Belkin latop@home SleeveTop Case...

http://www.belkin.com/laptopathome/

Has anyone seen these in real life yet? Anyone using one of them?

I ran into this line today at Staples. I know they look kind of cartoonish but to be honest I liked the idea, the feel and the construction.

I think one of the biggest causes of laptop failure is due to miss handling when we pickup our laptops just from moving them around. How often do you grab your laptop by a corner while it is open? This puts all the weight on the frame and even hinges and causes flexing. I feel it leads to failure of the plastics due to fatigue. The flexing might also cause fatigue to the MB and other internal components.

Using something like these "bags" might be a nice way to move your laptop around during the day. You are also pretty much forced to close the laptop and fold the bag to move the laptop around. So there is no strain on the case & frame of the laptop. Plus I think the colors are cool!! The orange and green are NEON bright and the silver is not too bright and much more subdued.

They are really overpriced at Staples for $50 but I found them at Provantage for about $26. Heck, Belkin seems to sell them direct for $40...

I know the PocketTop will not fit my 17" HP/Compaq NX9420 but I suspect the SleeveTop will. I emailed Belkin asking the internal measurements or if it will hold a laptop of the dimensions for the HP I have. I did not have my laptop with me to check the fit and it's an hour drive back to Staples so I'll wait to hear back from Belkin before i order one.

 

I forgot to add that I really did not care for the handle setup on the PocketTop bag. It's weird because it does not go through both sides and well, it feels weird and just did not fit my hand well. Sort of felt like I might drop it pretty easily. But I did like the hole in the back for cables & the powercord.

The SleeveTop did not have the hole in the back. But I did like the more traditional handle on the SleeveTop.

 

I have to say that the few times I worked with an apple laptop inside one of those 'stay-in-the-bag' setups, they worked well. Overheating is my main concern but I like the idea of not having to empty my laptop bag to work. Just pop it open and go. Dunno about the 'sour apple' color they have displayed tho =)

 

Yeah, the overheating is a concern but something we cannot see in the pics they have are there are two sort of silicon-ish oval strips that run the depth of the case bottom that hold the laptop about 1/4" above the material portion.

Still I am not sure it's a universal fit to allow ventilation. If it turns out it will hold a 17" laptop I'll be sure to share some pics.

And yeah that "sour apple" green is something else for sure. The orange is really bright too. The silver really has the lowest attention grabbing factor for sure.

 

Hey those look pretty cool..you guys know if the sleevetop can accommodate 17inch laptops?

 

hey max:

I am waiting to hear back from Belkin about the fit for a 17" laptop. My impression is yes but I would not base anything on that. If we don't hear back from Belkin, next time I go to Santa Barbara I'll take mine with and check for fit.

 

I don't know, but I like PocketTop, and it's only up to 15"

Malia