Run Around Tech is known for chasing down technology, and we’re glad they caught our SurfacePad for MacBook Pro. As a self-proclaimed “Apple fanboy”, Marc Hawkins loves his Apple gear, and decided to pick up a SurfacePad to keep his new 15″ MacBook Pro looking as beautiful as the day it left the Apple Store.

So what did he think of our “black leather shield of protection” for MacBook Pro?

Out of the box, the SurfacePad comes in two pieces, each with a plastic, peel-away backing. Three small stickers on the back of the pieces outline the steps to install the accessory. Starting with the keyboard deck (ie. the bottom of the laptop when looking at it from the top), you peel back a small piece of the plastic backing. This allows you to line-up the cover with your laptop and  fit over your trackpad. After that is in place, you peel off the second half of the bottom case and finish sticking it to the laptop. The second strip of leather in the package is designed to fit the area between the top of the keyboard and display, complete with a cutout for the power button.

Installation was much easier than I thought it would be. I always seem to have to put these types of products on, then spend an hour trying to get the spacing even all around the device. Whatever substance Twelve South uses as an adhesive – it works. The cover didn’t slide around at all during the several hours I’ve been using it. I was easily able to peel the cover back off while adjusting for the perfect fit. Even after a couple “stick down -> peel off -> stick down” cycles, the SurfacePad is still as sticky as it was when I first took it out of the box.

Based on my experience so far, I would highly recommend this accessory for any MacBook user. It offers great protection for the keyboard deck – which I find often starts to get grimy after only a couple days of use. It also feels fantastic while your hands are resting on it.

Add a layer of stylish, yet protective leather to your MacBook Pro by picking up a SurfacePad here. (Miss the multi-colored Apple iBooks of yore? SurfacePad Colors are also available to add some “retro” style to your Mac.)

Searching for a way to personalize your MacBook while adding a stylish layer of protection? Macworld suggests our SurfacePad for MacBook as a great way to “start the new year in style” in the January edition of the magazine.

In their words:

“This superthin, soft leather palmrest protects your wrists from winter chills and your computer from scratches and dirt. You can get the SurfacePad in basic black, or add a subtle swirling pattern for extra oomph.”

Add a layer of stylish protection to your MacBook by picking up a SurfacePad or SurfacePad Colors here. (Colors available now in “Perfect Pink,” “Cyan Blue,” “Infinite Grey,” or “Orange Crush” for those UT fans in your life.)

Free shipping is available for a limited time, so order early to get your Twelve South gear in time for the holidays! (Fa la la la la….la la la la!)

Lifehacker Japan recently featured our SurfacePad Colors for MacBook on their site, and although it’s in Japanese, we can tell that they are a fan. We usually only see the SurfacePad Colors on white MacBooks, but this is a cool application of the gray SurfacePad on an aluminum MacBook Pro.

Check out SurfacePad Colors and SurfacePad at Twelve South.

If you happen to know Japanese, you can read the original Lifehacker Japan article here.

The whole Twelve South team got the new iPhone 4 yesterday. Like many others, we noticed that if your hands or fingers touch the antennas on the iPhone, it reduces signal strength and reception. Being the innovative team that we are, we found a solution right in front of us.

We took our SurfacePad for Mac leather cover and cut 2 strips out of the very top strip of the SurfacePad. We then trimmed 2 strips to 125mm and 80mm and attached them to the sides of the iPhone.

First off – it looked awesome. The colors from the SurfacePads added a nice splash of color to the iPhone (like the plastic Apple Bumpers – but in leather). The different colors also let us tell our iPhones apart from each other.

Here’s the real shocker – our homebrew SurfacePad bumpers actually improved signal strength on the iPhone! No kidding. Something about not touching the side antennas with your hands increased reception by at least two bars! We quickly cut out colored ‘bumpers’ for everyone in the office and they just work great!

We just wanted to share this awesome hack to all of our Mac friends. This might be just the trick that let’s you use your new iPhone to its fullest potential.

http://www.twelvesouth.com/products/surfacepad_colors/

http://www.twelvesouth.com/products/surfacepad/