Pros

• Made out of beautiful glove leather
• Contains several pockets to carry items
• PDA flips open for use

Cons

• May be a little bulky for some people

The Bottom Line - This is an awesome PDA case with lots of space. It can get a little bulky on your hip, but with credit card slots and more, this may replace your current wallet or purse.

• Description:
  Outside Dimensions: 6"H x 3.7"W x 1.6"D
  Inside Dimensions: 5.5"H x 3.5"H x .9"D
  Accessory Compartment Dimensions: 6" x 4.3" x .9"
  3 ways to wear: Belt loop, belt clip or shoulder and neck strap.

Guide Review - PDA Skins Plus Case I've said it before and I'll say it again, get a good PDA case to protect your investment. With the PDA Plus you get protection and functionality in this stylish leather case.

To start, The PDA Plus case has lots of room. There are two zippered sides. One side has enough room to put peripherals like a stowaway keyboard, CF attachments, etc. The other zippered side is truly the ingenious part. When you open the case, your PDA flips out so you can use your PDA without removing it from your belt. Works great for checking appointments or jotting a quick note. There's also slots to keep your credit cards handy.

This is a great case. For some it might be a little bulky for an everyday case, but overall you can't beat the style and functionality.

TekSkins Cases Here's a versatile, feature-packed case that won't cost you an arm and a leg. The folks at TekSkins make the PDA Pro, PDA Plus and PDA Pro Phone cases. We received the PDA Plus for review, and it features 2 zippered compartments to hold both your PDA and a Stowaway keyboard (or other items). The PDA Pro has a single zippered compartment and the PDA Plus Phone adds a cell phone holder and is available in vertical or horizontal models. All TekSkins cases are made of leather and have compartments to hold credit/business/memory cards and include a belt clip and a shoulder strap. The quality construction, number of compartments and nice leather make these cases a deal for the price!

The PDA is secured with Velcro, and optional inner sleeves are available if you want your PDA to be protected even when it's removed from the PDA Skin case. The phone model features a flip-open design and has a hole in the top of the case to accommodate the iPAQ in its GPRS phone sleeve or Visor Phone antennas. Our PDA Plus model's front compartment holds any PDA model. The PDA need not be removed when you want to use it because the case opens in a manner that allows you to access the screen and all buttons while still in the case (see top illustration). This is particularly handy if you use the case with the attached belt clip for quick hip access. The front compartment also has 4 slots for business card/credit cards/cash or memory cards.

The rear compartment (closest to the body, when worn) is large enough to accommodate a Stowaway keyboard, or whatever else you choose to put in there. It also features pen holders, a fishnet compartment up top and a lower compartment suitable for money, or cards, whether business, credit or memory. The front face of the case also has an external slip-in compartment where you can store cards and money.

The case construction is excellent: the stitching is durable, the zippers are heavy duty, and the leather, while not smacking of top-grain luxury is attractive, well-finished and durable. For the price, you can't go wrong with this case: it's very cleverly designed, sturdy and made of genuine leather.

http://www.pdaskins.com - $29.95 to $34.95

So, I'm sitting in the movie theater watching Resident Evil and one of the elite security personnel (the techie geek) whips open a little Libretto-looking jobber strapped to his left forearm with maps and information about the secret lab complex.

No, this is not a movie review - bear with me…

My initial thought was: That would be soooo cool! Just having your PDA on you and access it while doing other things - like filling your coffee cup…or blasting zombies. Ironically enough, not long after seeing the movie I got my hands on the PDA Plus, by TekSkins.

This little jobber does not attach to your arm (a good thing, considering the way I smack my wristwatch against every door jamb I pass through…) but can be "mounted" about your person in a variety of different ways - more on that later.

The niche that TekSkins has found for themselves is in the hinged case. Once the PDA portion of this case is unzipped, Velcro-adjustable hinges hold the case (and your PDA) open at any angle that you desire - ensuring that you can view and use your PDA without it being in your hands. I tested all of the devices in the house (CLIÉ 615C, Palm Vx, and Visor Deluxe) and all fit just fine.

Attachment to the hinged portion is accomplished with (perish the thought) Velcro. However, for an extra $14.95 you can purchase a matching leather Internal Sleeve to house your PDA in and out of the Plus. This is a nice alternative to those anti-Velcro folk out there (I only like it on my shoes…remember those?).

The PDA Plus features not only the PDA hinged section, but an additional storage pocket behind with storage for pens, batteries, Springboards (for you Visor folk) - I even managed to fit my cell phone in there.

Don't wanna be a super hero? Okay then, the PDA Plus also comes complete with an adjustable strap that can be worn over the shoulder or around the neck.

Due to the immense amount of room that this case had to offer, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go sans wallet for my test drive of the case. All of my credit and ID cards fit just fine in the forward pocket, and my cash was folded over once and inserted in the pocket behind the cards.

Price: $40

Pros:

• True hands free access to PDA
• Lots of storage space

Cons:

• Velcro (unless internal sleeve is purchased)
• Graffiti area hard to access Adds some bulk

TekSkins makes a number of PDA cases with interesting options. All their cases are made of luxurious black glove leather with padding front & back, multiple storage pockets, shoulder strap & velcro 'guardrail' tabs for easy access to your PDA. I reviewed the PDA pro, the slimmest version put out by TekSkins. They also offer a horizontal belt case, 2-compartment cases (suitable for extra gear, keyboards, etc.), phone-pocket cases & form-fitting PDA 'sleeves' (also covered in this review).

The above picture shows the sample I reviewed. The quality of the leather, the stitching, the padding & zippers are all excellent; despite my fears about the thin shoulder strap, it's held up for a couple weeks of daily use during the testing period -- & the thin size allows me to easily stuff it away when it's not needed. Outside Dimensions: 5.7"H x 3.5"W x 1"D. Inside Dimensions: 5.5"H x 3.5"H x .9"D. The PDA Pro is available in black or grey for $29.95 USD.

Slim cases, more so than multifunction bags, are often criticized for the method they use to secure PDA's (or lack thereof). Some cases are merely secure pockets you pull your PDA out of for use, some are designed to allow you to use the PDA from within (usually involving elastics or velcro to hold the device securely while the case is open), or in combination with the case (ie: as the Nite Ize becomes an easel for the PDA, after being removed & reinserted).

The PDA Pro has found a nice middle ground, a functional way for you to consult the screen of your pda from inside the case, & it offers a separately-purchased (& equally well-made) device sleeve to secure the device. It also adds much of the protection of a slipper case (the screen remains exposed however), for those unfortunate bumps that are going to occur sometime when the PDA is in use, or sitting on the table next to the clumsy guy.

Above you see the curving bottom of the PDA Pro's belt clip: once it's on your belt, it's not going anywhere unless you wiggle it back around the belt and up again. Notice that the leather seems to curve under the hook? It's sewn into the back of a belt loop, allowing for wear around a belt instead of using the clip if you so choose. The back of the case is VERY well-padded, as opposed to slipper cases & ultrathin cases which only offer the protection of the case's leather/fabric. I trust my PDA to survive a nudge into the corner of a desk in the PDA Pro.

As you can see, there's plenty of room for the contents of your wallet, and room for your PDA. There are four credit card-sized pockets and a fifth that's a little over an inch in height: perfect for an extra key if you're in dress pants & could do without the whole key ring. This goes well with the elegant black design of the case (meaning it doesn't look like a PDA case ;-), making it more suitable for office wear than other more 'colorful' or sturdier (read: heavy plastic) cases.

Pro's

• elegant leather for office use
• leather/lining give excellent padding
• velcro strip & 'guardrails' ecure PDA
• beefy belt clip
• internal sleeves available

Con's

• thicker than slipper cases
• guardrail makes input difficult
• remove from case to synch/charge

CONCLUSION: You might be able to tell I was having a hard time coming up with 'cons' against this case. That's because it's a solid case, offering excellent storage, padding, attactive looks. I think this case's only weak spot comes in comparison to much more expensive slipper cases, which provide ultraslim form factors, playthough (synch/charch from inside case) functionality & slimmer 2-piece, detachable belt clips (as for cellular phones).

If you're in the market for an attractive, slim form-factor belt-clip case with great padding, one that offers room for wallet & pocket-bits as well as several ways to secure your Pocket PC or other PDA, TekSkins is the best option that compu2go has seen!

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