MINIMOUNTS enable the mounting of netbooks onto various surfaces

The new products enable you to clamp your netbook to surfaces in useful locations

A San Francisco based company called Aileron Designs LLC, has launched a series of rugged cases and mounting kits for netbooks, which come under the trademark 'Minimount'. The cases have been built for specific netbooks, and their initial range features ready-made cases for Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI and Samsung models. The cases have an aluminium shell with rubber corners, and an interior featuring foam pads to cushion netbooks. The cases open and close with netbooks, protecting the machine at all times, even during use.

Aileron's website states that the Minimount cases strengthen the lid hinges of a netbook, so that force applied whilst opening and closing the lid of a machine, will be distributed to both the case and the netbook, thereby alleviating pressure on the relatively fragile netbook hinges. The cases also allow a netbook's external interface to be accessed (VGA ports are excluded), giving the user the option of connecting USB devices, and I presume other things such as AC adaptors.

Aileron's main range of cases start at $99.00, and include options for netbooks fitted with 3 or 6 cell batteries. The company also points out that the Minimount cases are not intended to turn netbooks into toughbooks, although they should offer adequate protection from light bumps and shocks, or fairly careless handling.

The other, major component of the Minimount product, are the mounting kits, which enable customers to affix a Minimount case to an adjustable arm, which clamps onto things like table edges, shelves, exercise bikes or the interior of a vehicle such as a car. The mounting kits are designed to provide users with a steady platform from which to operate their netbook, as if it were placed on a flat and sturdy surface, such as a desk.

There are more specialist mounting kits available too, for example, some are designed specifically for use inside vehicles. Aileron may develop its products for use in other, more specific locations or situations; and the website states that notebook compatibility may be implemented in the future. The mounting kits start at $29.00 and become increasingly more expensive as their versatility increases. 

The Minimount product seems to offer a great deal of flexibility at relatively low cost. However, as it is a new product, the website does not contain any testimonials yet, so it is hard to determine just how reliable and rugged Minimounts are. It would be useful to see a video of someone using one of these, and see whether the mounting kits can keep netbooks perfectly still during typing, or when adjustments to the lid are made. If you are interested in finding out more, or want to purchase a Minimount product, you can do so by visiting Aileron's website here.