I have a new favorite laptop bag

My old laptop bag was beginning to fall apart, so I got The North Face Off-Site Laptop Bag the other day.  I absolutely love it.  You see, I have this "thing" about laptop bags - I'm very picky and usually dissatisfied.  I get a lot of flak from my wife for the number of bags I discard (give away, sell, etc.) because they frustrate me.

But this bag?  Awesome.  The North Face ranks as my #1 favorite bag (I'll share my #2, etc. at the end of this post, along with my favorite laptop backpacks).

Here is why I love this bag:

• This bag is extremely light, but has a ton of space (over 1800 cubic inches)
• There are "cinch straps" on the sides so you can compress it to a smaller size when it is fairly empty, or expand it when you are carrying a bunch of stuff
• Waterproof zippers keep your stuff dry in the rain
• The North Face makes extremely durable products, so this should last a long time (and it has a lifetime warranty against defects)
• There are a lot of pockets with a good range of sizes, which makes it easy to tuck away cables, power supplies, etc. for easy organization and access
• The laptop compartment is roomy for up to 17" laptops (my MacBook Pro 15" fits beautifully) - and the padding along the bottom of the bag is excellent
• There is an expandable front pocket that can expand enough to hold a bike helmet if you are into that sort of thing
• It comes in brown or black (I chose the brown) and looks casual, yet business-like
• The strap and carry handle are very comfortable

So, if you tend to carry a lot of stuff with you when you travel, I think you'll love The North Face Off-Site Laptop Bag.

The rest of the story - other strong choices:

I mentioned I had a few other favorites - here are my top choices:

Shoulder-carry laptop bags:

1. The North Face Off-Site Laptop Bag - see above.
2. Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 - This one isn't quite large enough for me, but it's a terrific bag. If you like messenger-style bags, check this one out.  Good use of space, very tough, very water-resistant, and checkpoint friendly.
3. Briggs & Riley @Work Computer Case - Spacious, versatile with lots of pockets.  A bit on the heavy side, and pricey though.
4. Tumi Alpha Large Expandable Organizer Computer Briefcase - big, lots of pockets and tough. Very expensive and the computer compartment has a very rigid reinforcement panel that can make it tough to get under some airline seats.

Laptop backpacks - note, I don't use backpacks much in business, since they look too casual for some of the meetings I attend. On vacation, backpacks are my favorite.

1. Brenthaven Trek Expandable Backpack - This is a very durable, fantastic laptop bag with great use of space. Comfortable, with nice straps.
2. Briggs & Riley @Work Computer Backpack - Great bag, lots of padding, but a bit short on pockets for me and it's pretty tight (not expandable) so it doesn't always cooperate when I overstuff it. Comfortable and durable.
3. SwissGear Carbon Backpack - Spacious, lots of pockets.  Shoulder straps are too short for someone tall like me, and it doesn't have compression straps so it feel big even when it's empty.

I've used more than my fair share of laptop bags in the last 20 years - I feel like you can't go wrong with any of the bags on this list.  Let me know what you think, if you get one of them.

My Livescribe SmartPen, 2 years later

A couple of years ago, I reviewed the LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen.  The other day, someone asked me how I like it - and specifically, how well it integrates with Evernote (which I'm always talking about, it seems).

I figured this would be a good time to provide an update on how I'm using the LiveScribe Smartpen.  First, I now have the newer model now called the Livescribe Echo Smartpen.  More storage, a bit less bulky.

Yes, I still use the LiveScribe, but not all the time.  Bottom line?  I have a love/hate relationship with it.

Why I Love the Livescribe Echo Smartpen:

• The Evernote desktop client has very clean integration with Evernote (there is a button in the LiveScribe UI that uploads the selected page automatically as a new note that becomes OCR-able).
• The Livescribe Smartpen is absolutely great for capturing notes and diagrams – it helps me to write, as writing helps me retain things better.  I'm very visual so keeping a record of my diagrams as I captured them is terrific.
• The Livescribe Smartpen's audio capture is also very handy – I can write a keyword, record, and concentrate on the conversation more fully, knowing I can go back and re-listen to all the details.
• The ability to share animated diagrams with voice annotation via their portal is way cool – though I've only done it a couple of times.  I posted an example of a recorded LiveScribe session in my last review, if you're curious.
• There is some nice built-in OCR-ish search function in the LiveScribe client software.
• The Livescribe Smartpen has really good battery life.
• Notebooks and pen refills are reasonably priced and available at Target or Amazon.

Why I Hate the Livescribe Echo Smartpen:

• The Smartpen is a bit too bulky (not so comfortable to write with for extended periods).
• The Smartpen has no reasonable way to attach to anything – that makes it a pain to carry around.  They sell a funky little carrier case for it but I can't stand it.
• I have to remember to recharge it, and it uses a microUSB cable – which I don't have many of at the moment.
• I have to remember to synch it (though it does store a lot of notes – I've never filled the pen up).
• It wasn't cheap so I feel guilty that I don't use it more often than I do.

So, that's my candid update on the Livescribe Echo Smartpen.  It is great if you take a lot of notes and want to search them, tremendous if you interview a lot of people in situations where you need very accurate recall, and it works well with both Mac and Windows.

Does your actual mileage vary from mine?  If so, I'd love to hear your opinion on this gadget.

Portable Wi-Fi access for my iPad

In spite of my initial desire to wait for version 2, I caved and decided to get an iPad. I got the Wi-Fi only version, rather than the one with built-in 3G.

The quandary now, is that I sometimes find myself in situations where I don't have access to a Wi-Fi signal (I travel a lot). For my laptop, I have a USB broadband modem which allows me to get on the internet. The iPad, however, doesn't have a USB port, so I couldn't use the USB broadband modem with my iPad.

I have found a great solution, though: the Cradlepoint PHS-300 personal hotspot. This is a small, battery powered device (rechargeable) that I plug my USB broadband modem into. It provides power to the modem, which then connects to my wireless carrier's broadband network. The PHS-300 then acts as a wireless hotspot, enabling me to share my broadband connection among up to 16 devices.

So far, this thing has worked like a charm. I used it for about 3 hours yesterday because I didn't want to pay $14.95 for a daypass on the local Wi-Fi provider. I surfed on my iPad the whole time, and it worked flawlessly.

The device works with just about any 3G or 4G USB modem you can throw at it, worldwide. I happen to have AT&T (as you can see from my picture above, but have verified that it works with my friend's WiMax (4G) modem without problems. The Cradlepoint product page has an extensive list of devices from around the world.

Enjoy your freedom!

Gadgets

Jabra Cruiser: A Great Bluetooth Car Kit (Updated Review)

[12/30/2009: Product links corrected - sorry about the error!]
[05/31/2010: Updated with pairing instructions - see end of post]

A while back, I broke my Bluetooth car kit (I knocked it out of the car onto the concrete - doh!). I did without a car kit for a while, but my state (Oregon) will begin to require hands-free devices for all cell phone use in cars beginning January 1, 2010. As I was looking for a new device, I discovered the Jabra Cruiser. This is a compact device that clips on your visor, providing an unobtrusive option for handsfree calling.

This device was very easy to set up, and paired with my iPhone automatically - much easier than with any of my previous Bluetooth devices. The controls are very simple to figure out and it is easy to use without creating lots of dangerous distractions while driving.

Hey Listen - I'm on the radio!

But the fun doesn't stop there. One of the other things I really like about the Jabra Cruiser is that it has a built-in FM transmitter. This means:

• I can either use the Cruiser's built-in speaker for calls, or I can pipe the call audio through my car stereo.
• I can use the Jabra Cruiser as a "relay" to stream music, podcasts, etc. to my stereo without any additional cables, adapters, etc. Note that this requires a phone that supports Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP), such as any iPhone with v3 iPhone OS or higher.
• The added advantage of using this device as a relay for my iPhone's audio is that I can listen to podcasts while driving and, when a call comes in, the audio is automatically paused while I take the call and the podcast resumes when I hang up. Way cool.

Nice quality audio

Easy to hear

I've tried other FM transmitters for my iPhone before, but I returned every one of them because their signals were too weak and I got a lot of hissing and static over my car stereo. In contrast, I am very pleased with the Jabra Cruiser's quality over FM.

The Cruiser will automatically find and announce (with its built-in voice) the frequency to which you should tune your stereo. I have been using the FM capabilities for a while now and, while I've heard static occasionally when I'm near large power lines, I haven't been bothered by static or hissing with this device. I think one of the things that makes a huge difference is that the Jabra Cruiser uses its wire visor clip as an antenna, which seems to greatly improve the effectiveness of its FM transmitter.

You can pause and resume audio using the Jabra's buttons which means you can start music on your phone while it's still in your pocket. If your device supports it (alas, the iPhone does not) you can move to the next or previous track with the Jabra's controls, too.

If you would rather use the built-in speaker, it is loud and clear - easily heard in a moving car.

Easy to be heard

Callers have commented that I am easy to hear on the Jabra Cruiser, and that it does a nice job of filtering out background noise and road noise (and this is true whether I use the built-in speaker or the FM stereo audio output during calls).

In case you're wondering how it sounds, I left a short message on my voice mail using the Jabra Cruiser while driving, and you can have a listen by clicking the following link (now updated in MP3 format for broader device support):

Sample Audio from Jabra Cruiser call (Now in MP3)

Other features

There are a number of other useful features provided by the Jabra Cruiser, as well (all subject to your phone supporting the feature over Bluetooth):

• Voice dialing
• Address book support so that incoming callers can be announced by name
• Support for multiple languages (English, French
• Multipoint device support so you can connect to 2 devices at once
• Great battery life (rated at 14 hours talk-time and 13 days standby time)

In short, I really like the Jabra Cruiser - it's far better than any Bluetooth car kit I've ever used. (And I am happy I'll be quite legal when January 1 rolls around!)

By the way - if you order through Amazon, it's elegible for free 2nd Day Air shipping in the US via the Amazon Prime program, so you can get it in time for Christmas if you want to give it as a gift.

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Jabra Pairing Instructions for use with iPhone (similar process for other phones)

Several times a day, someone comes to this page searching for something like "Jabra cruiser pairing mode" so I figured I'd provide the instructions here to make it easier:

• Turn the Jabra Cruiser on.
• Press and hold the answer/end button for approximately 5 seconds until “pairing mode” is announced.
• On the iPhone, go to the Settings icon, then select "General."
• Select "Bluetooth."
• In the Bluetooth screen, make sure Bluetooth is set to "On," and you should see "Jabra CRUISER" appear in the Devices section of the screen.
• Select Jabra Cruiser, and pairing should finish automatically. You shouldn't be prompted for a passphrase but, if you are, use 0000.

I hope you find this helpful!

Gadgets

The glory of unexpected unplugging

My family and I went on a short ski vacation this past week.  I'd planned to do a bit of blogging and other online 'stuff' during the trip but found that the condo we rented was totally out of any kind of data range (no data on my iPhone, no data on my laptop, not WiFi, etc.) 

I was a little annoyed at first, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise.  I decided to treat my lack of connectivity as a sign I should just relax and enjoy the time away - and I'm glad I did.

If you (like me) are in the habit of staying plugged in during your vacations, I suggest you try to spend a few days off the grid (totally - not just faking it) and see if you enjoy it as much as I did.

On the plus side:

• The camera on my iPhone worked great even if I had not data signal, and I was able to snap the shot in this post (click for larger view);
• I got a bit of reading done between the skiing and playing board games by the fire which means I'll be posting some book reviews (and a couple of gadget reviews) soon.