Latest Posts in Mobile Mac

Wheeled/rolling laptop bags

In our recent Essential Mobile Gear article, I recommended a rolling bag or case instead of a backpack or shoulder bag. As I wrote at the time:

If you travel frequently…you’ll be able to carry more—possibly even a change of clothes—without putting stress on your shoulders and back.

I’ve been taking my own advice as I’ve recently tested four rolling laptop cases. While they all help you more-easily transport your gear, thanks to standard features such as hard-rubber inline-skate-style wheels; locking, telescoping handles; and padded laptop compartments, and all fit in an overhead airplane bin, they’re otherwise very different bags with different designs and advantages.

(Note that these bags each fit a 15.4-inch—or smaller—laptop. Although I didn’t test any cases for 17-inch laptops, there are a few models out there; for example, Solo’s 17” Rolling Laptop Portfolio, Targus’ 17” Trademark II Overnight Roller, Clark & Mayfield’s Stafford Rolling Leather Tote all fit Apple’s largest portable.)

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Brenthaven Expandable Trek laptop backpack

A few weeks ago, I covered several compact laptop bags ideal for carrying a 13-inch laptop and a few vital accessories. Today’s bag, Brenthaven’s $100 Expandable Trek Backpack (), is (almost) at the opposite end of the spectrum. Although it won’t hold a 17-inch MacBook Pro—it’s limited to 15-inch models—it will hold more gear than most people will ever need to cary.

Available in black/gray, black/orange, or black/blue, the Expandable Trek measures approximately 19 inches high by 15.5 inches wide by either 9 or 11 inches deep (more on this in a bit)—it’s definitely a large pack. The bag is constructed of thick ballistic nylon, and the laptop sleeve, located against your back in the largest part of the bag, has thin padding on the sides and two very thick layers of padding on the bottom. (The bag doesn't use Brenthaven's CORE system.) Overall, like other Brenthaven bags I’ve tested in the past, the Expandable Trek feels exceptionally sturdy and well-made, and it includes a lifetime guarantee. But despite this size and construction, the bag weighs just over 3 pounds empty, which is less than several other large backpacks I’ve tested that offer less protection.

The interior of the bag is gray, rather than black, making it easier to find items inside. And you can stuff quite a bit of gear in there: The main compartment—the one with the laptop sleeve—provides nearly six inches (in depth) of additional space; four non-zippered pouches inside this section help organize smaller items. Just in front of the main compartment is a smaller zippered pocket, lined with felt, for storing sunglasses, a wallet, or other small items to which you want quick access.

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Incipio Continental Companion Cables

The white, rectangular power adapters included with recent Apple laptops are 110-240V models, which means they work around the world; you just need the right plug. Apple offers a useful World Travel Adapter Kit ($39) that includes six plugs for electrical outlets around the world; you just slide out the stock plug on the power adapter and replace it with the appropriate plug for the country in which you’re traveling. (This adapter kit also works with Apple’s USB and FireWire iPod power adapters.)

But one complaint some users have had about Apple’s adapter set is that, because the plugs connect directly to the adapter, it can be difficult to plug in the adapter in tight quarters; in fact, if a wall outlet doesn’t have much clearance, you may not be able to plug in the adapter at all. (Apple’s six-foot power cable works only in the country of purchase.)

One solution to this problem is to instead buy a standard international plug adapter (such as this Belkin model) and then use your U.S. cable. Another solution is Incipio’s Continental Companion Cables ($35), a.k.a., the Companion World Travel Cables. This set of cables gives you functionality similar to that of Apple’s collection of plugs, but in cable form. Specifically, you get four foot-long cables, each with a connector for Apple’s AC adapters on one end and one of four international outlet plugs on the other. The result is compatibility with most non-U.S. outlets as well as a foot of flexible cable. Incipio includes a mesh travel bag for carrying the cables and your AC adapter.

Of course, the set of cables is heavier and bulkier than Apple’s plug set—the cables weigh approximately 10 ounces together. But few people need all the cables/plugs at once—most of us know which countries we’re visiting before we leave, so we can bring only those cable/plugs we need. In that respect, the difference in size and weight isn’t an unreasonable tradeoff for the advantage of having a bit of cable slack.

On the other hand, Incipio’s cables are missing one feature of Apple’s plugs. Apple’s AC adapters all have a protruding metal disk next to the plug connector; the plugs themselves each have a groove into which this disk slides to “anchor” the plug firmly in place. Incipio’s cable connectors are missing this groove, so when you connect the cable to the adapter, it’s held in place by only the connection between the plug and the adapter’s electrical contacts. In my testing using the U.S. cable, I didn’t find this to be an issue, but I don’t know if this connector design will result in more wear-and-tear on the adapter’s electrical contacts over the long run.

(As an aside, although the Companion Cables set is intended for international use, I got quite a bit of utility out of the U.S. cable. It was handy for those times when my AC adapter wouldn’t quite fit in a wall outlet by itself, but I didn’t want to dig (or bring along) out my six-foot Apple cable. It was also great in places—cafes, airports, etc.—where outlets were cramped and everyone was trying to plug in bulky AC adapters.)

Oddly, Apple’s adapter kit includes six plugs and lists compatibility with eight areas of the world (North America, Japan, China, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Korea, Australia, and Hong Kong), while Incipio’s cable set includes only four plugs but lists compatibility with many more areas (including South America, New Zealand, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa). With respect to compatibility, Incipio's representative told me that the company is simply more specific about stating where their product works. This comment implies that Apple’s adapter set will work in the same locations but that Apple, for whatever reason, doesn’t list them all. I don’t know enough about the standard electrical outlets in places such as Africa, the Middle East, and South America to know if Apple’s adapter kit will indeed work in these locations.

As for how Incipio is able to offer similar compatibility with two fewer plugs, the representative told me that one of the Apple kit’s additional plugs is essentially an extra U.S. plug and the other is a plug specifically for Korea—one of the locations Incipio’s kit doesn’t support.

Essential mobile gear

For many people, laptops are just a way to take work down to the corner café. But for true road warriors, portable computing means bringing along all your computing essentials without having to schedule a visit to the chiropractor. As a Macworld editor, I’m often asked what I pack in my laptop bag; here’s a look at the kinds of accessories that are on my must-have on-the-go list, along with some specific examples of them.

Portable hard drive

Just because your laptop is always with you doesn’t mean you don’t need a good backup. Thankfully, portable drives are smaller and lighter than ever. LaCie’s $140, 5-ounce Little Disk (A), for example, offers 60GB of storage in an attractive USB 2.0 enclosure that’s only 2.6 by 1.7 by 0.7 inches in size. Keep your backup drive separate from your laptop bag; if one is ever stolen, you’ll still have the other.

Network cable

Not all hotels and businesses have wireless Internet access. So a compact networking cable is a must. Zip-Linq’s retractable cables ($15) work well and take up minimal space in your bag. If you’ve got a MacBook Air, you’ll also need Apple’s USB Ethernet Adapter ($29).

Portable USB hub

If you use more USB devices than you have ports for—we’re looking at you, MacBook Air owners—you’ll appreciate the utility of a compact USB hub. Dr. Bott’s tiny T3Hub ($20; B) weighs only 21 grams but converts a single USB port into three. It can host two low-power USB devices and one high-power device.

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Starbucks free Wi-Fi vanishes into thin air

As a wise man once said, "Starbucks giveth and Starbucks taketh away." Scant days after iPhone users reported finding free access at certain coffee chain locations that had switched to new Wi-Fi provider AT&T, that feature now seems to have vanished into the ether.

I revisited the Davis Square, Somerville, location at which I'd found free access last week. Instead of the login screen that readily accepted my iPhone number, I was greeted by a user login screen asking for a user ID and password. While there didn't appear to be an option to sign-up for Wi-Fi access on my iPhone, the login screen seems to accept a variety of user credentials, from AT&T Wi-Fi users to AT&T Remote Access users and customers of a variety of AT&T subsidiaries and services, such as Prodigy, SBC, and SNET.

The reasons behind the disappearance are no less vague as those behind the initial free access. An AT&T spokesperson I talked to declined to comment, and Starbucks did not reply to a request for comment. While it's possible that this may merely be a matter AT&T initially turning on this service earlier than intended, there also may be a more technical explanation to the service's disappearance.

The system AT&T was using to detect iPhones relied on reading the client's User Agent, a plaintext string that identifies the browsing software and platform of the device. That string, however, is extremely simple to alter—for legitimate reasons; it's often used by web developers for compatibility testing. Safari users, for example, can masquerade as an iPhone merely by checking a box in the preferences to enable the Develop menu and then selecting the appropriate option from the User Agent sub-menu.

Some have speculated that the ease with which users could obtain free access for their laptops and other devices may have led to AT&T shuttering the service, though whether that decision is temporary or permanent is unknown. We'll continue to follow the story, keeping you posted on any new developments.

Starbucks rolling out free Wi-Fi for iPhones, slowly

iPhone users who need a speed boost over the EDGE connection find the phone’s Wi-Fi functionality quite handy. The only problem is locating a hotspot to use it on. However, Starbucks and AT&T struck a deal earlier this year that will see the coffee retailer’s Wi-Fi hotspots, currently served by T-Mobile, switched to the AT&T network. And that carries potential benefits for iPhone users.

Some iPhone users have reported that the newly launched AT&T hotspots are offering free Wi-Fi access to all iPhone users, as long as you have a valid iPhone phone number with the provider. Unfortunately, the situation is not quite as straightforward as one might hope.

I decided to take a little firsthand look, visiting four Starbucks in the Metro Boston area. I found only one offering free Wi-Fi for iPhones—the Davis Square, Somerville location nearest my home. I snapped a screenshot of the login screen (shown below), which accepted my iPhone’s phone number without question and logged me in with no trouble.

However, of the three subsequent Starbucks I visited, two were still using T-Mobile’s service to provide Wi-Fi access. The third, a Starbucks ensconced in a Barnes & Noble store in Boston’s Prudential Center, had an AT&T hotspot available, but was not offering free Wi-Fi to iPhones.

Interestingly, of the two Starbucks still providing T-Mobile hotspots, both also had Wi-Fi networks named “attwifi” which currently pointed to T-Mobile’s hotspot logon servers. That seems in keeping with AT&T’s stated intentions of rolling out the service starting this spring. According to the company’s initial joint press release with Starbucks, it plans to switch the coffee chain’s hotspots over on a market-by-market basis, finishing up by the end of the year.

An AT&T spokesperson I spoke to by phone would not comment on the subject and Starbucks did not respond to a press inquiry via email. What little information you can find on AT&T’s website—all gleaned from that initial press release—suggests that customers of AT&T’s broadband and U-verse Internet customers will be able to use the Wi-Fi service for free, though AT&T promises to “soon extend the benefits of Wi-Fi at Starbucks to its wireless customers.” Other users will have to pay AT&T’s rates of $3.99 for a two hour block, or $19.99 per month.

Contrast this with the situation in the United Kingdom, where mobile phone provider O2 has been offering free access to hot-spots in The Cloud network, of which there are 7,500 throughout Europe, to all iPhone subscribers. That may be a mere fraction of the 70,000 hotspots that AT&T boasts internationally, but it’s certainly a far less ambiguous system.

13-inch Laptop Bags

There are many, many generic laptop cases out there that fit any notebook. And among those made for specific laptop sizes, the most-common specification is “fits 15-inch laptops.” But if you’ve got a smaller portable, these bags and cases are just too big—your laptop often slides around inside, and the bag itself is often larger than it needs to be. In today’s Mobile Mac, I take a look at three compact bags made specifically for Apple's 13-inch notebooks, the MacBook and MacBook Air.

Be.ez LAbesace

I first saw, and liked, a pre-production version of Be.ez’s LAbesace (; $75) back at January’s Macworld Expo; the official product lives up that that first impression. A compact shoulder/messenger bag just 15.4 by 11.4 by 5 inches on the outside, the LAbesace fits a MacBook or MacBook Air perfectly yet still has room for a decent amount of accessories and personal items thanks to a design that’s larger and rigid at the bottom. The rigid bottom keeps the inside storage area from collapsing, making it easy to get at the bag’s contents.

The Classic version of the LAbesace is black with a bright orange interior to make it easier to find things inside; the Lime Drop version is grey with a bright lime-green interior. (Note that I’ve seen the black model with black trim or white trim, and the gray model with gray trim or black trim.) The bag is made of “rainproof” 1682D nylon—in layman’s terms, it’s good-quality fabric—with waterproof zippers. The inside of the bag has a document pocket; an organizer panel; and, on the inside of the lid, a zippered, mesh pocket. The outside has two smaller, zippered pockets. The bag’s strap looks and feels like an automobile seat belt—it's sturdy, but has no padding.

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A stand for MacBook and monitor

I’m a full-time laptop user, but if I had to rely on my laptop’s screen and keyboard all day, my eyes would pop out of my head and my hands would fall off. When I’m at work, my MacBook is plugged into an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and my eyes and hands remain attached to my body.

There’s one part about this set-up that’s always bothered me, though: my laptop does have a perfectly serviceable, albeit small, display. Shouldn’t I also be putting it to use when I’m docked at my desk?

Since I first started writing about Macs in the ’90s, I’ve always had some co-workers who were obsessed with a multiple-monitor setup. Some studies show that the more screen real estate you have, the more productive you are.

So after years of running my laptop in lid-closed mode while on my desktop, a year ago I decided to let my MacBook come out of its shell. I plopped it on a $30 RoadTools Podium CoolPad and away I went.

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MagSafe modifier and a travel stand

As the Mobile Mac guy here at Macworld, I see many products designed to improve on-the-go computing. Some are interesting and useful, others are just interesting, and still others remind me of a Billy Crystal movie line from 1989: "Why is this necessary in life?" But it's not always each to tell which is which, especially at first glance. In today's column, I cover a couple simple accessories that puzzled me at first, but that I actually found to be useful after some hands-on time.

ThoughtOut MagStay Pro

Apple’s MagSafe connector—the magnetic power connector used on recent Mac laptops—has gotten plenty of (deserved) praise. The simple but ingenious design, which lets the power cable quickly disconnect under even moderate pressure, avoids many of the power-jack disasters experienced with traditional power connectors.

So it’s a bit ironic that a good number of Mac users have complained about the MagSafe connector for being too easy to disconnect. But to be fair, I can understand these comments: When I’m using my MacBook Pro at home, the power cable detaches with the slightest brush against the arm of the couch. It’s also an issue when using a MagSafe-equipped laptop in bed; blankets and comforters seem to take pleasure in disconnecting the cable.

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Bag of the Week: Skooba Shuttle

I’ve mentioned before in this space my appreciation for compact backpacks. I like my laptop carrying case to pack as many compartments into as little real estate as possible. So when Dan Frakes, Macworld’s resident Bag Boss, suggested I take a gander at Skooba Design’s Skooba Shuttle laptop backpack , I wasn’t sure he had the right man for the job. Put quite simply, the Skooba Shuttle is huge. It dwarfs the last backpack I reviewed for Macworld—the Solo Convertible laptop backpack—looming over the Solo backpack like a hockey goon ready to pummel some 98-pound weakling. I’m not just engaging in hyperbole there—the Skooba Shuttle is 19.5 inches tall, 14 inches long, and 9 inches deep. Contrast that with the Solo’s 12-by-15.25-by-6-inch dimensions, and you’ll see that it’s fair to suggest the Shuttle is a little bit on the large side.

But in some ways, size can be deceiving. When I slipped the Shuttle onto my back, I expected to look like a sherpa ready to lead an expedition up K2. I was surprised to discover the Shuttle snuggled quite comfortably against my back, a result I attribute to its light 53-ounce weight and clever design that includes such well-thought-out touches as padded shoulder straps. The Shuttle distributes weight wisely, too—in one torture test, I loaded down the backpack with my laptop, a USB microphone, a fairly full three-ring binder, a sweatshirt, and a bag lunch, and I didn’t feel any strain on my shoulders.

The Skooba Shuttle from Skooba Design

The Shuttle boasts some 15 pockets and compartments—some of them mesh pouches, others zippered containers—for stashing all sorts of gear. The centerpiece is a well-padded 16.5-by-11.75-by-3-inch laptop pouch, which Skooba claims can hold most 17-inch laptops. It certainly secured my 15-inch MacBook Pro without any problems.

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