Technology & Gadget Blog

In the words of celeb stylist Rachel Zoe, “I die”. That is, when I first saw this incredible laptop sleeve from mister Marc Jacobs himself. It’s totally sassy in raspberry red and a fun animal print, and it dons stitched letters all over (plus, let’s not forget the designer’s signature black and gold-tone plaque on the front). Looks like I’ll be retiring my 2-month-old laptop bag, because this beauty is a winner.

$68 US, available at net-a-porter.com.

What’s not to love about this bag? Made of a crinkled goathide and topped off with 14 karat light gold plated hardware, Kate Spade’s Lincoln Road Dee bag is the perfect size to fit a netbook or 13″ laptop. Available in white, red, or black this bag brings sexiness into technology.

$475 US, katespade.com.

I’m a bit of a label snob when it comes to my electronics — I love displaying the logos on my Sony DSLR, Flip Mino camcorder, and especially my iPhone, iPod, Airport, and iMac (yeah that’s right, I just name-dropped).

Check out these seriously cool MacBook adhesives from iamhuman. With a sweet slogan selling “human individuality for non-human objects”, the company lets you jazz up your laptop while still displaying that sweet Apple logo. The graphic prints go for a cool $30 US and the wood grain one is $35 US.

Available at iamhumannow.com.

Remember the days when your computer router was an ugly old thing with unattractive antennas and a bland boxy shape? It’s an unfortunate computer staple that’s all to familiar to most of us. These days, one of those most important aspects of home technology is its attractiveness and ability to appear seamless with your home’s design.

Cisco Consumer Business Group that produces the Cisco by Linksys Group is changing the way we view the router, and it’s about time. I had the chance to talk to Linksys’ CBG’s Senior Executive Director of Worldwide Design & Experience, Chris Landry, about the sleek new design of home routers and why they took so darned long to get a makeover.

Tech Style: Chris, technology seems to be evolving at the speed of light. Why did it take so long for the home router to be redesigned?

Chris Landry: The thing is, when we started the redesign 2 years ago, we had 48% market share, so there wasn’t a huge push for us to change anything. We started to think, though, ‘Can you imagine what we could do with a good product like what we have, but with a better design?’. Essentially, it’s easy to get stuck if you’re doing well, but we realized that in today’s world, you can no longer present the same product for more than a few years.

TS: When you set out to redesign, what did you take into consideration?

CL: The biggest thing was eliminating the antennas. Some people actually liked them and perceived them as the only way a router could communicate wirelessly. There was a lot of resistance from our engineers about getting rid of them as well, but they eventually saw that the routers worked just as well, if not better, without them. Consumers also had a distaste for the clunky shape of the router, so we set out to make a product that was contemporary in shape and colour and also left a smaller footprint in your household.

TS: Why did you decide to stick with the standard black colour?

CL: We did a bunch of market research and results showed that most people associate high technology with dark colours. It was interesting to see that North American consumers prefer dark colours, whereas European consumers prefer lighter shades.

TS: So is this product mainly geared towards the North American consumer?

CL: No, not at all. We’re constantly creating demo products and trying new things for consumers worldwide. We’ve actually established design studios in California and Copenhagen, and we have international designers who can tap into what’s popular in the different markets.

TS: And finally, the price — does a sleeker model mean we have to shell out more hard-earned cash?

CL: Nope! The prices of our routers have stayed the same, and in some cases have gone down. They’re also easier to set up, so all in all, this is a better and more attractive product for the same price as before.

For more information on Linksys by Cisco routers, visit linksysbycisco.com

Remember that goop that used to come in a jar when you were a kid? There was really no purpose for it, apart from sticking it to things and driving your mother crazy.

Well now that goop has come back in a similar form and it actually has a purpose — to clean in between the tiny crevices on your gadgets. I tried using Cyber Clean on my keyboard at work and it did a pretty good job. For deep down dirt, you’ll probably need air compression, but Cyber Clean does the trick for picking up crumbs and dust bunnies trapped between your keys.

For info and to buy, check out cyberclean.com

Yeah, I’ll admit it — I like to tweet. For those of you in the technological Dark Ages, tweeting is the biggest phenomenon to hit social networking since Facebook. A ‘tweet’ is a 140 character message/update you can send out over Twitter, and people who are following your message feed will be able to read it.

Moving on from Twitter 101, check out this über-cool laptop bag I found at the Mareri store on Etsy. The little bird silhouette is so obviously paying an homage to the Twitter logo (or it is in my world, anyways), and the bag is padded to protect your precious hardware.

$50 US, available at Mareri on Etsy.

Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/tech_style

Perhaps it’s my Scottish blood, or perhaps it’s just my love for classic patterns, but tartans and plaids make me go nuts. Totally stylish, plaids have the power to take almost anything from shabby to chic. Above are a few ab fab gadget cases, covers and skins in a variety of price points (c’mon… you know you’re going to have to pay a lot to sport that Burberry tartan).

1 Speck Plaid Fitted Case for iPhone 3G $30, Apple Store.

2 Haymarket slim laptop bag $795 US, Burberry.

3 Gingham laptop adhesive $30 US, iamhuman.

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Although our laptops, mp3 players and cell phones have been created with super sleek design at the forefront for the past few years, gadgets like GPS devices have been quite standard looking – black, square, and matte. TomTom has taken the first leap towards making design a key factor in their GPS production, with the introduction of the White Pearl.

Although the technical features of the White Pearl aren’t much different from TomTom’s original GPS’s (they’re awesome to begin with!), the appearance itself is enough to make me want one. With a pearlescent casing and a swirl print that subtly carries on to the corners of the screen, this GPS leads all others in the right design direction.

Currently available in the UK. Check back at Tech Style and the TomTom website for North American release dates.

A little while back, I blogged about the ridiculously fantastic gold-plated Mac goods from Computer Choppers. I didn’t think anything could match the over-the-top bling of a gold Macbook with diamond logo detailing, but ColorWare has stepped up to the plate with a simply chic and more affordable alternative.

Whether you’re a Blackberry fanatic or your iPod is an extension of your arm, ColorWare doesn’t discriminate between brands — or colours. With a vast array of hues to choose from (in a luxe metallic or sleek lacquer finish) and options of what shade you want on each part, ColorWare pimps your tech gadgets with a durable coating, elevating them to new levels of cool.

You can buy your colour-personalized gadgets straight from the company, or US customers can mail their own in and pay for custom work (tip: if you know someone with a US zip code, use their address to get around international restrictions!).

Check out the ColorWare website for more info and pricing.

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For today’s tech-free Friday, I’d like to appeal to a different kind of geek – that’s right, the graphic designers. I have several friends who go ga-ga over typography (including our very own associate art director, Ashleigh Schouwerwou), so I knew these coasters would be right up their alley.

The laser-etched beauties come in a pack of 4 and feature a unique mixture of letters. The type? It’s Baskerville Semibold, which my designer buddies will knowingly smirk about (it’s so obviously Baskerville, Lauren). Even better, they’re bamboo and made right here in Canada, which means that they’re eco-friendly, too.

Price: $45

Available at: Veer.com

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