Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 236

The great case caper

So here it is, what is your preferred case? I will post four of the most common and allow you to post your own below..feel free to add comments too.. I myself currently have a Handspring custom case and, disappoinred with the lack of usability because I am left handed and have ordered a Vaja case which should be arriving on Thurs!!!! I'm excited

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

Active Armor, a fairly new case, and Flipcover, a possibly dead company- the most common?

I voted for the Vaja- because it is simply a truly excellent case- but I wonder about the omission of the famed and beloved E&B Slipper, Targus cases, and many others

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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 236

Your right, I was rather tired posting it and just thought of four off the top of my head, I figured Active Armour because it is making quite a stir among the Visorcentral crew right now and the Flipcover because it seemed alot of people purchased them originally. When you mention Targus and E&B I realize I forgot them, unfortunately I don't know how to change a poll so we'll just have to wait it out.
Alex.

Registered: Jan 2002
Location:
Posts: 75

The Active Armor! No question about it!

I have heard great things about the Vaja cases, but they are too expensive!

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Steven Roos
Visor Editor
MaximumPDA.com
[email protected]

Review of the Active Armor case

Registered: Oct 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3

My favorite case ever was the Rhodiana case, but then I bought a VisorPhone. Unfortunately they don't make a VisorPhone-compatible case...

So I moved on to a very expensive leather Vaja case, which I rationalized with the fact the the VP was free

I really like the Vaja case, but the Rhodiana was the best. Perfect fit, and I loved the elastic straps on the back that kept the Visor in my hand while I was on the subway, etc. DH has it now on his 2MB Visor...sigh.

Registered: May 2001
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Posts: 90

I carry my visor in the Targus belt case (http://www.targus.com/product_details.asp?sku=CH046) -- it works great. I was originally somewhat worried about the clip, that it might come off my belt too easily, but even with daily wearing, that's not an issue.

I have another visor in a Fellowes Bumper case in the car. The Active Armour looks interesting, but not enough so that I'd run out and get one.

My wife uses one of the Handspring cases with the built-in clip.

My biggest problem is finding a case for my stowaway. I had it in a Samsonite camera case, but that was really too big and you had to remove your belt to take it off. Then I tried a simple neoprene sleeve from iGo (http://www.igo.com/), but it was a tight fit and didn't offer much protection -- I think that is how the hinge got broken.

I now have an Eagle Creek Data Pod (http://www.eaglecreek.com/travel_accessories/40171.html) which it fits the Stowaway nicely and offers some real protection, but the belt clip is pretty funky. I ended up crazy-gluing it to keep it from flopping around too much. If they came up with a better belt clip design, it would be near perfect. It is a little bigger overall than I would like (If I lose any more weight, I'll have to start getting rid of the gadgets on my belt!) but the size is offset by an extra outside pocket that can hold a springboard, spare batteries, or whatever.

While we're on the subject of cases, I'll also mention I have a couple of SpringWallets... (http://www.springwallet.com/)

(My biggest beef with VisorCentral is that even after sending a bunch of SpringWallets in for review, plus contributing a dozen (more than we've sold, I think) to the VisorAdventure, they never even mentioned them, let alone reviewed them.)

Registered: Oct 2002
Location: Indiana, USA
Posts: 3

All right, a fellow case junkie...

I also have the Targus belt clip case, Samsonite camera case, and a few others littered about. The Targus case makes me nervous after reading some posts regarding clip mishaps. Also, the material around the metal core of the clip is starting to stretch and sag at the bottom from frequent use. I would love to get an Active Armor case, but the company replied by email that they are not interested in making one for the Prism. Has anyone found a way to make the case work regardless?

An ideal case for me is a version of Active Armor for the Prism that would be secured with something better than a simple clip, yet quick enough to detach the entire case -- and use the Prism while still in the case. This is a much needed feature in extreme pda use, because removal from the case means total loss of protection if dropped. As far as the belt mechanism goes, I envision something like the swivel clip used on high-end Motorola radios. They use a stud and socket system that only detaches the case from belt if you rotate the entire unit 180 degrees and lift straight up. My hospital trusts the socket system for their $800+ radios, having used one I would trust it with my Prism (which is not furnished by the hospital). The case behind the socket would have to be well padded so the metal disc wouldn't be a factor if dropped, plus it would be on the back of the Visor anyway (I avoid leather snap cases for this reason, as the impact behind the snap itself has been known to crack screens).

Because I have an active lifestyle, working for a 911 service and also enjoying camping/backpacking, I would also like to see more done in the area of waterproofing. I'd also like to see some kind of ultra-thin clear "full body condom" developed to make Visors easier to decontaminate from blood, vomit, and other cooties (like a keyboard cover that doesn't restrict use). Similar covers already exist for spraying and wiping down instrument flat-panels.

Extreme cases are out there, like the Otter boxes, but they are too inconvenient to use in a hurry and only protect the PDA when not in use. For now, I'll take any rugged Active Armor type case with a belt clip and just rig a safety cord as backup. I'd love to hear what solutions work for other people.

Registered: Oct 2002
Location: Indiana, USA
Posts: 3

Having posted all that, I just read the review for the Heavy Armor 2000 by Otter Box (http://www.visorcentral.com/content...ctsheet-382.htm). This is by far the best rugged case I have come across to date. However, 80 bucks is pretty steep (I can't afford $500 toilet seats like the military supposedly can).

I'll definitely add it to my internet radar though, in the rare event a good deal on one gets listed on Ebay.

(Hey Otter, need any EMTs to field test in exchange for a discount or freebie?)

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

I really liked the Rhodiana case when I had my VDx. It protected the VDx from falls, esp. falls onto our hardwood floor caused by my toddler.

When I upgraded to a Prism, I wanted something thinner to make up for the additional thickness of the Prism. My daughter was older so I figured she would be more careful. I got a Vaja case from Directcase.com for $40. So far so good. I like it a lot.