Marianne Schultz

the musings of a geeky girl

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Review: MacBracket lock bracket for Apple’s MacBook Air

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If you own a MacBook Air, you’ve probably noticed that it’s missing something that almost every other laptop in Apple’s line-up (and those from other manufacturers as well) does have: a Kensington lock slot. So if you need to lock up your MacBook Air to secure it at a coffee shop, at university, or anywhere else, you’re out of luck. Fortunately, MacBracket is here to save you and your MacBook Air.

The MacBracket is a metal bracket that slides into your MacBook Air’s hinge and has a Kensington lock slot on one end so you can attach a lock to it to secure it to a desk. The MacBracket is made of a high-quality alloy by a company in Germany. It retails for €19.90 (about US$26) plus shipping and can be purchased directly from MacBracket’s site or through the German or UK Amazon stores. It’s available in two versions – one for the older 2008 and 2009 MacBook Air models and another for the models made in 2010 through the present. The version I have is the latter to work with my mid-2011 11-inch MacBook Air.

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Review: Capta tripod mount/stand accessory for smartphones

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I first heard of the Capta through Kickstarter and though I missed getting in on the funding campaign before it closed, it remained on my list as an accessory to check out. As you probably already know, I do record video reviews and I’ve been getting a little tired of the cheap and flimsy plastic clamp tripod mount that I’d been using with my iPhone. Fortunately, BiteMyApple.co offered me a Capta to review and I’ve used it to record a few videos and get a feel for how well it works.

If you’re not familiar with the Capta, it’s an aluminum tripod mount and stand accessory for the iPhone or any other smartphone or smartphone-sized device. It has an über sticky polyurethane pad used to secure your smartphone and a ¼-20 threaded hole to mount on a tripod or any other accessory with a stud this size.

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A (pen) Quiver for your Moleskine notebook

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Despite the overwhelmingly digital nature of my life these days, I am still in love with paper and pens. Granted, I don’t get to use them as often as I used to when I was in school but I still enjoy a well-balanced pen that writes smoothly and crisply and a fresh pad of paper. To satisfy this need, I have a Moleskine notebook and a Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen and I try to keep them close to me wherever I go to jot down quick notes and thoughts. However, keeping a pen with that notebook has always proven to be harder than I thought, at least until now.

I came across the Quiver, a product by Quiver Global thanks to The Gadgeteer. It’s an elastic and leather contraption that attaches to a hardcover notebook and holds a pen or two for you. The single-pen version slips over the spine of your notebook and the double-pen version slips over the front cover. Though I only wanted a single-pen holder, I didn’t want that version interfering with my ability to keep the notebook open and write in it, so I opted for the double-pen version since that slides on over the front cover instead of the spine.

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Review: Morris Lessmore DODOcase for the iPad 3

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Every time I get a new gadget, I am tempted to buy a new case or other accessory for it, and I usually succumb to this temptation. This was definitely the case (see what I did there?) for my new iPad 3 and I ordered the Morris Lessmore DODOcase for it. I’ve now had it for a few weeks and have been enjoying it quite a bit.

The Morris Lessmore case, which costs $64.95, was made in partnership with Moonbot Studios in honor of the Oscar-winning animated short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. (You can buy the short film directly from the iTunes Store here and there’s also an interactive iPad book app for it here.)

The case looks and feels just like a hardcover book on the outside and is made by hand using traditional bookbinding techniques. The exterior of this particular model (DODOcase offers several different models with different materials and color combinations) is faux red leather and it has a cream linen cloth interior. As with all of DODOcase’s cases, it has a bamboo frame on the inside to hold the iPad, with rubber pads in the corner to grip it and cushion it within the frame.

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Review: Acme Made Skinny Sleeve for Apple’s MacBook Air

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Image courtesy of Acme Made

I’ve always loved the look and feel of Apple’s aluminum laptops and while they’re pretty sturdy, they’re not immune to scratches and dents, even when they’re carried inside another bag. Though I have several laptop bags with dedicated compartments, my 11-inch MacBook Air is small enough that it can fit into other bags I have that lack a dedicated space for a laptop. For these bags, I wanted a slim yet protective sleeve for my MacBook Air and chose the Acme Made Skinny Sleeve.

There are ton of sleeves out there for the MacBook Air but the Acme Made Skinny Sleeve caught my eye for a few reasons. First, it has some additional reinforcement built into walls of the sleeve to provide even more protection against dents. Second, it’s a very slim, low-profile sleeve that adds little bulk to the already-thin MacBook Air. Third, though I’m not the kind of girl who’s drawn to pretty colors, I really liked the dark eggplant color available as a nice alternative from the black cases and bags I usually buy.

So far, the Acme Made Skinny Sleeve is definitely living up to my expectations and is keeping my MacBook Air protected, all while looking sleek and professional in the process and I have only a few tiny gripes about it. Read on or watch my video review after the break to find out more.

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