Back in August, the Transportation Safety Administration relaxed its rules for getting your laptop through the security checkpoint.

Essentially, the rules say that a laptop can stay in its bag, as long as the X-Ray machine has a clear and unobstructed view of the computer. There can be no pockets, zippers or items blocking its view of what is inside the laptop.

Several manufacturers immediately announced that they would have their own TSA friendly bags on shelves within a few months.

The first of them to actually deliver on that promise, is Tom Bihn with the new Checkpoint Flyer. Tom Bihn is not your average luggage company. For starters, they still make their bags in the United States, Tom Bihn himself is in charge of designing them, and they are hand made in their Seattle factory. The end result is something unlike any bag I've ever seen.

Welcome to my product review of the new Kodak Zi6 pocket video camera. This pint sized camcorder is capable of recording video in HD, which translates to a resolution of 720p at a maximum of 60 frames per second.

The Zi6 has a pop-out USB plug, which means you don't need any cables to transfer your video recordings to your computer. It also has video ports for connecting to a regular TV or an HDTV.

The camera is about the size of a late 90's mobile phone. On the rear of the camera is a spacious 2.5" display, 2 buttons and a small joystick for controlling the various features. On the bottom of the Zi6 is a regular screw-thread for using the camera on a tripod or other mount.

On the front is of course the lens, as well as a button for the pop-out USB connector. The Zi6 operates off 2 regular AA batteries, and Kodak have included 2 rechargeable batteries as well as a charger in the box.

On the left side of the camera is the battery compartment, SD slot cover and a slider switch, for putting the lens in macro mode. On the right of the unit is the USB connector and the ports for AV and HD video connections.

Operating the camera couldn't be easier; you slide the power switch on the top, and in about 2 seconds, you can start recording. Startup, shutdown and record are all accompanied by some funny sound effects. The Zi6 has a fairly limited built in memory, which is only sufficient for about 30 seconds of video, the first thing you will want to do, is purchase an SD memory card. The Zi6 has support for SD and SDHC (high capacity) cards, which means you'll be able to add fairly large memory cards for very little extra cash (8GB cards can be found for around $30).

When the camera is turned on, you can either instantly start recording, or you can switch the video recording mode. By moving the joystick left or right, you cycle between the 4 different settings; photo, VGA, HD and HD60. Moving the joystick up and down controls the digital zoom. The buttons to the left and right of the joystick are for reviewing and deleting recordings.

Let me open by apologizing if this review seems messy; I'm more used to reviewing products with lights, buttons and beeping noises.

Reviewing fashion isn't really "my thing", but I had no problem making an exception for this review.

The SeV Scott Jordan Signature System consists of 2 different products; the Quantum jacket, and the Fleece 5.0.

Scottevest (SeV) has been making "technology enabled clothing" since 2000, and their products are essentially a travelers best friend; plenty of pockets, innovative ways to store anything from a water bottle to a small laptop, and high quality fabrics and stitching.

I'll break this review into 2 small portions and will start with the jacket. Each product is available separately and functions perfectly on its own, but if you are heading towards a really cold winter, you can combine both into the "Signature System". The Jacket and Fleece do not connect together, which was a decision SeV made based on customer feedback (I have to agree with them here).

The new SeV Quantum Jacket

The Quantum jacket is the fifth generation jacket from SeV and combines all their experience and innovations into a rugged winter coat. Some of the features of the jacket are:

• 28 different pockets on the inside, outside and even on the sleeves
• Removable hood
• Magnetic front closure flap
• Handwarmer pockets deep enough to stick half you arm in
• Integrated wire management ports (SeV call this their Personal Area Network) - these small openings run through most of the pockets and allow you to route cables from pocket to pocket
• Clear touch-screen accessible pockets - perfect for your smartphone or iPod
• Headphone cord management - allows you to hide your headphone cord and bring it up into the collar
• Weight management pockets for holding heavy items
• Individual pockets for your keys, PDA stylus, memory cards, eyeglass cleaning cloth, change and even water bottles or a hydration pack.
  

The list of features and innovations in this jacket is endless. The jacket itself is made of breathable and water resistant ENAFF material.

Google Maps Mobile has always been a pretty nifty way to get maps and local information on your mobile device. Since its first release, Google has slowly been adding new features, and the newest addition is mobile access to public transit directions.

Public transit networks in 50 cities around the world have provided Google with their route information, which has been incorporated in the search results you see when you ask for directions. These networks cover bus, train, tram, ferry and subway networks. In the US, most major cities are included, like Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

The new version of Google Maps Mobile with transit directions is currently only available for Blackberry and Windows Mobile users. You can get Google Maps Mobile by pointing your mobile browser to mobile.google.com/maps. The application is free, but you will need a data plan on your phone to access the information. The newest version of Google Maps Mobile even supports the Google Street View feature on Blackberry smartphones, as well as on the upcoming T-mobile G1 phone.

Google Maps Mobile has come in quite handy many times, when I need a quick and easy way to find a local business, or if I'm hopelessly lost in a new city, the price is certainly right, so I highly recommend taking it for a spin.

The "big" news in the world of gadgets today was of course the announcement of the T-Mobile G1 "Google Phone". This new smartphone has been widely covered on all the gadget sites (I recommend the coverage from our friends at Engadget) so I'll take a brief look at what this phone means to people that travel a lot.

• The first important feature is that it uses 3G data; 3G refers to the third generation of mobile data networks, which essentially means "fast". This is the first 3G smartphone for T-mobile, and by the launch date of the phone, they should have 3G coverage in almost 25 major metro areas. With 3G data, applications like Google Maps will load much faster. In areas not covered by 3G, the phone will switch back to the slower EDGE system.
  

• The phone has Wi-Fi built in. With Wi-Fi, you'll be able to connect to a hotspot and download your email, or browse the web, without running up a massive data roaming bill when you are abroad. Of course, when Wi-Fi is on (and cellular is off), you won't be able to make or receive a phone call.

• The G1 has a manufacturer rating of 402 hours standby time (which translates to a whopping 16 days). Naturally most manufacturers exaggerate a little with their battery life claims, but if the phone even manages half the rated performance, it will be quite impressive. The battery is also user replaceable, which means you'll be able to pick up a spare battery without having to return the entire phone if the battery becomes defective.

In this product review I'm going to take a closer look at a piece of software that has the potential to recover your laptop should you ever become the victim of laptop theft. Laptop computers are the perfect item for thieves; they are easy to grab, they are worth a fortune and they are pretty easy to resell.

Laptop thieves are everywhere; it could be the person standing next to you on the train, it could be the maid cleaning your hotel room, it could even be the strange guy walking down the hallway at your office. There are some basic physical methods to protect your machine, but in the end, you will always run the risk of losing your machine, no matter what you do.

This is where my review product for today can help; LoJack for Laptops is a piece of software that combines 2 basic components into one security solution; one part is the software itself, the other is the LoJack theft recovery team.

I first became interested in LoJack after a friend at a large company told me some stories of how LoJack helped them recover machines that were reported stolen. They even found a stolen machine inside the home of the staff member who filed the theft report. LoJack has a very impressive recovery record, and on average 60 stolen machines a week are returned to their rightful owner. To read some of the success stories, check out their website.

The first step in protecting your machine is to install the LoJack software on the PC. The installation process takes about 5 minutes and requires you to enter a serial number which is included with the package. Then you provide LoJack with your personal information such as address, email and phone number. LoJack also offers the option to purchase the software and serial number directly from their site.

Welcome to my review of the Slacker G2 personal radio. The Slacker G2 is the second version of a portable Wi-Fi enabled music player from Slacker. The first part of this review is about the Slacker service itself, if you want to read about their new player, scroll down a bit.

Slacker is available through the web or their desktop player. With Slacker, you get access to over 100 channels of music, as well as the ability to create your own personal music channel, with artists and songs you select. In addition to listening to the Slacker service on your computer, you can also bring your favorite music along with you on the Slacker G2 portable player.

The Slacker G2 player is a Wi-Fi enabled music player that can download 25 or 40 Slacker channels directly to the device, ready for you to listen on the road. The player has 4 or 8GB of storage, depending on the version, which is more than enough for days of music for each channel. Think of it as a portable radio, with nothing but the music you want to listen to.

Once you have selected the music channels you like, using either the desktop or web based Slacker player, you simply let the Slacker G2 connect to a Wi-Fi network. Depending on how fresh the collection is on the device, you'll have a brand new lineup of songs in about 5 minutes.

On my Slacker G2, I picked 15 Slacker stations, and added 2 of my own custom stations. The predefined Slacker stations are some of the best I've come across; they cover everything from the usual 60's, 70's and 80's, to comedy, toddler music and several stations with hits from around the world. Unlike some online stations, where the music is picked by a big computer, Slacker actually employs real DJ's to help tweak the music lineup, and add the newest performers. In total, Slacker has over 2 million tracks in their collection.

The ability to create a custom radio station is fantastic; you build the new channel by selecting your favorite artists and/or songs; then you let Slacker add more music by fine-tuning the music you want to hear. You can have Slacker add more songs based on popularity of the track, the year and by including DJ picks. The end result is a radio station that plays nothing but the stuff you like. If by any chance you do end up hearing a song you don't like, you simply ban it, or if it is a track you like a lot, you can set it as a favorite and save it to your library.

Today's product review will take a brief look at one of the more advanced Windows Mobile powered smartphones on the market. The HTC Touch Dual is a GSM/3G/HSDPA smartphone with a touch screen and sliding numeric keypad. It is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1.

Not everyone will have ever heard of HTC, but it's not unlikely that many of you either own a device made by them, or know of someone who does. HTC have at least one smartphone with each of the major US operators.

On T-mobile there is the Dash and the Wing, on AT&T there is the Tilt, on Verizon there is the XV6800 and the XV6900, and on Sprint you'll find the Touch and the Mogul.

In just a few short years, HTC have grown from a fairly small manufacturer of mobile phones for companies like Palm and HP, into one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world with their own lineup of devices. I have been carrying (at least one) HTC made phone with me for the past 5 years.

This product review will take a look at a device that has been out for several months, which in the world of mobile phones is quite long. But that does not mean it is less advanced. Inside the HTC Touch Dual is a 400MHz processor, 256MB of storage memory, a MicroSD card slot, a 2 Megapixel camera, a sliding numeric keypad and the HTC TouchFlo interface.

The phone features quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and dualband 3G (850/1900), which means you'll be able to use it anywhere in the world with a GSM network, and on the AT&T 3G network in the US.

The phone is well designed, and is a real treat to look at; the screen is flush with the front of the phone, and the body is surrounded by a sleek chrome finish. The Touch Dual has 2 cameras; one 2 Megapixel camera on the back, and one lower resolution VGA camera on the front (for making video calls).

The HTC Touch Dual was one of the first Windows powered smartphones to come delivered with the newest version of Windows Mobile Professional; version 6.1.

The Touch Dual has just a couple of buttons; 2 call buttons and a D-pad on the front, a camera and power button on the right, and a volume rocker on the left. Thanks to the TouchFlo interface, this really is all you need. The interface has some pretty nifty animations, but it is also a simple way of accessing things like the weather, your speed dial entries and some frequently used applications like email and the web browser. To access TouchFlo, you simply drag your finger from the bottom to the top of the screen.

The sliding keypad on the Touch Dual offers a quicker way to dial numbers, but the keypad also functions as a regular text entry pad, thanks to the dual-letter entry method, not unlike the system found on the Blackberry Pearl. It takes a little getting used to, but once you master it, you'll be able to enter stuff quicker than with the on-screen keyboard.

Peek, the wireless email device I recently tested, is now available for the masses!

A quick refresher; the device costs $99.95 and service is just $19.95 a month. It does email, and only email, but does that one thing really well.

There is no contract, and no paperwork involved with getting the device up and running and you'll be able to use it with almost any email account.

They are currently available on the Peek website, and this coming Monday you'll be able to see one in person at your local Target store. Peek even has a top secret offer where you can get 50% off the monthly fee for 3 months.

As I mentioned in my review, it won't replace your Blackberry or iPhone, but it's a splendid device for anyone who "just wants email" and needs to be left alone the rest of the time.

You can learn more about the device here, or you can skip all of that and just place your order by clicking here.

Welcome to my review of the new Myvu Crystal personal video glasses. The Myvu Crystal is a personal video viewer which brings the feeling of large screen TV up close and personal. I've had a weird fascination with products like this for many years, which started in the late 90's when I spent a fortune on the horrible Sony Glasstron video goggles.

Technology has come a long way since then, and the Myvu Crystal incorporates the very best in optics and LCD technology to bring you the highest resolution of any consumer personal video eyewear on the market.

I'm sure that many of you will read "personal video eyewear" and draw a complete blank as to what I'm referring to, so let me explain what this product does. The Myvu Crystal looks like a large pair of glasses, but built into these glasses are 2 tiny high-resolution TV screens, which bring the image right up to your eyes. Because the image is so close, you get the feeling that you are looking at a large TV. A previous generation Myvu personal video eyewear was reviewed here on Gadling last year, and even with the lower resolution of those glasses, the reviewer was blown away by the quality, so imagine how great that looks when the quality is doubled, like in the ones I'm reviewing here.