[Macworld.com]

In the second installment of Sleeves in Brief, Dan Frakes looks at a few rigid cases for your MacBook or MacBook Pro. [more]

[DaMacGuy]

I'm one of a handful of people responsible for over 300 laptops deployed world-wide in some pretty harsh conditions. We loved Spec's SeeThrough cases, but we needed even more protection than that offers.
We finally decided on the Axios hardshell sleeve. Our final decision was based on a pretty hard swing at the corner of a filing cabinet with a laptop inside. The outside of the case showed an obvious divot where it hit the corner, but there was NO SIGN of damage on the inside (couldn't even feel the divot through the foam). It wasn't a home-run swing, but it was a pretty solid smack... and it passed with flying colors.
The sleeve fits tight, but easy enough, in the Brenthaven backpacks we also deploy. And the laptop with the SeeThrough case fits fine. But due to the expense and size we only have it as an optional addition to the kits we deploy. We're trying to make it standard because of the durability. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Oliver58]

I lug my 17 inch MacBook Pro around in a Tom Bihn vertical Brain Cell clipped inside their Smart Alec backpack. The 17 inch MBP is no lightweight, and I had a hard time finding a case that added protection but not a lot of pounds. The Brain Cell/Smart Alec combo works well, and the design is nicely streamlined. And you're right, Mr. Frakes, the quality is impressive.

[stryfe137]

can this fit with a macbook pro inside of tom bihn's the buzz or is it too tight a fit?

[molivolo]

Mobile Edge also offers a few TechStyle semi-rigid compression-molded EVA cases that provide a little more protection than the women's faux-croc portfolio Dan reviewed. The portfolio is made to be lightweight and mobile. The TechStyle EVAs come in three styles depending on how much stuff you need to carry.
Check out the product pages at http://www.mobileedge.com/products[u]him.asp?cid=5&scid=5

Cheers,
Matthew Olivolo
Mobile Edge
Mobile Edge

[Dan Frakes]

Quote:

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can this fit with a macbook pro inside of tom bihn's the buzz or is it too tight a fit?

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According to the company's Web site, the 4X Brain Cell (for the 15-inch MacBook Pro) fits inside the following bags:
Empire Builder
Zephyr
Brain Bag
ID
Super Ego
Ego
The Buzz, which I covered earlier this year, is a slim sling bag that isn't large enough to fit something like the Brain Cell.

[edmetric]

How do I subscribe to Mobile Mac through iTunes?

[Dan Frakes]

iTunes lets you subscribe to podcasts (audio or video). Mobile Mac is a column, so you'd need to subscribe using an RSS reader or a Web browser (such as Safari) that supports RSS.
The URL of the Mobile Mac RSS feed is:
http://www.macworld..../mobile/rss.xml