A laptop or notebook computer can be one of the most useful, multi-purpose tools of the modern day. No longer just for producing a text document on the fly, it's more like a portable communications and business center for one, and which also double as a full-fledged entertainment center once business is done. They use less electricity than a desktop or tower model computer. And with the continuing expansion of wi-fi networks, just about any neighborhood coffee shop becomes your own internet cafe.

But if you're going to carry this wonderful device with you everywhere, you're going to need a bag to protect it and keep your hands free, right?

I think it's totally worth it to get a good case or bag for your laptop computer. You're going to find yourself taking it everywhere with you. If I'm going to carry something with me constantly, I want it to carry hands-free easily, offer good protection from bumps and weather, and look interesting. As I'm the person who's going to stare at it the most, that last factor winds up being pretty important in the long run.

As with when I pick new luggage, it's a balancing act between function and style. I never make a big sacrifice in function for how something looks. If it looks perfect, and I don't think it will do the job, I keep looking.

• Do you want to carry a laptop bag and your purse, or a laptop bag and a backpack?
• Are you someone who wants to carry just one bag that holds everything?
• Do you want a built-in solar charger for your cell phone or other accessories?
• Do you want a bag that's just a one-trick carrier or something more versatile?  

Here are some of the questions I ask myself when I'm considering a laptop bag or case. It's often good to make an actual written list and even figure out from these few questions, which of these qualities is the most important to YOU? Which is least?

Having worked some of this out ahead of time saves a lot of effort whether you are shopping in a store or online.

• Method of carrying - do you carry your laptop in your hands (tote), over one shoulder or do you want a full-on backpack?

• Padding - how much do you need? Does your laptop ride in your car, or commute on public transit with you? Are you a person who bumps stuff a lot, or does your bag get put under a desk or table where your laptop might get an occasional accidental kick?

• Weather-resistance - Look at method of carrying, and how you travel... How waterproof do you need your bag to be? If you take the bus, you probably get totally drenched every once in a while. How insulated do you need the bag to be? Do you stand outside in freezing temps? Your batteries will appreciate a bit more warmth in a bag to stay charged.

• Color - subdued or bold? very average-looking or stand-out? corporate or anti-corporate? Do you want to be able to spot your bag from across a football field?

• Just the laptop or other stuff too? - Do you need a bag for just your laptop, or would you like it to be able to carry other stuff for you too?  Some people like a laptop bag to just be about that and they deal with other items with a purse or another bag.  Others prefer to have one Super-bag that has extra pockets and let's you cram everything for an entire day on-the-go, or a long weekend, into one bag along with your notebook computer.