Gear Freak,
I also travel a lot with a laptop. My goal was to get down to one bag. I have finally settled on a Rick Steves Convertible Carry On. I can put the laptop in the large outside pocket, along with my 1 qt bag with liquids. This way I only have to open one zipper, put these items in the tray, and the rest of the bag goes through the X-ray. Simple and fast. I also use his Civita backpack to carry my papers, cables, etc., and it fits into the main compartment with my clothes. I usually take the Civita out before boarding, since it has the papers, etc. that I will work on in the plane. (The Civita goes under the seat in front of me.) At my destination, the laptop, papers, etc. go in the Civita, for carry to business meetings. For the last year, this has worked really well for me. There is also a rolling version of this bag, but the convertible works better for me.

Spud