backpacks

Boombox backpack: all-around bad idea

If this boombox-backpack concept ever makes it to production, the designer deserves to be shot. And if people actually wear them while cranked up full-blast, they probably will be.

Speakers built into messenger bags,, backpacks, and even bowling bags are nothing new, but usually they're designed with at least a modicum of human decency in mind. But the "Reppo II" backpack pulls out all the stops, with a pair of full-range speakers and an amplifier just to make sure everyone hears you whether they want to or not. Maybe those stun phones we mentioned earlier aren't … Read more

LED backpacks, for safety and insanity

Just when we were hoping that the lighted shoe fad was fading away, along comes a whole new category: lighted backpacks.

Given the use of LEDs for safety in such activities as bicycling and skiing, it only makes sense that they'd be somehow applied to kids as well. Britepack is offering backpacks in wheeled and unwheeled versions with blinking lights that can make them more visible.

The LEDs are motion-sensitive, meaning that they'll automatically turn off when not being jostled around--which is especially fortunate for teachers, to keep them from developing Tourette's syndrome.

New on back-to-school lists: bulletproof backpacks

Like the GPS-enabled school uniforms we wrote about earlier this month, the notion of bulletproof backpacks for students is sure to provoke mixed reaction.

Some people will call the invention an overreaction, while others will view it as a wise protective gadget. It's sad--and sobering--to think that a bulletproof backpack could prove a practical back-to-school purchase, but it's not so far-fetched an idea in these days of campus violence.

MJ Safety Solutions, a Massachusetts company run by three dads, has developed what it says is the first full-size, lightweight ballistic protection backpack that's affordable and practical for … Read more

Turn your backpack into a solar hub

The unnamed blogger at "Yosemite Outside" would probably be interested in this. Months after going through pains to assemble a DIY backpack solar charger, this rugged and creative individualist can now buy a remarkably similar item that doesn't even require any unsightly duct tape.

The adjustable "Mana Solar Claw" can apply the sun's energy to a backpack of practically any reasonable size, keeping one's phone and gadgets charged at all times with an array of six-watt solar panels, according to ProductDose. It does cost $230, but that's a lot less than you'… Read more

Kata Ergo-Tech backpack

Wow, check out this great backpack. Not only do we have a great price from Adorama listed on CNET Shopper, but this item has an 8.0 user rating and a CNET Editors' Choice Award as well. I can throw in my school books, ipod and laptop and still have room to squeeze in my lunch and other miscellaneous survival stuff.

Read through Adorama's store profile for the credit card and customer service information that this store provides, and see their CNET Certified store rating as well.

Don't forget to write a store review after you make your … Read more

IMified: A command line for Web 2.0

A little Web service called IMified caught my attention this morning. It is an ambitious service that lets you access several popular Web applications from your instant-messaging client. IMified is a messaging bot (like SmarterChild) that lets you manage your apps via text commands. In theory, it could also be used on any IM-equipped mobile phone to turn the phone into a remote control for your Web apps.

Signing up to the service requires no site registration or passwords. To begin, you just add the messaging bot to your buddy list and send it a message. Adding additional services (like … Read more

A backpack that everyone can hear

Enough already. Why is it that some people insist on "sharing" their music with the rest of world--whether we like it or not--when today's headphones offer a far superior listening experience? We've seen everything from messenger bags to bowling bags with built-in speakers, and now we have a new backpack that will surely contribute its share of noise pollution.

Scullcandy's "Link" backpack has speakers embedded in its straps for music or--worse, as OhGizmo notes correctly--a cell phone conversation. We've got to get started building that bunker.

SideShow backpacks: Cheaters rejoice

Last week brought a slew of CES products demonstrating how the new Windows Vista SideShow would work, from media players to laptops. But the most practical application may not involve a traditional piece of hardware at all.

Eleksen, maker of the fabric keyboard, continues to weave their technologies into textiles with its "Wearable Display Module," according to Laptoping. This little gadget has a 2.46-inch color LCD and can store 1GB of data, controlled by a fabric interactive touchpad with seven buttons, that can be sewn into bags, backpacks or even your clothes.

Teachers, beware: This could bring … Read more

DIY solar charger pimps your backpack

Being of the 24-hour room-service ilk, we don't exactly find that building a solar iPod charger is our idea of a good time. Especially when you can already buy products like this. But hey, that's just us.

The rugged DIY individuals out there might be interested in taking a shot at this homemade charger posted on Yosemite Outside, which includes a solar panel that can be affixed to a backpack. We have no doubt that it works, but the duct tape probably won't win any design awards.

(Photo: Yosemite Outside)