Edge User
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Attemptress' Guide to Happy Happy Cases for the PE:
-General tip: If you don't yet have a PE, but want to see how a case would fit, the PE has the EXACT dimensions of the second Harry Potter book (paperback).
-If you want a sleeve, and don't particularly care if it opens all the way, the above-mentioned sleeve works okay (the one from BestBuy). I use a sleeve built for a Sony Reader (if I remember correctly).
-The bible/book bag option is a good one, if you live in a place that offers such things in the correct size. In my town, I could only find big, huge ones.
-There are an increasing number of laptop bags available at places like Amazon or Officemax made for “7-10 inch laptops. If you find the right one, these can be great, but I find most of them to be too big, for the PE, and let it slide around too much inside.
-The best case BY FAR requires a little bit of work (can be done in an evening front of a movie, once all the stuff is together), but, in my opinion, is totally worth it. Plus, it’s very cheap, which is important for those of us who spent all our money buying a spiffy new Pocket Edge. My set-up holds my small keyboard, a case for extra micro SD cards (I had to make it, they don't seem to exist), a case for my screen-cleaning cloth, my usb-ethernet adapter, my usb hub, 2 spare styli/pens, my power cord, and my be-sleeved PE (sleeved in the case, so I can just grab that part if it's all I need. . . I like it that way, but you could make this case perfectly well without it). There's a bit more room left, if I need it (like for a spare battery), but it is not too big overall. Here's how I did it:
>Materials: Old binder-style day-planner, 2 post-style buttons, ~ 10 inches of 1.5 black elastic, a set of Velcro closures, some scrap material, thread, glue, scissors, screwdriver, needle-nosed pliers.
1. Found an old Franklin-Covey zip-around planner at Value Village (second-hand store). If you don't need to carry around ALL your stuff, Daytimer makes some without the side pockets that are about the right size. Most mid-size binder-style planners will work perfectly. If in doubt, ask Harry Potter.
2. As cheyennedonna (I believe) suggested elsewhere (although I came up with the idea independently . . . honest!), I used a large flat-head screw-driver and a pair of needle-nosed pliers to pry off the binder. End result: book-shaped zip-closeable shell with two silver-posts in the middle.
3. I sewed up a long, skinny pocket with exactly the width and length of the spine. I put in two button holes, one at each of the post locations (totally optional, but I'm allergic to wasted space)
4. Found two post-style buttons (mine happen to be smiley flowers, but anything that has a soft plastic or wire post-loop on the back instead of holes through the main part will work great).
5. Cut the old plastic paper-protector to fit the spine. Punched two holes with a paper hole-punch at the post positions.
6. Cut three pieces of 1.5 inch black elastic. 1 quite short, 2 fairly long. The short piece eventually makes a loop to hold the cord, the long ones to hold the PE.
7. Sewed (probably could use fabric or super glue) the end of one of the longer pieces to make a tight-fitting loop around the plastic former paper protector. Slid it on, and then down so that it’s about 1/3 of the way from the bottom.
8. Put a bit of glue on the spine of the case, then slid the plastic +elastic over the posts.
9. Slid the (optional) pocket over the posts.
10. Squished the button posts a bit with the pliers so they fit into the hollow of the rivet-posts. Shoved ‘em on. Depending on how tight the fit is, it may be advisable to add a bit o’ glue first. The pocket may be optional, but I wouldn’t advise proceeding without the buttons. They’ll protect your stuff from the posts.
11. Sewed the other long piece of elastic at the corresponding position on the far side of the case (a few hand-sewn stitches at seam of zipper and case proper).
12. Sewed shorter piece of elastic to the center of the top of the case.
13. Attached Velcro closures to long straps and to short strap + case surface to make loops. Before attaching Velcro, test long strap length using either PE or Harry Potter. Straps should fit snugly, but not crazy-tight. I also attached Velcro closures to pen pocket and large internal pocket directly (if I didn’t put them on the big pocket, stuff sometimes would slide out of that pocket when the case was open near the edge of a table or on top of a stack of books).
14. Let everything set for a bit, then loaded ‘er up. A professional-looking case (from the outside, anyway, I don’t suppose the smiley flowers on the inside posts are all THAT professional-looking) that is ~1/8 the size of my standard laptop case with everything PE in it! Bonus for those who want to be able to use the device in the case: it unzips completely on 3 sides.
Hope you guys don’t mind the long post.
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