In preparation for our September 2007 feature story on laptop bags, cases, and sleeves, we've got a steadily growing tower of boxes from a wide array of vendors here at our office in lovely South San Francisco.

 

On a recent trip to New York, we found it extremely handy to have a cushioned sleeve for our 15-inch MacBook Pro, in addition to the built-in protection already featured in our notebook bag. We'll feature full reviews of these three laptop sleeves - plus several more - in our September feature story, but in case you're in the market for a new sleeve now, here's a first look to help you choose between different materials, design, and styling.

 

Built 15" Laptop Sleeve

The most flamboyant of the trio, Built's 15" Laptop Sleeve ($37.99 for stripes or dots; also available in black, blue, and light green for $34.99) is a rounded-corner neoprene sleeve with a zippered closure on the "tall" end - in other words, you slide the notebook in vertically rather than horizontally. This design comes in extremely handy if you also carry a shoulder bag that's oriented vertically or, obviously, a backpack, because you can get your notebook out of your bag without removing the sleeve.

 

We like the vertical orientation of Built's neoprene notebook sleeve.

 

Our biggest complaint about neoprene sleeves in general is how bad they smell when they're new. This isn't a ding on the Built sleeve - just a comment on the material. On the up side, neoprene is a delightfully squishy, cushiony, machine-washable material, and it protects your precious 'Book quite well against bumps and bruises, not to mention extreme heat or cold. (This is not to say that we've done rigorous testing in this area; we're too paranoid to subject our 'Book to such risks.) Double zippers on the Built sleeve let you zip or unzip it from either side - a nice touch. The heavy-duty plastic zipper didn't catch on itself or on the neoprene seam with repeated zipping and unzipping, although it is a bit noisy.

 

Incidentally, Built is the same company that makes those hip neoprene beverage coolers you've seen in wine and travel shops. Like many of the best Mac and iPod accessories, Built's two-bottle wine tote was born from the age-old "I want this but can't find it on the market" problem. The laptop cases followed, along with Built's $24.99 Charger Bag, which helps you keep your mouse, charger, and other power accessories neat and organized. All Built bags are machine washable.

 

Although the pattern looks brighter in this photo than it is in reality, the bold stripes on this squishy neoprene laptop sleeve do indeed make a statement. For the less flamboyant, Built's sleeves are also available in solid colors: black, blue, and green.

 

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Case Logic 14"-15" Reversible Shuttle

We'll soon be getting in a version of the Case Logic Shuttle ($24.99) that's designed specifically for the 15-inch MacBook Pro - and if it's as easy to use and smartly designed as the generic model that fits 14- to 15-inch notebooks, we can't wait. Like the Built sleeve, the Case Logic Shuttle loads vertically. Unlike the Built sleeve, the Shuttle has no zipper. Instead, there's a lip that folds down over the top, kind of like a pillowcase. The benefit to this is that there's no zipper to jam, snag, or break. (And if you're a student or businessperson who attends a lot of meetings, this allows you to remove your notebook in total silence.)

 

As you can see from this image provided by Case Logic, the Reversible Shuttle for the 15-inch MacBook Pro fits snugly around the 'Book.

 

The only downside to the Shuttle's design might be if you put something in the sleeve that's loose, it could potentially fall out if the bag were turned upside-down. But why would you do that? You don't want anything in the sleeve besides your MacBook or MacBook Pro - especially given how scratch-prone the finishes are.

 

The Shuttle, available for both 13-inch MacBooks and 15-inch MacBook Pros, comes in a veritable rainbow of colors, and they're all reversible. And, as we mentioned, they'll soon be available specifically for 13-inch MacBooks and 15-inch MacBook Pros, so there will be a bit less air around the machine and a snugger - and snugglier - fit.

 

It is indeed reversible!

 

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be.ez LArobe Color

Notebook sleeves and bags from French company be.ez are unique in more than just their kooky product names. The LArobe sleeve ($29.99) comes in sizes that fit 12- and 14-inch iBooks; 12-, 15-, and 17-inch PowerBooks; 13- and 15-inch MacBooks; and 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros. It's made of low-resilience polyurethane, which means it behaves a little like memory foam that "forgets" in about five minutes. In other words: If you press on the outside of the LArobe sleeve, your fingers leave marks. Come back to it a few minutes later and the indentations are gone. We can't really explain the significance of this behavior, but it makes it fun to play with. Kind of like popping bubble wrap.

 

Amuse yourself during boring meetings making press-on patterns on the side of your notebook sleeve.

 

The LArobe sleeve loads horizontally, so it's better for those who carry messenger-style bags - at least if you want to be able to access your notebook without removing the sleeve from the bag first. The heavy-duty dual zipper opens and closes smoothly and is a bit less noisy than the zipper on the Built sleeve. LArobe sleeves come a variety of color schemes, too, making it easy to find one you like.

 

The French do fashion. And now they do sleeves for Mac notebooks too.