Voltage is an up and coming brand in the high tech bag industry. Â They produce high quality bags with some great features.
The Voltage Messenger bag with iPod controls is a great looking bag. Â The iPod controls are on a very easily accessible position as well as the earphone connector on the outside.
Opening the bag, a range of compartments and pockets open up in front of you and you can imagine fitting almost your entire office into this bag. Magazine storage compartment, stationary compartment, an take-out notebook sleeve, you name it. the smaller pockets have zipper closing to keep small items safely inside the bag.
The Voltage Messenger Bag feature plush lined inside pockets, which are very soft and give the notebook, cellphone and iPod a scratch preventing home.
The dedicated iPod pocket with zip closing has two connectors: one to connect the Fibretronic iPod module and the second for the audio connector to the headphone port on the iPod.
This might sound a bit confusing, needing to connect via both dock and headphone connector. It is necessary to plug in both connections to make use of the CONNECTEDwear system from Fibretronic.  Soon it will be possible to buy additional modules to enhance functions for the Voltage Messenger bag like Bluetooth or specific cell-phone control functions.
But the hanger on the messenger bag show clearly how to hook up the iPod so this issue is ’solved’ quickly. The earphone connector is just below the iPod controls and wrapping the earphone wire around the shoulder-strap up to the head gives a nice and convenient wire management system.
The iPod controls are very responsive, a slight tactile feeling lets you feel the button has been pressed. The audio players we tested reacted quickly as well (we tested with a G1 Nano, a G5 iPod and the iPod touch).
I tested with my first generation iPhone and it works as Voltage describes on their website (in airplane mode). This might have to do with Apple’s ‘closed architecture’ but it is for me a no-go to use my iPhone in airplane mode when not sitting on an airplane.
Having said this, the rest is just fun and comfort using the Voltage messenger bag. Measuring 11 x 16 x 5 inch it takes my 15 inch notebook easily and has lot of extra room for magazines, point and shoot camera, writing stuff and many more of the must have items everyone carries around.
This medium sized bag takes a lot on board and thanks to the clever storage system it always looks neat and tidy – amazing how quick I can find my stuff now.
Pros:
Excellent materials and workmanship, radiates the high end quality this messenger bag is made off. Plush lined pockets for extra soft protection of iPod, cellphone and notebook. Plenty of compartments and pockets making is easy to keep everything in order even with rough handling of the bag. Excellent, high quality feel of the iPod control pad, very responsive.
Extra notebook carry case – a nice gesture to have a small bag for a quick trip to a customer around the corner.
Cons:
Just one – the need to attach two connectors to the iPod. Yeah – its the price to pay for being able to upgrade the bag but still … bit annoying.
Conclusion:
The Voltage Messenger bag comes close to being perfect with its good looks, and high build quality. Measuring 11 x 16 x 5 inch, it can take a 15 inch notebook easily and still provides lot of storage compartments to organize a small office in the bag.
The iPod controls are the icing on the cake – high quality, easy to access when on the road. The price is very reasonable, a lot of value for the money.
The Voltage Messenger bag comes in three color ways – Black/Red, Orange/Pistachio and Beige/Blue – available directly by Voltage for US$119.-
