Keen Airport Way – TSA checkpoint friendly laptop backpack

by Scott Carmichael on

In the outdoor world, Keen may be better known for their amazing footwear, but they also offer an impressive array of bags. One of the newest bags in that lineup is the Airport Way – a stylish checkpoint friendly laptop bag.

The Airport Way is larger than your average school backpack, but it is clearly designed to hold more than just a couple of books and pens. The outer dimensions are 11.5 x 20 x 8 inches, but despite its size, the bag weighs in at just 2.7 pounds. The inner space is immense – after popping a laptop inside it, there is still plenty of space of a couple of days of clothes and other small items.

The inner storage is well designed, and both the front and main compartment has been filled with pockets, pouches and other handy features. On the bottom of the bag is a large non-slip rubber pad.

To use the TSA portion, you simply flip the backpack straps to the front, unzip the rear and unfold it. The straps have to be out of the way because of the TSA rules for laptop bags – if you want to keep your laptop inside its bag, nothing may obstruct the X-Ray machine. The whole process takes under ten seconds to unzip and re-zip. I tried the laptop portion with various computers, and found them all to fit well up to around 16″.

The rear features padded shoulder straps, an air-mesh cushioned comfort back panel and a strap to link the shoulder straps together.

The straps and rear panel are comfortable, and the price is well in line with most other high-end checkpoint friendly backpacks. Best of all, it comes in three colors (black/grey, black/rust and navy/dark shadow). The only thing I found missing on it are side pockets for a water bottle or umbrella.

The Keen Airport Way retails for $130, and is available from Keen or one of its many retailers. I really like this bag – it lets you carry your laptop, without having to look like a suit. With its internal storage space, you can bring everything you need for a couple of days, as well as your computer. Most importantly, the bag feels extremely well made – something that easily justifies its price.

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The Icon by IPEVO – the coolest iPhone and iPod battery ever made

by Scott Carmichael on

With 100’s of iPhone backup batteries on the market, creating something that will get my attention is tough. Unless it does something nothing else does, I’m usually just not all that interested. Now that is out of the way, lets take a close look at the IPEVO Icon Power Pack.

At first glance, there is not much special about this battery pack. It has a dock connector on the top, a MiniUSB port on the bottom, and a shiny black plastic exterior. But as soon as you charge the Icon, or plug it into your iPhone, it shows its hidden trick – this thing lights up like a battery icon on your phone!

Behind the front of the Icon is a electroluminescent panel, which shows the charging status! The first time I used it, I must have looked like a 13 year old girl playing the newest Justin Bieber single, because the inner geek in me found the whole thing mighty amusing.

The Icon is nice and portable, and comes with a MiniUSB charger cable, a protective cap for the dock connector and a micro fiber case to keep it looking nice and new.

The price is a bit of an issue, because at $53.68, you’ll be paying about $20 more than most other (premium brand) iPhone backup chargers, but to be honest, this is one product that is cool enough to overlook the higher price.

According to IPEVO, the Icon will add about 3 hours of talk time to an iPhone 3G or 4, and up to 18 hours of audio playback. The exact specification of the battery is not published, but I’m guessing it is 1000mAh.

To learn more about the Icon, or to place an order, head on over to ipevo.com. To clarify – the Icon is developed by Essential Tpe and sold exclusively in the U.S. by IPEVO.

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Aviiq Laptop stand – the $80 German engineered accessory for your computer

by Scott Carmichael on

Shopping for luxury travel items isn’t too hard – you’ll find plenty of inspiration in our Daily Pampering segment, and most decent airports have a great selection of expensive and shiny new gear.

If you are not immediately scared away by pricey computer accessories, then you’ll probably love the Aviiq portable laptop stand. This is not your average laptop stand, and certainly nowhere near shoddy quality of the $10 stands you’ll find at your local electronics superstore.

The Aviiq stand is made of German engineered Hylite composite material, which bonds a core of plastic inside an aluminum shell. The end result is the lightest laptop stand in the world, at just under 5.5 ounces.

To use the Aviiq stand, you remove it from its microfiber pouch, unfold it, and fold the rear legs into position. This creates a 12 degree angle, perfect for long stretches of work on your laptop. Best of all, the angle also creates an air gap, which will help keep your laptop much cooler.

The Aviiq Portable Laptop Stand costs $79.95 – which is probably about $60 more than you’d be looking to spend on a gadget like this. Still, there is definitely a market for products like this, and the high quality of the product partially justifies the high price.

To learn more about this creative design, or to spend $80 of your hard earned cash to get your own Aviiq laptop stand, head on over to their site.

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Skype for Android arrives in the marketplace – WiFi calling only when in the U.S.

by Scott Carmichael on

Unless you were using a Verizon Wireless device, you’ve not had the chance to use Skype on your Android phone. Thankfully, that changed this morning when Skype released their app to the world, including those of us not on Verizon.

The Skype app allows for free Skype to Skype calls, as well as paid calls to mobile and landline phones. The new Skype client for Android works on 3G and WiFi outside the U.S. and WiFi only within the U.S.

The application itself is free, and you get a free EUR0.09 credit, worth one call to a phone anywhere in the world.

The application itself is well made – it can sync with your existing contacts and stays active in your notification drop-down, ready to alert you to incoming calls or messages.

Inside the app, you can change your profile, set your status and purchase Skype add-ons. Search for “Skype” in the Android marketplace to find the app.

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Review: Aaxa Technologies M1 – the travel friendly micro projector all grown up now

by Scott Carmichael on

We’ve been covering pico and micro projectors here on Gadling since the very first one hit store shelves, and while the technology may not appeal to everyone, plenty of business travelers still rely on Powerpoint to do their job, and a projector is (sadly) an integral part of that.

In this review, we’ll look at the newest from projector company Aaxa Technologies. Their M1+ Micro Projector uses the latest LCOS technology to squeeze a very competent little projector into a small case, packing a 66 (or 75) lumen SVGA beamer into just 14 ounces.

The projector itself looks just like one its larger cousins – but smaller. Lens is on the front, focus lever on the top, vents on the side and a variety of connectors on the rear.

On the rear of the M1+ are connectors for VGA/component , AV in, audio out, USB, SD and power. The projector comes with a VGA cable and an AV cable. Additional cables for the iPod/iPhone, Zune and other devices are available from Aaxa.

One of the smarter features of the M1+ is its built in media player. The device supports a wide variety of media formats, including MP3, AVI, JPG, VOB and 3GP. Media can be added to the 1GB internal memory, off an SD card, or off a plugged in USB device.

The only button on the M1+ is the power button – so all other controls have to be operated using the included remote. Its range is quite decent, but you’ll need to point it directly at the projector for it to work.

Image quality is outstanding – the projector supports native 800×600 resolutions with enough brightness to project images up to around 100 inches in a dark room, or up to 60 inches in a dim room. With this, you’ll have the resolution and brightness required to give a presentation, and watch a movie on your hotel room wall.

A 1 watt speaker is built in, so you can play content directly off a media player, without having to drag along extra hardware. The only really confusing design flaw of the M1+ is its lack of a stand or tripod mount. You need to use the projector vertically, and since it lacks an adjustment screw, you’ll probably need to find some books or folders to prop it up for your presentation.

This design flaw is a real shame, because the M1+ is by far the best micro projector I’ve ever tested in this price range – images are crisp, the unit is quiet, and the built in media player is very good. Still, despite this minor flaw, the M1+ is an absolute steal at just $299, making it the best value for money in this category. The projector comes complete with a remote control, VGA and AV cables and a USB data cable. A battery pack is available for just under $80.

To learn more about the Aaxa Technologies M1+ and its brighter version, the M1 limited, head on over to the product site.