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We've seen more than our share of new laptop bags that adhere to TSA guidelines for getting through airport security quickly. Almost all follow the same basic premise of a two-compartment bag that butterflies open to lie flat on the X-ray machine conveyor belt. The separate compartment that holds your laptop isn't allowed to have any pockets or any other items (wires, iPods, magazines, etc.) in it, so the TSA checkers can get a clear view of your laptop without requiring it to be pulled out of its bag and run through the machine by itself.

The latest one we've checked out is Belkin's FlyThru, and it scores highly by both working as a security checkpoint bag and also being a generally good laptop case on top of that. We liked that it could fit a standard 15-inch laptop without being too bulky, and its generally sharp looks (in fact, we've gotten a couple of e-mails from readers who have seen the Belkin bag used in laptop photos for system reviews on CNET and wanted to know what bag it was).

The shoulder strap, however, was not our favorite -- the clips that attach the strap to the bag are both on the top edge, and were too close together, which made the whole thing feel a little unbalanced.

Read the full review of the Belkin FlyThru laptop case.

Few tasks in life approach the horror that is modern commercial air travel. Arguably the most dreaded aspect of which is the infamous security checkpoint, where one's person and belongings are poured over, with a curiously particular attention paid to shoes, liquids, and naturally, laptops. There are two certainties to life on the checkpoint line: a TSA employee will repeatedly implore people on the line to remove their laptops for a solo trip down the X-ray machine conveyor belt; and that you'll inevitably get stuck behind some guy who forgot to take his laptop out, thereby holding up the entire grim procession as he fumbles with his bag.

The Targus Zip-Thru laptop bag

Frequent travelers cheered when, several months ago, the TSA announced a series of guidelines for building a checkpoint-friendly laptop bag, one which could zip through the X-ray machine with a laptop inside. The sticking point, apparently, was that people always had a lot of junk sitting in the same pocket as their laptops, and the screeners needed an especially clear view.

The first two TSA-approved bags we've looked at are the Targus Zip-Thru and the CODi Phantom CT3. TSA-approved is a bit of an overstatement--the bags follow publicly available TSA guidelines, which call for either a single-item sleeve case, a butterfly-style bag, or a tri-fold bag--all of which must provide for a distinct laptop compartment, with no additional pockets, and no room for anything other than your laptop. The TSA itself does not certify or otherwise approve the final products.

The CODi Phantom CT3 laptop bag

Both the Targus and CODi bags are butterfly-style, with a laptop-only half and a second compartment for your AC adapter, keys, iPods, papers, etc. The Targus bag splits in two with a zipper, while the CODI has two plastic clips and a patch of Velcro.

Both were reasonably functional, corporate-style laptop bags--not for the fashion-conscious, to be sure. But at $255, the CODi bag was more than twice as expensive as the essentially similar Targus model. And therein lies the basic problem: no matter how closely a bag maker follows the published guidelines, the agents at the security checkpoint are under no obligation to let your laptop pass through in even one of these bags. In fact, we suspect many TSA employees aren't aware of the new bag designs (remember the problems they had earlier this year with the SSD hard drive in the MacBook Air), and are just as likely as not to make you remove your laptop anyway, defeating the purpose of having a special laptop bag in the first place.

If you're flying Delta Air Lines out of New York's LaGuardia Airport, you can now flash your cell phone to get onboard. On Tuesday, the airline rolled out a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to test out a "paperless check-in"--passengers download a boarding pass onto their cell phones and have it scanned by the TSA at the airport's security checkpoint as well as when they board the plane.

Fellow domestic carrier Continental is already testing a similar program.

The speedier check-in is limited to cell phone customers who can access the mobile Web on their phones, a release explained. And, at least for the time being, Delta's test only applies to domestic travelers flying out of LaGuardia.

"Passengers can now quickly check in for their flight while en route to the airport in a taxi or walking from the parking lot to the terminal," Steve Gorman, executive vice president of operations at Delta, said in the release. "The check-in process now can take place from anywhere, any time within 24 hours of flight departure."

They'll have to present ID, of course. Earlier this month, the TSA ruled that if you refuse to show ID, you can't get on the plane.

Small, "techie" enhancements have been appearing on the airline-news radar recently, as U.S. carriers look for inexpensive ways to make up for cutbacks elsewhere in response to high fuel prices--charging for checked baggage, eliminating perks. United Airlines is rolling out iPod hookups through a partnership with Apple that Delta and Continental will be joining, JetBlue's BetaBlue plane has expanded its in-flight e-mail, and Virgin America used gadget fetishes to pull itself into a "premium" niche.

And if some airlines have their way--heaven forbid--you might be able to keep using that cell phone right up into the air.

The TSA says the MacBook Air is a laptop after all.

You may recall some controversy earlier this week when a mild-mannered air traveler found himself on the wrong side of the X-ray scanner when some TSA agents didn't believe that his MacBook Air was a legitimate laptop.

I'm standing, watching my laptop on the table, listening to security clucking just behind me. "There's no drive," one says. "And no ports on the back. It has a couple of lines where the drive should be," she continues.

Eventually, a younger more technologically hip TSA agent came to his rescue, but the entire incident still made for good gadget blog fodder. Now comes word that the TSA has addressed the issue on its official blog (tagline: "Terrorists Evolve. Threats Evolve. Security Must Stay Ahead. You Play A Part."). The post reads, in part:

To make a long story short, it turns out the Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) gave some special attention to his new MacBook...I can tell you that TSOs are trained to look for anomalies. Each TSO X-ray operator sees hundreds of laptops a day and some have been doing this for six years. They know what laptops are supposed to look like....One thing is for sure, though. This was just a case of diligent TSOs paying special attention to something that caught their eye. Exactly what they are trained to do.

So, the TSA blogger chalks the confusion up to the fact that the MacBook Air, "is as thin as a potato chip, and looks completely different than any other laptop the TSOs have ever seen. They are seldom seen at TSA checkpoints due to their newness and the fact that they can be hard to find sometimes."

We assume this official acknowledgment means the MacBook Air is now cleared to fly, and anyone who runs into similar trouble at the airport can just fire up their laptop at the security checkpoint and show the security officers the TSA's own blog post on the subject.

(Credit: QinetiQ)

The Transportation Security Administration has purchased a dozen cameras that use millimeter wave technology and sophisticated algorithms to screen crowds of rapidly moving travelers for weapons from up to 20 meters away.

The SPO threat detection system made by QinetiQ measures waves "naturally emitted by the human body," exposing "cold" objects such as metal, plastic, or ceramics concealed under clothing. A red light on the system's display alerts the operator if you're packing, so there's no need to rely on interpreting images on a screen. It also means no one is ogling your naked body, which was one of the objections when similar technology was deployed at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport last October.

(Credit: TSA)

This imaging technology is safe; the "passive" millimeter wave system generates no emissions itself, but creates an image from reflected body energy, according to the company. Still, if you're nostalgic for the vintage, step-through experience, you can always try this personal fold-up portable metal detector by CI Tech.

If you don't want to lose your spare lithium batteries for your camera, notebook or cell phone, you might want to pack carefully for your next flight.

New rules from the Transportation and Security Administration that take effect on January 1 ban travelers from carrying loose lithium batteries in checked baggage. Passengers are allowed to pack two spare batteries in their carry-on bag, as long as they're in clear plastic baggies.

Fortunately, you don't have to worry about the batteries that are already installed in the devices you're bringing. The TSA has said it's safe to check in items like a laptop or iPhone that already have the batteries in place.

The agency said that loose lithium batteries not installed in devices pose a fire risk to passenger planes. Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board could not rule out the possibility that lithium batteries started a fire in a plane at the Philadelphia National Airport last year, according to the Associated Press.

If you do plan on bringing spare batteries in your carry-on bag, be aware of some other rules: You can only bring batteries with an equivalent of up to 8 grams of lithium content. (Most batteries for cell phones and laptops meet this requirement.) And for lithium metal batteries, whether carried as a spare or installed in a device, batteries are limited to 2 grams of lithium metal.

(Credit: IDO Security)

When it comes to gentility and airline security, we may have something to learn from Nairobi International, where they have the decency, and the equipment, to allow you to keep your shoes on.

Nairobi joins Madrid, Prague, and Budapest in deploying the MagShoe, a "high-speed, shoes-on, portable footwear weapons detection system," at their respective airports. U.K. and U.S. airports may be next.

The MagShoe is a metal detector designed to test shoes and ankles in the ongoing fight against foot-borne threats. A passenger simply steps on what looks like a twin mud scraper/shoe buffer, and within an average of 1.2 seconds an audio-visual signal either alerts the operator to concealed metal or gives the all-clear.

Development of the device was initiated by the technical branch of the Israeli Security Agency in response to 9/11 and the Richard Reid "shoe bomber" incident, according to the manufacturer, IDO Security. In both cases the weapons were smuggled in shoes, and in both cases the terrorists went through an Arch Metal Detector (Magnetometer Gates) without being detected.

MagShoe is being evaluated by TSA for the Department of Homeland Security and is expected to receive the seal of approval soon, according to the company. But not in time for the holidays.

(Credit: PDL)

One simply can't be too careful in this security-conscious age. You could, for example, have installed security cams, metal detectors and even a moat around your dwelling, but there's always the chance that you missed something. And for some reason, the idea of hiring security personnel to conduct body-cavity searches hasn't quite caught on for private residences.

Once again, we turn to technology for a reasonable compromise: Your very own X-ray scanner. Now you too can play TSA agent in the comfort of your own home while viewing this system's 17-inch LCD to inspect the contents of every bag, parcel or piece of luggage to cross your threshold, according to Spycatcher. For those particularly suspicious items, the machine allows for "multi-zoomed" and enhanced images to be inspected at a distance by remote control.

Sure, the $43,000 price tag might sound a little steep, but it's a bargain considering how much an underground bunker goes for these days. Or you could always get some new friends.