Squidoo
April 2007

"Let's face it, one of the reasons I love funky laptop bags is that I like to stand out in a crowd. It's one more way to assert my individuality. And I like to be known as a bit of a fashion maven. So, when I met up with a good friend last week and the first words out of her mouth were "Oh my gosh, is THAT your laptop bag?! How CUTE!!!", I knew I had a winner. The bag that made her gush is the Echo Laptop Case from Lexie Barnes. Since I wasn't able to make it to MacWorld this year where Lexie debuted the bag, she sent me over an Echo 15 in the Viona pattern. The Echo spent time as my sleeve in my backpack as well as made several stand-alone appearances. The attention-grabbing factor was only one of the positives. The Echo cossets my MacBook Pro 15 perfectly. It slides in the centre-padded section and has enough room for a regular size file folder to keep it company. The main pocket has two zippers, so you can zip right to left or left to right, depending on your mood. I kept all my accessories and power cords in the front zippered pocket on the Echo. I was actually quite surprised with how much it held: my Mac power brick and cord, cell phone, wallet and biz card case. Plus a couple of pens. The back of the Echo has an additional pocket where I kept my large Moleskine notebook and the new issue of Wired. The handles on the Echo are one of my favourite features. I know, I know .. you're thinking, "the *handles*?!". Yes, the handles! They are wrapped with the same water-resistent fabric as the rest of the bag and really are super comfortable! Here's my one beef with the Echo: the shoulder strap, while adjustable, is not removable. It is pretty generous in length, so I can wear it across my body, but when I wasn't using the strap (e.g. when I used the case as a sleeve in a larger bag), it was a little awkward. I usually ended up shoving the strap in the back pocket. That being said, the Echo is a joy to carry (particularly on the plane) holds all my gear, is water-resistent, and is great-looking. The Viona is one of three eye-catching coated fabrics that it comes in. You can purchase the Echo ($95 USD) from the Lexie Barnes website or from several retailers. Also, for the knitters in the crowd, Lexie also has some very cool knitting totes and needle cases in matching fabrics."