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While messenger bags are all the rage even for people who aren?t bike messengers, Adobe has gone a step further by offering a limited-edition all-leather bag that is simply wonderful.
I love the leather, which is black with red stitching that screams Adobe. Of course it isn?t hard to know this is an Adobe bag because the logo is right there on the side.
Inside the bag there are several compartments for someone in the digital lifestyle ? meaning you have slots for your cell phone, PDA, keys, and of course your MP3 player. There is even a little buttonhole on the side of the bag where you can feed your headphones through, and there's a cable holder that runs the length of the shoulder strap that holds the headphone wire in place to keep it from getting tangled.
If you are a lite digital creator ? meaning you don?t have a lot to transport ? the bag has plenty of room for your stuff. There is even a special compartment for your cables. But you need to be cautious if you are using a large laptop. I think this bag was really designed for a 15-inch-or-less laptop. While my 17" Macbook Pro fits nicely in the bag, my 17" HP won?t fit in the laptop slot at all. So computer size is a big issue for this slimline bag.
As far as the comfort level goes, I love the comfortable shoulder strap that conforms to the shape of your shoulder and body to make the bag fit comfortably. This is really important for the digital professional who is constantly moving from location to another. I?ve used a lot of bags over the years as I travel from one city to the next and going from trade show to trade show. A poorly-designed bag gets heavy and uncomfortable very quickly, while the few comfort tests I?ve done with the Adobe Messenger Bag make this one The Bag for mobile computing.
The only thing I?m a little cautious of is the leather. While it's nice and soft and looks and smells great, this gets me a little nervous when getting on a crowded subway or tram ? I'm betting this bag can get scratched or nicked pretty easily. And while out and about, if it happens to rain in your area, no one wants a leather product ruined, so this bag has a concealed rain cover that rolls out to protect it.
On the down side, the handle is oddly placed on this bag. Instead of being at the center of gravity (so to speak) the handle is placed slightly toward the back, making it awkward at times to carry the bag. The other disappointment is the clasp used to keep the bag flap closed. An elastic tag slips through a hole to keep everything secure, but I (and others) found it rather difficult at times to open. The plus for this is you are sure to know if someone is fumbling to open your bag and steal something. It probably would have been better if they had made the clasp a magnetic closure instead.
An interesting thing about this bag was that Medium Design Group used the Adobe Creative Suite 2 software to design it from the ground up. If you are making an Adobe bag, using the software to design the bag itself is a big plus.
You?ve heard the phrase, ?you can?t put a price on love?, but in the case of the Adobe Messenger Bag, you can. Once you fall in love with this bag, be prepared to shell out $250 for one of these limited edition beauties. If you are a huge Adobe fan like me, you won?t mind spending the money for this super-stylish bag.
Since this bag is a limited edition, it might be too late to get one for yourself, but you can find out more about it at http://www.adobe.com/studio/features/medium/index.html.
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