Laptop Survivor

Having a good laptop case is very important. I discovered that for myself after a beautiful brand name bag, given to me by a friend, failed on me. One day while walking through the parking garage, the strap suddenly snapped off and detached. This caused my bag to turn upside down and fall off my shoulder. I stood there horrified with my jaw open as my precious PowerBook G4 laptop violently smacked down hard on the cement ground. I’ll never forget that sound – BAM! It all happened too fast for me to break the fall. “At least it’s still in one piece,” I thought to myself. The screen was severely cracked, but amazingly, there was no damage to the computer’s internal workings. Thankfully it was still under warranty.

Okay, that means it’s time to go shopping for a new laptop case! Most places that sell cases do not offer anything more than a black, plain boring bag. I found a couple places that offer stylish alternatives that fit my needs.

At the top of my list for cute is The Tote from Acme Made. It looks really attractive, and it has a fully padded computer pocket that fits most small and mid-sized laptops (unfortunately doesn’t fit 17” laptops). It’s also made with a quilted satin lining, zippered accessory pocket, imported leather handles/trim and comes with a one year warranty.
Prices range from $265 to $299 at www.acmemade.com.
Acme also offers iPod cases and computer covers.

For my tomboy side, I really like the Mamba.XS made by BOOQ. You can wear this three different ways: across your chest, over your shoulder or like a backpack. That’s perfect for my active lifestyle. This protects your laptop with half-an-inch of molded foam padding, but still leaves you ample room for books, a power adapter or whatever else you may want to throw in there. $79.95 at www.booqbags.com.