Netbook Digest

We gave you the lowdown on a handful of netbook bags last week, and they ranged from classy pin-up to simple, plain and black.  We’ve got an assortment of new netbook transportation options for those of you who were left unsatisfied by last week’s post.  This time around, we’re focusing on the fabled netbook case, which generally offers a more solid barrier from the hazards the outside world threatens your precious netbook with.  A turtle shell to the netbook bag’s fur coat. Finding a deal is key.

Leather is, and always has been the epitome of class, ya know, except when you had to do all the skinning and tanning yourself.  So what better way to look like a high-class business professional than to get a leather netbook case from Kroo.  The leather case/cover comes in several different models, each one uniquely fitted for a different brand of netbook.  There have cases for all of the major netbook lines, Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and MSI.  Amazon is listing them for around $20 each.  They’re definitely a viable option for someone who wants a some differentiation in their generic black netbook by adding some leather casing for protection and aesthetics.

Next, for my brethren who are still rocking their soon-to-be vintage 7” netbooks, Belkin offers two different styles of carrying case, both for around $30.  For those of us who want something more grandmotherly, there’s this quilted case that looks like it was knitted by your nana, and offers some style and protection for your 7” netbook.  If you’re not a fan of quilting, Belkin also offers this less textured design for the same $30 price tag.  It comes in four colors, two of which at the time of this posting are sold out.  This design sacrifices the quilting for a little harder covering and slightly more protection.  Neither of them, however, will fit anything bigger than a 7″ netbook, which makes them more than a little outdated considering the standard is now  anywhere between 10.1 and 12 inches.  Skip these and tell your well-meaning friends that they are not in fact a good office warming gift when you get promoted because your productivity increased ten-fold after buying a netbook.

Also from Kroo, is this significantly less classy netbook case that is 100% guaranteed to make it look like you’re carrying your lunch in a bright pink cloth covered box rather than a new netbook.  The Kroo Cube series will do it’s job, granted that job is making you look like a tool while toting around a piece of technology that’s supposed to be not only efficient, but fashionable in the same way an iPhone is fashionable.  The lunchbox-esque carrying device comes in five different colors, not that you’d want to get this thing in anything but black so as not to draw attention to it.  If you do decide on this thing, you’ll be paying $25 for it.  It comes in different sizes to accommodate whatever netbook you feel like hiding away.

Choiix offers this awesome metal case/sleeve/computer stand for all your netbook needs.  This thing is actually made out of metal and doubles as a heat dissipation stand when you open it.  The design is unique, simple and lacks a lot of branding.  It also offers a good deal of white space for customization purposes, and allows you to make the metal case your own.  It comes in a few different colors, depending on the size, with the smaller ones having more options.  You won’t find better protection than a full metal case, and the stand is a great touch.  I don’t know just from looking at it how tightly it holds the netbook inside, which is information I’d like to have regarding the potential for scratching what it’s protecting on the metal.  The only drawback is that you’ll be paying $30 for one of them.  On second thought however, if you were to buy a stand separately from this, you’d probably end up paying more.  Overall, seems like a good buy.

There you have it, if you don’t have a good idea about your options for carrying devices by now, there’s not much more we can do.  Besides the more unique options we’ve detailed here, there’s always the sleeve plan.  There are literally dozens of different options if you decide to go with the sleeve option.  Everything from plain solid colors to designer sleeves are available all across the interwebs.  Google ‘netbook sleeves’ and you’ll see what I mean.  Besides variety, they’re usually pretty cheap as well, even tho the single neoprene covering doesn’t offer much in the way of protection from wear and tear.

If any particularly interesting new products arise we’ll be sure to keep you all updated.