Gadgets: Protect that laptop with a padded T-shirt

Maybe you don't feel the need to armor your tablet or laptop with mucho macho materials like aluminum and carbon fiber, but you don't want to leave it completely unprotected either. There are plenty of laid-back kinds of covers, but few so dressed-down as the V Neck Sleeve from Computer Apparel.

It is essentially a V-neck T-shirt with a padded compartment to protect your electronics.

Like most T-shirts, it is made from cotton, but it is also cushioned about an inch thick with cotton padding. Sized for an iPad, as well as laptops with 13- to 17-inch displays, the back of the shirt has a zipper that gives access to the padded compartment.

There is also a flap in the back for storing papers, and you can throw accessories down the neck of the shirt or stow them in the pocket (although I wouldn't rely on them staying put, because there's no way to secure items).

The T's come in blue, black, pink, white and gray, priced from $50 to $70.

There's a lot to be said for headsets with a boom, the protruding arm that puts the microphone closer to your mouth. It usually means better sound quality on the receiving end and less yelling on the sending end.

But the Jabra Supreme Bluetooth's performance did not live up to the design.

The boom can flip close, making it less likely to be damaged when it's in a pocket or bag. When folded, it automatically turns the earphone off.

Less well thought-out, though, is the way it works with the iPhone. To get the Supreme to work with Siri, you have to download software and install it. So what's the problem? The software is for PC only.

Jabra says it has an improved model on the way, the Supreme UC, for Unified Communications, which, at $150, is supposed to come ready to work with Skype, Microsoft, Cisco and other products. Hope springs eternal.