As a result of this new sizing trend among laptop manufacturers, the Mini Messenger now accommodates laptops with screens up to 13.3”.  If there are any questions regarding this sizing change please e-mail directly at mo@mobileedge.com.

The county is home to at least three makers of cases, backpacks and related accessories for computers and other electronics.

They are part of an increasingly competitive niche in which back-to-school gear is targeted for laptop-toting high schoolers, college students and even young professionals.

“This whole category has gotten so competitive in the past seven or eight years,” said G. David Cartwright, cofounder and chief executive of Anaheim’s Mobile Edge LLC. “The number of players in the case market has probably grown tenfold.”

Mobile Edge is in the thick of the competition. The company is headquartered across the street from the 800-pound gorilla in the market—Anaheim’s Targus Inc., which holds claim to some 60% of the market for laptop bags sold in stores.

There also are a slew of other big names in the industry, including Irwindale-based Incase Designs Corp., Colorado’s Case Logic Inc. and New York’s Built NY Inc., among many other smaller companies.

“The number of companies jumping into this category has been kind of mind-boggling,” Cartwright said.

For the past decade or so, high-end backpacks, laptop bags and neoprene slipcases have seen rapid growth as notebook computers get cheaper and more accessible.

“The notebook business has been growing at a 30% to 40% rate,” Cartwright said. “There was so much growth that it seemed to be an optimistic area to jump into.”

Cartwright of Mobile Edge: business “gotten so competitive.” Cartwright is an industry veteran and one of the founders of Targus.

In 2001, he stepped down from his post as president after a split with Targus’ private equity parent and founded Mobile Edge. He took with him a handful of managers from Targus.

The company sees an estimated $50 million in yearly sales.

Targus, which is a dominant player on store shelves, sees an estimated $500 million in annual revenue.

There’s healthy competition between Targus and Mobile Edge, which cater to slightly different markets. Mobile Edge has tried to distinguish itself by creating laptop bags and purse-like totes specifically for younger folks and women.

“We are getting away from the standard black box that a lot of people relate to laptop cases,” Cartwright said.

Targus’s bread and butter are the standard attache-style case for business people on the move. It branches out a bit when addressing the student market with backpacks, messenger bags and sleeves made in a couple of colors and from eco-friendly materials.

Back-to-school shopping is a big time for both.

“I can say that back to school is typically our No. 1 or No. 2 biggest time of the year for revenue,” said Al Giazzon, vice president of marketing at Targus.

College bookstores increasingly are looking to stock backpacks and other cases to make up for sales lost on textbooks and other course materials, which more students now get online.

“There’s so much actual textbook revenue they’ve lost because so many are available online,” Cartwright said. “They are trying to replace revenue with high-margin accessory items, like cases.”  Having hip designs is a big pull for backpack makers targeting students.

“Ten years ago, people were buying cases just for protection,” Cartwright said. “Now, it’s really changed where it’s a much more fashion-oriented product. People want stuff that fits in with their self-image.”

In 2008, Mobile Edge bought the Bay Area’s HS International LLC for undisclosed terms. The deal gave Mobile Edge the Sumo brand, best known for its fashionable laptop cases geared for Apple Inc.’s MacBooks. Its cases feature a distinctive motif—a silhouette of a squat sumo wrestler.

“The sumo brand has been terrific for us,” Cartwright said. “It’s geared toward 15- to 30-year-olds and it has a lot of bright color.”

To read the full article click here to visit the Orange County Business Journal.

Anaheim’s Mobile Edge LLC, which makes hip laptop bags, backpacks and accessories, has upped its green cred with a line-up of security checkpoint friendly bags that are made out of corn.

Yeah corn.

Mobile Edge teamed up with DuPont™, part of El DuPont de Nemours & Co, which makes a futuristic material called Sorona®.
It’s a recyclable material that blends corn polymers into a fabric that looks and feels a lot like nylon.

The material is made in a way that emits some 60% less greenhouse gas than typical petroleum-based nylon or polyester production.

To read the full review click here to visit the Orange County Business Journal.

ANAHEIM, Calif., – Aug. 10, 2010 – Mobile Edge, the market leader in innovative and stylish laptop computer carrying cases and accessories, has released six new iPad Sleeves under its Sumo brand.  The stylish and fun neoprene sleeves are designed specifically to cradle Apple iPads from bumps and scratches while on the road.

“Staying up to date with new products like the Apple iPad is essential,” said G. David Cartwright, President & CEO, Mobile Edge. “This new Collection of iPad cases compliments our collection of Netbook and laptop cases and is a natural extension of our Apple oriented Sumo product line.”

This new iPad Sleeve Collection is both innovative and sleek akin to the iPad.  The soft padded neoprene material acts as a cushion protecting the large Multi-Touch screen.  The Apple iPad easily slides into the pliable neoprene for quick storage.

“Sumo’s designs are all about being fun and edgy, we provide a simple and stylish solution that complements the iPad,” said Jim Hart, Sumo’s co-founder.  “The iPad consumer wants protection, but is also looking for a travel case as individual as they are, Sumo fills that need.”

The Sumo iPad Collection comes in two pattern styles, each with three color schemes; Camo: Red, Black and Green, Graffiti: Pink, Black and Pink, all with an SRP of $19.99 and each backed by a Lifetime Warranty.

Mobile Edge and Sumo continue to expand the laptop carrying case category by offering new, innovative and smart designs that fuse fashion trends with form and function, creating a brand that makes a positive statement about today’s mobile computing lifestyle.

About Mobile Edge & Sumo
Mobile Edge is the industry leader in innovative and stylish laptop computer carrying cases and travel accessories.  The company is committed to the highest quality standards in every case that it produces, from women’s briefcases, portfolios and totes, to men’s messenger bags, backpacks, Netbook cases and their new ScanFast?  Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Collection.  Recently acquired Sumo is a lifestyle brand with San Francisco roots focused on fashion forward products that break the mold and offer alternatives to the boring and mundane.  Both Mobile Edge and Sumo offer the strongest product warranty in the industry. Available online at mobileedge.com and sumolifestyle.com.

Mobile Edge, the industry leader in innovative and stylish laptop computer carrying cases and travel accessories has teamed up with DuPont™ and incorporated their new polymeric material Sorona® as the main material for their new ScanFast™ laptop cases.  This pioneering material is produced partially with Agricultural Feedstock (corn stocks) that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 63 percent when compared to typical petroleum based Nylon or Polyester production.

Mobile Edge designed their new Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Case Collection with this new renewable resource which reduces energy consumption during production by 30 percent, reducing our dependency on oil and petrochemical products. The Sorona® fibers are soft and extremely stain resistant with high strength and stiffness qualities.

“We are delighted to be leading the category in the use of environmentally friendly materials,” said G. David Cartwright, President & CEO, Mobile Edge. “It is our goal for Mobile Edge to establish a standard for producing truly Eco-Friendly Laptop Cases.  Our new ScanFast cases are not only the smart way to travel, but smart for the environment as well!”

The TSA has announced guidelines that allow travelers with properly designed carrying cases to pass through security checkpoints without removing their laptops.  Mobile Edge has responded by creating the ScanFast Collection, each case is uniquely designed to provide an unobstructed security scan of the computer.  Backed by a Lifetime Warranty, the new ScanFast 2.0 Collection consists of a stylish briefcase, traditional messenger bag and a backpack all priced at $99.99 each.  All three styles are in stock and shipping from the Mobile Edge facility in Anaheim, California.

Mobile Edge continues to expand the laptop carrying case category by offering new, innovative and smart designs that fuse fashion trends with form and function, creating a brand that makes a positive statement about today’s mobile computing lifestyle.

The Mobile Edge EVO Backpack has replaced all my other carry-on options in one fell swoop. My biggest gripe with most tech-luggage options… Pockets/compartments or rather, the glaring lack of enough of them of the right size, place and function. The EVO offers 16 compartments for a wide variety of specific purposes: There’s the main laptop sleeve, of course, sufficient to hold/protect laptops up to 16”/17” models.

There are also easily-accessible slots to hold typically-sized USB drives and memory cards, protected pockets suitable for both business cards and smaller electronics, a roomy dedicated media pocket with cable-ports for MP3 players or smartphones, holders for pens and pencils; a rugged moisture-resistant bottom panel protecting the main compartment; five good-sized, zippered outer compartments (one of which is specifically designed to ready access to bottled drinks of various sizes); and two secure outer mesh pockets for the small stuff you grab and stash most as you make your way through the airport, outside the hotel, into the dark, foreboding woods or what have you.

It’s all intelligently designed around a main interior space just big enough for a couple-day trip, and the straps are strong and comfy, with yet another secure mesh pocket right there, for yet another radio/phone/gadget, you techno-junkie, you.

To read the full review click here.

I’m the kind of girl who likes to carry her life in her bags: I need to have my MacBook, a (paper) book, my iPod, my HTC Incredible, and all my other doodads each day. The Mobile Edge Women’s Express Backpack ($59.99 direct) is the perfect carrying solution for women who need to carry a lot of stuff without it weighing on them uncomfortably.

The first two things you’ll notice about the Express Backpack is its size (20 by 8.5 by 16 inches, HWD) and its design. The front of the pink-and-black bag is decorated with dotted ribbons (pink polka dots are also an option)–needless to say, this backpack is for those who like to emphasize their inner girly-girl. The bag is sturdy and weighs about 2.8 pounds.

The Express Backpack has five pouches: Two smaller ones on the right, one on the left, one small dome-shaped pouch on the top, and the main pouch making up most of the bag’s space. The main pouch can open fully, conveniently exposing the entirety of the bag’s insides. Here you’ll find a snug compartment to hold your laptop (up to16 inches), five small pockets attached to the inside walls to hold miscellaneous items, a pencil holder, and a main compartment to throw textbooks, games or even an Xbox 360.

The bottom of the bag is reinforced, in case one of your pens or pointy objects gets loose.

To read the full review click here to read Natalie’s review on the Gearlog.com website.

Actual Mobile Edge Customer Review

I was desperate to replace my existing notebook bag, a solidly-made but very heavy briefcase with a strap that cut painfully into my shoulder. Although I knew that a backpack was a better solution than a briefcase, I wasn’t terribly impressed with what my local Staples and Best Buy had to offer; their backpacks seemed overpriced and poorly designed.

Then I saw the Mobile Edge SecurePack in a PC WORLD print ad. What a lucky break! Although my local stores didn’t carry it, I was able to get it online.

It’s rare to find a product that fills a need as elegantly and beautifully as the Secure Pack does.

The elegance is in the way the Secure Pack prevents access to the laptop it contains WITHOUT locks or cables. The backpack can’t be opened until it’s taken off – take it off, then simply reverse the straps over the rear of the pack and unzip it. The “lid” (actually the back) of the pack fans open to about 60 degrees, held open that limited amount by a nylon gusset web on either side. This prevents the laptop sleeve, which is directly attached to the inside of the back/lid, from slamming hard against the ground.

Inside the pack, in addition to the main compartment, there are the laptop sleeve and a second compartment piggybacked together and fanning out to 60 degrees with the same kind of side-gusset webs as the lid/back. The second compartment has a generously-sized, zippered mesh pocket inside, and loops, sleeves, and a small Velcro-flapped pocket outside – the better to contain pens, pencils, pads, and other stationery, documents, and extras. The main compartment contains for cable storage two nylon-and-mesh zippered bags (each about the size of a small shaving kit!) with Velcro hook strips on their bottoms; they stick securely to the Velcro loop surface of the main compartment, but are easily detached when needed. In fact, the cable bags are so roomy that I store my webcam and its accessories in one bag, and my laptop power cables, still-camera-battery charger and camera-PC USB connector in the other. With my laptop, a laptop cooling pad, & all those cables stored in the backpack, I STILL have room to shove in a couple of heavy textbooks & zip the pack shut easily!

The SecurePack has two nice extra touches: the CD player pocket (with zipper closure hidden by a forked flap that is in turn held closed by two quick-release buckles along the straps) and the carrying handle that is perfectly set within the yoke of the pack straps (nicely balanced for off-the-shoulders carrying).

All these features, however, mean nothing if the backpack is too uncomfortable to wear for an extended time. After having worn the SecurePack fully loaded for several hours on several occasions, I can confidently say it is the best-balanced backpack I’ve ever worn: not the best-balanced computer backpack, but simply the BEST-BALANCED backpack of ANY type I’ve ever used. I don’t know how its designers did it, but the fully-loaded SecurePack feels feather-light on my back; all the weight of the load balances beautifully on my hips and doesn’t drag me down.

The SecurePack is not a quick-access or compact computer bag, but its name and features make that clear. It is a theft-proof, damage-proof laptop bag at a good price.

To sum up, the SecurePack is a beautifully designed product that fills a long-felt need: how to carry a laptop computer and accessories safely, securely, and without back or shoulder injury. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Today, I had the chance to meet with the Prop Master from ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

I brought their team several new Mobile Edge products including EVO Backpacks, our Eco-Friendly Messenger Bag, our stylish Women’s Express Backpack, a Blue Sumo Camo Messenger and an 18” Sumo Folding Furniture Cube.

After visiting the set located on Warner Bros Ranch Studio and understanding the premise of the show, I think the variety of products I left today will work well for the show.

The show reminds me of a modern day Melrose Place only with teenage actors in High School. It’s a fun show and we look forward to working with their Prop Department all season.

I didn’t get a chance to meet Molly Ringwald, but I will make an effort to bring some “New” cases ironically when they film so maybe I can meet her.

Make sure to Tivo or DVR the show and look out for Mobile Edge and Sumo products. The show airs on Monday nights on ABC 7 p.m./6 p.m. Central.

Technology writer Chris Hudak from Blog Sites including Machinima, Crave Online and Game Revolution is now testing the new Mobile Edge EVO Backpack and Alienware Mx11 Portfolio. He flew from San Francisco down to LA to attend E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Staples Center last week. He’ll be posting a review soon on one or more of the blogs he writes for.

While Chris was attending the event, he toted around the Mobile Edge Alienware Mx11 Portfolio. He said he loved the sleek footprint of the new Mx11 which was designed to carry around Alienware’s newest gaming computer, the Mx11. It is made simply to carry around the computer, the power supply and a few peripherals . That’s what makes the portfolio lightweight and extremely mobile. The small design allows you to carry the portfolio in a larger bag if needed, or durable enough to carry by itself when you want to be light.

On the last day of the show I met with Chris at Trader Vic’s, a Tiki themed restaurant right around the corner from the Staples Center. In the photo, Chris is posing with a waitress showing off the new Alienware Mx11 Portfolio. Even she liked the portfolio. Chris is sporting a “Prinny” hat from NIS America, publishers for the Disgaea series of games.

This new case is hot and has been challenging to keep in stock due to its popularity. If you own an Mx11, you need this case for sure!

Stay tuned for Chris’s reviews on both products.

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