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May 8th through 15th Archives

Wednesday, May 14th 2003 09:44 CDT

Bagweek: Acme Discount

Acme Made has announced a PBZone-exclusive discount and the first discount they've ever offered. To receive 7% off any purchase at their store, use code PBZ513 in the coupon code field of their check out process. The code will be available for a limited time only. Thanks to Acme for the discount. The review of their bag is available here.

Bagweek: Reader Minireview of Booq's PowerSleeve17

Reader Francois sent a minireview of his new Booq PowerSleeve17:

I just received the Booq PowerSleeve 17 for my new PowerBook this afternoon. I don't know whether you plan on reviewing this particular bag or not, but in case you aren't, I thought I'd chime in with a few impressions.

First of all, I should mention that my previous bag was the $40 TiBag, and I fear I must evaluate the PowerSleeve in light of that product. I'm not one to carry around an entire arsenal of accessories and doodads, but I also want something more than just a wetsuit for my laptop. My ideal bag would allow me to carry the PowerBook and its power adapter, as well as a few accessories--an iPod, couple of extra cables, a note pad or slim binder, and a digital camera--but in a relatively low profile. It seems that most bags out there are either superslim or carry-alls; few hit that middle ground. My old TiBag was perfect (for me that is) in that respect. Alas, the monster 17" PowerBook doesn't fit in it (TiBag, if you're reading this: make a bigger bag!).

Back to the PowerSleeve--the bag looks great. In terms of detailing and construction, this bag is top flight. The material is solid and rigid; no sagging or flimsy nylon here. The stitching is tight, even, and seems sturdy. Interior surfaces of the bag are lined with a soft cloth which promises not to scratch up my baby. Hardware is custom and cool; I especially like the concealed connection for the shoulder strap. Even a cursory examination of this bag will reveal that this is a well-made, quality product. And the price is right, too: $54.50 plus tax and shipping.

However, its design leaves a bit to be desired, strictly based on MY criteria; others may like a lower-profile bag and be perfectly happy with this offering from Booq. But for my tastes and needs, the PowerSleeve could use an additional slim compartment or pocket, for a book or whatnot. There's really only room for the PowerBook, power adapter, power cord, an extra cable, and a slim notepad. Don't plan on stuffing your iPod/PDA and an extra drive or digital camera in there. In all fairness to Booq, this IS the PowerSLEEVE. I only wish there was a middle ground between their FoleeMessenger and the 'Sleeve.

One real disappointment of the bag, regardless of subjective design preferences, is the shoulder strap. Compared to the TiBag with its broad ergonomic strap, the 3/4" wide webbing of the Sleeve's strap is a bit undersized. The pad itself seems a bit anemic; I'll see how my shoulder will hold up to lugging the extra weight of the PowerBook 17" around. This is the only real shortcoming of the bag, and I wish Booq offered an upgrade to a more industrial-strength strap. As it is, I'll probably be shopping for a third-party strap, and hopefully I can find one.

To recap:

PROS: attractive design, very well made, reasonably priced.
CONS: needs a little more storage space in my opinion, and definitely needs a beefier shoulder strap with more padding.

Tuesday, May 13th 2003 13:52 CDT

XLR8 Reviews Hitachi 80GB Notebook Drive

Accelerate Your Mac! reviewed the (formerly IBM) Hitachi Travelstar 80GB notebook drive on their page today. There are lots of graphs and numbers comparisons on the largest drive available for a PowerBook or iBook out there.

Monday, May 12th 2003 11:51 CDT

Bagweek--Bagmonth?--Marches Forth: Booq FoleeMessenger17 Reviewed Plus 25% Discount

As promised, our parade of bag reviews and exclusive discounts continues today with a review of Booq's FoleeMessenger17. Along with that review, Booq has kindly offered a 25% discount off the bag for PBZone readers only. To get in on the deal until the 15th of this month, visit this special page with the discount.

We've got about 2 or 3 bags left, so stay tuned...

Thursday, May 8th 2003 07:30 CDT

Bagweek Can't be Stopped: Acme Made's Slim Reviewed

We really liked this bag. Acme Made's "Slim" bag isn't the most practical bag if you have a ton of PowerBook paraphernalia, but it stands out in a crowd. Check out our full review of the bag here.

Bagweek will continue next week, so we suppose this has now become "bagmonth" in a sense, but we've still got 3 or 4 great bags to review with another couple possibilities on the way. We also have some discounts lined up for PBZone readers only so check that out. See you Monday!

PowerBook 17" Reader Mini Review

We're always happy to publish readers' impressions of new Apple products, so we're pleased to present you with reader Francois' thoughts about his new 17" PowerBook:

I eventually ordered the 'Book from Rich at ClubMac; everybody seemed to be selling this beauty for about the same amount, offering about the same RAM upgrades/printers/software bundles, etc. ClubMac had them in stock, though, and shipped it Airborne ground (I know, that's an oxymoron, but it was free). I got it within three days of ordering it.

When the machine arrived and I got it out of the matte black box, I first looked over the accessories and peripherals. As always, Apple's industrial design shines. The AC adapter is very similar to the TiBook's, with minor differences. The extension cord that comes with it is a three-pronged one for some reason (although the plug that clips directly to the adapter is still a two-prong). The DVI cable is cool, shades of the iPod.

On to the machine itself. The aluminum finish is quite nice; I like it better than the titanium's. The differences are fairly subtle; the machines (other than size) might look very similar in photos, but are noticeably distinct live. The 17's keyboard is silver, the speaker grilles are perforated portions of the case, the edge plastic is minimal and grey, etc. Next to the TiBook, this new machine looks a bit more sophisticated, and is even slicker than its predecessor.

The screen of course, is gorgeous. As I use my PowerBook as a design production machine for large-format architectural drawings, the extra real estate is a delight. Crisp and bright, it seems to outshine even the lovely DVI TiBook's screen. Apple has incorporated a feature (presumably using the same sensor which governs the keyboard's brightness) which allows the PowerBook to automatically adjust screen brightness variably with ambient light levels. And I'm happy to note no bad pixels. Graphics handling is good too, as one would expect, with ray-traced renderings performing noticeably faster than the previous generation TiBooks. I haven't yet clocked the same file rendering on both machines side by side, but I expect the 17 is at least twice as fast in renderings as my old 667 MHz TiBook. 

Others have remarked on fan noise; I can't agree so far. This machine is not as hot or loud as the TiBook. It is bigger and noticeably heavier, though, obviously. You pay for that huge screen with some heft in the PowerBook. An iBook it ain't! Unfortunately it won't fit in my TiBag (aside: since it is bag week I should plug this excellent and reasonably-priced bag!); I've ordered a Booq Sleeve 17" to replace the outgoing TiBag. We'll see how I like it when it arrives.

Other miscellaneous notes: AirPort reception is vastly improved, as promised. Whereas I would get 0-2 bars from the dining room table to my base station (almost exactly 100 feet away) with the TiBook (and even then I had to position the machine *just so*), I get 2-3 solid bars on the 17 and never drop signal. Side-positioned ports are great, IMHO; no reaching around behind the machine to plug in.

All in all a lovely and powerful machine. I'm very pleased with it and recommend it unhesitatingly for someone who wants that much screen and portability too. I've owned a half-dozen PowerBooks (at least), and this is far and away the best.

MD

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