This arrangement works fine for the most part, but I have accepted that anytime I do this I am going to forget something - for instance it was my miniUSB cable when I went to CES. This wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but I needed it to transfer photos to my laptop. Okay, it was a big deal. This could have been avoided if I had a better system of organizing my cables and smaller gear when traveling -- or even when at home, for that matter. And that's where the completely redesigned Cable Stable DLX from Skooba Design comes in.

The case, which looks and opens like a book, features a grid of elastic hold-downs in different sizes and orientations. The elastic strips “float” freely under reinforced retention strips, so they can easily stretch and contract to accommodate a nearly limitless assortment of portable gadgets, cords, adapters, and other accessories. According to Skooba spokesperson Lorri Diggory, “It’s not at all unusual to travel with a laptop, phone, music/media device, digital camera or compact video camera, and more. That means bringing along at least a half-dozen cords, adapters, media cards, extra batteries, and other ‘support gear.’

It seems like packing chargers and cables in this would be much more effective, if for no other reason than because you could get an immediate view of what was present and what was missing. And who says you can only use it for tech gear? Lori Diggory from Skooba Design says the Stable Cable DLX is also handy for "using as a netbook case, cosmetic/toiletry kit, and even a storage case for kids’ travel distractions." Not a bad idea, and they can be had for $39.95. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

iGo aims to stop Vampires from sucking your power

LarryGreenberg — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:00:55 +0000

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 Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

New “Sleaf” for 10.2″ Netbooks (and the Kindle DX) from Uniea

Douglas Moran — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:46:59 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

Cocoon Innovations To Show New Products At CES

Travis Ehrlich — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:16:06 +0000

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.

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A few tips for getting the most out of your new netbook

LarryGreenberg — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:37:28 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

Everki Camber Netbook Case Review

Travis Ehrlich — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:45:38 +0000

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.

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Review: Tom Bihn Synapse

Joel McLaughlin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:14:22 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

be.ez Introduces LA robe Sleeves For Netbooks

Dan Cohen — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:15:40 +0000

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.

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Skooba Netbook Messenger – Review

Dan Cohen — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:41:05 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

Skooba Design Introduces Netbook Neo Sleeves

Judie Stanford — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:15:50 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

Review: Bolt Bags Netbook Cases

Joel McLaughlin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:11:05 +0000

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.

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Review: Kensington K33926US Universal Notebook Docking Station with VGA/DVI and Ethernet

Joel McLaughlin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:00:38 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

Review: A-DATA sh93 Waterproof Hard Drive

LarryGreenberg — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:15:00 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

Bolt Bags Brings Out New Netbook Specific Bags

Joel McLaughlin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:38:36 +0000

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 Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Skooba Introduces New Netbook Messenger Bag

Dan Cohen — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:45:56 +0000

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 on Gear Diary ...

Kensington Releases Two New USB Docking Stations With DisplayLink Integrated

Joel McLaughlin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:30:31 +0000

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.

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