Type of Article: MacTech Reviews

If you’ve been having problems with the sharp edge on your MacBook Pro where you press your arms and hands below the keyboard you’ll want to check out the US$8 Guardstrip (http://guardstrip.com/). It will save wear and tear on your palms and wrists.

The Guardstrip is made of black rubber strips with adhesive backing. The edge has a radius for comfortable palm or arm rest. Strips have a small lip that fits over the corner, but which doesn’t prevent your computer from closing. One strip is shorter to prevent it from covering the remote sensor.

If your iPad 2 sports a Smart Cover, it’s half-way protected — the screen is safe, but the back of the tablet remains exposed. The Joy Factory (http://www.thejoyfactory.com) has a great solution in the US$29.95 SmartFit 2.

It perfectly complements the Smart Cover. The SmartFit 2 is available in “smoke” and “clear” versions.

Made of polycarbonate, it’s rugged. And it’s only 0.9 mm thick so doesn’t add much bulk or weight. Even decked out in a Smart Cover and SmartFit 2, my iPad 2 still fits into all the cases I’ve tried it with.

By Laurie Excell

For the active photographer who needs a portable light solution, Photoflex (http://www.photoflex.com) has introduced the US$549.95 OctoDome nxt: Extra Small Location Kit.

Included in a single, easy-to-carry bag is everything you need to get started with a one-light studio. Beginning with the StarFire digital flash, which has three operating modes — Manual, Slave 1, and Slave 2 — as well as power adjustments for complete control of flash output, the kit also includes the FlashFire Wireless Kit, which can fire off-camera flash from 160 feet.

The Lombard Sleeve (http://macte.ch/8qqSI) is a well designed MacBook Pro sleeve at a fairly reasonable price (US$64.99). It’s lean and sports a designer-styled exterior on both the front and back panels that’s highly water-resistant.

The flowery designer pattern — available in “black antik” and “white antik” — didn’t do much for me. Then again I’m a guy who has his iPhone in a case that looks like an engine gasket.

I’ve test driven — and reviewed — ToughTech products before, but I’m revisiting the product line now due to the recently added ability to take advantage of WriteLock technology. In fact, all the ToughTech storage enclosures now support the technology, which allows you to “lock down” all data on the hard drive with the push of a button to prevent accidental erasures or changes.