The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Magnets in Vaio bag?

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by Mitlov, Oct 12, 2011.

  1. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

    Reputations:
    2,681
    Messages:
    5,689
    Likes Received:
    909
    Trophy Points:
    281
    My F23 isn't here yet, but the messenger bag I got from Sony for it is:

    Heather Grey Laptop Bag | VAIO® Messenger Case | VGP-AMB13 | Sony USA

    Overall I really like the bag. Nice quality for the price, and it looks really professional. My question, though, is this. The flap is held in place by two magnets. Now, maybe I'm ill-informed, but I was under the impression that magnets were like kryptonite to HDDs. Am I wrong here? I mean, I can't believe Sony would sell a laptop bag that kills their laptops, but I always thought you kept magnets far, far away from laptops. What am I missing?
     
    Mitlov, Oct 12, 2011
    #1
  2. ota-con

    ota-con Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    205
    Messages:
    1,240
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    56
    I doubt that the magnets are strong enough to cause any damage but I could be wrong though.
     
    ota-con, Oct 12, 2011
    #2
  3. electronicsguy

    electronicsguy Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    54
    Messages:
    403
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    31
    It was a decade old concern...not anymore.

     
    electronicsguy, Oct 12, 2011
    #3
  4. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

    Reputations:
    2,681
    Messages:
    5,689
    Likes Received:
    909
    Trophy Points:
    281
    That's really good to know. Two follow-up questions.

    (1) From a curious nerd perspective, what's changed? Why isn't it a problem anymore?

    (2) My two-year-old loves Thomas the Train, and has little wooden trains that link together with relatively-weak magnets (the force to pull apart two train cars is roughly equivalent to the pull required to open this bag). He carries Thomas and Percy around with him wherever he goes. I had always tried to watch him like a hawk so that he wouldn't drive the trains on or directly adjacent to my laptop, for fears that my HDD would get all screwed up. Can I lighten up on this, if this strength magnet actually isn't a threat?
     
    Mitlov, Oct 12, 2011
    #4
  5. beaups

    beaups New Jack Hustler

    Reputations:
    476
    Messages:
    2,376
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Magnet damage was always overrated, although floppy's were pretty sensitive. The platters are shielded by quite a bit of metal and air, not to mention the motor and actuators in the hard drives use magnets themselves.
     
    beaups, Oct 12, 2011
    #5
  6. jeremyshaw

    jeremyshaw Big time Idiot

    Reputations:
    791
    Messages:
    3,210
    Likes Received:
    231
    Trophy Points:
    131
    Not to mention the EMI from the wireless units, and the (for some) frequent scans at the airport...
     
    jeremyshaw, Oct 12, 2011
    #6