Home | Stories | Reviews | TreoCast | Treo Store | Accessories | Software | Discussion | Mobile | About | Search
 
treocentral.com >> Products & Reviews >> Accessories
Palm Leather Side Case
Mon Sep 11, 2006 - 12:14 PM EDT - By Jay Gross
Overview

Palm really has that touchy-feely thing down pat. Like their excellent Hard Case, the Palm Leather Side Case feels fabulous and looks great, this time in soft leather. It also does a good job of protecting its treasure from flying objects and drops, but steer clear of sprinklers, and don't do the rain dance without your umbrella.

The horizontal case clips your Treo at your side. The clip is permanently mounted and stitched into the construction, so there's no changing its orientation--unless you wear your belt over your shoulder.


Usability


You have to remove the Treo from the case to use it, although you could easily answer calls by hooking up a Bluetooth or wired headset or other handsfree device. A cutout in the case allows unrestricted access to the Treo's earphone jack – though it's possible to cover it up accidentally or on purpose.

The Side Case provides a convenient, comfortably large pocket where you can stash a credit card, a couple of business cards, or some cash (large unmarked bills, please), but don't expect to store much, or you'll have to squash the Treo to close the case. With the pocket empty, the Treo fits loose left and right but none too roomy back to front. Although there won't be space for your gerbil to move in, the pocket will easily hold three SD cards.

Stuffed full of stuff or not, the pocket's loose fit won't keep its contents from falling out if the case is inverted. If you keep irreplaceable data on SD cards, best not to tempt the Gremlins. My big, clumsy fingers have trouble retrieving SD cards from the case's pocket, so I flip the case over and harness gravity to help. Retrieving business cards, or my much bruised credit card, is no problem.

The Side Case accommodates the Treo with its screen facing in or out, antenna pointing left or right. Two of these orientations obscure the phone's earphone jack, as mentioned earlier. However, two of them admit the Treo's antenna, so the phone isn't as likely to leave the case--until you want it to.

The springy close flap contains a strong magnet that keeps it closed over the Treo. The flap's springiness makes it default to closed, not open. Nice. Even so, I could envision it unintentionally opening if scrubbed against some protruding object while you're scraping through the narrow aisles of a cluttered antiques emporium looking at lamps.

In some orientations, the Treo's charge socket is usable--mutually exclusive with the earphone jack. Except for that, you can't access the Treo's while it's in the case's clutches. The phone's ringer/vibrate switch is almost accessible, but not really. The side button shows through.

Palm's Side Case is more holster than case, anyway, and it's so easy to open that none of this makes much difference. Just whip it out and push its buttons. The "bikini" cutouts make removing the Treo simple and fast, even one-handed.


Protection


The Leather Side Case offers cushioning aplenty. Reinforced with hard, solid plates, its padded leather panels will protect against bumps, scrapes, and drops. The "bikini" cutouts leave large areas exposed, but recessed considerably from the outside surface. Something would have to make a determined effort to damage the Treo through the cutouts.

Although it has a strong grip, the magnetic closure doesn't latch. If the open case is inverted, boom, wham, cry. Unlikely, sure, but in places where objects might snag the closure, be careful anyway.

As for moisture, forget it--totally. You'd be okay in a rain storm for a short time, but even a quick dunking would result in a scenario best described as "wire canoe."

I can't find much not to like about the Leather Side Case. It's built like a tank, has a luxurious feel, and looks great, all for a reasonable sum. Well, maybe if the inner pocket had a flap of some kind, to keep stuff from falling out.


Next Page: Conclusion >>


Treo accessory store
 
User Opinions
Thumbs Up 100% Thumbs Down 0%

Read Opinions (2)

Would you recommend Palm Leather Side Case?
Yes   No  

Product Info
Details
> Name Palm Leather Side Case
> Company Palm, Inc
> Tested with Treo 650, 700p, 700w
> Fact Sheet & User Opinions
Availability
> Available
Pricing
> $24.95

Sponsored Links


Palm Leather Side Case from
TreoCentral Store


References
Actions
> Print this page
> Digg!





Cases
Chargers
Bluetooth

Headsets
Keyboards
Memory
Protectors Cradles
Styli


More Treo Accessories
Leather Side Case
Palm Side Case
Side-loading leather belt clip case
Just $24.95 BUY
More Side Cases
Stylus (2 Pack)
Palm Stylus (2 Pack) for Treo Pro
Keep extras at home and at the office.
Just $14.95 BUY
More Styli
Treo Screen Protectors (3-Pack)
Screen Protectors for Treo
Protect your screen!
Just $12.95 BUY
More Screen Protectors
Charger
Palm Charger for Centro, Treo
Charger for your Palm handheld
Just $14.95 BUY
More Wall Chargers
UltraSlim SkinCase
SPE UltraSlim SkinCase for Treo 755p, Treo 750
Half the thickness, better keyboard access
Just $9.95 BUY
More Skin Cases
Leather Zip Case
Palm Leather Zip Case for Pixi

Just $36.95 BUY
More Pocket Pouches
Slip Case
Palm Slip Case for Pixi

Just $27.95 BUY
More Pocket Pouches
H17 Bluetooth Headset
Motorola H17 Bluetooth Headset

Just $89.95 BUY
More Wireless Headsets
Micro-USB Travel Charger, Touchstone Compatible
Seidio Micro-USB Travel Charger,Touchstone Compatible for Palm Pixi, Pre

Just $19.95 BUY
More Wall Chargers
Media Cable for iPod
RedFly Media Cable for iPod for Treo Pro, Treo 800w, Treo 750, Treo 700wx, Treo 700w

Just $29.95 BUY
More Mobile Companion
BackBeat 903 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
Plantronics BackBeat 903 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Just $89.95 BUY
More Wireless Headsets
Cruiser Bluetooth Car Kit Speakerphone
Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth Car Kit Speakerphone

Just $89.95 BUY
More Speakerphones
HS-500 Bluetooth Headset
BlackBerry HS-500 Bluetooth Headset

Just $69.95 BUY
More Wireless Headsets
 
 
Creating smartphone communities
Android Central - Android reviews, news and forums Crackberry - Blackberry news, reviews and community TiPb - iPhone news, accessory reviews & forums
Pre Central - Palm Pre Review, News and Community Treo Central - Treo & Centro News and Forums WMExperts - Windows Mobile Reviews & News

Copyright 1999-2009 TreoCentral. All rights reserved : Terms of Use : Privacy Policy

TREO and TreoCentral are trademarks or registered trademarks of palm, Inc. in the United States and other countries;
the TreoCentral mark and domain name are used under license from palm, Inc.
The views expressed on this website are solely those of the proprietor, or
contributors to the site, and do not necessarily reflect the views of palm, Inc.

Explore more: The iPhone Blog | WM Experts | Crackberry | CentroSpot | Android Central
Smartphone Accessories: Windows Mobile Accessories | iPhone Accessories | Blackberry Accessories
Fuze Accessories | G1 Accessories | Xperia Accessories | Touch Accessories | Instinct Accessories
Bold Accessories | Blackjack Accessories | HTC Accessories | Centro Accessories | Motorola Q Accessories
Mogul Accessories | Tilt Accessories | Nokia n95 Accessories | Duo Accessories | Verizon XV Accessories
Dash Accessories | Shadow Accessories | Voyager Accessories | Venus Accessories | Touch Accessories
Curve Accessories | Dare Accessories | Venus Accessories | Curve Accessories | Bold Accessories
Omnia Accessories | Incite Accessories | Epix Accessories | Saga Accessories Pre Accessories