ShockSuit SportCase

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Don Damiani

September 06, 1999

"The Future of Palm Protection" is what they say on their web site about the new ShockSuit SportCase by RhinoSkin.  I don't know about that, but this new PalmPilot/PalmIII case sure looks futuristic. And although it is light in weight, it looks like you could punt it across the room and not damage your Palm PDA. (But please don't test me on this). I love the design, which is simple, yet engineered to be a very protective case. It completely envelopes my PalmPilot.

The ShockSuit SportCase is made of sturdy nylon coated foam rubber, with reinforced sides, corners, and bottom.  The top 4 corners are connected by a plastic bracket, or "frame", that stiffens the entire case. This frame is one of the most important features, because it is designed just the right size to allow almost the entire front of either PalmPilot or PalmIII to be accessed. (The only thing that you cant access is the contrast wheel on the side, but I never adjust mine.) Yet it holds the Palm in place very securely. The right side of this frame has 2 clips that hold your stylus securely in place.

The cover is connected to the case below where the location of the IR port on the PalmIII would be.  This is a good feature, not only so you can use the IR port while it's in the case, but so the cover can be flipped behind the case while you enter data on the screen. The inside surface of the cover is lined with a soft felt to protect the screen from scratches. It secures to the frame to close the case using Velcro.

The foam back and cover have rigid inserts that are similar in design to what you would find in a knee brace. (Although in the knee brace, they are metal rods). But the design concept is similar and this offers great protection while not adding much to the case in bulk or weight. At the weight of only 2 oz. and the size of 5" x 3.5" x 1", it's not much larger than the Palm itself, and about as big as most of the other cases reviewed on this web site. That said, I only have a few shirts that have pockets large enough to fit this case especially since the belt clip button sticks out of the back of the case. But if you use the belt clip, that's not an issue. And speaking of the belt clip...

The ShockSuit SportCase comes with a handy belt clip, which has a easy quick release button to remove the case from your belt.  The case snaps in and out effortlessly. The location of the belt clip button on the case enables the case to pivot while you are sitting down with it on. And it doesn't swing too much when walking.

There is an opening in the bottom of the case so you can HotSync using The Bridge or one of the HotSync cables. This is another great feature.  It gets to be a pain if you have to remove the Palm from the case every time you want to HotSync. But beware, although The Bridge will work with this case using the Palm III, it will only work in the PalmPilot Pro cradle. The "curved" Palm III cradle does not allow this case and The Bridge to be used with it.

I really like this case a lot. I seems to have everything that most of look for in a case.  The ShockSuit SportCase is versatile with it's access to the IR port and the HotSync opening, offers great protection, is light in weight, has a belt clip, and is very cool looking!

Price: $34.95 - available in black, blue and gray colors

Pros:
Superior protective design.
Light in weight.
Belt clip.

Cons:
Can't access the side contrast wheel.
May be too large to fit in a shirt pocket.