Gearfuse

Check out these laptop bags from designer Giles Miller. He does wondrous things with cardboard, attaches a leather belt and calls it a laptop case. While I love the look, it’s still a cardboard case. What happens if it rains? In fact, scratch that. Who cares. Didn’t your laptop come in a cardboard box? If you hung onto that, why not just attach a piece of rope on each side and voila! You’ve got yourself a case. Last I checked, Apple’s box design is more chic than half of the laptop bags out there today but I think Giles’ design wins overall due to the street cred.

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In the past few years, I’ve been flying a lot more than I used to. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the TSA’s screening process is a big pain in the ass. You’ve got to take off your shoes and leave your laptop out of a bag unless it’s in a bag that doesn’t obstruct the X-ray machine’s view. Tom Bihn’s Checkpoint Flyer Laptop Bag fixes all that. It’s a solid messenger bag with plenty of storage and it features a detachable part just for your notebook, which will get you on your flight a lot faster.

At $220, it’s a little expensive but could be worth it for the frequent traveler. Click through for a huge, elaborate review of the bag.

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Music Skins (a.k.a. GelaSkins) collaborated with streetwear label Lemar and Dauley to create a line of covers for laptops, iPods, iPhones, and plain old cellphones. All of the skins are emblazoned with Lemar and Dauley’s rainbow skyline logo. I dig the skyline drawing on the skins, but I don’t see why anyone besides a major label whore would want two other dudes’ names on their electronics.

These Lemar and Dauley skins are made with specialty 3M vinyl that’s less than 2mm thick with residue-free adhesive that allows for worry-free removal when you want a new look for your gear. Music Skins also has downloadable wallpapers so you can match the screen of your device to it’s skin. After the jump, check out more photos the Lemar and Dauley line for Music Skins.

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These are some of the most intricate designs to ever to get etched into a laptop’s casing. Gordon Cohen recently had his Macs upgraded with images of “composed corporate animals”, which I’m guessing is a shot at the man or something like that. Engraved by Device Nine Six, those looking for a similar design for their laptop and living in New York should be sure to ask PT over at MAKE about his custom laser-etching service.

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Eco-friendly Uruguayan leathermaker Begoodesigns has found a use for old car seats. They’re making swank laptop cases using recycled auto upholstery. Begood’s bags don’t just protect the environment, they also guard your precious computer. Inside the bags, there’s a soft lining made from padded car seat fabric.

With it’s classic leather luggage styling, this recycled laptop bag is a major step up from those DIY velcro and duct tape laptop bags. Begoodesign’s car seat leather computer case sells for $250 on their web site. Buy one of these and you might be able to feel a little bit better about driving a big ol’ gas-guzzling SUV. If you’re looking for even more recycled leather gear Begoodesigns also makes sandals and necklaces.

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The kids at the Missouri School of Journalism sure as hell do. Something like 80% of the students in this photo apparently. Interesting how certain segments of the population are so Mac oriented despite it’s relatively small market share compared to Windows.—Sean Fallon

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The $100 laptop idea from philanthropist Nicholas Negroponte was a valiant effort, don’t get us wrong. But come on, that would of lasted, like, a few years at best. At that point, even average laptops might be that much. I mean, who knows, right? The HRD ministry has taken on a project to produce a $10 laptop.

And at that going rate, we suspect it to be made of paper and water? When the $100 laptops are released this fall (rumored to be closer to $150), of course it will be seen as a landmark of progression in technology. But when the $10 laptop is released, that is when we will really see a laptop per child. — Andrew Dobrow

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We know for some of you the thought of a larger MacBook makes you drool. You might be seeing them quicker then you think. Sources in Taiwan are saying that a 15.4-inch MacBook might be shipping by mid-year. With MacBook sales ever increasing so far in 2007, the sources also say it is most likely to see even more of a boost in sales with the release of the 15.4-inch MacBook. The 15.4-inch MacBook Pros are currently very expensive and relate to a small percentage of the Mac sales. The new laptops are also rumored to be being produced by Quanta, the same computer company who produces MacBook Pros, rather then Asus. — Andrew Dobrow

15.4-inch MacBooks to begin shipping in 2Q, say sources [DigiTimes, via Crave]

This might not be something you want to do if you expect one day to use your warranty on your laptop, since they usually don’t cover personal foul-ups, but the fine people at Instrucables have made a nice set of instructions for cleaning your laptops inner parts.

The importance of being careful while doing this is essential, since as said above, the company would most likely laugh in your face if you tell them how the computer got messed up. If your feeling lucky and are confident in your tech skills, grab your Q-Tips and have a blast. Stopping an over-heating laptop yourself might just be worth the risk. — Andrew Dobrow

Cleaning your laptop cooling system and Clean the dust out of its heat sink [Instructables, via Consumerist]

Alienware might be expensive, but they have some seriously kickass systems. The hardware they shove into their Area-51 laptops makes our computers cower in shame. And now this. A notebook faster then a speeding bullet. It’s a bird. No, a plane. It’s the Alienware Superman Returns Notebook.

Talking about things that are super. The hardware specs on this thing, like the majority of Alienware computers, is SUPER crazy, and SUPER powerful. Alienware also knows how to make a pretty case.

After playing around with a bunch of the options on the product page and taking Alienware’s recommendation of add-ons, the grand total for a Superman Returns notebook is $3274. WOW. By saying wow, we actually mean, Holy Shit!

But for the amount of power packed behind it, Alienware is always a reasonable price for what you actually get. For that price you get a Intel Core Duo Processor among other top of the line specs and periphs. — Andrew Dobrow
Product Page [Alienware]