Cool Computer Cases for Back-to-School

Back-to-school is always about finding a cool look. When your laptop needs to go in tow for school, it needs a cool laptop case to go with it. And this year with folks trying to stretch their budgets even further, laptop bag prices need to be cool, too.

Laptop backpacks can have style and a reasonable price. High Sierra's swerve laptop backpack will fit a 15.4" laptop and comes in stylish colors like pink, leaf green, and amethyst purple. If you have a smaller frame and a laptop weighs down your posture (translation: tweens or petite co-eds), check out the rolling laptop backpacks from J Sport World. Patterns with flowers and targets come in a variety of colors, and then, of course, there is basic black. One more for the gals: the Ogio shifter laptop backpack. It has rounded edges, satin accents, and tons of pockets. All of these styles are $60 or less.

Not everyone wants a backpack, so don't ignore the laptop messengers. High Sierra's chip laptop messenger features bright colors, plenty of pockets, and a price that is less than $45. If you have a little more to spend and like a European flair, the Tucano motion messengeris worth a look and is still less than $80. Our favorite features include the ultra-padded shoulder strap and the interior drawstring top, that keeps everything safe from the weather as you trek around campus.

How I Love Thee, My Valentine’s Day Laptop Bag

Kipling is blue; McKlein is white
Valentine, you bring to me my every delight.
Aaron Irvin is black; Tucano is grey;
I’m hopin’ for a laptop tote this Valentine’s Day!

For the overnight traveler — or the significant other that always seems to bring half the house with her to work — take a closer look at the Georgia wheeled laptop case by Kipling. Constructed with Kipling’s signature lightweight, water-resistant crinkle nylon, the laptop case features a retractable pull handle and durable skate wheels, providing her with effortless glide around the international terminal. Ample interior and exterior pockets store up to a 15.4-inch laptop, cell phone, PDA, MP3 player, a change of clothes, and of course, you.

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She uses a calendar, a date book, and a PDA. She knows just when your mother’s birthday is and bought the gift last month. She’s a 21st century Wonder Woman. Make her smile this Valentine’s Day with a laptop tote that applauds her organizational skills. The McKlein Winnetka leather ladies laptop tote, in smooth white Italian leather with rolled handles and nickel hardware, duly organizes her work life and home life — and keeps her looking as smart as she is. Also available in powder-blue, blush, cranberry, persimmon, pistachio, and black. Fits screens up to 15.4 inches.

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Is he dashing, debonair, and always groomed to the nines? May we present, Irvin. Aaron Irvin. For the gallant I-take-my-martini-shaken-not-stirred man in your life, Aaron Irvin’s large microfiber computer bag is refined, slick, and made with the finest black microfiber nylon and outfitted with nickel hardware and Swiss made zippers on all four sides. Rolled, supple, calf leather handles give way to a detachable ergonomic shoulder strap. A bevy of internal compartments make extracting the dossier for his next mission a cinch. This laptop bag fits screens up to 17 inches.

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Urban grey water-resistant nylon with bold orange interior and accents make Tucano’s Cobra Horizontal Limit messenger bag a smart choice for inclement winter weather — and navigating city streets. The lightweight unisex messenger bag features a cushioned shoulder strap, a fully padded drawstring closure laptop compartment, a zippered interior front panel for camera cases, iPods, and peripherals, and a Velcro front flap to keep it all safely tucked in. Now if only your life were this structured. Fits laptop screens up to 15.4 inches.

Raise Awareness on National 'Wear Red' Day

Four days a week you dress to the nines for frisée at noon. On the first Friday in February, you dress for The Heart Truth. National Wear Red Day falls on February 1st, 2008, and it's a day when Americans nationwide show their support for women's heart disease awareness by donning a fiery crimson dress, a smokin' scarlet tie, or for the tech savvy supporter, an extraordinary red laptop bag.

One in four women die of heart disease. That’s your sister, mother, wife, your best friend. Take action, participate, and spread the message.

Slim, tech, multitalented (and Italian made), Tucano's Work Out laptop case is made from durable water resistant fabric and features a lined, shock absorbent internal notebook compartment. Foldaway handles allow you to trim it down even further and use as a sleeve. Available for 15- and 17-inch laptops, in what else, fierce red.

The McKlein Glen Ellen detachable-wheeled laptop case is constructed of high-grade smooth cranberry red Italian leather and delivers pure posh without the hefty pricetag. With detachable shoulder strap, rolled handles, removable high-density sleeve, contrast stitching, key-lock front pocket, and a patented removable wheel and handle system, this gorgeous case bellows jet-setting-CEO-of-a-multinational-corporation. Fits screens up to 15.4 inches. For the same superior construction and detailing for 17-inch screens, check out McKlein's Willowbrook line.

You love your Choos, you have Barney's on speed dial, and you wouldn't dare leave the house without your Mikimoto pearls, so why aren’t you carrying the Brera Brief by Lodis? Sculpted corners, smooth grain scarlet Italian leather with shiny nickel hardware, contrast hemstitching, and a bevy of pockets for storing the latest must-have gadgets, this bag is proof you can have it all. Fits up to 15.4-inch screens.