Gadget gal: Laptop bags

I've had my fair share of laptop bags.

MORE THAN YOUR FAIR SHARE PERHAPS? That's true. I've gone through many a bag and carry case; as my laptops have changed with the times, so have my accessories. They are, sadly, mostly ugly. I had a lovely shoulder bag-type thing that was fairly stylish. Unfortunately, the light beige colour was too . . . beige. I also had a backpack that was positively voluminous, you could fit two laptops in it, plus the power cord, and even a zip drive -- when we needed such things. But it wasn't terribly stylish.

CAN'T HAVE THAT No. So I've been looking for something tough and good-looking that will allow me to protect my precious MacBook Air, and still allow me to cut a fine figure in the Wi-Fi cafe.

ANY JOY? Well, I liked the look of the Zip2Go immediately. Its colouring is a lovely slate gray with accents of black, white and funky orange. It is also made of neoprene, the stuff that wetsuits are made of, so waterproof and very hard-wearing. It's got handles and a big chunky zip, and once you lash your laptop into its rugged embrace, you don't even have to take it out of the bag: your computer is held in place by straps at the corners (kind of like the borders in old-fashioned photo albums), so all you need do is unzip and, er, go.

THAT'S HANDY It is, rather, and it means that you are essentially camouflaging your gear, so to speak. Not that you'd be furiously typing in a bag, of course, but sometimes the attention I get with the slim Air gets a bit wearing.

IS THIS A RAVE REVIEW? Not really. The short handles mean that you've obviously got no choice but to carry it in your hand. This is annoying if you want to go shopping after you've been dutifully working. If they were a bit longer, and the thing could slip over your arm, then this would be, without doubt, peerless.

As it is, you may end up just lashing it into a bigger bag, which seems to defeat the purpose. My search continues.

Zip2Go comes in a range of sizes from 12" to 17", prices starting at around €25. Available at PC World