Here’s my quick look video review of the LapStrap laptop carrying strap.
Video Notes
Allows you to carry your laptop like a shoulder bag.
Great for getting through airport security points and handy for students going to and from classes or business people going to and from meetings inside a building.
Available in Adult and Youth sized straps.
I would only recommend using this with a laptop that has a lid that latches closed. Not one that just uses a tight hinge to keep the lid closed.
This strap won’t protect your laptop, so it’s best used for short distance transport where you’re out of the weather and also not in danger of someone trying to steal it (subway, busy city street, etc.).
Product Information
| Price: | 24.95 |
| Manufacturer: | LapStrap |
| Requirements: |
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| Pros: |
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| Cons: |
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I died a little when I saw you jerking around your MacBook Pro like that.
By the way, I love the stickers. I need to get some for my laptop.
Tyler:
Hahahah! See what I do for you guys? ;o)
I need to get some gadgeteer stickers made!
Julie,
I don’t think this is a good idea: a naked laptop on the street of Seattle: 1) it will invite bad guys, 2) can you say bump protection?
Hai:
I wouldn’t use it ‘outside’. I think it’s better suited for kids at school or people at work going from place to place ‘inside’ a building. I’ll go make that point more clear in the video notes section.
It’s actually a pretty neat idea but I wonder how it would work on MacBooks that only use magnet to secure the lid closed and not any kind of actual locking system.
EDIT: OK, I see that point was considered in video notes 🙂
[Edited at July 18, 2008 07:52:32 AM.]
Ville:
I didn’t know there were Macbooks that only use a magnet for a latch. Are these older models? Or does the Air do that?
I would never use this product with any laptop that does not have a secure latching mechanism.
Julie: Not that old. Mine is Core 2 Duo, bought less than a year ago. According to quick googling, Macbook Pros from the same period and Air seem to use magnetic lock as well.
Ok, I understand what you’re talking about now when you say magnetic. :o) It’s just that the little hooks are exposed when you close the lid. The Macbook still uses an actual latch though. It’s not just two magnets holding it closed. I just looked at my MBP and that’s the way it works. If you fold down the lid, you can see the hooks fall down right before you close it completely.
No, no. That is not the case 🙂 There are no hooks at all, no holes where they could appear from or anything. Just magnets beneath the plastic (or metal in Pro’s case) above the screen. I used to have such locking mechanism with hooks in my Powerbook and iBook so I know what you mean but they apparently have changed it since then.
EDIT: I had to call my friend who owns the latest version of MBP and he told me that Pro actually still uses the hooks. He also told me that the rumors say the hooks will be replaced with magnet system used in MB and Air in the next release. I guess the case is now solved 🙂
[Edited at July 18, 2008 09:11:56 AM.]
[Edited at July 18, 2008 09:13:14 AM.]
Ville:
Thanks for finding that out for us :o) I guess the conclusion to this little thread is to not use the LapStrap with a laptop that doesn’t physically latch. At least that’s my opinion ;o)
Yes, the MacBooks do not have a latch. They use magnets to keep the display closed.
The MacBook Pros, however do have latches. They are spring-loaded and have magnets to keep them withdrawn until closing the laptop.
I would be rather concerned about damage to the inside of the laptop (scratches on the screen, for example), and eventual structural damage to the hinges and other parts of the laptop nearby, since they’re suddenly carrying all the weight of the laptop with that setup. Depending on how the hinges are put together, you may start getting cracks in the case, or even worse things!
Looking at my Thinkpad T42, for example, the strap would largely be held in place by two pretty small metal hinges – nice and strong for holding up the display, but I wouldn’t want to hold the whole laptop up using just them – one’s 10mm wide (with the display cables within) and the other is 2mm!
Frankly, I’d find it easier and safer to just have a bag where it’s quick and easy to pull out the laptop.