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CushTop and PocketTop

Michelle Victoria — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:53:07 -0500

Keep your lap cool by stashing your MacBook in the PocketTop while you work.

The CushTop offers more cushion for the pixel-pushin'.

When you find yourself using your MacBook more in your living room than in your office, it's time to think about using a laptop cushion, such as the Belkin CushTop or PocketTop. The CushTop protects your thighs from the toasty underbelly of your MacBook, and the additional height it provides can promote better posture (read: no more notebook-induced hunching). The gap in the middle of the CushTop can be used to stash your power adapter and mouse.

The PocketTop is more of a case than a cushion - but it's for home use. It's not durable enough for toting about town. Its pocket can hold your power adapter, and there's a feed-though hole for the power cord so it can stay connected to the notebook.

The bottom line. There's no reason to fashion your own notebook cushion by stealing pillows off the couch. Let the CushTop or PocketTop soften the space between you and your MacBook instead.

> CUSHTOP

COMPANY: Belkin

CONTACT: www.belkin.com

PRICE: $34.99

REQUIREMENTS: Mac notebook
Available in green, orange, and silver. Storage pocket lets you stash power adapter and mouse.
Nothing, really.

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> POCKETTOP
COMPANY: Belkin
CONTACT: www.belkin.com
PRICE: $49.99
REQUIREMENTS: 15-inch or smaller Mac notebook
Available in green, orange, and silver. Storage pocket lets you stash power adapter and mouse.
17-inch PowerBooks or MacBook Pros won't fit.

I own a G3 iBook. Somebody told me about adding a handle to it. I’d like to try this, but how?

Niko Coucouvanis — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:45:11 -0500

Laptop handles from QuickerTek install in a few minutes and let you haul your ’Book without a case.

We bet that person was talking about QuickerTek’s aptly named iBook Handle ($49.95, www.quickertek.com/handles.php), which provides handy carriage and simple three-screw installation, plus it lifts and separates the ’Book’s hot rear end from your desk or tabletop.

TruePower Extended-Life Battery

Roman Loyola — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 02:09:16 -0500

Buy this beefier battery for your 15-inch MacBook Pro, and keep the stock battery as a backup.

Anyone spooked by the online tales of exploding notebook batteries will be relieved to hear that according to FastMac, its TruePower Extended-Life Battery doesn't contain the cells that made those batteries blow up. What's more, the TruePower battery lasted 11 minutes longer than the 15-inch MacBook Pro's stock battery during a viewing of Lawrence of Arabia. DVD playback is probably the most power-hungry task your MacBook Pro can do, which means that under regular use, you'll get about 3.5 hours of life from the TruePower - just slightly more than you can eke out of a standard battery.

The TruePower's aluminum backplate (not a cheesy sticker, thank goodness) matches the MacBook Pro, and it also has similar LED indicators and an LED button. You can only tell the difference between the TruePower and a stock battery if you look at the part of the battery that faces inside the MacBook Pro.

The bottom line. If the extra charge life isn't quite enough, consider this: The TruePower battery is cheaper than an Apple replacement battery. Better battery life at a lower price? Sold.

COMPANY: FastMac
CONTACT: www.fastmac.com
PRICE: $99.95
REQUIREMENTS: 15-inch MacBook Pro
Larger charge life over stock battery. Cheaper than Apple replacement battery.
Greater battery-life gains would've been nice.

Huckleberry

Roman Loyola — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 18:32:47 -0600

Yes, it's all done with mirrors!

It happens at every Mac Expo: Someone decides he wants to shoot video footage using his MacBook's built-in iSight camera. You see this individual walking around with an open 'Book facing the crowd as he twists in contortions that would make Plastic Man jealous in his attempts to check out exactly what he's filming. Next time you see that person, tell him to go get a Huckleberry.

The Huckleberry is a tiny rearview mirror made in two versions for the MacBook and MacBook Pro - an important distinction since the cases have different thicknesses. The miniature mirror slips onto the 'Bookâ€™s lid, over the iSight, so youâ€™re ready for action. The mirror is angled so as not to obscure the top of your 'Bookâ€™s screen.

Of course, it does take some getting used to. The mirror causes the images you're filming to appear reversed on your screen. To solve this, Huckleberry comes with a license for Ecamm Network's iGlasses (www.ecamm.com). After you download iGlasses, the app can flip the recorded image so it's correctly oriented, and it also has some extremely helpful settings (brightness, sharpness, white balance, and more) so you can get better-looking images from your iSight.

The bottom line. The Huckleberry makes the 'Book's iSight practical to use for video recording. You'll still look a little silly walking around with your 'Book, but at least you'll have better control over the camera view.

COMPANY: Mungai Mirrors
CONTACT: www.mungaimirrors.co.uk
PRICE: $19.99
REQUIREMENTS: MacBook or MacBook Pro
Affordable. Bundled with excellent iGlasses utility.
You can't use the same Huckleberry on different â€™Book models.