Mac Life magazine has a great article this month talking about different iPad cases. Of the five cases they looked at three were from manufacturers we’ve seen before (Speck, Incipio, and Booq). The list prices ranged from $29.95 (Booq) up to $49.95(HardCandyCases). The best rating (Mac Life rated Excellent) was given to a case (that we’d previously never seen from a company we never heard of) from be.ez. The be.ez La Robe iPad Allure comes in four color / stripe patterns and is described as being good protection and a snug fit. We like that this case features a zipper closure; too many iPad cases are designed to slide your iPad in and out too easily. The downside is that given our look at the bag we couldn’t see any handle and the zipper while sturdy looks massive . The Mac Life review points out that they had concerns the zipper might scratch you iPad.
You have to love the sleeves from foof. foof sleeve products for the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and now iPad are hand made and shipped worldwide from Australia. Foof sleeves are sized to be a perfect fit and do not have a zipper or other closure. I’ve got a foofbag for my Mac Book. Keeping the MacBook in a foofbag actually keeps the Mac clean as it literally polishes the case. It is almost a year old now and still fits perfectly. 
The workmanship is great. My foofbag is a blue herringbone tweed on the outside and black satin on the inside. Since it doesn’t have any pockets or zipper it slides easily into all the different bags that I use that don’t already have their own sleeve. As per the care instructions I did take it to the cleaners once for dry cleaning and still looks and fits like new.
The foofshop is great. The web site is well organized and maintained. Ordering is straightforward. Currency conversion is available right on the main page so there is no mystery as to what your final order will cost. The foofbag for a MBP costs about $30 USD. Shipping was very reasonable. We highly recommend checking out foof!
I love my iPhone. For years before I carried a Blackberry and that was a great cell phone. I now carry a 3GS and it is fantastic. It’s so much more than just a cell phone. I’ve had it for about a year now and I’ve only had one harrowing moment when it shut down badly and didn’t immediately restart. As much as I love my iPhone i really like the protective case that I bought for it; a Case-Mate Vroom Case for iPhone 3G, 3G S (Black)
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The Vroom is good protection for the iPhone. It’s thick; easy to grip; and looks like a rubber tire. It has a thick lip around the display that protects my iPhone even when I lay it glass side down. Another reason I like it is that I can get the Vroom case off quickly and instead carry the iPhone in my corporate belt clip type cell phone case. The iPhone inside the Vroom case won’t fit in my belt clip case; it’s too large. Case-Mate is pretty clear about that on their website too. This case was not designed to fit in a holster. Being in a rubber jacket doesn’t make the iPhone very easy to get in and out of pockets.
The other day I noticed that my Vroom case seems to be wearing out. It’s losing it’s black color and starting to turn grey in the corners. Case-Mate warranties all their cases for 30 days but given the price that I paid a year ago (less than $15.00 on Amazon) I’m OK with the protection given the use.
The Brenthaven Duo 15 is a black backpack style laptop bag. The Duo’s dimensions are 18” H x 14” W x 8” D (40” around). This bag is constructed out of heavyweight ballistic Nylon outside and satin-like nylon inside. Exterior is black and the interior is black or gun metal grey and this bag comes in that one color scheme. The fabric doesn’t show dirt or dust and wears very well. Overall the bag is very well constructed. All seams are tight. An insert section in the laptop compartment can be removed for cleaning. Otherwise clean up is hand wash with mild soap and hang dry.
The Duo features five pockets: a large lockable, top load laptop pocket; a large top load document pocket with divider; a wide and thin pencil or ID pocket at the top of the front; a good sized front pocket with additional pockets inside; and a wide equipment pocket near base.
As a backpack the Duo features very well padded mesh back and non-removable, well-padded, adjustable shoulder straps. There is a large comfortable handle on the top of the bag. The zippers are all large and clear of any fabric overhang or coverage. The Duo also features a fabric loop on the side of the bag for luggage tag or carabineer. There is a small Brenthaven tag on the side of the laptop pockets and a small Brenthaven fabric tag on the shoulder strap. The front pocket has another Brenthaven fabric tab with the manufacturers phone number and cleaning instructions on the back. Also the gunmetal colored satin-like fabric on the insides of the pockets bears the manufacturers names and logo.
Impressions
The Duo is available everywhere. Brenthaven sells it’s products through many stores and channels. Amazon and eBags pricing are probably the lowest priced stores as they buy in large quantities.
This is a big looking bag that is easy to wear. Given the construction and protection offered when loaded this bag is not light. The backpack straps and mesh back make this bag very comfortable to wear. While not waterproof; nothing inside got wet after walking with this loaded backpack for several blocks in the rain.
The patent pending “Core Protect” system is a great feature. The foam inserts around the laptop compartment can be adjusted to accommodate different sized laptops. That compartment was large enough to carry the computer in a sleeve (for a lighter carry while on travel) or to fit 2-3 magazines. Our Mac Book Pro 15” was very well protected in this bag. The laptop compartment features a lockable zipper.
This bag can stand when being loaded. Laptop is easy to get in and out. The bag was hard to overload. When that document section and the front pocket is too full the zippers won’t close.
The Duo fits well on or behind the seat in the car. Laying it back side down this bag didn’t roll around the trunk of the car. This bag fits easily in airline overhead storage and likely fit well under the seat in front of you. The top loading compartments are handy for getting items in and out when under the seat.
Upside
Upside is that this is probably the best man’s backpack style computer bag on the market today. It offers great construction and protection for a very reasonable price.
Downside
There were a couple of downside points here. First off is that this bag only comes in one color scheme. One color scheme seems to be the Brenthaven way. Another issue is that this bag is very popular. I have attended meetings where three or four people in the room have this same bag. I had a NY Yankees patch sewn to the bag to tell mine apart. Lesson learned is that it would be difficult if not impossible to get this bag embroidered unless it came from the manufacturer during construction.
Pros: Sweet backpack. Booq does it AGAIN with another backpack that I love calling my own. Great looks, features and construction.
Cons: It won’t fit under some airline seats. I know. Picky but I have run into this several times flying.
Aesthetics
What can I say? Booq never fails to step up to the plate in this area. Their bags are classy and look high class. The bag is black overall and has orange accents. There is a metal orange and sliver medallion on the front. The front of the backpack also has a black on black grid pattern that adds some sweet tech feel to it overall.
Comfort
To keep overall cubic inches of storage, booq had a choice. They could make it a “normal”, rectangular bag or instead make it wide and take some off the length. They chose the latter. The Python is a wider backpack that most and it feels like it sits higher up on your back. It is kind of strange at first and it does take some getting used to. With it fully loaded down it felt fine. I’m not sure short of an internal frame that with as much stuff as I haul around it could ever be super comfortable. When loaded the Python never made me feel like I needed to sit and take a rest which is good if your running through the airport.
The Python XM has a detachable waist strap. I admit I haven’t used the waist strap, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
Organizational Features
This bag has lots of storage. The great thing is it doesn’t look like it has 16 pockets and compartments. Amazing! The pockets on the side are large enough for a water bottle. Inside are pockets are where I carry my Canon digital camera, Airport Express, Plantronics 640 and other accessories as well as the myriad of chargers and cables that I can’t seem to live without.
The iPod pocket is lined with a soft fabric to prevent scuffing. Let me say that this pocket is a tight fit for an iPod. If you have a silicon case for your iPod, it will be very difficult to wedge it in.
There is even a “secret” compartment to put flat things in. Heck it’s so secret I just found a Firewire cable I’ve been looking for. Trust me; you won’t want for storage with this bag.
Protection
I used the Python in conjunction with booq’s Vyper M for the Apple Powerbook. The protection factor of the system is great. The soft lined laptop pocket is padded on two sides and offers is great protection even without the Vyper M. Add the Vyper and it protects better than Superman protects Jimmy Olsen. The laptop compartment opens from the top so access to the laptop when inside the bag is easy,
Conclusion
This is another great backpack from booq. It has everything. Storage, comfort, looks. If you need a bag to haul gear in, not books but gear, then consider the Python XM. It’s pricey, but so is that laptop you have 3,456 photos and 30 GB worth of music on.
Manufacturers product page for the booq Python XM.
