Not necessarily allowed now if you are flying certain airlines in/out of certain countries:

http://www.fodors.com/community/air-...y-american.cfm

It also includes cameras, which is really tough if you're going on safari on many of these carriers!

It includes cameras???

Yes. Anything electronic bigger than a smart phone.

It's such a crazy rule. For one thing, I understand a number of airlines are cutting eliminating on-board entertainment because so many people bring their own. Unless you can't, that is.

Also, a lot of people work on their laptops while in flight, especially if it's a business trip.

And finally, if you can trigger a laptop to explode by using your cellphone, what difference does it make if it's in the cargo hold?