New FireWire Drive, New Notebook Cases, Norton SystemWorks Bargain, and More

Compiled by Charles Moore and edited by Dan Knight - 2002.06.28

Except as noted, prices are in US dollars.

• TiBag
• Googie Sandwich FireWire Hard Drive
• e-pac G3 Case
• Willow Darwin Big Laptop Backpack
• Norton SystemWorks Bundle from OWC for $9.95
• LapTrap Updated
• Bargain 'Books

TiBag

Sebastian Sindermann, TiBag President and Commercial Artist says:

When I first purchased my gorgeous PowerBook, I searched high and low to find just the right bag and came up with nothing. I couldn't find a quality laptop bag or case that offered good protection, looked great, and, most of all, was cost effective! Why on earth should I pay $120+ for what's basically just a backpack? Okay, maybe there's a little extra padding, but come on!

I needed something that's tailored to meet my needs. Not too big, not too small, but just right. Simply put, I wanted something practical for every day use. A bag, strong enough to protect my laptop from the rigors of daily wear and tear.

So, being the attention-to-detail, super-picky, design freak that I am, it finally came down to having my own custom bag made.

Not too big, not too small, but just right. TiBag is designed to make the best use of all compartments and provide maximum protection. The built in sleeve, padding system, and contents are used for maximum protection. So here's how I use mine:

1. The flap pocket holds a CD or two.
2. The main large compartment, is for books, folders, etc.
3. Your irreplaceable laptop goes in the built-in sleeve.
4. I put my day-planner horizontally in the main compartment. That allows me to place books or DVDs on top.
5. The AC adapter, cables, and mouse go in the large zippered pocket.
6. Finally, don't forget to use the detachable cell phone pocket for your phone, iPod, digital camera, PDA, pager, keys, etc.

...but it's your TiBag, so use it however is most comfortable for you.

Fits:

• PowerBook G4
• iBook, 12" and 14"
• PowerBook G3 (Lombard/Bronze)
• iBook (clamshell)

TiBag comes with a lifetime warranty against any manufacturing defects.

Features:

• Super strong messenger bag
• Single padded strap that goes over shoulder or chest (adjustable for all sizes)
• Constructed with super-durable 600 Denier Polyester
• Built in sleeve for your laptop
• Extra padded back panel
• 1/4" foam, sewn-in padding system
• 7 organizer compartments
• Extra large main compartment
• Detachable cell phone pocket
• 3 pen pockets
• Velcro and zipper seals
• Bag Dimensions: 11" x 14.5" x 6"
• Weighs approximately 1 pound

Price: $39.95

Googie Sandwich FireWire Hard Drive

The new Googie Sandwich FireWire Hard Drive is Scandinavian design at its best. The aluminum surface of the drive gives you an outstanding product. And the Oxford 911 chipset gives you the high-speed you will need for video editing and desktop publishing.

Googie Sandwich is made for the demanding user, who think about design, speed and quality. It's not only a cool designed drive, it's also with no fan which means it's totally silent.

Features:

• Easy to install and use - plug & play
• Fast access - transfers up to 36 MB/sec.
• Stackable - daisy chain up to 63 devices
• Hot swappable - you do not need to restart your computer

Googie Sandwich comes in 80 GB, 100 GB, and 120 GB 7200 RPM versions.

Mac System requirements: Power Mac G3 or higher, Mac OS 8.6 or higher.

e-pac G3 Case

The e-pac 2010 was designed for both the iBook and PowerBook, but its also compatible with any notebook on the market.

The bag has a soft outer shell. A unique metal reinforced frame protects the contents of the case, making it one of the safest products for transporting portable hardware on the market. Each bag can be carried three ways ; moulded hard-wearing brief case handles, a removable non-slip shoulder strap and padded concealable rucksack straps. They also come with a Velcro fastening on the reverse, for trolley attachment at travel terminals; in fact e-pac products have been approved by all major airlines as hand-luggage.

$99.99

Willow Darwin Big Laptop Backpack

The Darwin is Willow's largest volume laptop backpack for those who need to carry a lot of gear. It is comfortable, stylish, and even with its size - understated. It will fit your laptop, portable printer, accessories as well as tons of paperwork.

Darwin Features:

• elegant design - at home on the road and acceptable in the boardroom in its briefcase form.
• properly, securely and safely fits all large display laptops such as the PowerBook G3s, plus the Apple iBook.
• increased personal security by making your case NOT look like a briefcase or laptop case
• superb laptop protection through a centrally protected location surrounded by thick, single piece foam padding on the back, sides and bottom
• front protection is assured by three separate levels of foam layers
• easy storage of adapters, cables, etc. with convenient Velcro secured, fold-down accessory divider /pocket system
• extreme carrying comfort with contoured, padded shoulder straps
• removable sternum strap for increased stability and comfort with additional doubling of shoulder strap material for extreme durability
• contoured pack back and bottom which will not allow anything to dig into your back, especially in your low back area
• additional thickly padded removable wrap handle for extra comfort in briefcase or vertical handle carrying mode
• .090 thickness of high density polyethylene reinforcement underneath the web handles with quadruple rivet reinforcing for even greater strength and durability
• a thickly padded traditional single shoulder carrying strap when you want to look more cosmopolitan
• room in the paperwork compartment for a eight centimeter (3") depth of legal sized file folders or other items
• lots of organizer pockets in the outer pocket and throughout the case
• convenient shoulder strap flap to hide away shoulder straps which can double as an easy to get to newspaper or magazine pocket
• security pocket on back panel hidden under shoulder strap flap
• convenient shallow outer zippered pocket for airline tickets, change or other items you want fast access to

Available Colours: Black, Charcoal, Navy, Teal, Purple

Willow 100% Satisfaction Lifetime Product Guarantee

Pricing: $210 Cdn./$136 U.S.

Norton SystemWorks Bundle From OWC For $9.95

Other World Computing is offering a Norton SystemWorks for Macintosh bundle (CD-Only) including Norton Utilities 6, Norton AntiVirus 7 and Dantz Retrospect Express for $9.95.

• Norton Utilities 6.0 helps you repair and optimize disks, recover lost data, and prevent future problems.
• Norton AntiVirus 7.0 finds and repairs infected files to keep your data safe and secure.
• Dantz Retrospect Express Backup copies files quickly and easily to a wide range of removable media. Buy Norton SystemWorks today to protect your Macintosh from viruses and keep it running at peak performance!

To use these versions of Norton AntiVirus & Norton Utilities for Macintosh with Mac OS X, you must start from the bootable CD. With Norton Utilities and Norton SystemWorks for Macintosh, Mac OS X customers can repair disks, optimize drives and recover data by booting from Norton Utilities or Norton SystemWorks CD. Users can repair disks with Norton Disk Doctor, optimize with Speed Disk and Rebuild Directories with Volume Recover.

Norton Utilities finds and repairs disk problems, organizes files on your hard drive for fastest access, and restores files that have been deleted accidentally. If the hard drive won't restart, you can run Norton Disk Doctor from the bootable CD. The Volume Recover feature can rebuild a disk's entire directory structure, increasing the chances of successful data recovery. Regular use of Norton Utilities can help you fix disk problems before they cause serious trouble.

Norton AntiVirus finds and repairs infected files, including ones containing Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel macro viruses, the most common types of viruses found on Macintosh systems. It even scans incoming email attachments as you're downloading them to make sure they don't contain dangerous code.

Backups are an essential part of computer maintenance. Retrospect Express Backup lets you copy files quickly and easily to a wide range of removable media, including CD-R, CD-R/RW, Zip, Jaz, SuperDisk, magneto-optical, and DVD devices You can also back up to a secure site over the Internet. The EasyScript wizard lets you schedule automatic, unattended backups.

System Requirements

• PowerPC-based Macintosh system
• Mac OS 8.1 or higher
• 24 MB of RAM
• 20 MB hard disk space for Norton AntiVirus and Norton Utilities
• 30 MB hard disk space for Dantz Retrospect Express
• CD-ROM drive
• Internet connection required for LiveUpdate

LapTrap Updated

Shaun Jackson Design Inc. has updated its LapTrap laptop case and portable office.

The LapTrap is a unique padded sleeve for your computer that unfolds in seconds for use on your lap or desk. Compact enough to be stored in your current briefcase or backpack. The new configuration of this case also provides quick and easy access to the computer when traveling through security at airports.

The LapTrap is a solution for users who want the protection of a compact, dedicated Laptop case with the added functionality of a portable office, but do not want to give up their current briefcase, bag or backpack.

Two versions will be available. A rugged Cordura nylon for the adventurous, and a leather for the urban warrior. The nylon will be available first with the leather soon to follow. Send inquiries to sjdesign@sjdesign.com leather estimated cost $199.95).

Price: $59.95 + shipping

Bargain 'Books

There are two different versions of WallStreet running at 233 MHz, the cacheless MainStreet version and the later Series II with a level 2 cache. It's not always possible to determine from the vendor's listing which is being offered, so we've included links within this paragraph to the two models.

Wagener Media

• PowerBook Lombard G3/333, 128/6 GB, $699

Small Dog Electronics

• PowerBook G4/667, 512/30 GB/AirPort, includes AirPort Base Station, refurbished with one year Apple warranty (2001 version), $2,249
• iBook 500, 128/15 GB/CD-ROM, includes Ogio Jack Pack Messenger Bag in graphite, factory refurbished with one year warranty, $879

Power Max

• PowerBook Wallstreet G3/233, 32/2 GB/CD-ROM/14.1", $634
• PowerBook Wallstreet G3/266, 128/4 GB/CD-ROM/14.1", $710
• PowerBook Wallstreet G3/300, 192/8 GB/CD-ROM/floppy/14.1", $808

ExperCom

• PowerBook G4/667, 256/30 GB/Combo, new, $2,499
• iBook 500, 128/10 GB/DVD, Apple refurbished, $949
• iBook 500, 128/10 GB/CD-RW/12.1", Apple refurbished, $999.99

MicroCenter

• PowerBook G4/550, 256/20 GB/Combo, Mac OS 9.2 and 10.1, $1,979.10