Hoodman

SRP/SP:	$39.95/ not known
Requirements:	Any laptop with a 10″ - 15″ screen
What’s Hot:	Easy to set-up and use, effectively blocks glare, packs away well
What’s Not:	Somewhat difficult to use on a windy day

Making a living doing one thing, and one thing only, is tough. You
have to be the best in your field, the Kirk of your Enterprise, the
black velvet of your Elvis poster, or you’re sunk. Trek makes great
mountain bikes. Gallagher splats watermelons better than anyone.
Bungie creates cool games. Hoodman, a California company based in
Hermosa Beach, reduces glare, and does it well.

Not familiar with Hoodman? If you watch football, you are. Hoodman
makes those rectangular monitor hoods that allow the refs to review
plays and acknowledge their own exceptionally poor calls.

Hoodman also makes smaller hoods for
professional still and video cameras, and an even smaller one
specifically designed for laptop computers, all to achieve the same
purpose: reduce glare.

Their laptop hood, called the E-2000, comes in a fanny pack-like
pouch, that easily stores in a laptop case. It weighs next to
nothing. Using it involves removing it from the case, which causes
it to literally spring open, then slipping it over the screen portion
of a laptop. According to the Hoodman site, the E-2000 should fit
most laptops with 10″ - 15″ screens.

It fits fine on the PowerBook G3 and 3400 I tested it
on, though it was somewhat snug on the iBook, due to the iBook’s
curvy top.

I had some minor difficulty getting the E-2000 on the laptops. This
was largely due to it being a typically windy day, out here in the
typically windy Midwest. However, after chasing the E-2000 for about
10 yards and, in the process, making a complete fool of myself in
front of some college girls, I retrieved the hood and tried it out on
the PowerBooks. Despite it being a sunny day, nearly all glare was
eliminated and the screen was fairly easy to read. Simply put: the
E-2000 Works as advertised. One of the college girls even came over
and asked what it was. After showing her what it did, she said it
was “neat”.

I should point out that I, personally, do very little outdoor
computing. As a result, I don’t really consider the E-2000 a
necessity. I would be more likely to use it indoors, while computing
in a public area, to shield my screen from prying eyes. It may be a
little awkward to use in an airplane, but it would still serve that
purpose well, too.

My own lack of outdoor computing aside, I’m sure there is an still
immediate need for this type of product. Contractors, surveyors,
park rangers, and filmmakers would all undoubtedly find the E-2000
useful. Forty dollars is perhaps a bit much, but those that need it
should have little problem with that price. The E-2000 is light and
folds away flat, is relatively easy to set-up and use, and
effectively minimizes screen glare. It does one thing, and does it
well.

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