HoodMAC
Review

HoodMAC

Company: Hoodman Corp.
Price: $39.99
www.hoodmanusa.com

Laptops computers are just as useful outdoors as indoors, although I draw the line at taking my MacBook Pro to the sands of Coney Island’s beach. Unfortunately, most laptop screens just don’t have the brightness required for easy viewing in any amount of direct sunlight.

Hoodman’s HoodMAC is a useful, albeit homely, solution to the problem of how to use your laptop in the great out of doors. HoodMAC is a removable hood that will fit around the display of any 13″, 15″, or 17″ Apple laptop. Not a Mac user? HoodMAC will fit over PC screens of the same sizes.

The Weeks Division of MyMac Labs outfitted a 15″ MacBook Pro with a HoodMAC, and braved the elements. After removing it from the travel pouch, and adjusting its snaps to fit it to the screen, we found the HoodMAC worked as advertised.

“The wife of MyMac Reviews Editor John Nemo using a HoodMAC-equipped laptop”

The HoodMAC provided enough shade so the display, which was hard to read in Tucson’s early December afternoon sunlight, was easily readable. It took a little while to not be distracted by the shell itself, but we persevered. When it’s time to head back indoors, you refold the HoodMAC, and slide it into the travel pouch. We found this easier said than done, as refolding the HoodMAC took a couple of attempts.

While Hoodman advertises the HoodMAC as providing useful protection against people sneaking peeks at your screen, I’m not sure I’d want to use something this odd-looking in public unless I was desperate.

MyMac review rating 7 out of 10

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