• Aug 3, 2012

    Review: Brenthaven Metrolite XP XF Backpack

    I've been pretty cheap when buying laptop bags over the years never spending more than $35 on a bag and usually getting one at Fry's or even Ross. That is, until recently.

    My previous laptop bag was a Belkin Backpack and held up pretty well for several years. In the last few months, I noticed that the material on the handle was starting to come off. Considering I don't use the backpack all that often (I only use when I travel and I go on less than 10 trips a year), I was a bit disappointed. So I started a cursory search for a new bag. Nothing really caught my eye and it wasn't high on my priority list.

    On my last return trip from Portland, I went through the usual pat down at security (I always opt out of the full body scanners due to lack of concrete, non-biased evidence about them) and when the TSA officer grabbed my stuff, he piled my container with my shoes and junk on top of the container with my laptop. This had been done before, so I wasn't concerned. After my groping, I mean, pat down, I put my shoes on, emptied the top bucket and when I picked up my backpack it felt kind of like. It was only then that I noticed I hadn't lifted up the bucket and grabbed my laptop. While it wasn't a truly close call, it was enough for me to speed up my search for a bag that would allow me to leave my laptop in it; I had read about butterfly style/X-ray friendly bags so that is what I wanted to so I didn't almost make that mistake again.

    The choices for this type of backpack were pretty minimal, so I kept searching and comparing styles and weights of backpacks. I came across the Brenthaven MetroLite BP XF Backpack. I had always considered Brenthaven backpacks expensive as I had only previously spent up to about $35 on a bag. I found the backpack on Amazon for $70 and ordered it. I was very excited to get it (don't ask me why a backpack got me excited as I have no idea). The backpack arrived and I loaded it up with my standard gear. It seemed a little tight, but I realized that was because my last bag was pretty much a pit where I just shoved stuff. My standard gear consists of a 15" MacBook Pro, an iPad, a power supply, an Energizer XP18000 external battery, some iPhone cables, a cable for the battery, iPhone and iPad charger, noise canceling headphones, and an extra pair of headphones (with microphone). It is a lot of stuff, but I always have what I need for any trip.

    Now that everything was in the bag, I was ready to travel. I just got back from another trip to Portland were I used the backpack and didn't have to take my laptop out at both ends of the trip; I just unzipped the center zippers, unfolded the bag and put it on the conveyer belt. Perfect, it worked as designed.

    I did a little bit of walking in Portland to get to the office and my hotel and the backpack was quite comfortable despite the 2.6 lbs for the backpack, 6 lbs for the laptop, and then whatever the rest of the components weighed.

    So far, I'm quite pleased with the backpack. It is carrying all that I need, was easy to use at the airport, and was pretty comfortable. With the Brenthaven guarantee for life, this could be the last bag I purchase. I am extremely pleased with the backpack and should have spent the extra money on it a long time ago.

    Pros

    • X-Ray friendly.
    • Adequate storage for power supply, iPad, charger, etc.
    • Lots of padding for a 15" MacBook Pro.
    • Comfortable straps.
    • Lifetime guarantee.
    • Non-fabric covered handle won't wear down.

    Cons

    • A little heavy. The weight without gear is 2.6 lbs; I would like to have had it around 2 lbs. The extra zippers and some of the pockets add a little weight.
    • Slightly more expensive than the run of the mill backpack.

    Summary

    I'm not sure why I waited so long to spend a few extra dollars to get a quality product. I am, however, happy that I waited for a version that makes it easier to go through security at an airport as that is one of the reasons I put my laptop in a backpack. There is lots of padding and enough storage to hold all my gear. If you like backpacks and travel even a few times a year, I'd definitely consider this bag. Luckily there weren't more choices out there or I may not have found such a good back (I would have been cheap and not spent the money on it).

  • Jul 30, 2012

    Growl and Mountain Lion's Notification Center

    One of the neat features of Mac OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion, is the notification center. Having all notifications is cool and when I saw Hiss, a replacement for Growl, I immediately installed it and loved it for a few minutes. However, it has one major flaw and that is it doesn't have an AppleScript dictionary so SuperDuper! gets hung up at the end of copies because it tries to send an AppleEvent to Growl and a have a script that posts notifications of new email from Outlook.

    I went down the path of creating a replacement for Hiss and got the AppleScript part going, but didn't bother with the Growl part. So now I had 2 incompatible halves of a solution.

    Then I started poking at the Growl source and figured that I could just write a plugin (Mountain Lion only) that posted the notifications. About 20 minutes later, my plugin was complete.

    You can download my plugin here.

    Unzip the file, double click it and set it as the default style. There are no configuration settings. This requires Growl 1.4 available on the Mac App Store.

    This plugin comes with no warranty nor support. The next version of Growl will eliminate the need for this plugin, so you'll want to remove it when the next version of Growl comes out.

    If you like this, please consider sponsoring my wife in the MS Challenge Walk.

    Enjoy!

  • Jul 18, 2012

    What is my job?

    When people ask me what I do, I say that I'm a software engineer as it is pretty easy to grasp and basically means I write software. However, what I really am is a software architect. How does this differ from an engineer? It means I do a lot of things outside of writing software. (I won't get into the debate about programmer vs engineer as that is a topic for another day.) A colleague of mine pointed my to a great description of a software architect. The author, Chris Eppstein, kindly let me repost his list.

    A Software Architect

    A software architect lives to serve the engineering team -- not the other way around.

    A software architect is a mentor.

    A software architect is a student.

    A software architect is the code janitor. Happily sweeping up after the big party is over.

    A software architect helps bring order where there is chaos, guidance where there is ambiguity, and decisions where there is disagreement.

    A software architect codes the parts of the system that are the most precious and understands them through and through.

    A software architect creates a vocabulary to enable efficient communication across an entire company.

    A software architect reads far more code than he or she writes -- catching bugs before they manifest as systems change.

    A software architect provides technological and product vision without losing sight of the present needs.

    A software architect admits when he or she is wrong and never gloats when right.

    A software architect gives credit where it is due and takes pride simply in a job well done.

  • Jun 25, 2012

    Review: Mophie Juice Pack Plus

    In the last 2 years that I've had an iPhone 4 and now an iPhone 4S, I've never been able to heavily use it when I travel and have it last all day. I have external batteries that I've had to put in my pocket to charge it which is awkward and not convenient. Last month, I decided to do some research and see about buying a battery case for my iPhone. Of course, this has the major disadvantage that when the iPhone form factor changes, I have to get a new case.

    After reading some reviews, I decided to go with the Mophie Juice Pack Plus as it got pretty good reviews, has a large battery and offers some case protection. The next hard part was trying to figure out where to get it. On Amazon the price was about half of everywhere else. However, a bunch of the reviews were mixed and after pouring through pages and pages of reviews, I determined the issue. Some of the vendors are selling counterfeit cases and it seemed like a risk to get one and have no idea if it was real. Instead, I found a coupon for a company called outfitYOURS.com. After the coupon, I got it for $80 including shipping and it arrived quickly.

    I've now used the battery on 2 trips; one a week long in San Francisco and a 3 day trip in Portland. During both trips, by late afternoon of each day, my iPhone was down to about 20% charge and I flipped on the Mophie and it started charging the iPhone which let me make it to the end of the day. The case does what it is advertised to do and doesn't add too much bulk to my phone, however, when switching back to my normal case, I am able to feel the difference in the thickness. The case appears to be well made and my phone easily slips into it.

    The case charges via MicroUSB and charges my iPhone as well; I had no problems with the charging. My only issues with the case is that one day after I flipped the case on to charge my iPhone, my iPhone shutoff a few hours later once the Mophie's battery had depleted. I'm not sure if this was related to the Mophie or not; however, I'm now more careful and when the iPhone reaches 100% charge, I turn off the Mophie.

    So far it has done exactly what it was intended to do and I'm going to take it on all my trips.

    Pros

    • Provides enough extra juice to last an entire day.
    • Case adds some level of protection.
    • Charges iPhone and case simultaneously.

    Cons

    • It uses a MicroUSB plug for charging; while I realize that this was done because of space, I dislike MicroUSB as it is hard to get the plug in.
    • It adds some bulk to the phone.
    • A little expensive.

    Summary

    If you find that your iPhone doesn't last an entire day, the Mophie Juice Pack Plus is definitely a good solution. If you decide to buy from Amazon, be careful that you don't get a knock off. I'd hope that the iPhone could last a day, but if cell coverage is notoriously bad (like San Francisco) or you get a lot of email (push especially), then a battery like this isn't a luxury, but a necessity.