Crave

Fujitsu Siemens delivered an early holiday present to its U.K. customers late last week when it announced the "LifeBook4Life" program.

Essentially, anyone in the U.K. who buys a select LifeBook laptop and a three-year warranty will be entitled to trade the system in for a replacement laptop (of "comparable specification and value," with a 10 percent adjustment for inflation) after three years--and continue trading in LifeBooks every three years for the rest of his or her life. For free.

Sweet, no?

Naturally, we wondered if and when this particular idea would cross the pond to include the company's customers in North America. We asked our contact at Fujitsu, who replied that LifeBook4Life is U.K.-only at this time, but that they're "gauging the interest in such an offer in the U.S." Translation: if you're interested in buying once and enjoying laptops for life, make your voices heard.

Meanwhile, perhaps another manufacturer can crunch the numbers and determine whether it'd be worthwhile to offer some competition. I know I'd certainly be tempted to go with a particular laptop brand if I knew I'd get a fresh one every three years.

Everyone's had the experience of toiling away on a project, only to have the hard work go unrecognized. For those times when co-workers or family members fail to acknowledge your genius, there's the Applause Machine from Laikingland.

Designed by U.K. artist Martin Smith, the Applause Machine is a kinetic sculpture that measures about 18 inches high. When you press a button on the wood base, the motor kicks into gear and the machine "enthusiastically claps its hands for you"--well, as much as a machine can express enthusiasm. As this video shows, the clapping seems to be easily drowned out by the sound of the motor.

Made of powder-coated steel, brass, plastic, and walnut, the Applause Machine runs on two AAA batteries (included). You can choose from among five colors--red, green, orange, black, and white; the collective will manufacture 250 machines in each color.

Of course, U.S. buyers will have to be either independently wealthy or especially desperate for an ego boost. Thanks to the still-unfavorable exchange rate, the Applause Machine prices out to $301.83.

(Via Dezeen)

The MetroLite, fully loaded

When I studied abroad in college, my trusty Eagle Creek backpack went with me everywhere. It had just enough room for everything I needed to carry, with lots of little pockets to keep my stuff organized. It was so compact and maintained its shape so well that I never felt like a turtle, even when the bag was stuffed.

The MetroLite Backpack, from Washington-based manufacturer Brenthaven, reminds me of that bag. Its main compartment includes a well-padded sleeve that accommodates laptops up to 15.4 inches (though we were able to carry even a 16.4-inch system). Its front compartment contains tons of little organizer pockets to corral your gadgets and accessories. And the whole bag adds just 4-6 inches to your profile while you're carrying it.

For example, in the picture at right, the MetroLite is loaded with the Sony VAIO FW270 and its AC adapter, plus a letter-size spiral notebook, two magazines, a trade paperback, two smartphones, a wallet, keys, and pens. Even with all that stuff, the bag is about 6 inches at its thickest point--and that bulge could have been reduced with more thoughtful packing.

If you want a backpack that can carry your laptop, gym clothes, reading materials, and lunch, then the MetroLite backpack is not for you. But if you prefer to travel light or regularly commute by bus or train, I think you'll love it. Read the MetroLite Backpack review and let me know what you think.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Acer is readying a 10-inch version of its Aspire One Netbook, according to a report in DigiTimes. The publication attributed the news to Scott Lin, president of Acer Taiwan, and said to expect an official launch of the new Netbook in February or March of 2009.

Lin offered no further details about the 10-inch Aspire One, including whether (or when) it will make its way to the United States. We assume it will, and that when it does it'll have largely the same specs as the current model, adding perhaps some more RAM and (we hope) a larger battery. No matter what, a 10-inch screen will provide a welcome break from all that scrolling.

Of course, this puts a kink in the plans of anyone who'd hoped to buy an Aspire One this holiday season. If you've been planning to buy an Acer Netbook, will you now hold out in hopes of a larger model, or proceed with your purchase as planned?

After a brief respite, Netbooks came to the foreground again this week. Virtual unknown Raon Digital grabbed everyone's attention with the dual-core, touch-screen Everun Note. Asus showed off its new brushed-metal design with the Eee PC 1002HA (pictured at right). And Dell launched new colors and graphic designs for the Inspiron Mini 9.

Meanwhile, a new iteration of MSI's Netbook was spotted on display in China. The company followed up with an official announcement of the Wind U120. No word yet on pricing or availability, though the Netbook should be on display at CES 2009.

The final minilaptop of note is so costly it's hardly a Netbook at all: the ubermenacing, $890 Hello Kitty C1.

In other news, HP launched the first multitouch consumer laptop, the 12.1-inch TouchSmart tx2; Samsung began mass-producing 256GB solid-state drives; and we found another laptop sleeve styled like an interdepartmental envelope.

Also, with Thanksgiving in the U.S. next week, we Cravers took a moment to reflect on which gadgets we're most thankful for. Turns out we're a grateful bunch; the story had to be broken into two parts. Read Part 1 and Part 2, and don't forget to tell us what gadget will be counted among your Thanksgiving blessings.

And finally, if you've got a frequent flier on your gift list this holiday season, check out our roundup of checkpoint-friendly computer bags.

Have a great weekend!

After months underground, during which time she released only a pixellated propaganda video, the felicitous feline has surfaced once again, bent on pursuing her plan for world domination. As evidence, I present to you the Hello Kitty Netbook.

Compared with most previous Hello Kitty laptops, the Hello Kitty C1's design is downright subdued, with the text "Hello Kitty" repeated across the lid and a single impression of the evil mastermind's image in one corner. Otherwise, the 2.6-pound mini laptop looks like nearly every other all-white Netbook.

Its specs are fairly typical as well: a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and a 10.1-inch display. There are also two USB ports, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. It runs on Windows XP Home in your choice of five languages.

But, fellow citizens, do not be fooled by the cuteness! This product is all part of a pernicious plot to attack your wallet: whereas most Netbooks are priced in the $350-$500 range, the Hello Kitty C1 costs a ridiculous $890.

You have been warned.

MSI on Friday announced the next iteration of its popular Wind Netbook, the 3-pound Wind U120. The updated model includes many of the same features as its predecessor, but sports a new look (white with black accents) and adds WiMax or HSDPA connectivity.

Mobile broadband was one of the items we thought was missing from the Wind U100, so we're glad to see it's been included with this update, at least in theory. (At the moment, WiMax networks are pretty scarce in the U.S.) Also included is a six-cell battery, which is a necessity when you're talking about a device as mobile as a Netbook. In fact, our only wish that isn't granted with the Wind U120 has to do with storage: though the hard drive size has doubled to 160GB, there is still no solid-state drive option.

The Wind U120's other specs look similar to the previous version, including its 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, three USB ports, and 4-in-1 card reader. In a concession to those who hate the Netbook's tiny touch pad, it ships with an external mouse.

MSI did not specify pricing or availability for the Wind U120, but the announcement press release trumpeted that the minilaptop will be on display at CES in January 2009.

Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer, ready to go through the X-ray.

Regular Crave readers have seen a steady stream of products unveiled in the months since the Transportation Security Administration issued guidelines for "checkpoint friendly" bags, which let you zip through airport security checkpoints without removing your laptop.

Eager to see how manufacturers would tackle the new product category, we obtained a handful of bags--from the huge Mobile Edge ScanFast Backpack to the tiny Solo Netbook Mini--for real-world testing. At first we were concerned that TSA agents wouldn't know about the new bag designs and would make us remove our laptops anyway. But we carried several of these bags on business trips and cruised through the checkpoints without incident.

So, if you're a frequent flyer or shopping for one of these bags, check out the latest checkpoint-friendly bag reviews.

If you're still chuckling over Steve Jobs' manila-envelope trick during the Macworld 2008 keynote, this one's for you.

The white Italian leather of the Inter-departmental Mail Computer Sleeve from Kena Kai is embossed with the address blocks found on a typical interoffice envelope. For thorough verisimilitude, the sleeve also incorporates a button-and-string closure.

One way the Inter-department Mail Computer Sleeve stands out among its many competitors: it's available in two sizes.

The larger size ($79) accommodates ultrathin 13-inch laptops, such as the Apple MacBook Air and the Lenovo ThinkPad X301, as expected. But Kena Kai also sells a smaller version ($69) that's designed for Netbooks, such as the Asus Eee PC 901 and the HP Mini 1000.