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You are here: Home / Archives for Mobility / Laptops

Review: UPPERCASE Apple MacBook Air Accessories

08/24/2016 By Hakan Can

UPPERCASE Apple MacBook Air Accessories

Introducing UPPERCASE Apple MacBook Air Accessories

Accessories for both the 11″ & 13″ MacBook Air + 12″ Apple MacBook too

For you Apple MacBook users out there, I’ve got a question for you. How many of you are familiar with UPPERCASE? No, I don’t mean Upper Deck, the sports and fantasy trading card company, I mean UPPERCASE, the maker of Apple MacBook accessories. You see, I asked this question to three of my past and current writers, all of whom own Apple iPhones and MacBooks, and the response was “Who?” I got the same response at my local Apple Store. So, let me take a moment and introduce you to a niche player in the multi-billion-dollar Apple product accessories sector. Meet UPPERCASE, a niche provider of Apple MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad, and iPhone 6 accessories.

UPPERCASE for the Apple MacBook Air

If you’re like one of my current writers, and I won’t name which one, you could have made best use of an UPPERCASE product recently. You see, this writer broke his MacBook. If he had been using a sleeve or a protector on his MacBook, it probably wouldn’t have broke. Just like my writer, we often forget or ignore purchasing such accessories after investing in a MacBook.

UPPERCASE is in the business in making such protection. Their products are high-end, without the high-end price. UPPERCASE offers a variety of products for the Apple MacBook lineup: from the space-saving vertical stand called KRADL, to genuine leather sleeves, to keyboard, palm rest, and trackpad protectors. We’ve tried a few of these out and they’re all winners in our book.

Read:   The New Case Logic Urban Commuter Laptop Backpacks for Men and Women

Giveaway (Expired)

Like what you’ve read so far? It just got better. In partnership with UPPERCASE, we’re running a giveaway now until 10 AM on September 2nd for one (1) of everything below minus the leather sleeve for an 11″ Apple MacBook Air.

KRADL

Now UPPERCASE could have named their vertical stand for the MacBook “Cradle,” but why be ordinary. Play with the wording a little and you get KRADL, something you can brand. Outside of being a beautifully engineered aluminum product, the first thing you notice is the space you save on your desk. If you’re a college student, you know full well how little space you have in your dormitory or apartment. According to UPPERCASE, KRADL occupies 6X less desk space versus laying flat. And to protect your MacBook, the base of the KRADL is manufactured from rubber silicone. This prevents scratches and provides a snug fit.

[soliloquy id=”5781″]

Read:   Catalyst Waterproof iPhone 6s Case Review

Palm Rest and Trackpad Protection

I wonder what this product does.

How many of you wear bracelets, watches, or jewelry while you type? Most of you, right? Have you noticed the scratches caused by these three items on your MacBook Air? You could remove the items, thus preventing scratches, or you could invest the equivalent of a trip to Shake Shack and get yourself an UPPERCASE Palm Rest Protector with Trackpad Protector. This reusable product made of a silver-colored plastic film matches and blends into the look and texture of your MacBook Air.  Now you’ve got a way to prevent the scratches from occurring without having to remove anything.

[envira-gallery id=”5774″]

Keyboard Protection

Complementing the palm rest and trackpad protectors is the UPPERCASE Ultra Thin (0.18mm) Keyboard Protector. This transparent, thermoplastic polyurethane protector costs less than the previous item and fits perfectly over your MacBook Air keyboard. Now you don’t have to worry as much when you knock over that Starbucks latté. And after that spill, you can wash off and reuse the keyboard protector. Just don’t use soap when cleaning or you could discolor or damage the item.

[envira-gallery id=”5776″]

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Leather Sleeve

Some protection for your Apple MacBook Air is a must, but how you achieve this is up to you. UPPERCASE offers a premium full-grain leather sleeve with microfiber lining to envelop your MacBook or MacBook Air. Having seen this product first-hand, I can tell you that it’s quite attractive. Note, we did not review the leather sleeve.

The UPPERCASE leather sleeve is available in 3 colors (Black, Brown, and Red) with sizes available for the 11″ & 13″ MacBook Air and 12″ Retina MacBook. Pricing varies between $49.99-$59.99, depending on whether a promotion is in effect.

[envira-gallery id=”5778″]
Read:   Speck's New Business Travel Laptop Backpack and Bag

Final Thoughts

You’ve now got a glimpse into what UPPERCASE offers.

What do you think about these UPPERCASE Apple MacBook Air Accessories? How about those for the MacBook or MacBook Pro?  Let us know in the comment section below or via social media on our Twitter or Facebook pages. We’re eager to hear your thoughts. Here’s a hint, we prefer social media.

FTC Disclosure: UPPERCASE provided Beantown LLC with one (1) KRADL, keyboard protector, and palm rest and trackpad protector samples for an 11″ MacBook Air for review purposes. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own and is not a paid product ambassador.

All photos and video are courtesy and property of UPPERCASE.

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Filed Under: Laptops Tagged With: Apple, KRADL, MacBook Air, Uppercase 09/06/2016

The Aeolus Laptop Cooling Pad from Enermax: A Review

08/27/2015 By Hakan Can

Enermax Aeolus Laptop Cooling Pad with Razer Blade Gaming Laptop

Inspirion 15C S2

Introducing the Aeolus Laptop Cooling Pad

What can I say about fans? We’ve been using them all our lives, so much so that we take them for granted. They’re used in so many places, so many applications that we often overlook them. So how does this relate to a laptop cooling pad review? Stick around, you’re about to find out.

It’s Summer here in North America. Many of us wake up with a ceiling or floor fan cooling us down in the house. Ignoring you bicycle riders out there, we drive to work in our cars, cars which use 1-2 engine cooling fans. We arrive at our workplace, where the air-conditioning employs the use of cooling fans. At said office, we perform our daily tasks on our desktop computers which use no less than 2 cooling fans. And all this takes place before lunch. We can skip the afternoon and evening as they continue on this track.

Now think about this for a moment. Without adequate cooling, none of these devices would function for very long. And we can count this time in minutes on 1 or 2 hands.

This brings me to the following thought. Your desktop computer uses many fans to keep everything functioning. Yet your laptop may only use one, or none in most cases. So why should you expect your laptop to function as advertised when there are so many horror stories out there involving overheating? The answer is You Shouldn’t. Hence the need for proper laptop cooling.

A Bit of Research

While conducting research on laptop cooling pads, I noticed two things:

  1. There was a shortage of written reviews.
  2. There was an abundance of video (YouTube) videos.

To my surprise, Enermax is not widely known for its laptop cooling pads/products. After searching under the phrase “Laptop Cooling Pads” on Newegg, Enermax appeared only 3X in the Top 50 listed products. This is quite unusual as they’re well known for their cases and power supplies, both of which heavily rely on cooling fans. If there’s one brand out there that knows cooling, it’s Enermax.

Within this Top 50 search, the high majority of cooling pads listed are poorly constructed, cheap, and flimsy. This is one reason for their low pricing, typically in the $20-30 range. If you’re in the market for a cooling pad, it is highly suggested to get one that is well-constructed and durable. Having owned 3 cooling pads over the past decade, take it from me. Firsthand experience will show you the need for this type of product, and a well-constructed one at that.

Features, Specifications & Pros/Cons

There’s plenty to like about the Aeolus cooling pad, and little to dislike. The biggest benefit is that proper cooling extends the life of your product.

The Pros are as follows:

  • The Enermax Aeolus is the most durable, well-constructed cooling pad on the market today.
  • There’s smart cable management on the upper two feet. All 4 feet (edges) are non-slip rubber.
  • There’s an extending USB port
  • A moveable magnetic 4-color, 4-pattern (Sparkle, All-On, Flash, & Off) super-quiet LED fan. With this moveable fan, you can target the cooling more effectively.
  • The pad has a wide cooling area capable of handling 17″ laptops.

The Cons are as follows:

  • I would have preferred a 200 mm fan over the 180 mm fan provided.
  • Offering feet (edges) in a variety of colors would have been preferential. The colors Blue and Purple come to mind. Red has a tendency to stand out.
  • Portability–see the section titled Traveling.

Technical Specifications:

  • Compatibility: 17″ Notebook (Laptop)
  • Material: Aluminum + Metal Mesh
  • Color: Black
  • Fan Size: 180 x 180 x 20 mm
  • Fan Speed: 900 rpm ± 150 rpm
  • Fan Noise: 18 dBa
  • Power Source: USB Bus Power +5V
  • USB Port: USB 2.0 x 1 (For Power Input)
  • Cable Length: 500 mm
  • LED Color: 4-Color (Blue, Red, Green, & White)
  • LED Modes: 4
  • Dimensions: 464 x 386 x 59 mm
  • Weight: 2.3 kg (5 lbs)
  • Product warranty for the Aeolus Vegas CP007 pad is 1 year.

[envira-gallery id="3222"]

My History with Laptop Cooling Pads

A decade ago, I purchased an HP laptop for my dad. On any given day, the laptop would just shut down after 1-2 hours use. On warmer days, the laptop lasted even less. At first I didn’t know the cause of the problem. After a bit of research, I came up with a solution, and an inexpensive one at that. How did I resolve this problem? Well, I purchased my first laptop cooler. Problem solved.

A handful of years later I purchased a second laptop, this time a Toshiba, for my mom. I’ll give you one guess as to what happened next. The very same problem with overheating and shutdown occurred. How did I resolve the problem this time? Well, I purchased my second laptop cooler. Problem solved.

If you’ve done any research on this topic, then you’ve probably come across numerous articles on laptop overheating. A quick Google search under the phrase “Dell laptop overheating” yields thousands of results. I mention Dell because 5-6 years ago, I had one of their laptops cook on my thighs. At that moment, I knew exactly how an egg or a pancake felt. Would you pour hot coffee on your own lap? I think not. You may have even seen the video of a Sony VAIO laptop whose battery caught fire during a work conference. Just imagine that starting on your lap.

So here’s my professional advice. If you or your company have purchased a pricey laptop, then I highly recommend you invest in a reputable laptop cooling pad. You’ve spent good money on the laptop. Now go spend a little more to cool its engines. And as I mentioned a couple of times already, do yourself a favor and get a well-constructed one.

If you’re a DJ, a heavy gamer, an architect or a designer, you already know what I’m talking about. Nothing is more frustrating than your laptop overheating, shutting down and losing your data.

BTW, both of my laptops mentioned above work to this day, although the batteries are pretty much shot.

Traveling with a Laptop Cooling Pad

I’ve been scratching my head over this one. Is the Aeolus cooling pad too big to take on a business trip? If you’ve actually seen/held the pad, then your immediate answer would be Yes. But the truth is, the answer is a bit more complicated than this. Let me provide two examples and discuss the challenges:

  1. Let’s say you’re taking a trip by air (or maybe rail–Amtrak still runs) for a few days or less. Typically, the suitcase you bring is a carry-on. Finding room for the pad, or maybe even fitting it into a carry-on will be a problem. Likely outcome–you leave the cooling pad behind.
  2. Let’s say you’re taking a trip by air (or maybe by car) and your length of stay is a week, or longer. The suitcase you bring may be quite large. Now there’s no space restriction in the luggage. If you came by car, your car’s trunk is like an ocean–there’s ample room. Likely outcome–you bring the cooling pad with you.

There’s also the matter of how long you’ll use your laptop for, and under what conditions. It’s these types of concerns, some minor, some not, that you should think about before you travel with/without a cooling pad.

[envira-gallery id=”3225″]

Where to find the Aeolus Laptop Cooling Pad

The Aeolus cooling pad is available for sale at a variety of websites, many of which are on the Enermax website. My advice is to look no further than Newegg and/or Tiger Direct. The price of the Aeolus cooler is $50. While some of you may think this is a bit pricey for a laptop cooler, I would say think again. Remember all that talk about construction and durability?

Should you happen to be at a large gaming convention like PAX East, then you can see the Aeolus cooling pad firsthand. Plus, you’ll have the chance to speak with one of their product specialists. A win-win in my book. If you would like more product information, please visit the Enermax website.

Final Notes

I’d like to thank the management at the Microsoft Store in Burlington, MA. They allowed me to use their largest laptops with the Aeolus cooling pad for review purposes. This way, you’re able to see photographic proof of how current product fits with the laptop cooling pad. The employees I interacted with were blown away with the Aeolus. It’s too bad that Microsoft Store doesn’t sell any laptop cooling pads. I bet they could sell plenty.

For those of you wondering if this laptop cooling pad was named after the sidekick in the Hercules TV series from 20 years ago, I have the following two responses: 1) Excellent memory, and 2) It was not. That characters name was Iolaus, not Aeolus. I bring this up because this question was actually asked to yours truly and I wanted to dispel any myths.

All photos are the property of Beantown LLC.

FTC Disclosure: A press sample of the Aeolus laptop cooling pad was provided to Beantown LLC for the purpose of this review. The sample in no way affected the authenticity of the review.

[Tweet “The Enermax Aeolus is the most durable, well-constructed cooling pad on the market today. #PAXPrime”]

Enermax Aeolus Laptop Cooling Pad with fan lights blinking.

 

Filed Under: Laptops Tagged With: Aeolus, Cooling Pad, Enermax, Laptop Cooling, Laptop Cooling Pad, PAX East, PAX Prime, review 09/08/2015

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