I’ve been using a Booq Bags PowerSleeve12 with my 12″ Powerbook ever since I first got my Powerbook back in July. You can read my impressions of the sleeve in a previous post. The sleeve has been perfect for me, and hasn’t left me wanting.

However, Booq just had to go and ruin that. Be assured, it’s not a fault of the PowerSleeve12 by any means. Rather, Booq has introduced a new product, and upon seeing it I was instantly thrown into a state of want. The Viper Series Sleeve (I have linked to the XS model, for 12″ Powerbooks) is a new minimalist laptop sleeve that offers maximum protection with a minimal fuss, and what I deem to be a very outstanding price. Please allow me to quote the product description from Booq’s own website:

“We sandwiched durable, semi-rigid high density foam between a layer of 1682D cross-weave ballistic nylon on the exterior and a super non-scratch lining on the interior - an effective blend.”

Doesn’t that make you all tingly all over? It is important to note that this is strictly a sleeve, as it has no carrying handles or straps. The Viper Sleeve is intended to be used inside of another larger bag. Of course, Booq has built the sleeve to fit perfectly inside quite a few of their larger bags, including the “Boa.XM, Mamba.XS, Mamba.XM, PowerSleeve14, as well as all larger products.”

For me personally, the PowerSleeve12 is still a more appropriate solution. I am able to keep the sleeve in my book bag with the sleeve’s flap folded back. This allows me to quickly access my laptop by merely unzipping my book bag’s compartment, while keeping the Powerbook protected. However, at only $40, the Viper is difficult to resist as a backup. I feel that it would serve well for long trips where your laptop may be stored in luggage. The Booq website is showing an availability date of Jan 24 currently.

Macworld Expo had the big keynote today. Two very large things were announced that I know of right now. The flash iPod, and much more importantly in my eyes, the Mac mini.

My Mother is in dire need for a new computer. Her and her boyfriend are currently using a 5 year old Compaq running Windows ME. The thing isn’t usable due to spyware and viruses that constantly infect it. The computer can be used for about a week after I visit and clean it up, but after that it returns to a state of chaos. The Mac mini is exactly what they need. It’s cheap, it lets them use the monitor they already have, and it’s Mac. I truly believe that the Mac OS, OSX, is much more appropriate for the average user than Windows. I’m not saying that as a fanboy. I’m saying that as a Windows user of 10 years, who in the last year bought a Powerbook. I know Windows quite well, and consider myself a “power user”, someone who uses a computer to its fullest ability. Windows has uses, and Mac has uses. I strongly feel that Mac is more geared toward the average consumer. No viruses, no spyware… and configuration seems to be about 20 times easier (subjective scale there).

Back to the Mac mini… just looking at Apple’s website the Mac mini is 2.9 pounds, measuring 6.5″ x 6.5″ x 2″. The case is made up of the same aluminum that the Powerbooks and Powermacs are constructed from. That discovery delighted me to no end… I like the white and clear plastic look of the Apple consumer products, but it’s hard to beat the sleek finish of Apple’s aluminum Professional products.

Will this be the point of mass propagation of Switchers? The main con against Apple computers has always been prohibitive cost, but the Mac mini changes things. The argument of being able to walk into Best Buy to pick up a $500 Windows machine won’t hold water anymore. Additionally, OS 10.3 is the best I’ve ever seen, and with Tiger (10.4) around the corner, things are only going to get better.

I was at Best Buy last night with a couple gift cards looking for something to buy. I’ve been needing some headphones for my Rio Karma for a while, as my pair of cheap Sony MDR-E828LP’s were damaged last semester. I’ve wanted to have a very nice set of headphones for a while, so looking on the shelves of Best Buy I found a pair of Sony MDR-EX51LP’s for $40. I figured $40 would be a nice pricepoint for me to move from my $10 headphones, but still keep from spending $100+ on serious earbuds. I had read to stay away from the EX51LP’s, but these warnings were posted on audiophile forums. I have a pretty critical ear, but surely I’m not as critical as these people… I have never listened to a pair of $300 headphones, so I figure my benchmark for good sound is quite low. The EX51LP’s have a sealed earpiece that squeezes into the ear canal, supposedly offering superior bass. I’d love to have some more bass for my techno, so I figured I’d give them a shot.

I checked out of Best Buy, depleting my gift cards and spending $6 of my own money. I got out to my car and extracted the headphones from the packaging. I loaded A Snow Capped Romance by 36 Crazyfists into the playlist on my Karma and slipped the earbuds into my ears. The $40 Sony EX51LP’s were some of the worst headphones I have ever heard. I played with all EQ settings on my Karma, but nothing could rid the music of the shroud of muddiness. Highs were sloppy and lows were lacking. That’s right… headphones that advertise superior bass performance actually reproduced very little bass from the recording. I loaded up other albums and played with the EQ more, but nothing could be done for these headphones. I slipped everything back into the packaging and walked back into Best Buy. I returned the EX51LP’s and grabbed a trusty pair of E828LP’s, the same pair I had before, for $12. I listened to them immediately, and was very pleased with what I heard. They don’t sound perfect, but they will hold me over until I can afford quality earbuds. I’m glad I tried the EX51LP’s because I’ve been curious about them for a long time. I just can’t understand how Sony can make both of these earbuds, and the $12 pair can so dramatically outperform the $40 pair.

Of course, this is all according to my ears, and your own results may vary.

[Edit] Looking back and reading others’ experiences with these headphones, I’ve concluded that a number of things may have affected my experience. First of all, I may have not had them inserted into my ears far enough, or my ear cannals may not be shapped properly. Second, I may have had a defective pair. If you are interested in these phones, I suggest picking them up at a brick and mortar store with a good return policy so you can see how they fit you for yourself.