Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I won’t go into much detail about why I like the Brain Cell laptop cases from Tom Bihn. I’ve already written about them in a past review, and I’ll just say they’re a great way to turn any bag into a well protected laptop case.

But in an effort to make the Brain Cell even better, the company has now improved the cases by adding a fifth layer of protection made from 12mm of premium memory foam. If for some reason you were worried about your laptop getting dinged up with the Brain Cell’s previous layers of foam and corrugated plastic, this extra layer of memory foam should be more than enough to keep your investment safe.

The Brain Cells are available directly from Tom Bihn in a wide selection of colors and sizes to fit any laptop for $60. Like I’ve said in the past, if you’re in the market for a laptop case or bag I’d skip the stores and head straight for the Tom Bihn website.

[ Tom Bihn Brain Cell ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The Tom Bihh Zephyr is basically the little brother to the Empire Builder briefcase I reviewed almost a year ago. (Where does the time go?) Just think of the Zephyr as the mid-sized version designed for people looking for something more compact but with similar functionality.

The main compartment opens extra wide thanks to a unique ‘bellows’ system and includes plastic dividers for organizing files and other documents inside the bag. It can also be used to carry a laptop when combined with one of the Tom Bihn Brain Cell padded cases. But there’s nothing stopping you from sticking an unprotected laptop in there either.

A large front flap with three outside pockets is used to hide a larger zippered pocket underneath as well as a pouch featuring 3D pockets for PDAs, cellphones and anything needing a bit more protection. My favorite feature is the ‘roll-aboard’ slot on the back of the bag allowing it to be stacked on top of a suitcase and secured to the extending handle making for one less thing to carry when traveling.

The Zephyr is currently available on the Tom Bihn website in a variety of color combinations for $140.

[ Tom Bihn: Zephyr ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While ‘The Buzz’ sling-style bag has been available from Tom Bihn for a while the company just redesigned it to accommodate laptops as large as the 15.4 inch MacBook Pro. Sling bags are kind of a mashup between the best parts of a courier bag and a backpack. They’re typically worn over the right shoulder (or exclusively with the Buzz) and allow you to access your stuff without having to be removed like with a backpack. And unlike a courier bag they can be easily worn when riding a bike or during other activities since they’re held tightly against the body.

The main compartment on the Buzz will easily hold a laptop and a couple of notebooks (the paper kind) protecting them in a 1/4 inch foam laminate sleeve. There’s also additional pockets for stashing whatever else you don’t want stored in your pants as well as a water bottle holder on the exterior and a cell phone pocket on the shoulder strap. And while the company promotes the Buzz as being designed for the MacBook Pro it will actually fit any similarly sized laptop for the Windows/Linux crowd.

The Buzz is currently available on the Tom Bihn website in 11 different color combinations for $120. (Trust me, they’re worth every penny.)

[ Tom Bihn: The Buzz ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Longtime readers of the site will know we’re fans of Tom Bihn’s various laptop and messenger bags when it comes to hauling our toys around. In the past we’ve reviewed their Empire Builder, Imago Yin and Super Ego bags and today they’ve announced another addition to their lineup with the Ego messenger bag. Designed as a smaller version of the Super Ego the bag also features an improved shoulder strap which is great since the size and strap were two of the issues we raised in our own review. But keep in mind that since the Ego is also designed to hold a laptop it isn’t the smallest bag the company offers.

In terms of styling the Ego comes in a variety of understated color combinations that look great and won’t make you stand out in a crowd either. It also includes an interchangeable strip of fabric on the front flap that’s available in 19 different colors and materials allowing you to further customize the look of the bag. And like I already mentioned since the Ego is designed to accommodate a laptop the company recommends using it in conjunction with one of their Brain Cells for an extra bit of padding and protection.

The Ego is currently available on the Tom Bihn website for $130 and includes one of the interchangeable strips. Additional strips are available for $5 each.

[ Tom Bihn Ego Laptop Messenger Bag ]

By David Ponce

This guy. His name is Mike, and he made a post to Slickdeals on December 7th. We used Random.org to generate a random integer between 1 and 190 (we got that many entries), and 75 is the number that came up. Mike, that’s you. Congrats! And Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, or whichever non-denominational end-of-year greeting you’d like. We’ll be in touch shortly.

For everyone that particiated, thank you. My sincere apologies that we couldn’t get every single one of you something, but don’t worry: we got tons more contests just around the corner, so stay tuned.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering what’s in Mike’s giftbasket, keep on reading.

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By David Ponce

[I'm bumping this back up because it's been updated. And because I can. -Ed.]

So, this is it. For those of you that didn’t win in our last giveaway, we told you we had something coming up; jumping off that ledge wasn’t necessary. It’s the Holidays, and what better way to enjoy them than by pimping yourself out with thousand(s) of dollars worth of gadgets? We got products from Neuros (again), Tokyoflash, Wicked Lasers, Vaja, Tom Bihn, Ice Jacket and Fossil. We also are working on getting confirmation on tons of other products from several manufacturers, but we just can’t wait until everyone gets their PR coordinated, right?

The idea? We’re not going to dole the stuff out, bit by bit. No, no, that would suck. We’re going to make one huge bundle, and one lucky winner will take home the loot. Everything. And how do you enter? Well, you didn’t expect us to make it easy, now, did you? It won’t be rocket science, but it requires some effort. You enter by spreading the word. Simple as that.

For all the details, keep reading.

[ Update: Presto have agreed to pitch in a printer. For the details on this, read on.]

[ Update: IncipioBud has been added... along with an iPod Shuffle! ]

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The relationship that we build with our readers is based on trust. Anything we say, any opinion we have will bear no value if this trust is lost. So, this page is built with the hopes of dissipating any impressions of impropriety and conflict of interest. These conflicts may seem to arise when we appear to have a financial interest in the products we review.

More to the point, when manufacturers send us products for review, it does happen that we are allowed to keep them. We wish to make it clear that we pay great care to maintain our impartiality and will never, for any reason, give a product a positive review when we feel it is undeserved.

But, for the sake of complete disclosure and transparency, following below is a constantly updating list of the products we have been allowed to keep.

- The Earbudclips
- The OHSO Travel Toothbrush
- The X-Garments
- The Sleeptracker Watch
- The Diode Watch
- The Weather Station
- The Picopad
- The Nokia N70
- The Slappa Bulkhead PRO
- The Nexus Wicked Laser
- The Freestyle Gluegun
- The Gelaskins
- The Syder Series Laser
- Tom Bihn Empire Builder
- Waterfield Designs Sleevecase
- Tom Bihn Imago Yin
- The Nokia N91
- Vaja Nokia E61 Leather Case
- WaterField Designs iPod Cases
- db clay myDuctbills Kit + Stampage Wallet
- Saitek peripherals
- Helio handsets

Additionally, we may from time to time receive compensation to look at and review a given product or service. When this happens, the article in question will be clearly marked, and disclosure will occur each time; you won’t have to “discover” this page to know what’s going on. We are never required to give a product a positive spin merely because we’re being compensated and the opinions expressed are always our own, whether the company affected likes it or not. We’ll get paid either way, and even if no one ever wants to compensate us to review something ever again, we won’t lose any sleep over it: we already make plenty from traditional ads on the site.

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For a longer version of this Code of Ethics, you may consult WOMMA.

By David Ponce

Seems like our editors have been on a Tom Bihn binge lately. And, why not? They make some fine bags. So, here’s a little more. Our friends over at GearLive actually met Tom Bihn and went to the “Tom Bihn Labs” for a little look around.

So, follow the link below for the Bleeding Edge TV episode with none other than Tom Bihn, and Gearlive head honcho, Andru Edwards.

[BleedingEdge TV With Tom Bihn]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve been using the same messenger bag for about three years now mostly because I’ve found nothing better to replace it and because the bag itself was a bit of an investment. A few weeks ago when Tom Bihn sent me their Empire Builder laptop bag to review they also sent along one of their newest bags for me to look at called the Imago.

The quickest review I can give of the Imago is that it has slowly and steadily begun to replace my old messenger bag for day to day use. The Imago’s biggest advantage (which also happens to be its biggest drawback) is that the bag is extremely light and convenient to carry. However this lightweight design is a result of the bag lacking any kind of padding or reinforcement so any electronics you pack inside would probably benefit from the extra protection of their own cases. But that being said I still highly recommend the Imago. It’s a great little shoulder bag with a clean, trendy design and a large collection of pockets placed exactly where you need them to be.

Read my full review with more pics after the jump?

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