The BBC brings word that the scanner is being tested in Manchester airport, and that reaction from the public is mixed, at best. Never mind the fact that the scanners allow travelers to pass through without removing their coats or shoes, dramatically speeding up a horribly inefficient process. The scanners show you naked!

But the full body scans will also show up breast enlargements, body piercings and a clear black-and-white outline of passengers’ genitals.

The spokespeople for the manufacturers and various security entities all assure us that the images cannot be stored. Yeah, right. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that a distressingly large number of human beings will do darn near anything to look at nekkid pictures of other human beings. I can envision a whole new fetish springing up around black market rips of security scanner images. Start registering domains now, gang!

The good news is that you can show your junk to the TSA goons up to five thousand times per year before you need to worry about the radiation you’re subjecting said junk to.

There’s an obvious problem with the current technology. The cheery TSA person rubs a swab on your shoe, and then on a pad that changes color if you’ve been say, walking through fertilizer and fuel oil recently, or possibly working with aluminum powder, and then you end up spending some time in a locked room explaining exactly what you were planning. Lots of false positives, and likely a fair amount of false negatives as well (we’ll never know how many).

The new technique will use the “Raman Spectroscopy” method, which involves shining a laser beam into the sample, and then measuring the energy of the light that is scattered by it to determine what exactly the chemical compound is. This method allows for near-instant measurement of minuscule particles, making the detection processes extremely fast and accurate.

The technology is not currently available however, since it is only about halfway through the development process. The applications, aside from the obvious Homeland Security use, will include a new generation of breathalyzers and field testing equipment.

Oh, dear. The TSA will expand the use of those body scanners we’ve talked about time and time again. This will no doubt freak out a certain segment of the population, but I have something even more terrifying for y’all: adjustable rate mortgages!

The TSA will install 150 of the machines in airports around the country. This, after successful trials at other, smaller airports. Exactly what airports will see the scanners hasn’t been announced yet.

You’ll recall that these scanners are being installed ostensibly to prevent terror attacks in airports or, worse, on airplanes. A person steps into the scanner, and a TSA agent is able “to see” a person’s whole… person. Knives, bombs, explosives, etc. can be seen on the agent’s monitor. The only problem is that you can sorta make out the person’s nude body. Granted, it’s about as erotic as dental X-Rays, but, as Americans, we’re taught from a very young age to be shameful about our bodies. We’re a nation of children.

It should be noted, of course, that the agent who “sees” the body scan never sees the person in question. The scanning machine and the monitor are kept far apart, and the agent keeping an eye on the monitor is locked in some far-away office. So in a practical sense it shouldn’t be an issue, but of course it is.

The TSA spent $25 million from the stimulus program that passed earlier this year. Makes sense, too: spend money on the machines—they’re developed by a company in California—, get the company producing more machines, company hires employees to build the machines, a new coffee shop springs up in town to support all those new employees, etc. And, bonus, we may be safer because of it.

I, for one, have no problem with these scanners. Not that I’m under any illusion that it will automatically make us safer, but, bah, who cares? I have far bigger things to worry about than whether or not some person I’ll never meet can “see” a crappy photo of my body for four seconds.

UPDATE~! The TSA actually contacted us with a more accurate image of what the officers see. Still doesn’t bother me.

You’d think a professional blogger like myself who travels a lot would have a TSA friendly bag, but you’re wrong. I still pull my laptop out every time and curse to the high heavens about it. A sane person would have invested in a bag like the Aerovation CPF Laptop Bag by now and I’m thinking real hard about it.

The CPF has ample room for one laptop up to 15 inches and another compartment for the rest of your doodads. The two compartments are held together by Velcro so you can easily pull it apart and have it ready to go when it’s your turn in the security line.

There’s also a trolley bag if you’re into that sort of thing.

Aerovation

Gather ’round for the time-honored American tradition of pretending to be outraged by something. (If we’re to believe that outlet of faux populist outrage, the Drudge Report.) It’s one of those airport security body scanning devices, this time going on trial at the Salt Lake City airport. The left two images show a woman, while the right two are a man.

My question is, are any of you out there actually offended by this? It’s not a new device, but it was deployed for the first time at the luxurious Salt Lake City airport for the first time this month, as this local news report explains. Its whole purpose, if you haven’t already guessed, is to look for contraband underneath your clothes. Of course, there’s always the “oh my God my privacy” concerns, but the TSA has gone out of its way to ensure that you have nothing to fear. For one, your face is blurred out; no one will know who you are. Second, the TSA guy with you at the booth isn’t the guy who will see the 3D scan; nope, someone in a room, behind closed doors, gets to see the scan. And, lastly, you have to volunteer to be scanned. The TSA is using the machine as part of a pilot program, and it’s not guaranteed that it will make its way to your local airport.

And yes, if using this machine would make going through that airport security line any faster I’d use it, in a heartbeat.

These fancy, $100 bags are part of the ScanFast for Her Collection, Mobile Edge’s line of lady-minded laptop bags. (I guess generic, dark-colored bags are too aggressive and masculine for women. Wait, what?) As with other Mobile Edge bags, these are Transportation Security Administration’s Checkpoint Friendly. That means, theoretically, that you’re not required to remove your laptop from the bag while you go through security. In my experience, however, the guys asking you to remove your laptop from your bag haven’t heard of such a program—all laptops out of your bags now or we’ll send you to Guantanamo. The joke’s on them: it’ll be closed soon enough!

What is it about airports that bring out the worst in humanity? Is it waiting in long, arbitrary lines?  Is it being forced to reveal to everyone the holes in your socks?  Is it the $100 beers at the airport bar?  I try pretty hard to be a “good citizen” when I travel: my carry-on luggage doesn’t exceed the maximum dimensions permitted by the airline; I make sure I put all of my metal objects through the x-ray machine; and I try to make sure I can whip out my laptop to send through the x-ray machine separately from the bag in which I carry it.

Travelon has recently released its own line of TSA-approved Checkpoint Friendly laptop bags, designed to make it easier to get through the security screening without having to unpack your entire kit.  I admit that when I received my review models I exclaimed “WTF?”.  At first glance, it doesn’t look like these things will actually save any time.  But for you, dear reader, I put myself through the indignities of airport security to provide an accurate review of these bags.

The bags themselves are pretty nondescript, and look like just about every other laptop bag on the planet.  The fabric is rugged, and the overall construction seems solid. There’s ample padding for the laptop pocket, so your precious computer should sit fairly comfortably through the jolts and jostles of air travel. The backpack model has a nice criss-cross design for the shoulder straps, which surprisingly helps distribute the weight better, making it less uncomfortable to lug your laptop between terminals.  Interestingly, this design makes it less comfortable to hang the bag from a single shoulder.

The backpack model has another minor shortcoming, in my opinion: the largest pocket isn’t very deep.  You can fit your cables easily enough, but I could not, for example, comfortably fit the body of my Canon DigitalRebel XT camera.  Don’t expect to use this bag for much more than your laptop and necessary peripherals: it’s not a general purpose bag.

The gimmick on the entire line of Travelon Checkpoint friendly bags is a sleeve attached to a tether that sits inside the laptop compartment.  So you place your laptop into the sleeve, and then place the sleeve inside the pocket.  At airport security, you pull out the sleeve containing your laptop, and slide the bag plus sleeve through the scanner together.  This gives the TSA screeners an unobstructed view of your laptop, and also keeps your laptop close to your bag.

As I said, I didn’t see this saving me a whole lot of time.  But at the security gate, I found it wonderfully convenient to keep the laptop tethered to the bag: when I cleared the screening, I was able to pick up the sleeve by its handle, and carry both it and the bag to which it was attached a comfortable distance away to put on my shoes and gather up my junk.  I didn’t have to stand there at the end of the conveyor belt making a fool of myself with handfuls of loose, miscellaneous stuff.

On the backpack and briefcase models I received, the laptop sleeve could be unzipped from its tether, allowing you to use it separately from the main bag.  This might be handy in some situations.  Also available from Travelon is just a sleeve, which you might put into an existing laptop bag.  Be sure to watch the video review, below, to see what’s so special about this sleeve!

In addition to the minor complaints already made, I have two other beefs against these products.  First, they’re made in China.  Don’t get me wrong: I’m not some die-hard anti-globalization America First! nutcase.  But I would like to see American manufacturing deal with the largely American problem of insane airport security processes.  Second, the TSA screeners have pretty much carte blanche authority to inspect any bag they want, at any time.  So even if you shell out big bucks for a fancy “TSA Checkpoint Friendly” approved bag, the TSA can still make you remove your laptop.

Bottom Line

These are good quality laptop bags that provide a surprising level of convenience to the frequent traveller.  It’s not likely to be your go-to bag for quick trips around town, but it will be the bag you want to take with you on a flight.

The Funny

Inside the laptop sleeve is a warning, admonishing you to follow the TSA screener’s directions since they can still require you to remove your computer from the sleeve.  You are also cautioned not to place anything on top of the laptop that might obstruct the x-ray view.  No paperwork, cords, accessories, or Les.  Poor, poor Les — always getting stuffed into laptop bags.

• It must have a laptop-only compartment. No pockets or anything are allowed in this section.
• Said section must fold out completely to lie flat in the x-ray machine.
• Any metal zippers or accoutrements must be clear of the laptop, so they do not interfere with the laptop’s image.

Okay, so you just need to be able to effectively take the laptop out of the bag, though the laptop doesn’t need to actually leave the bag. It’s worth noting that you may already have a bag that meets these criteria; a soft laptop-only bag with a zipper around the edge, for instance, should be fine. If you don’t have one, you can buy one. There are options for TSA-friendly bags from Skooba, CaseLogic and MobileEdge among others, but my question is this: are those dweebs at the TSA going to have their game together enough so that when I bring one of these to a checkpoint, the person doesn’t say “I don’t know anything about any special bags, sir, your laptop needs to go separately” the way I know they will?
[via PC World]

The latest TSA security protocol allows laptop-touting travelers to keep their junk in their bag, but only pre-approved ones. Case Logic’s first batch offers up both a laptop case and sleeve options. Personally, if you already have a well-loved case, I would pick up the sleeve and all you would have to do is pull out the sleeve and not reveal your MacBook Pro to thieving eyes. Whatever you choose, Case Logic has ‘em available on its website starting at $19. 

LONGMONT, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Case Logic, the leading innovator in organization solutions for consumer electronics, today announced the availability of cases and sleeves that allow travelers to easily go through security without removing their laptop computers. The introduction of these cases is in response to the new screening guidelines for carryon luggage recently implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The TSA now allows travelers with Case Logic’s Security Friendly^TM cases to pass through security checkpoints without removing their laptop for individual inspection, helping travelers get through security lines at a faster pace. These Security Friendly^TM cases isolate the laptop computer so x-ray screeners have an unobstructed view of the laptop and can inspect it quickly and easily.

To help ease what can already be a hectic security process, Case Logic now offers two collections of Security Friendly^TM solutions: laptop cases that isolate the laptop computer in an individual compartment, and laptop sleeves that still require removal from a traveler’s carryon, but do not require removal of the laptop.

“Our constant research and innovation surrounding travel and organization solutions allows us to quickly respond to the changing needs of our customers,” says Doug Edwards, global category manager for Case Logic. “Case Logic is excited to be among the first to offer laptop cases that comply with TSA guidelines and make the security checkpoint process easier and faster for our customers.”

Case Logic’s Security Friendly^TM laptop sleeves and cases are available on www.caselogic.com.

About Case Logic

Case Logic, a brand within the Thule Group, is a leader in developing and delivering intelligent organization solutions for the ways people live. The company continues to create unique and intuitive products designed to transport, organize and protect everyday essentials.

Today, Case Logic develops and distributes portable and home storage accessories for CDs, DVDs, portable electronics, laptops, cameras and camcorders, automotive organization, luggage and travel essentials to customers across the globe.

Case Logic is owned and operated by Thule, the world leader in sports utility transportation. Thule delivers solutions for active families and outdoor enthusiasts wanting to transport their equipment by vehicles safely, easily and in style.

For more information about Case Logic and its products, please visit www.caselogic.com.

Starting just last week if you have a TSA-approved laptop bag, you can slide that puppy* (*please to not x-ray the puppy) right on through their scanning machines. Of course that means a whole bunch new products to choose from.

Travelon has created six new bags ready to start hitting the shelves in September. Ya got yourself a backpack version, a wheely thing and a briefcase style. For the lady in your life, why not surprise her with a brand new Ladies Brief. It has faux croco trim. You know you want it. C’mon we’re talking faux croco trim here!

Please step forward one at a time, here, to check out their other models.

As you know, the Transportation Safety Administration has decided to allow laptop-carrying airline passengers keep their laptops in specially approved bags at security checkpoints. It’s actually the most revolutionary decision in United States bureaucracy history. To that end, the TSA has finally posted details on its Web site how all this is going to work.

That handy graphic shows the type of bags that are and aren’t permitted. This is all to make it so that TSOs, or Transportation Security Officers, can inspect the laptop while it’s in the specially approved bag.

The program starts today, August 16.

By far, the best sentence from the TSA’s Web site: “TSOs know what the inside of a computer should look like, and can recognize irregularities.” Yeah, can they?

“Officers may detain documents and electronic devices, or copies thereof, for a reasonable period of time to perform a thorough border search. The search may take place on-site or at an off-site location.”

And they confiscate your laptop, detain you for a couple hours, and check if you have any un-American porn. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Encrypting and displacing all your data is beginning to look less and less paranoid. [via El Reg]

Targus announced today a new line of laptop cases designed to speed travelers through airport security. The first installment is the Zip-Thru 15.4″ Corporate Traveler Laptop Case that speeds up the process by eliminating the need for removing your laptop from its case. Anybody who’s ever done that has surely felt some degree of separation anxiety as they have seen their laptop go unprotected into the screening machine.

Targus worked in conjunction with TSA personnel to assure that the cases measure up to their needs. The screeners need to get the ability to get a clear view of the laptop as it goes through the machine. The case opens down the middle, separating the laptop from whatever other accessories you may be carrying.

With the ability to keep your laptop securely protected in its case, you’ll be more protected from lost or damaged laptops, resulting in a less stressful travel experience. Assuming of course, that you don’t have to argue with the TSA guys about it.

In response to the announcement made by the TSA earlier in the year that would allow travelers to keep their laptops in bags while going through security; a couple gear companies have put forth “Checkpoint Friendly” bags and that latest comes from Mobile Edge. The ScanFast collection meets the criteria laid out by the TSA and will be available late summer. No word on pricing.

Here are some actual product shots of the TSA-friendly MobileEdge cases that we covered about a week ago. I’m still not 100% convinced that TSA bags, in general, can live up to the promise of substantially increasing airport security lines. It’ll only take one screening agent to throw a fit when someone hasn’t removed their laptop, only to find out that it was in a TSA-approved bag all along. Plus, how long does it take you to remove your laptop for the security line? It takes me under ten seconds. I basically unzip my bag, pull out my notebook, and place it in a tray.

Still, perhaps all those ten seconds increments will add up over time. These MobileEdge bags will be available later this summer and I’m guessing they’ll be pretty high-quality, yet not too expensive. Full press release after the jump…

Mobile Edge Showcases Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Case Collection
New ScanFast™ laptop cases TSA compliant

ANAHEIM, Calif., – July 16, 2008 – Mobile Edge, the industry leader in innovative and stylish laptop computer carrying cases and accessories, unveiled three innovative “Checkpoint Friendly” laptop cases designed to help move traveling computer users through airport luggage checks more quickly. Now, airport screeners can X-Ray a traveler’s laptop while still inside their bag. The new cases from Mobile Edge have been tested and meet the new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines for carry-on luggage.

The TSA recently announced plans to implement new security procedures that will allow travelers to pass through security checkpoints without having to remove their laptops from their cases. Simultaneously, the TSA issued a request to laptop bag manufacturers to create “Checkpoint Friendly” laptop bags to help speed up security lines, allowing passengers to get to their departure gates in a timely manner. These new cases will help shorten wait times for more than 250 million passengers that travel annually in the U.S.

The design team at Mobile Edge quickly responded to the TSA request and came up with three new innovative case designs. This new ScanFast™ Collection consists of a backpack, a briefcase and a messenger bag, all designed to conveniently open for airport screeners and help speed travelers through the X-Ray screening process.
“This is an unprecedented request by the TSA to help relieve some of the congestion at checkpoint locations nation wide,” said G. David Cartwright, President & CEO, Mobile Edge. “We wanted to produce a range of laptop cases that were compliant with the new TSA guidelines and yet were still both stylish and functional, and we did just that.”

Incorporating industry proven Mobile Edge computer protection, all three cases will accommodate all popular models of laptops and will be covered by the Mobile Edge Lifetime Warranty. This new ScanFast™ Collection is scheduled to launch in late summer.

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.

Just got word last night that Mobile Edge, fine purveyor of notebook-friendly bags and backpacks, has created three new cases that meet all TSA requirements for checkpoint-friendliness. The company is currently testing the bags at the Ontario Airport in California and will make final changes before going into full production soon.

We’ve got the three designs here. Actual photos of the products should be coming our way tomorrow. Hit the jump to take a peek at the other two bags.

More news on the approaching possibility of keeping your laptop in a case while breezing through airport security. Along with bag-maker Skooba Design’s “beautiful prototypes, patents and trademarks pending,” they also posted a photo of a new security-friendly laptop case prototype for the new line, and they expect to have models available in time for the back to school/fall/holiday season.

The Transportation Security Administration says it has been working with luggage manufactures to create checkpoint friendly bags, which will allow travelers to keep laptops in their cases while slogging through security lines. TSA chief Kip Hawley told USA Today, that they should be in a position in a couple of months to allow people with the ‘right’ kinds of bags to leave electronics in them for scanning.

As shown, the new cases will unfold and when placed flat on the X-ray belt, screeners should be able to see the laptop inside as easily as when it was in a security bin all by itself.

While Skooba CEO Michael Hess, thinks security friendly bags, “could be huge,” I’m guessing it’ll take a bit longer than anyone hopes for this hot new development to have much an impact on security line wait times.

Skooba also has this flashy (if grainy) promotional video.
skooba\'s promotional video

The Transportation Security Administration has reportedlybeen working with luggage manufacturers to create checkpoint safe laptop cases. No longer will you have to take your laptop our of your case, while you remove your shoes, jacket, any metal, lighters, and chapstick from your pockets, as well as all the water, shampoo and aftershave from your carry-on. Wow, thanks TSA, that’s gonna be a big help in those long, harried lines.

Pathfinder Luggage and Targus say they are working to get the new “checkpoint friendly” on the market by the fall. The TSA is scheluded to begin testing more than a half-dozen of the new cases at at three airports: Dulles, outside Washington; Austin-Bergstrom in Texas; and Ontario, near Los Angeles.

Body scanners that can “see” underneath clothing will be installed in 10 of the country’s biggest airports within the next few weeks. Airline passengers in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. can look forward to scenes like the kind depicted in this photo here. How they’ll be used:

The scanners bounce harmless “millimeter waves” off passengers who are selected to stand inside a portal with arms raised after clearing the metal detector. A TSA screener in a nearby room views the black-and-white image and looks for objects on a screen that are shaded differently from the body. Finding a suspicious object, a screener radios a colleague at the checkpoint to search the passenger.

Reminds you a little of City 17, right?

Eh, what are you gonna do? I know I feel 100 percent safer with the TSA on my side. You know, the same organization that couldn’t tell the difference between a bomb and a MacBook Air?

via Drudge Report

Anyone that’s traveled with their laptop knows what a pain in the ass security is because you’re required to take out your laptop when going through the x-ray machine. I despise it and I travel quite often and it’s slowly becoming the bane of my existence. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but I think we can all agree that it’s an annoying process.

Targus and Skooba, among others, have heard our plight and they’re looking to cash-in. Both companies are currently working on prototype “checkpoint-friendly” cases that the TSA is currently testing. No word on when these bags will hit the market, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be waiting for one.