Posts Tagged laptop cover
Cocoon Cases with Handy GRID-IT Organizers
As our gadget and cord collections keep expanding, the accessory pocket of our laptop bags or backpacks can start to look like a pit filled with electronic snakes and critters. Trying to fish out the correct accessory if you’ve been packing and unpacking in a hurry isn’t always easy. So I’m always on the lookout for products that allow painless organization. The GRID-IT system from Cocoon does this in an innovative way—if you pair it with one of their laptop, netbook, or iPad cases.
Cocoon makes a wide variety of cases for multiple laptop sizes and gadget sizes, with most of the options allowing the integration of this grid system to match. It’s basically a stiff panel with a series of interwoven elastic bands. So instead of you trying to match the size of your accessories to a bunch of pockets, with this GRID-IT panel you just pick one of the many elastic bands that’s close to the right width and pop it in.
I tried one meant to go in with a 15-inch laptop ($25) and it held pretty much everything I could possibly carry with me on a trip. I’m talking cell phone, iPod, CallPod, pens, battery charger, SteriPen, portable hard drive, Flip video camera, and assorted cords. There were still spaces to spare. Smaller models stair step down to 7″ X 5″ ($10).
The drawback is, this is just a panel with a bunch of gadgets sticking out of it, so you’d better have a cushioned case or sleeve over top of all that once you slide it in.
Most of the Cocoon cases take this into account, with some kind of cushioned Neoprene case like the one pictured below. With that model you have one large pocket for the laptop and a smaller pocket for the gadget carrier. The soft furry interior is like manufactured puppy fur—very soft and nice to the touch. That one is carried vertically, by the handle or the included shoulder strap. It comes in sizes for a 13″-15″ laptop or a smaller size for a netbook or an iPad. At $45 for the largest size and $35 for the smaller one, including the grid system, this is quite a bargain.
Other cases include a few more conventional horizontal models. A couple models open out to be checkpoint friendly in the airport security line.
I also tried out a Cocoon MacBook sleeve like the red one pictured here ($30). Sleeves can be great when you need to just toss the laptop in a regular bag or carry it downstairs to a lobby or common area. 
I found the configuration of this one a bit odd, with grabby zippers that have to navigate two turns each time so the end can pop open. Putting function aside, the design is catchy, however, which goes with the Apple ethos of giving up one thing to gain another. (There’s a more conventional design for conventional laptops.) These come in six colors.
I got these items as a loaner with a quick turnaround time, so I can’t vouch for how well they’ll hold up over the long term. They emitted that harsh “made in a Chinese factory” chemical smell that permeates the room upon opening, but that hopefully fades over time. For this price, they probably couldn’t be made anywhere else: these Cocoon products are a great value, especially if you get one of the cases that already includes the handy GRID-IT system for keeping track of all your accessories.
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Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear on May 19th, 2010
Pretty Padded Laptop Covers by fernfiddlehead on etsy.com
Here’s a product that not only protects your laptop in a carry-on when you travel (or tote your laptop to the local coffee shop), but also evokes a smile when you pull it out of your bag. Laptop covers by crafty seamstress Cathy Moore of etsy.com’s fernfiddlehead shop come in whimsical, upbeat, colorful cotton prints. Their design is simple, clean and durable — just my style.
Sleeve for a 15-inch laptop.
Laptop covers by fernfiddlehead come in three different styles: an open-topped sleeve, an envelope-like case and a zippered pouch. I emailed Cathy and told her I liked the idea of easy accessibility that would come with a simple sleeve, so I sent her the dimensions of my 15-inch Dell laptop (I have a bulky extra battery, so I wanted to make sure her standard 15-inch size would fit), and she sent me a custom cover in a pretty, linen sage green exterior complemented by a red, blue, orange and green flower print inside. In between the two layers of fabric, poly batting provides plenty of cushion.
I used my laptop sleeve on the go this past weekend when I flew to Park City, Utah. I tucked my protected Dell into my Briggs & Riley tote, where it felt ultra-secure and protected by plenty of padding. I liked having a classy-looking sleeve to cover my laptop when I left it in my hotel room — again, it just felt nice and cushioned when tucked in a chest of drawers (yes, I know I probably should have found the safe). Other sleeves I’ve used are boring, stretchy black wetsuit-like material. These laptop covers are fun.
This 13-inch laptop envelope case closes with a beige hemp string wound between two buttons.
If you buy a standard sleeve off the etsy.com site it’s $21; any custom work, add an additional $5 to the base size. And there are plenty of standard sizes and styles available — for Macbooks and 10-inch “mini laptops” too. Note that the material used in these covers does not stretch to fit (i.e. you don’t want to order too small), so if you do have any questions about sizing, you can contact Cathy through the etsy.com site. She responded to my inquiries quickly. You can also return items, preferably within 10 days.
Overall these covers are quite feminine, but a couple of patterns I see on the site are sort-of manly — one is a print of white old-fashioned cars on a black background (still, not sporty enough for my husband to want to use). I think any of fernfiddlehead’s gadget covers — note she also makes iPod pockets and e-reader pouches — would make excellent Mother’s Day gifts.
Posted by Kara in General Gear, Kids and Family on March 12th, 2010
