Belkin is targeting the latest generation of Macbook owners with an autumn release of the Thunderbolt Express Dock.  We took a brief look at it at CES 2012 and we were impressed to say the least.  The finish and weight of the device is something we relish to hold in our hands again.  The dock itself jacks into your lappy via Thunderbolt and supports Gigabit Ethernet, 3x USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire 800 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and two thunderbolt ports  (one upstream and one downstream) for daisy chaining other devices.  But that’s not what we really loved about this dock.  In addition to all of these wonderful ports you’ll also found an HDMI port, allowing you to easily connect your Macbook Air to not just an LCD monitor, but a LCD or Plasma TV.

There is one small caveat, though.  It will cost $299 when it launches later this year.

It’s a far cry from the Batman Motorcycle suit, but we’ll still take it.

The Batman Laptop Sleeves doesn’t sport any fancy pockets, gadgets and nor will it protect you from a robber, unless of course you wield the encased laptop like a bag lady out for revenge.  Nope, all it has to offer is a neoprene finish that will protect your computer (not you) from bumps, dings and scratches.  All together it’s a pretty unremarkable laptop sleeve, with the exception of the old school Batman logo that is further complemented by a set of Batman zipper pulls.  Those alone have to be worth something, right?

Until the Dark Knight Returns, you can get this for $19.99.

Well isn’t this cute.  The Mirror Book Air is a mini replica of the, what else, the Macbook Air.  It’s not quite as svelte as the real life version, but we give them points for detail, which includes the ports as well as the FCC labeling.  While the Mirror Book Air isn’t functional, at least from a computational standpoint, it does feature a mirror, allowing you to check your mock turtle neck for dander.

You can grab one for about $27 (19.95 EU) or checkout the version that can hold business cards.

Decals for the back of your Macbook have been making their way around the webosphere for some time now.  So naturally, we’re a little hesitant to post on any additional ones.  But we just couldn’t help ourselves when it came to the Sub Zero Macbook Decal.  Needless to say, the Apple logo, which glows when the computer is open and turned on, floats in between Sub Zero’s hands as if he is about to fire it at a foe.

The design comes by way of William and Cindy on Etsy and it’s available in 3 sizes: 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch.  The design is printed on a white vinyl and while it can be removed without leaving any unwanted residue, it can’t be replaced, so don’t mess up.

Too bad they’re all sold out, and at $9.99 we’re not too surprised.

There ain’t nothing like a white board to get the creative juices flowing.  But more often than not, those moments of genius arrive when we’re sitting in coffee shops waxing about the latest YouTube sensation.  So next time you’re faced with this quandary, remember that we told you about the DrawTop.

It’s an adhesive vinyl whiteboard designed to fix to the face of your laptop’s screen (or the back of your iPad).  So just like the classroom whiteboard, you can take notes with an included dry-erase marker, erase and then take more notes.  Or better yet, you can finally rope in that local coffee shop hottee you’ve been scoping for a few months, by drawing a provocative picture depicting yourself in a compromising situation.  That always works.

The original DrawTop starts at $12 and includes one marker and one vinyl adhesive.

Generally speaking, Apple has a tendency to make waves when they update their products, unless of course it’s a smaller iteration  And that’s what happened yesterday, when the Cupertino company quietly boosted the specs of their Macbook Pros; they didn’t update the form factor.  So if you’ve been holding out on purchasing a new laptop, now might be the time to buy, unless of course you want to hold out for the rumored 15-inch and 17-inch Macbook Airs, as we reported a few months ago?

So what’s changed?

The entry level Macbook Pro, the 13-inch received a 2.4Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor as well as a 500GB hard drive.  It still costs $1,199.  The next model up of the same size, scored a a 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 and a larger 750GB hard drive.  The price also remains the same at $1,499.

As for the 15-inch models, both now include quad-core Intel Core i7 processors.  The lesser of the two has a 2.2GHz processor and a 500GB hard drive and a a faster AMD Radeon HD 6750M discrete graphics card with 512MB of GDDR5.  The faster machine now sports a 2.4Ghz chips, a 750GB hard drive and AMD’s Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB of GDDR5.  They sell for $1,799 and $2,199 respectively.

Lastly, the lower end 17-inch Macbook Pro scored the same update as the top tier 15-inch Macbook pro, though you can bump that to 2.5GHz for $250 more.  It starts at $2,499.

All models are available now at Apple’s website and should be reflected at other retailers later this week if not early next week.

Steve Jobs has passed.  It’s an unfortunate event to say the least, but the man led a life filled with passion and drive to produce technology like no other person.  To commemorate his passing, the folks at Mint Digital disassembled this Macbook Pro and converted it into a portrait of the man behind the Apple computer, iPhone, iPod and iPad.

Well isn’t this adorable.  The iWood – stop, we know what you’re thinking – is a wood laptop, but instead of an operating system, battery, processor, keyboard and screen, it rocks a good old chalk board.  Perfect if you don’t want your kids to get sucked into the world of Club Penguin and you still wanna promote their inner creativity.  It’s also a great preventative measure to ensure that your iPad lasts longer than 3 months, if you catch our drift.

The iWood’s trackpad serves as a storage area for your kid’s chalk, and the keyboard, in addition to the screen, have been replaced with a chalk board finish, allowing your kid to dream up the next great laptop.  The screen, if you will, folds down, though we’re pretty sure those hinges are Jon Ives certified.

The iWood can be purchased for about $55.

The Macbook Air is more than a laptop, it’s a lifestyle statement.  So adorning it with Incase products, while practical, may not be the most stylish.

Enter the Cartella for MacBook Air.  It resembles the classic and always stylish Moleskin Notebook.  But instead of containing a ream of paper, its frame has been machined within 1/4000 of inch to hold an 11-inch or 13-inch Macbook Air securely in place.  All ports remain accessible so you won’t have to remove the laptop to plug it in or use a USB device.

The handmade case is crafted from bonded leather, bindery cloth and Baltic birch using traditional techniques.  The interior can be modified in your choice of three colors (red, green and black).

Combine this with the iPad DoDo case and you’ll have thieves wondering why all the books.

The 13-inch costs $89.99, while the 11-inch is $79.99.

3.5 out of 5 stars

So you’ve plunked down $1400 and purchased a new 13-inch Macbook Air. If you’re anything like me you’ll probably take the utmost care of it for the first few weeks and then as you become more comfortable with your new purchase, which in turn makes it an old purchase, you won’t take the same cautionary measures to ensure its well being.  You’ll be eating ramen just inches from its screen, breaking bread with fellow friends over the keyboard and slurping down a chai tea latte as you enjoy the next YouTube hit.

InCase is no stranger to the laptop cases – clearly, because that’s their name – and in their bag of tricks they sell a Perforated Hard Shell Case for the latest (2011) 13-inch Macbook Air.  It costs $59.95 and is available in white, black and blue.  They make two versions of this case: a glossy and matte.  I got my hands on the matte and while I can’t speak to the glossy version, the matte version has a subtle softness and provides a nice grip in the hand.  Ultimately, it should be less slippery than the glossy version, at least that’s my assumption.

My version of the case contained no rough edges and the ports, while I can’t exactly say are “precision cut” (Incase’s copy on their site) they’re all exposed, which includes the power port, Thunderbolt port, headphone port, SD card slot and two USB ports.  The under belly contains 4 rubber feet, much like the Macbook Air, which elevates the Air by a centimeter or two, which in theory provides additional cooling.

Small plastic tabs hold the Perforated Case in place – click to enlarge

To attach the case you just need to snap it into place.  Since the Macbook Air is just .68-inches at its thickest point, and a mere .11-inches at its thinnest, the case doesn’t have a whole lot to grasp on to, unlike the same Macbook Pro version of the Perforated case.  As a result, the bottom portion, while it initially snapped into place, didn’t have a snug fit and appeared as though it was going to shake loose over time.  The top portion however includes 4 small tabs that securely grasp the computer’s display latching it firmly in to place.

However, I should note that the bottom portion of the case does have two gripping tabs, but since there is no open edge at the back due to the design of the Macbook Air’s hinge, the only secure point for it to latch on to is at the front of the laptop.  As a result the bottom of the case can easily slip off, or so it appeared.  But despite my skepticism, it hasn’t shifted or fallen off in the two weeks of use.

Removing the bottom of the case is simple since there are just two tabs securing it in place.  The top portion took a bit more fiddling and proved so secure that I became fearful that I might damage my Macbook Air’s screen.  I recommend unlatching one tab, closing the laptop and then slowly leveraging it off the screen.  Go slow, though, since the Air’s screen is much more fragile than a Macbook Pros.  This is the biggest, if not only drawback of this version of Incase’s Perforated Hardshell case.

Rubber feet elevate the Macbook Air & provide additional room underneath for added cooling – click to enlarge

The weight of the case is negligible, but arguably significant from a spec stand point since the 13-inch Macbook Air weighs just 2.96lbs.  The real caveat is the aesthetical sacrifice.  It covers the top and bottom of the the laptop and negates some of its svelteness.

No matter where you go or what you do with your Macbook Air a scratch will always be a foot.  Perhaps a coffee shop table with a slightly exposed nail awaits your precious computer’s underbelly, or an innocent stranger is fumbling for their keys only to drop them onto the lid of your new Air.  Ultimately, that’s what this case will protect it from.  If you happen to drop your Macbook Air to the floor it might provide a tad bit of protection, but chances are a set of tears and a embarrassed face will follow.  So with that said it’s what you do with your laptop and your penchant for Apple purism that will dicate if you can justify the $60 cost.

12►

If’ you’ve made an investment into one of Apple’s Macbook Pros then you’re probably relatively cognizant of how you dress and what bag you tote your precious laptop in.  Last we saw, the Bamboo Blackbox Cases were the answer to our needs.  But a new contender has emerged, though it appears to be largely conceptual – at least for now: the “Actor” notebook case.

To a large degree it’s a wood suitcase.  When and if it becomes available, it will accomodate up to a 17-inch laptop, which they say can also hold a power supply and mouse.  The inside is lined with felt to protect your laptop from sudden jolts as well as scratches.  To access the case’s interior, there is a unique hinged opening that fastens closed using a thumb screw or lock.

Though no specs have been provided on an official level, the pictures seemed to indicate that they do have the Apple consumer in mind.  In other words, this case won’t hold one of those fatty laptops.

The “Actor” notebook case is designed by Athanasios Babalis and Christina Skouloudi.  Their work will be unveiled at London Design Week 2011.

Man, where did summer go! We’re already in September, and Labor Day is this coming Monday, aka the official farewell to summer 2011. Wishing all readers a safe and fun holiday weekend with our weekly tech wrap up!

4. Bamboo Blackbox Cases

Made from Bamboo these eco-friendly, stylish and unique Apple laptop and iPad cases are just what you need to go back to school looking way too cool! Each case includes a leather strap engraved with the production number to make you feel even more special.

3. Necker Nymph Submarine Sea Plane

The three-person “aero submarine” is the perfect billionaire toy if you have the cash. It can dive up to 30 meters below the water’s surface and travels at the speed of up to 6 knots for about one to two hours at a time.

2. Razer’s Blade Gaming Laptop

Behold, the laptop for made especially for true gamers! The Razer’s Blade Gaming Laptop features a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 2640M Processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with NVIDIA Optimus technology with 2GB of dedicated RAM, 320GB HDD and a built-in 60Wh battery. It’s every gamer’s dream come true!

1. Mutewatch

Don’t let its simplicity food you! The Mutewatch may appear to be just a gray, rubber strap, but underneath is a touchscreen watch with a capacitive LED display.

4. Two Chatbots Conversing

A hilarious video of what happens when two chatbots go at it! Bet you actually have conversations like this!

3. Inkling Sketch Manager by Wacom

The Inkling by Wacom allows you to digitally transcribe your notes, illustrations or just doodles in real time to your computer, using ultrasonic and infared technologies. A very cool device for designers and artistic types.

2. Slingshot Cannon

The manmade 200-lb. slingshot can destroy a small car, making for a very cool toy! Check out the video to see what type of destruction it can cause.

1. Shot By An AK-47?

Seriously, the title says it all. A must-see video!

The inherent problem with most tablet computers is that they’re not a practical replacement to a laptop.  More often than not, they are infused with an underpowered processor to conserve on battery life and lack a full operating system negating it from becoming an everyday work horse.

Samsung thinks they’ve got the answer to the above problem and it’s arriving October 2nd.  It’s called the Series 7 Slate PC.  Samsung’s newest tablets is a fair bit thicker than Apple’s iPad, measuring .5-inches, but inside is a full blown computer minus a keyboard.    There are up to 4 configurations to choose from, but all models with include Intel’s Core i5 processor.

Much likes the Series 9 laptop, the Series 7 Slate will include an 11.6-inch screen, though this computer sports a capacitive version with a 1366×768 resolution and a 400 nit brightness.  Customers can choose between Windows Home Premium or Professional 64 depending on their needs.  There is also 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel Graphics HD 3000 and up to 128GB of solid state storage.

The Slate 7 weighs a tad over 2lbs (2.06 to be exact), but that doesn’t mean they’ve skimped on the battery.  It can achieve up to 7 hours of run time and can be recharged up to 1500 times before losing its zeal for life.  However, Samsung points out that you’ll probably need to shut down a number of applications and perhaps even disable the WiFi or WiMax connections.

Some other notable features include a forward facing 2 megapixel camera and a rear facing 3 megapixel shooter.  There is even a USB port, HSPA connectivity, a wake up time of 2-3 seconds and an optional Bluetooth keyboard and dock.

The Samsung Series Slate 7 PC will start at $1,099.

12►

While we haven’t been afforded the opportunity to test out the Bamboo Blackbox Cases (hint, hint!), we’re gonna go out on a limb (a bamboo limb) and just straight up assume that they’re the most  bad ass of Apple laptop and iPad cases on the market today…made from wood.

So, they’re probably a bit on the heavy side, especially in contrast to the light and nimble iPad or Macbook Air, but with this level of attention to detail and craftsmanship, that is assuming they’re all they claim them to be, who cares about a pound here or there.  And sustainable wood at that, since they’re all crafted from Bamboo.

Bamboo Blackbox Cases has actually been shipping these to customers since the beginning of the year, but the demand outpaced their supply chain and now they’re seeking funding from you using the Kickstarter.com community.  We’ve seen more than a handful of projects on this site go viral and explode with funding, and lets not overlook the fact that it’s a good way to get a new product at a small discount.

In terms of the Bamboo Blackbox Cases compatibly, they’ve got Apple’s entire range of products covered, with the exception of the iPhone or iPod.  This includes cases for the 13″, 15″ and 17″ MacBook Pros and 11″ and 13″ MacBook Airs and of course iPads.  Each case includes a leather strap engraved with the production number, though after a certain point they’re gonna run out of space, so the font will have to get smaller or they’ll have to discontinue that feature.  While engraving isn’t a standard option (on the wood), they say they’re willing to do it if you get in touch with them, and in due time they might offer it as a default option during purchase.

Pledging starts at $29, though if you want a product you’ll need to throw down $79 in the initial stage of funding to receive an iPad 2 case.  Spend $99 or more and you’ll get on the list for a Macbook case.

We should point out that there is also a company called SILVA that makes a line of Bamboo suitcases for Macbooks.

If you’re a true gamer you probably own a behemoth of a machine that runs 24 hours a day and generates enough heat it can keep your bedroom toasty even on the chilliest of nights.  But any true gamer knows that the real fight is at the tournaments and lugging a 25lb machine 500 miles can be a back breaking experience.

Say hello to Razer’s Blade laptop.  They say it’s the “world’s first true gaming laptop,” and given its spec set we’d have to agree.  Unlike other machines in the same class, which can weigh upwards of 10lbs and measure over 2-inches thick, the Blade is just .88″ and weighs in at a hair under 7lbs.

And make no mistake.  Just because Razer has managed to trim this machine down to a portable level, the screen size hasn’t take a hit, measuring 17-inches and producing a full HD resolution.  Under the hood is a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 2640M Processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with NVIDIA Optimus technology with 2GB of dedicated RAM, 320GB HDD and a built-in 60Wh battery.  There is of course built-in WiFi and an HD webcam.

If the name Blade sounds familiar you may recall that Razer announced a gaming laptop at CES earlier this year called the Switchblade.  The concept laptop called for a touchscreen and an LED keyboard that displayed keys according to the game.  While Razer has foregone the touchscreen, they’ve included 10 gaming keys that can adapt according to the game.  They’ve also included a mini LCD screen that doubles as a ultra-sensitive multi-touch panel and a screen to display in game information when an exteneral mouse is attached.

You can expect the Razer Blade gaming laptop to arrive in Q4 for $2,799.99.

GadgetReview is giving away an eCAFÉ Slim HD Netbook ($229 value), to ONE lucky winner!

The eCAFÉ Slim HD is a tiny netbook, measuring no more than .8-inches thick and just 1.9lbs.  But don’t be fooled by its diminutive size.  It sports a 10.1-inch screen, a chiclet style keyboard, 8GB of built-in storage, an SD card slot and can return from standby mode in just 4 seconds.  And if that isn’t enough, it sports an ARM processor, which is both powerful and low energy.

We’re giving away one of these to one person for FREE. To enter just LIKE our Facebook Fan Page and then leave a comment (telling us what your favorite gadget was as a kid) on our Facebook post announcing this contest.

Will pick one winner at random from the comments, but in order to WIN you’ll have to Like Us and comment on Facebook. If you’d like a double entry, follow us on Twitter and tweet “@gadgetreview @HerculeseCAFE #contest #free #netbook”.

This contest ends 8/31/2011 at 11:59 PST

It’s open to US residents in the continental US of A only.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Most of us that use our laptops on our, ehem, laps know that there’s a delicate balance between finding something comfortable for the laptop to sit on, and not obstructing the fan vents.  Trying to sit a laptop on a pillow for example will quickly cause it to overheat; on the other hand, you don’t very well want to put it on a piece of wood, as that wouldn’t be very comfortable at all.  Targus has come up with some nice ideas before with their line of Chill Mats, but I think this one beats them all out.

It’s the design of the Targus Laptop Desk with Storage that’s the key to making everything work here.  The whole thing is basically a plastic teardrop shaped wedge.  On the bottom, a soft cushion makes sure that you have a good amount of comfort while using your laptop (although for my tastes, I would have rather a piece of memory foam).  The cushion on the bottom is unfortunately a bit thin though, so you may have to accentuate it with a pillow or something.

That’s not a problem though, because of how the rest of the design works.  The laptop rests on the top of the teardrop shape, and it’s keps away from any sort of fan blockage.  You see, the center of the desk is hollow, so no only is air flow not being blocked, it’s actually being improved because of how much air can pass through.  Think about using your laptop on a desk or table – there’s not much room between the table and the bottom of your laptop for air to flow through (not unless you have inch high feet on it).

The center of the desk isn’t just for increased air flow however, as the entire top can lift off of the bottom (there’s two latches to make sure this doesn’t happen accidentally) for storage of things such as pens, note cards, or anything else small enough to fit in its pouches.  No, the storage area isn’t huge – but it is just big enough to be useful.

While I like the idea, and how simplistic it is, I also wouldn’t mind seeing a more advanced model in the future.  Targus could easily take ideas offered by their other Chill Mats, and incorporate more active cooling instead of leaving it all to passive.  A powered fan or two in the top of the desk would make it even more invaluable to someone like me who’s on their laptop all day long.  Even if it would need to be raised an inch, that would still be preferable to me.

Another issue for me, is the fact that there’s nothing to keep the laptop in one place.  While I understand the need to make the desk accessible to laptops of multiple sizes, had they replaced the plastic and cloth portions of the top with rubber, I would think a laptop would grip better.  Right now whenever I readjust, I also have to spend time readjusting how my laptop is sitting because it inevitably slides.  They could have even just raised the corners a bit to make sure it doesn’t slide off – there are a number of good solutions to this issue that I’m really surprised they didn’t get it right.

The Laptop Desk with Storage isn’t a bad product by any means, but it’s also not a great product either.  Targus missed the mark a bit with this one, and I don’t think it holds up as well as some of their other really great products.  However Targus has been good in the past with fixing problems, and re-releasing things, so I really hope that ends up being the case here, as the main issues I have with it are simple ones.  For now, I give the Targus Laptop Desk with Storage a review score of three and a half stars out of five.  If and when it gets revamped, I’ll definitely revisit it in order to adjust the score.

Pros:

• Allows a lot more air flow to your laptop than it would normally get sitting on a table or normal desk
• Low-tech options means no extra wires plugged in everywhere
• Even with thin cushioning, it’s still pretty comfortable after a few hours on your lap

Cons:

• There’s nothing to assist in holding the laptop in place which is a pain if you move around a lot
• The price is pretty high for what you get, especially with such thin padding
• The carrying handle seems pointless to me – I can’t see why you would ever use it

You can get your own Targus Laptop Desk with Storage from Amazon for $38.63

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, “some of the best things in life are the simplest”.  Case in point is Japanese designer Masayuki Todate’s Desktop Chair.  It’s actually far from a chair, at least in the traditional sense, but it does provide a place for your laptop to sit in comfort no less.   And sure, the laptop stand has been around since, well, the dawn of laptops with video outputs.  However, most are a bit jarring to the eye and don’t use wood like this design, which adds a sort of softness to any digital setup.

The Desktop Chair holds any laptop no fatter than 1.2-inches in an upright position (vertical or horizontal).  Sure, the functionality of this particular item is extremely limited, but if you notice it props your lappy out of the way, freeing up more desktop space for your pens, papers and empty coffee mugs.  Best of all, it’s universal, so any future laptop should fit, no matter the screen size, provided of course you don’t choose a bloated model.

Assuming their funding goal gets met, the Desktop Chair will eventually retail for $50.  But if you pledge $40, you effectively get one for 25% off.

4.5 out of 5 stars

First things first: if you’re strictly a home based laptop user, the ProBook 5330m probably isn’t the best choice for you.  If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that you can bring with you places, look somewhere else my friend.  The HP ProBook 5330m designed for the business/enterprise user that is on the go, with a slew of features that compliment that lifestyle.

Still with me?

The first thing that stands out about the 5330m is it’s look – the think is damn well sexy.  The ProBook 5330m isn’t flashy, it doesn’t try to make you drool by showing you bright colors or by being extremely curvy – what it is though, is distinguished and refined.  It’s brushed aluminum finish on the top is a real eye-catcher, and while the two-tone keyboard is bland at first glimpse, it’s backlighting ends up complimenting the look; making it seem smooth.  The chassis is also magnesium, with a soft coating on the bottom for comfort.

One of the nice things that’s on the inside of the ProBook 5330m, is the inclusion of Beats Audio.  While you’re still dealing with laptop speakers (and their limitations on sound clarity/volume), the technology makes even a cheap headset sound downright amazing.  I took two conference calls on it, and they were both 100% clearer than if I was using my old Acer.

While Beats is a nice feature, the real gold here can be found in the slew of security features that the ProBook 5330m sports.  It features a robust facial recognition program, Bluetooth pairing with your phone, and a fingerprint reader -all of which can be used separately, or in unison, in order to unlock your laptop.  The ProBook 5330m also features complete drive encryption and cryptographic protection from a TPM chip.

The security features alone are worth the price of admission in my eyes, but there’s still other features here left to be discovered.  HP’s QuickWeb is a really neat feature (especially if you haven’t experienced it before).  Essentially another mini-OS, it allows your laptop to turn into a simple web browser (with all the bells and whistles – flash, java, etc) from a powered off state in less than thirty seconds.  There were plenty of times during my testing where (as normally happens to me) I would shut it down and then immediately get an email through my phone.  It’s so much easier to hit the QuickWeb button and reply than to try and do it on a tiny touch screen.

One of the issues I had with the 5330m was the lack of an optical drive, but with it’s extremely small form factor, I can understand how fitting one in would be difficult.  Another issue was how the ProBook handled heat; I don’t know if the laptop itself was running hot, but there were times that I had my hand next to the exhaust port and it felt very hot (a RYOBI IR thermometer clocked the exhaust at 102 degrees when I was pushing the system.  It’s not the worst I’ve used, but it’s definitely not the best either.

Performance wise I had no issues, it easily handled pretty much anything I threw at it – I was able to play on the Battlefield 3 Alpha, but I had to keep every setting to a minimum in order to keep from having a lot of stutters.  America’s Army ran fairly with settings on medium, but it did run into lag when too many things were going on at once.  For business work though, I did spreadsheets to power points with ease, so it does what it’s supposed to in that aspect.

Battery life is a major issue for me – maybe it’s because the mobile broadband card sucks up juice when it’s searching for a network to join, but the battery only lasted a bit over three hours whenever I had it unplugged.  When I’m out of the house, I’m usually gone for hours at a time, so three hours doesn’t really cut it.  To HP’s credit though, the battery is extremely small which keeps the ProBook very lightweight (3.99 lbs).

In closing, tomorrow is when I’ll be packing the HP ProBook 5330m up to send back, and I wish I didn’t have to.  While it has some issues, none of them are glaring, and they all are easily overshadowed by the good points.  You get a lot for your money, even with the lowest end model – a fingerprint reader, an encrypted drive (7200 rpm no less), and 3G mobile broadband for around $800?  That deal alone is enough to make me give the HP ProBook 5330m a rating of four and a half stars out of five.

Pros:

• Sleek and elegant styling is both timeless and refined
• The complete package of HP’s security tools
• Mobile 3G Broadband on a laptop at an affordable price

Cons:

• Gets very hot when pushed beyond standard business tasks
• No optical drive on a laptop makes it look like a netbook
• very short battery life means lots of recharging

You can get the HP ProBook 5330m from Amazon for $806.67

4 out of 5 stars

Today I’m going to talk about the little brother to the mouse I reviewed yesterday. The Smartfish Whirl Mini is supposed to be perfect for laptop users, and just as effective as the Smartfish Whirl Desktop version for keeping your hand and wrist straight while using it. So how well does it hold up compared to it’s bigger brother?

First things first:  the design of the Smartfish Whirl Mini Laser Notebook Mouse is pretty much the same as the larger version, with a few notable differences.  The main difference is the color scheme; no longer just boring and cheap glossy black plastic, the Smartfish Whirl Mini sports a very nice grey (or other color – they have several to choose from) plastic middle (the plastic feels more heavy duty than on the desktop version as well) and it also picks up a black rubberized piece on each of the sides.  These black pieces help to make sure the Whirl Mini doesn’t accidentally slip out of your hand, and gives you something with a slight texture to grip.

Another difference is the DPI settings – while the desktop model could go as high as 1600 DPI and as low as 400 DPI, the Whirl Mini is locked in at 800 DPI.  I don’t understand why the ability to change the settings was removed from the Whirl Mini, but it is what it is.  800 is respectable when dealing with laptop mice, but it surely isn’t the cream of the crop.

The Whirl Mini has no advanced features you might like to see either (just like the larger desktop version) – no web buttons, no zoom buttons, etc.  Just the standard two face buttons, and the scroll wheel.  It was a problem with the larger version, and continues to be a problem here as well.

The problems that are seen throughout the Whirl line are really a shame for the Whirl Mini.  It’s by far the better of the two mice in terms of comfort, feel, and design.  With other laptop mice I find myself using the touch pad still more than I do the mouse, but with the Whirl Mini I was actually using the mouse exclusively.  Since I sit with my laptop on my lap when I use it, my hand is usually lower to begin with than if I was on my desktop.  What that meant to me, was that the Whirl Mini really felt natural in my hand.

Another nice thing is that it’s a LOT more portable than it’s desktop counterpart.  It’s about three quarters of the overall size of the desktop version, but only a little over half of the height.  The ErgoMotion pivot point has a much lower profile than the desktop model, which makes it seem a lot less likely to snap off.  While the wireless feature is also essentially the same between the desktop version and the Whirl Mini, the dongle on the Mini is a little bit smaller, and sits almost flush with the side of my laptop, meaning it’s not uncomfortable when it hits my leg.

While I’m finding myself enjoying the use of the Smartfish Whirl Mini, I still can’t justify giving it a score higher than four start out of five.  Yes it’s comfortable, and yes it might be improving the circulation in my hand, but the fact that it still has no advanced features that are standard at other mice with the same price point is a deal breaker for me.  Couple that with the fact that they removed the ability to change the DPI, and four is generous.  Don’t get me wrong, if you really want an ergonomic mouse for your laptop, this is a good choice – there just might be better.

Pros:

• Compact design
• The cheap and ugly look of the desktop version has been fixed
• Very comfortable to use

Cons:

• Removing the ability to change the DPI was not smart
• No advanced features to speak of
• Might be too small if you have larger hands

You can pick up the Smartfish Whirl Mini Laser Notebook Mouse from Amazon for $37.01