PlayGear Pocket Score: 88% Developer: Logitech Device Type: Memory/Storage

Function: The PlayGear Pocket is all about protecting your PSP, while not locking it away and keeping you from using it. Most hard cases completely enclose your system protecting it from every direction. But alas, with these overbearing covers, you can?t do anything with the device while it?s in the cover, and you can only keep it protected while you aren?t doing anything with it. Such is not the case with Logitech?s clamshell, the PlayGear Pocket. This form-fitting container not only keeps your PSP safe from bumps and scratches, but it leaves all of the ports, buttons, and switches found on the edge of the PlayStation Portable exposed so that you can still listen to music (with the headphone jack), cycle through your playlist with the shoulder buttons, charge up your system, lock the controls, or turn on/off the wireless signal or the system itself. And on top of all that functionality, the PlayGear Pocket looks stylish. The case is made of a thick-clear plastic. Fitted snugly to the inside of the case is two black foam pieces (one for the top and one for the bottom). To add to the case?s sleek and clean look, the bottom foam piece has a circle cut out of it leaving the silver ring and PSP logo visible, but blending in so well that it appears to be apart of the case itself. The box cover touts three uses for the PlayGear: a protective case, a sun visor, and a display stand for movies. The first one is pretty straightforward; the plastic and foam keeps the PSP safely away from bumps and scratches that might otherwise destroy the system?s shiny surface or bright screen. The second use (a sun visor) seems to be more a byproduct of the case?s clamshell design. You can open up the case halfway so that you can access all of the face buttons and the screen like usual, while the top half of the case acts as a visor. The third use ? the stand for movies and music ? is because of the case?s double-hinge system. Instead of just having the top half connect to the bottom half, the two parts are attached to a rounded plastic tube (about the thickness of the PSP?s depth). This gives the hinge a wider swing arc, and allows you wrap the top shell around to form an inverted V. Your PSP then faces outward for the whole world to view its bright, shiny screen.

Performance: I don?t know how alone I am in this, but I?ve found that I use my PSP primarily as an MP3 player. It?s great for setting next to your keyboard, putting in the earbuds, and just listening to your music collection while you pound away at the keys. Because of this, I?ve found most of the hard cases out there to be useless if I want to listen to my tunes. There is never an easy way to plug in your earphones, and if so, when the battery goes out, you have to take it out of the case to recharge it ? thus removing it from the protected shell and exposing it to who knows what. So the PlayGear Pocket?s combination of protection and accessibility is a wonderful idea. The plastic cover is durable, and the only seemingly flimsy part of it is the latch, but even this stood up to the abuse that I put the case through, so it probably isn?t as flimsy as it appears. The strong outer shell is complimented well by the firm padding on the inside. The PSP fits snugly into the case, keeping it from jarring or otherwise getting banged up while sealed away. One of the few gripes I have with it (as a case) is that it covers up the Power Light, so if the batteries are starting to drain and that green light starts blinking, you don?t know. But this is over shadowed by the fact that you can just quickly plug it in and keep on going. Okay, so the PlayGear Pocket is an excellent case for your newest handheld system. But Logitech says it can and should be used for more than that ? more specifically, the sun visor and movie stand. In general, the PlayGear does a fairly adequate job for these uses, although there seem to be some flaws in the implementation.

Features: Listen to music on the go Safely charge the PSP in PlayGear Pocket Convenient access to power/hold and wireless LAN switches Polycarbonate armor Sun visor Lid-stand for movies and more

Drawbacks & Problems:: As a cradle for your system while you are playing a game while the top half of the case acts as a visor, the PlayGear Pocket is functional. But I found that the added weight of the case made it harder to hold the PSP for any real length of time. Every time I tried to really use this feature, I found myself eventually pulling the PSP out of its protective alcove and holding it in my hands directly (that?s when I really noticed how much size and weight the PlayGear Pocket really added to the handheld). So yes, you can use the PlayGear Pocket to block some of the glare from the screen, but ultimately it just doesn?t seem to be worth it. For use as a stand to watch movies, the PlayGear Pocket can hold your system in place at just the right angle, but when you add the slightest weight to the top of the case, the whole thing starts to slowly collapse and lay down flat (which can be somewhat annoying while watching ?Spider-Man 2?). But if you can get it at just the right angle and leave it alone, the case does this job well (just not perfectly). As a protective case, there is only one thing I have against it. The latch used to open the PlayGear Pocket is strikingly similar to the latches found on the old Game Boy (not Advance, just plain old Game Boy) game cases. You remember those, right? They had that little plastic tab that you had to push in and at the same time pull the two halves of the case apart. This isn?t quite as bad since both the case and the button are bigger, but it still took some adjustment. So overall, how does the PlayGear Pocket add up? Its main function as a case that gives you access to all of the ports makes it a huge draw for anyone wanting to use their PSP for listening to music on the go and not wanting to worry about the occasional falling brick (actually, I didn?t test a brick, but I would expect the case to crack, while still keeping the PSP safe inside). As for its other functions, they seemed to be more of an afterthought created by the marketing department, rather than capabilities designed and created from the beginning.

-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer