PSPgo Traveler case mod review

I bought the PSPgo Traveler case shortly after buying the PSPgo itself; so I've owned & used it for about 3 months.

There are quite a few good reviews for this case out there. My biggest concern was the tightness of the case over the PSPgo's top panel. As shown in this pic (found on the web) the case "flaps" hug the PSPgo top panel VERY tightly:



It makes it really tough to actually slide the panel into the up position. And I was worried that all that pressure on the top panel could contribute to it loosening even more (as I described before)

So I modded my Traveler case by cutting down the flaps that grip the PSPgo's top panel... now it only grips onto the bottom panel:





One side is a bit messily cut; at first I tried to cut it down using a boxcutter razor. I was attempting to cut the inside plastic, leaving enough of the outside faux leather skin to re-glue & cover the cut area. It didn't work, it's too tightly glued to the core plastic of the case, making it impossible to separate cleanly.



So then I used small garden shears to cut the other flap off with a clean cut. It was really tough but it worked very well; I wish I'd done it for the first side.



Overall the PSPgo Traveler case is a really nice case. It reminds me of my favourite case for the PSP-1000: The CapDase Luxury case.

The PSPgo Traveler case has a faux leather surface that feels really good to grip. I'd almost want the back of the PSPgo itself to be coated with it! And it adds very little bulk to the PSPgo.

A couple of complaints: One, when the top panel is slid up, it's very difficult to access the volume, screen & sound buttons. I have to slide the PSPgo's top panel down just to change the volume.



Two, the clasp attaches to the back by velcro.



It's not bad, but it would be better if it was magnetic like some other PSP cases, because the velcro-hooks part is on the bottom of the case. That's why all my review pics show the case on top of an Xbox magazine-- if I laid it down on the carpet, the velcro would stick to it. I think they didn't use a magnetic clasp because the PSPgo seems to be prone to magnetic interference. I was looking at the insides of one (from pics on the net) and there are thin metal plates to protect the circuits from electrical interference... I think they're only partly effective because sometimes the PSPgo gives off a faint high-pitched hum. So magnetic clasps near the console, especially the back, might adversely affect it.

But even if they put the velcro hooks on the clasp part, and put the fabric on the back (instead of the other way around) it would be more convenient to put the case down on fabric surfaces like bed sheets or carpeting.

The makers claim that it can be used as a stand, but I've never gotten it to stand up, plus I have headphones plugged in most of the time so I can't really stand it up in any way.

I wish the case makers hadn't tried to grip both panels of the PSPgo, I think they were overly concerned about it holding. And it doesn't hold the PSPgo as tightly with the flaps cut down.... but I never hold the case by the cover alone, so I've never had any problem with the PSPgo falling out of it-- even used it on my trip to China. Held up great. It's a great case. Very comfortable to play the PSPgo with it on.




later
don

CapDase Alumor metal PSP case review (w./pics)

:::Note: originally posted on the Playstation Underground PSP forum 01-04-2007:::


CapDase Alumor metal PSP (PSP-1000) case:



I got this awhile ago. There's a bunch of pictures of it *here*


The CapDase Alumor metal PSP case comes in 4 parts: a inner silicone/rubber case, an "unbreakable" clear screen protector, and anodized aluminum front & back plates.




The clear screen protector... Capdase claims that it's "unbreakable", and it does look fairly sturdy, but I won't put that claim to the test.

I've heard that it's prone to scratches. Mine looks great, but I haven't subjected the case to rough & tumble use yet.

There are 2 white strips that run across the top & bottom of the protector, they're cushions so that the protector is slightly raised over the PSP screen & not touching it. Nice, it prevents it from pushing dust against the screen & scratching it.



The silicone inner cover - I'm not a fan of silicone covers, they pick up hairs & lint like kaaaa-raaazy.... it's kinda gross. But as part of this case, the inner cover provides some soft support for the outer metal cover.



You slip it on inserting the PSP through the screen or UMD hole, even though it's smaller I find it easier to use the UMD hole, but I took an X-acto knife & cut part of the back of the cover to make it easier to put on/take off. I found it pretty hard to do that without cutting it.




Once it's on, you lay the screen protector over it, the white strips will be hidden by the metal plates.




The metal plates go over everything, leaving a few bits of the silicone exposed: a strip around the sides (makes a nice contrast) and most ports can be accessed: power, wi-fi switch, USB, mem stick door, and there are holes for the speakers (both the "fake" speaker holes at the bottom of the front, & the REAL ones on the side)

The only port that is covered is the IR port, I guess CapDase got tired of waiting for an official use for this feature & gave up on it. But a note to homebrewers who use the IR port, it is covered by the silicone, if that's a concern. If you really wanted to, I suppose you could probably cut a hole out for it.





The buttons along the bottom of the PSP are covered by the silicone, but they are still easy to push.



The anodized aluminum looks & feels really good. Like the new 2nd gen iPod Nanos, only better. But because it's metal, it gets really cold. Picking up the PSP in the morning feels like walking across a cold tile... *brrrrrr*.... at least until it gets warmed by your hands.




The back plate has a stand, which is removable. I tried to remove it but I couldn't do it, I didn't want to force it too much. Note that there aren't any rubber "feet" on the bottom when the PSP is laying on a table, the metal back plate is smooth, so there might be some slippage, but it shouldn't go sliding around.





The stands angle can't be changed too much, but it sits at a nice angle.




Pros:

+Don't have to open or take PSP out of case to use it.

+anodized aluminum offers good protection & is stylish looking.

+not too bulky compared to other cases.

+silicone inner case offers a bit of padding (but I wouldn't want to drop it on the floor)

+screen protector is really nice looking


Cons:

-have to remove the entire back plate just to access the UMD.

-can't see the mem stick or power light, which is bad if your battery is low & it's flashing.

-because it's metal, it does add a bit of weight to the PSP.



later
don

white PSP slim battery covers review w./pics

:::Note: originally posted on the Playstation Underground PSP forum 05-20-2008:::

I just got a 2 pack of battery covers from deal extreme today... it's this package:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12375

in the 2 pack one is a regular slim cover, the other being for the extended fat PSP battery.

I have to say, the slim cover looks really great! This is at night when I'm looking at it, but I've been looking at it under a bright lamp and it looks exactly the same shade of white as the PSP slim! It looks pretty much exactly like the regular slim battery cover except no Darth Vader. The only difference I can see so far is no Sony logo.

EDIT: Looking at it in the daytime, I can sort of see a VERY SLIGHT difference in whiteness. Maybe it's because I know it's not the original cover... but it's only if I stare at it fro awhile that I can even notice anything. It doesn't look out of place.

However, the extended battery PSP cover..... is a total piece of crap!! It DOESN'T FIT PROPERLY. I can't even get both teeth to go into the groove, so one side is not properly fitted on, and not only is there a gap, but the lock doesn't close properly. It could very easily fall off. DO NOT USE.

slim cover = great

extended cover = complete junk

But for $3.00-$4.00 or so, it's totally worth getting just for the slim cover alone, if you really hate the Darth Vader image. Me, I *love* the Darth Vader back on my PSP Slim, it's one of the reasons I bought it. But I know a lot of people want a white PSP Slim, but want a plain back, so for those people, this cover is the answer to their prayers.

There is a bit of a gap on one side, but it's exactly the same gap I have with the official Vader cover:

The other side looks great, again, looks the same as the official Vader cover:

All these pics are of the non-Vader cover seen in pic 1.

later
don

DealExtreme PSP battery cover review

:::originally posted on the Playstation Underground PSP forum 11-27-2007:::

So, a review of the dealextreme PSP Slim battery cover.


As found at this link, they sell a battery cover for the PSP-2000 (PSP Slim), that allows it to cover a PSP-1000 (PSP fat) battery.

By the way, I'm using a Invisible Shield brand screen protector on my PSP Slim.





The price was pretty cheap, I paid $3.66 CANADIAN, it's a little bit more than that in U.S. funds^_^

They sent me a cofirmation email the day after I placed my order. it took a week for them to send me an email telling me they shipped it. And 2 weeks after that to actually get it. 3 weeks from order to arrival... kind of slow. (Keep in mind this is to Canada) but the shipping is free.



The packaging is basic, as you can see there's not even anything printed on the back.




Luckily the bubble packaging is not sealed, so it's easy to slide it open. The inside of the covers are a little sticky & have a bit of gunk on them:



I took a kleenex & tried to wipe it off but it left kleenex residue over it. Kinda gross. You can see a bit of the laminating spray on the inside, but it's not like you're gonna see any of this when the cover is on your PSP.

On the outside, the covers look great. They're glossy, meant to blend in & emulate the gloss of the PSP-2000.



obviously, these ones only come in black, wish I could get a white cover, but I'll wait for the official Sony one to come out. I have faith....

Comparing my PSP-2000 cover to the fat one: since my cover is white, it's hard to see in the pic, but the hooks & connections look very much the same between the 2 covers.




My PSP-1001 battery in my PSP-2001:



And with the new cover on:











The new cover fits really nicely. It actually fits more snugly than my official cover!

As can be seen, there's a bulge similar to the old PSP-1001, which makes the PSP Slim feel slightly lopsided... but it's not that bad. Also, the PSP Slim does feel a bit heavier with the old battery in it.

But the tradeoff in extra power could make it very worth it:



This is my old 1800 maH PSP-1001 battery. There should be even longer life is using the 2200 maH Stamina battery. Again, I'm going to wait til Sony makes an official cover available. But for now, this is nice.



later
don

UMD carrying case/pouch review

:::originally posted on the Playstation Underground PSP forum 12-29-2006:::

Awhile ago I bought this UMD carrying case/pouch. It holds 8 UMDs.

It's really nice looking soft case with lots of little stylish touches, but I was disappointed by the UMD holder sleeves inside.

This is one of 2 recent UMD cases that are "officially" licensed by Sony, they showed up at my local Toys R Us just before xmas.

It's a clamshell design; it unzips to reveal plastic UMD sleeves inside. The body of the case is a nylon material similar to camera cases. It's somewhat stiff, but still soft... you wouldn't want to have this case squished under a ton of textbooks or anything heavy like that.

On the outside, the PSP logo & Playstation logo are prominent & look very cool. The PS logo is even on the zipper handles! Nice. There's a carabiner clip for hooking it to a bag or a belt.

On the back is another zipper pocket, it looks like see-through mesh, but it isn't. It's a nice pocket, but very small... you could probably only fit 2 memory stick pro duos. Not your headphones, maybe even not a cleaning cloth.

Inside, there are 4 plastic sleeves that hold a UMD on each side (holds in total 8 UMDs) this is the weakest part of the case. The plastic sleeves are really thin & flimsy. The backing of the sleeve is this coarse paper-like material that looks & feels like a Bounce dryer cloth (only without the waxy feel of course) it's pretty much the same type of material used in cheap CD holder sleeves. I was really hoping for an acordian-like set of pockets for the UMDs.

Because the sleeves are so thin, they don't offer any kind of cushion between UMDs. So when you're flipping through your discs, it's easy to have them slap against each other. UMDs aren't exactly the most durable things, so you don't really want that.

Pros:

-it's lightweight
-stylish looking

Cons:

-wouldn't protect UMDs against being crushed
-sleeves are cheap & flimsy
-bulky design

later
don