E-Mail This Article to a Friend Case closed Chances are it’s time for a new bag for your laptop, iPod, digital camera, or cell phone BY DEIRDRE FULTON

So, the holidays are over and you’re finally getting the hang of using your new laptop, iPod, cell phone, or digital camera without referring constantly to the instruction manual. Now comes the next hurdle: toting your new gadget to and from school, work, vacations, or social gatherings — without scratching or cracking it. And, of course, doing it in high (tech) fashion.

For this purpose, we were once restricted to functional (and rather tame) padded black-leather accessories, which are still easy to find at Best Buy and eBags. But if you’re an adventurous technophile who prefers something a little more attention-grabbing, you’re in luck. Stores and Web sites are capitalizing on the personal-infotainment boom, offering classy and catchy carriers that also provide the protection your precious electronics need.

At Urban Outfitters, look for brightly colored laptop sleeves ($34) and matching iPod holders ($26) from Lifepod, a company whose motto is "Form follows funktion." Choose either the orange-and-pink polka dot or the blue-and-green kitschy apple pattern and prepare to get noticed.

One place you’re likely to want to listen to your new iPod is at the gym or on a run. Don’t want to put it in your sweaty pocket with your jangling keys? Don’t sweat it — check out Xtrememac, where you’ll find Sports Wraps ($29.95) for iPods and iPod Minis; they come in a variety of colors, keep an iPod secure and dry, and leave the controls accessible for mid-workout switches. Xtrememac also offers tons of other accessories, such as silicone no-slip iPod covers ($29.95/three-pack) in every color of the fluorescent rainbow, belt clips ($7.95), and dashboard mounts ($7.95).

Meanwhile, Acme Made, available online and at Cross, offers a slightly more adult version of the laptop case ($79–$270), with clean lines, sharp patterns, and a streamlined look that’s enough to make you want to bring your computer absolutely everywhere. Case Closed Bags, another online source, was created by two women who identified a dearth of "cute cases" and set out to make their own. They’ve succeeded, and their laptop cases are indeed adorable. Also eye-catching are their cell-phone holders ($24.95–$39.95), which come in surprising patterns such as black-and-white houndstooth with pink-leather trim.

With all these sleek options — which can actually be justified as practical — do you need any more incentive to learn how to use that thing?

Where to find it:

• Acme Made, www.acmemade.com

• Best Buy, Landmark Center, 401 Park Drive, Boston, (617) 424-7900; 100 CambridgeSide Place, Cambridge, (617) 577-8866; www.bestbuy.com

• Case Closed Bags, www.caseclosedbags.com

• Cross, 0 Brattle Street, Cambridge, (617) 868-7020.

• eBags, www.ebags.com

• Urban Outfitters, 361 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 236-0088; 11 JFK Street, Cambridge, (617) 864-007; www.urbanoutfitters.com

• Xtrememac, www.extrememac.com