If you’ve been patiently waiting for the Skooba Design Checkpoint Friendly laptop bags to appear, your wait will soon be over. We’ve just received word that Skooba Design is now taking pre-orders for their Checkthrough (checkpoint-friendly) bags, and the bags are scheduled to begin shipping in about 8 weeks. Here’s the latest…

Based on the e-mails, phone calls, retailer and consumer order requests we’ve received since the original announcement of the product–now well into the thousands–we will have our hands… and our sewing machines… full to make sure we produce enough to keep everyone happy through the holidays and beyond. So, we have set up the pre-order option as the best way to insure that those who want these bags can “lock them in.” We also are offering some incentives for early action (info on the order form).

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You’ve most likely seen mention of Skooba Design’s Checkpoint Friendly bags all over the web and in conventional news; we just got our hands on some of their pre-production product photos. Take a look…

This appears to be a regular business travel briefcase, right? But this is one bag that can help take the stress and hassle out of traveling. Read on for more info, photos, and a word from Michael Hess, Skooba Design’s President and CEO…

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It’s that time again…time for me to recognize all of the wonderful sponsors who believe in and who so graciously support Gear Diary…

First is Mingo Chui and the gang from PDair, one of our continuing sponsors. I’ve been reviewing PDair items for years, and am pleased to take this opportunity to thank them for supporting us. If you haven’t clicked their button recently, then do! Once on their site, you’ll find that PDair has a solution for just about every one of your mobility needs. On this site you will find quite a few reviews of their cases and other products.

Skooba Design (formerly RoadWired), is our original and longest running backer. Michael Hess believed in this site from the beginning and offered his company’s support. I’ll always be grateful that he took an early interest in us, and I hope that you all will show your appreciation for his leap of faith by clicking his ad and perusing his wares. You can see past Skooba Design / RoadWired reviews here.

Next is Ciao. They have the search box which you see in the far right column, and when you enter an item you’ll see what happens. Who and what exactly is Ciao? According to their site, “Ciao is a multi-million-strong online community that critically reviews and rates millions of products and services for the benefit of other consumers. Available free of charge to consumers in local language versions in major western European and North American markets, Ciao combines unbiased consumer reviews and up-to-date price information from hundreds of online retailers to make it the most comprehensive source of intelligent shopping on the web. Testimony to Ciao’s success, more than 38 million consumers visit the site every month, making it one of the largest shopping portals in North America and Europe.”

Last but never least is BeyzaCases. While the name may not be familiar with many of our readers, BeyzaCases products should be. As Ali, my contact there said back in May, “We, as Neta Trades Ltd have been in this business since 1998, but we have started to produce and markeket under our own brandname BeyzaCases in 2004. Untill that time we were only producing our leather Cases for well known brandnames as a confidential contractor. We are still producing for many brands in same way. But since 2004 we wanted to be in this market as BeyzaCases for to share our experience and to show our quality.We are offering competitive wholesale pricess to our clients including fast and free shipment with a Great service. All BeyzaCases products reach our clients with “LifeTime Warranty”.” We have reviewed quite a few BeyzaCases’ branded products on Gear Diary, and you can see those reviews here.

As a reminder, another way to support Gear Diary is by signing up for a free one-year subscription to any of the Free Tech magazines from the Trade Publication button on the far right sidebar. You can also purchase software (as well as hardware accessories) from the Gear Diary Store, and we also have an affiliate relationship with ProClip, makers of almost every in-vehicle mount solution you might ever need.

I would also like to thank YOU for reading Gear Diary, because without your continued support…what would be the point?

Every now and then I like to step away from the computer and do my creating in an organic manner; one of my favorite means of artistic expression is embroidery, which I have been terribly lax about doing lately.

I was sent a Skooba Design DIY Skooba Skin last year, and after wasting half a moment considering whether I should attempt to draw (or rather, paint) something amazing to fill its off-white surface, I knew that it was again time to bust out my needles and threads…

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