Like many other Macworld staffers , I spent the past week at theMacworld Conference & Expoin lovely Boston , MA . Although the East Coast Expo is much smaller than the San Francisco show each January — especially now that Apple has decided not to hang the former — there are still a upright identification number of exhibitor , many of whom are designate young and interesting products . A number of my favorites , such asHarman Kardon’sDrive+Play iPod solution for your car andDLO ’s TransPod for iPod shuffling , were recipients of Macworld ’s well of Show Awards , but a few others stand out , as well .
I ’ve been a fan ofSTM’sbags and backpacks for a while now , but they were showing a phone number of Modern bags at the exposition that made me wish I had several extra backs and arms just to carry them . The newLoft($55 for 12 ” PowerBook version ; $ 60 for 15″ ) is a retro - fashionable vertical - lading laptop traveling bag made of hard - responsibility chocolate-brown nylon with orange PVC trim . And the ship’s company ’s new $ 95 intent should be abighit with women who are tired of carrying both a purse and a laptop bag : The I - can’t - believe - it’s - not - leather PVC udder , available in brown with aristocratical sewing or black / black , looks like a large leather pocketbook , but includes a removable cushioned laptop computer pouch , numerous intimate pockets , and a equate transmission line / cosmetic subject . I also care the little touches : If you want to wear the travelling bag as a purse , you’re able to remove the berm strap and veil the D - rings ; on the other handwriting , if you want to use the shoulder shoulder strap , you’re able to pull back the handgrip into the sheath .
STM ’s new $ 30Reboundis an cheap , form - gibe arm for your PowerBook ; however , instead of using neoprene , that protects only against scratches , the company has used a kind of polyurethane froth which tender more auspices against bumps and knocks . at last , the new $ 75 Sports 2 — the updated version of the Sports modelling that I ’ve been using to take my PowerBook for the preceding six months — offers a turn of sweetening that has me looking to upgrade .
Longtime “ play ” computer mouse vendorRazer’s$60 Razer Pro — which is likely a blanched and gray version of the ship’s company ’s Diamondback shiner — take care like a great computer peripheral for those who expend their Macs for more than just iLife and Office . With a resolve of 1600 DPI and 7 programmable button , it should proffer even the most hardcore of gamers speed , truth , and customizability aplenty ; a matching white and grey , aluminum and plastic mouse pad cater a perfect optical mousing surface .
And the party has even unexampled mice and keyboard in the works that get you storesetsof button / central configurations — perfect for using them with different game , or for multiple drug user . ( The keyboard will even have an LCD show that lets you recognize which configuration you ’re currently using and what each key is programmed to do . ) Peter Cohen has more on the Razer Pro in his Game Room Weblog , and I look forward to reviews of all these products from Peter .
If you ’ve always wanted to add some more bling to your iPod or Aluminum PowerBook , Macmedia ’s newETCHamacis sure to be decent up your alley . You send your PowerBook or iPod to the company , which then uses a laser to etch the design of your choice directly onto the case . Add textual matter , logos , even images — you’ll get a professional - looking grayscale likeness etched permanently into the open .
iPod engrave kitchen range in Leontyne Price from $ 20 to $ 50 , with PowerBook work be $ 35 to $ 200 ( reckon on the type and size of the design ) . If you do n’t want to send your PowerBook in , for $ 36 extra Macmedia will engrave a brand - spankin’-new PowerBook screen case and send it to you — you just have to set up it yourself .
Finally , Bluelounge was showing theirCableyoyo , a $ 5 accessory designed to control cablegram clutter — at least for thinner cables such as Apple ’s iSight FireWire overseas telegram and iPod tail connective cables . The Cableyoyo accommodates up to 6 feet of cable , which , as the name implies , wrap around the unit ’s yo - yo - like channel . ( Although the Cableyoyo is straightforward rather than orotund like a real yo - yo . ) The Cableyoyo is quite sparse , so it wo n’t work with thick-skulled cables , and the plugs at theendsof your cable do n’t match into the Cableyoyo , but it ’s still a novel idea and an attractive intent .
