Belkin FlyThru
Case
Reviewed by
Dan Robinson
|
Belkin
Released: Nov.
2008
$59.99 USD,
€47.78, $74.21 CND
Strengths: Stylish. Well thought out. Good design to avoid accidental dumping
of contents. Clear laptop window for speedy trip through airport
security.
Weaknesses: No good place for accessories. |
|
Introduction
Neat
Idea! It's always a hassle going through security at the airport. It's even
more of a hassle with a laptop. Enter the Belkin "FlyThru Laptop
Case."
Foremost
of the bag's features, of course, is the open-up-and-lay-flat for the scanner.
TSA can see your laptop behind the clear plastic window. And there are no
compartments gaping open to allow stuff fall out, unless you put some file
folders or something in there . . . but that would defeat the purpose. You want
to unzip the case, put it through the scanner, then grab it and go on the other
side.
Also handy is the rubberized pull-tab
velcroed to the case. Am I the only one to forget which set of zippers open
which compartment? There's no mistaking this as the one to grab at the airport
scanner.
Take
a look at the picture here. See where the zipper stops? None of the zippers on
the bag go down further than four inches from the bottom. After dumping my
laptop from my old bag, I appreciate the designer who made it so your computer
wouldn't get thrown to the floor when you move the bag without zipping it up
first.
The
same thing applies to your papers. The strap is connected at the top, not
halfway down the side, so the center of gravity is straight down.
Cons: There are not many. Foremost is the
lack of an enclosed place for the bulky items like the charger, the VGA dongle,
the USB cable, the FireWire cable, etc.
Before someone from Belkin points out
the outside pocket, I submit that if you fill that one with accouterments, it
will make an unsightly bulge opposite the laptop compartment, so that when you
lay it flat, the bag rocks. So I wind up dropping everything in the file folder
compartment, which has become the junk drawer.
Conclusions
So,
Congratulations to Belkin on a beautifully-designed case. You seldom get good
looks and good utility in the same package, but Belkin has pulled it off on
this one.
