Matthew Olivolo November 20th, 2008

Traveling during the holiday season is always a challenge, so it’s smart to plan ahead to make sure you are well prepared.

The TSA continually updates their rules and regulations on what you can carry on the plane and what you can not.  If it has been a while since your last trip, I would recommend visiting the TSA’s website for a quick update.  You can find the most up-to-date information by visiting www.tsa.gov.

I ran across this article listed below which gives some common sense travel tips from Troy Vaughn, of the Charleston Travel Examiner. To read the full article you can visit their site linked below.

To make air travel a little less stressful and to breeze through the security line like a tropical wind through a hula skirt, start with some basic principles.

Plan ahead. Pack all of your fluids, liquid soaps, shampoo, cologne, perfume into your checked luggage.  That’s right, check your damn luggage!  I have rarely experienced any delay longer than the excruciating 45 minutes it seems to take United Airlines to get the bags to the belt in San Francisco.  So if you’re in a big hurry, pack less and carry on.  Otherwise, check it.  If you still insist on carrying your luggage because you’re flying the Cheap Skate airlines and the addition $25 for servicing your bag is too much to handle, remember this.  3-1-1.  3 ounce liquid container, in a 1 quart zip lock bag, 1 item per bag.

Arrive 2 hours prior to your flight.  Check in, drop your checked luggage and hit the security line.  This will lower the stress of standing in a long line, while your boarding door is closing.  Besides, there is always a $9 coffee-latte-caramel macchiato, skinny, with extra squirt, and a half twist of splenda, and whipped cream on top, on the other side of this process.  So plan to celebrate.  Some non-responsive bastion of customer service will thank you for it.

While in the cue, take off your watch and belt, and place them in whatever you’re carrying.  For me, it’s my laptop case.  Also, remove your wallet and loose coins.  Place them in a pouch inside the case as well.  Now, I’m holding my boarding pass, ID, and laptop case.

As I approach the belt, I put my laptop in a bin, [avoid this hassle with a ScanFast case from Mobile Edge] my case behind it on the belt (zip up all the external zippers), and I remove my shoes and place them on the belt in front of all my things.  No, your shoes DO NOT need a bin.  However, my laptop bin will push my shoes through the scanner and down the belt.  After all, I’ll want to put my shoes on first on the other side before someone notices the mileage on my socks.

If you’re wearing a coat, jeans jacket, or sweater like coat, plan on removing this garment as well, and place it in its own bin.  If you don’t want to, no problem…  The TSA will give you a deeper, more personal search (frisking) on the other side.  Further delaying your arrival at the $9 coffee bar…

To read the full article, click here.

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Matthew Olivolo November 19th, 2008

For those customers that already have used a Mobile Edge ScanFast Case, we want to hear from you! For sending in customer feedback, I will send you a Free Gift from Mobile Edge.  With your permission we may post a portion of your comments on our website.  If you have a photo of you and your ScanFast Laptop Case, send it in.

Tell us in your words:
•    How was your traveling experience with your new ScanFast Laptop Bag?
•    Did the TSA screener recognize your case was Checkpoint Friendly?
•    Did you move through security faster by using the TSA compliant case?
•    Anything else you would like to share with us…

Send your comments directly to me at mo@mobileedge.com

For customers who do not own a ScanFast Carrying Case yet, earlier this year the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced they will allow Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags to be used when traveling through airport security checkpoints.  This means if you use a TSA compliant laptop bag you do not need to remove your laptop from the bag.  This will help save you time and anguish when passing through security.  Inevitably, by using these cases it will actually help move the security line faster for everyone.

As a leader in the laptop carrying case category, we (Mobile Edge) introduced several new Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags as part of our ScanFast™ Collection.

Just yesterday we sent out a press release announcing our new ScanFast for Her Collection of Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags, designed specifically for women.  As the industry leader in women’s stylish laptop bag, it made sense that we would be the first manufacturer to offer Women’s Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags.

If you don’t already have one, I recommend getting one.  Traveling through airport security has never been easier.

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Matthew Olivolo November 19th, 2008

Mobile Edge, the industry leader in innovative and stylish laptop computer carrying cases and accessories, expands their ScanFast™ Collection of Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags by adding three new carrying cases designed specifically for women.  These unique models combine the fashion styling of our best selling women’s cases with Checkpoint Friendly functionality, quality materials and the computer protection that only Mobile Edge can offer!

Designed for women by women, the new ScanFast™ for Her cases are the first TSA ‘Checkpoint Friendly’ laptop bags designed specifically for women to be introduced.

Like our original ScanFast cases, the new ScanFast for Her Collection exceeds all Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines to be considered Checkpoint Friendly.  Now travelers can speed through airport security checkpoints without having to remove their laptops.

“As the industry leader in fashion-inspired women’s laptop carrying cases, we are proud to be the first to introduce Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Cases designed specifically for women,” said G. David Cartwright, President & CEO, Mobile Edge. “Women are tired of traveling with generic, masculine cases and we are pleased to offer a stylish alternative for today’s female road warriors.”

The ScanFast for Her collection consists of three product styles; the all new Onyx ScanFast Briefcase, the Onyx ScanFast Backpack and a redesigned Element Briefcase.  The Onyx Briefcase and Backpack feature a designer developed exterior material with faux-croc accents and polished steel fittings.  The redesigned ScanFast Element Cases will be offered in three color combinations of chocolate brown, forest green and passion pink poly-suede accented with a dark faux-leather trim.  The ScanFast for Her Cases are scheduled to begin shipping later this month at a suggested retail price of $99.99.

Mobile Edge continues to expand the laptop carrying case category by offering new, innovative and smart designs that fuse fashion trends with form and function, creating a brand that makes a positive statement about today’s mobile computing lifestyle.

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Matthew Olivolo November 13th, 2008

Identity Theft has become a real threat over the past decade, and recently it has only gotten worse.  Case in point, new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips are now implanted in new Credit Cards and all U.S. Passports.  Although this technology has its benefits, there is one major problem; people can skim your information without even being detected.

The new RFID chips send out a continual signal even when it is in your wallet or purse.  This makes it easy for criminals to steal your information with skimming machines.

There are even videos on YouTube (one below) that shows how easy it is to skim another person’s information from their pocket completely undetected.  The devices are so small and compact, that they can fit into any regular sized bag/briefcase.   The person may be walking next to you on the street and he may be skimming your credit card information. This is a real threat that many technology writers have indicated in a multitude of articles ranging from the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, scores of blog sites and Magazines just to name a few.

The Research & Development Team at Mobile Edge discovered this threat and came up with a simple solution, Mobile Edge I.D. Sentry Wallets.  The RFID blocking wallets come in two sizes, one for credit cards or smart cards, and another for Passports.  Both RFID blocking wallets are lined with an alloy shielding material, protecting your smart card or Passport from would-be thieves.

Made of soft yet durable Lambskin Leather, the Passport Wallet is priced at $29.99 and Credit Card Wallet at $19.99.

Don’t take my word for it; research this for yourself on the Internet.  Here is one article I found recently by John Cox, writer for Network World. To read the full article click on the link below.

UPDATE: Hacker trio finds a way to crack popular smartcard in minutes
People are starting to wake up to the fact that some RFID-enabled smartcards now can be far more easily, and cheaply, cracked than ever before, as a trio of young computer experts recently showed.

These are a particular type of processor-embedded cards. The actual decryption work by the researchers was done on the widely deployed Mifare Classic wireless smartcard, now manufactured by a Philips spinoff, NXP Semiconductors. It’s deployed for contactless payments, such as the nationwide public transit ticketing system in The Netherlands. If decrypted, the card could be rewritten to access additional services, certain limited personal data such as a birth date could be recovered, and the dollar value of the card’s electronic “purse” could be changed.

A recently de-classified study, by a nonprofit Dutch research group, of the claims by the decryption researchers concluded that it is likely they will succeed in recovering the entire encryption algorithm, and eventually build a key cracker. But that will take about six months, the study estimates, and concludes that there are no immediate risks to the Dutch system or its users, and that additional, existing security mechanisms may offer adequate protection.

That MiFare Classic card is the basis of such new systems as the Dutch OV-Chipkaart, being rolled out in The Netherlands as part of a multibillion-dollar nationwide transportation ticketing system, and the so-called CharlieCard, used in the Boston, Mass., subway system. The decryption breach triggered a firestorm of controversy in The Netherlands.

The card uses a proprietary encryption scheme, known as the Crypto1 algorithm, to scramble the data exchanged between the card and the card reader, and to securely authenticate the card and reader to each other.

The newest attack was discussed but not (as previously reported) fully demonstrated at the 24th Congress of the Chaos Computer Club in Berlin last December. Interest in the study has been spreading steadily from the arcane world of security hackers. In a March 6 statement, NXP says it “has established an open dialogue with the researchers and is evaluating possible attacks and countermeasures that could be taken in an overall systems to prevent those.”

One of the researchers is Karsten Nohl, a graduate student in the University of Virginia’s Computer Science Department, in Charlottesville. The other two are Henryk Plotz and “Starbug.” At the Chaos conference, Nohl and Plotz gave some details of an apparently practical, effective way to break the Mifare encryption key, confirming what many cryptographers had suspected. Nohl has not yet responded to several questions sent via e-mail.

The team used an inexpensive RFID reader to collect encrypted data, and then reverse-engineered the chip to figure out the encryption key to decipher that data. They examined the chip under an optical microscope, used micro-polishing sandpaper to remove a few microns of the surface at a time, photographing each of the five layers of circuitry. Nohl wrote his own optical recognition software to refine and clarify the images, and then patiently worked through the arrangement of the logic gates to deduce the encryption algorithm, a task made possible by the fact that the Mifare Classic relies on a secret key of no more than 48 bits.

To read the full article click here.

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Matthew Olivolo November 11th, 2008

If there is a way to save time when traveling through airport security checkpoints, wouldn’t you want to know? Well, thanks to the Design Team at Mobile Edge you can now fly through security checkpoints faster with less to worry about. The ScanFast Collection of Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags are TSA compliant and exceed all guidelines to be qualified as Checkpoint Friendly or TSA Friendly. So, you can leave your laptop in your carrying case when passing through security, which is one less thing to worry about.

You still have to remove your shoes, belt, wallet and keys. However, one less step will only help move you through the security line quicker, helping get you where you need to go faster with less stress. Plus, you don’t have to worry about bumping or dropping your laptop. It will stay safe and protected in its case.

Surfing the Internet, I found this article from Jonathan Ages of Forbes Traveler Magazine with some helpful travel tips. To read the full article click on the link listed below.

No matter what your opinion of airport security is, there’s one fact that’s undeniable — post-9/11 security lines are longer and slower than they were before 2001. And though the increased security still makes sense seven years after the attacks, the slow processing speeds and long lines at airport security don’t.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is aware that there’s room for improvement, but they’re not in a hurry to make your life easier. “The TSA cares about security,” says Bruce Schneier, security expert and author of Schneier on Security, but “if you want to make security faster, there need to be more lines. They’re just not going to do that.”

To be fair, the TSA has made small steps toward improving the speed of security. They’re introducing Advanced Technology X-ray scanners at major airports; installed self-select lanes so slow-moving families and expert travelers choose different lanes; and in August, they endorsed “checkpoint-friendly” laptop bags. These measures can help most passengers save a few seconds, but there’s still a lot more to do. Instead of waiting for a government organization to increase its own efficiency, travelers should concentrate on changing their own habits to speed up the process.

A little common sense and advance planning can shave seconds — possibly minutes — from your trip through security. “I design my life so I don’t beep,” says Schneier. “My life is checkpoint-friendly.” Schneier is an expert traveler who knows the finer details of TSA regulations. But even a quick glance at the TSA’s website can help the average traveler clear security more quickly, too.

First, there’s the restriction on liquids, a subject of jokes by late-night television hosts since the moment it was introduced. Like it or not, as an air passenger, you must be sure “all of your liquids, gels or aerosols fit under those three-ounce quantity measures,” says TSA spokesperson Sterling Payne. He says, it’s “probably the biggest thing slowing down security lines.” Don’t argue with security personnel or hope they won’t notice your 12-ounce bottle of saline solution; simply use three-ounce containers. Or, pack liquids in your checked bags.

More experienced travelers have other tricks that are second nature. For example, don’t wait until you reach the front of the line to start emptying your pockets. Take a minute to stash your watch, keys and loose change in your carry-on. Even if you’re using one of the new “checkpoint friendly” laptop bags, tie and neatly stow the additional wires so it won’t look like a bomb when it’s X-rayed. And because “everyone has to take off their shoes,” according to Payne, wear easily removable footwear such as flip-flops or slip-ons. Choose pants that don’t require a belt, and opt for an easily removed sweater or jacket, which TSA officials may make you send through the X-ray machine separately.

Many airports — JFK and LAX, to name two — require travelers to escort their checked baggage through an additional screening process. Avoid this extra line by packing everything in your carry-on. Or, ship your luggage to the destination. Your bags are less likely to get lost that way, and since most airlines now charge for second and third checked bags — ranging from $10 to $100 per item — you’re not spending much more money.

To read the full article click here.

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Matthew Olivolo November 7th, 2008

Mobile Edge, the industry leader in innovative and stylish laptop computer carrying cases and accessories, expands their collection of Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags by adding three new carrying cases designed specifically for women.  These chic cases combine the fashion styling of our best selling women’s cases with Checkpoint Friendly functionality, quality materials and the computer protection that only Mobile Edge can offer!

Designed for women by women, the new ScanFast™ for Her Carrying Cases are the first of their kind.  Mobile Edge is the exclusive manufacturer to create women’s specific Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags. 

The new ScanFast for Her Collection exceeds all Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines to be Checkpoint Friendly.  Now travelers can leave their laptop in their case when passing through airport security checkpoints.

As the industry leader in women’s fashionable laptop carrying cases, it was inevitable we would be the first to introduce Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Cases for women. We understand professional business women deserve choices, and now we own the category.

The redesigned Element Briefcase will come in three suede color combinations, forest green, pink and chocolate all accented with brown trim.  The smart Onyx Backpack and the all new Onyx Briefcase both come in black.  Scheduled to ship in late November, the ScanFast for Her Cases will each carry a retail price of $99.99.   

Mobile Edge continues to expand the laptop carrying case category by offering new, innovative and smart designs that fuse fashion trends with form and function, creating a brand that makes a positive statement about today’s mobile computing lifestyle.

Be the first to get your hands on one of the new ScanFast for Her Laptop cases.  Sign up for the Mobile Edge newsletter to receive periodic announcements of new products.  We also include special discounts and promotion offers to those signed up. 

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Matthew Olivolo November 6th, 2008

The Mobile Edge For Her Collection has grown extensively over the past few years.  Our team of women designers introduced the stylish Element Briefcase Collection which has become progressively popular.  It’s easy to understand why with its great looks, stylish exterior and fantastic interior.  Many of our customers e-mail us back explaining how happy they are with their purchase. 

Recently, I did a video review of the Element Briefcase for one of our resellers, Buy.com.  Although it is a short video (approx. 60 seconds), it really shows the vibrant color options, the silky smooth satin interior with matching stripes and the three color combinations now available.

The matching shoulder strap makes it easy to carry when on the road, and the convenient carrying handles give you the option to carry like a handbag or purse.   Backed with a Lifetime Warranty, what else do you need?  To get your own Chic Element Briefcase, check out the Element product page by clicking here.   

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Matthew Olivolo November 5th, 2008

Recently, LA Times Travel Editor, Jane Engle, featured the Mobile Edge ScanFast Backpackin a video review.  She talked about functionality of the Checkpoint Friendly Backpack, and how easy it opens which helps move you through airport security checkpoints quickly.  The new Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags by Mobile Edge have become increasingly popular and have been reviewed by scores of editors literally around the globe.  Stay tuned for three new TSA Compliant laptop bags designed for women to be announced very soon… 

Jane’s article then went on to give some helpful tips on how to secure your laptop when traveling.  Here is a brief overview of her article.  For the full article click on the link below.

Travelers lugging laptop computers worry about losing them, with good reason. The hardware is worth hundreds or thousands, and lost or stolen data could be priceless.  But safeguarding your machine is no cinch.

Just ask Luke M. Ford, founder and chief executive of a tech-support company in Scottsdale, Arizona.  On a weekend jaunt last month to San Diego, he stashed his $1,400 laptop under a desk in his hotel room. When he returned 30 minutes later, it was gone. (His traveling companion had left the door open.)

Fortunately, Ford had encrypted his data and backed up his files on a remote website. He bought another laptop, and “by 9:18 a.m. Monday, my office team had my new computer working with all the data.”
It takes just a moment to lose your laptop. But by taking precautions, you can reduce the chances and minimize your losses.

Here are some tips from several experts, including Ford, of My Computer Works Inc., and the Transportation Security Administration, on keeping your laptop safe:

Tie it up; lock it up: Would you leave your wallet or purse in full view in your hotel room? So why do that with your laptop? If Ford had secured his Dell to the desk with a security cable, which many newer computers have fittings for, he might still have it. (Mobile Edge SecuriCable Locks)

Travel incognito: Carry your computer in an inconspicuous bag, not one that screams, “I have a $2,500 piece of machinery in here!” But don’t go entirely undercover. TSA employees suggest taping a business card to the bottom of your laptop or at least your name and phone. That helps anyone who finds your lost computer to return it.

Take care at airport checkpoints: Many laptops get lost or stolen there. To thwart thieves, try to walk through the metal detector before your computer goes through the scanner. Retrieve it immediately. “I actually wait until I’m the next guy to go through,” Ford said. “Then I slide my computer onto the conveyor belt. Frankly, I hold up the line.” 

You may avoid some fumbling if you use what the TSA calls a “checkpoint friendly” laptop bag or compartment, which gives X-ray machines a clear view. For details on this new option, visit www.tsa.gov and search for “laptop.” As with any valuable, never pack your computer in checked luggage.
To read the full article visit he LA Times website by clicking here.

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