This stylish, well made flip style case comes in soft, luxurious leather in a veritable rainbow of seven colors, not counting basic black. It beautifully protects your Treo 680 while leaving its most important ports and controls accessible.

I�ve raved and carried on about color cases for color Treos, but this time I reverted to basics. Black is beautiful, and this Covertec gem is indeed a looker. Its soft exterior leather is neatly stitched at every edge, and the case sports an attractive tan lining on the flap, with soft black felt where the Treo slips into the base. The materials are all of excellent quality, well chosen for their tasks, and the workmanship is great.

The reinforced flap, provides a pocket for business cards and a holder for an extra SD Card. I double dare you to get either of those Essentials of Life into its respective spot. Though it has to be snug to keep the SD Card from taking off, the card fits way too tight. Indeed, the business card pocket is so restrictive I could not get one into it undamaged. Like a new pair of Italian leather shoes, the fit might loosen up after some wear, but it�s going to be painful before that happens.

The company touts this as �European� design. and it�s very fluid and excellently thought out. There�s even a convenient cut-around so you can get to the stylus without flipping the case open.

Usability

Before you open the package, be sure your machete is freshly sharpened, and turn your profanity filter up a couple of notches. The case comes in a box wrapped in one of those infernal, impenetrable plastic bubbles, which is in turn sheathed in a classily produced cardboard wrapper. After a little dynamiting and some busted X-Acto blades, the beauty of the product shines out. It bears a paper waistband that says it fits Treo 680. Nothing else. Of course, it�ll probably fit the 750 and 755p Treos, which are the same size and basic layout. However, I�ve used it only with my crimson 680.

The product doesn�t come in red. Covertec makes it in black (reviewed here), Snow White, Baby Blue (I�ve only seen a blue baby once, not a good thing, but the blue case is lovely), Baby Pink (more like it!), Orange, Raspberry, Baby Green (Martian, perhaps?), and Blue Lagoon (translate: teal). For me, the only thing I see in that list that coordinates with my 680 is black, which does look great.

You can hook up most any wired headset and even charge and HotSync the device without removing the Treo from the case. In the case, the 680 won�t fit on my cradle, however. Actually, I was able to finagle a connection without bending or breaking anything, but the Treo slipped off the connector after a couple of minutes. Covertec�s case is pretty simple to remove, fortunately, or you can charge and HotSync your Treo by hooking up the cable through the case�s bottom opening.

You�ll have to remove the case to insert, remove, or change the SD Card. The case�s cutouts don�t provide access to the 680�s SD Card access door, though the left-side buttons stay readily accessible. The camera, peeks out over the flip flap, but there�s no provision for sounds from the Treo�s speaker to make it through the thick leather layers. Indeed, that�s the point where Covertec has ensconced their �WIPS� system to accommodate a rotating, removable belt clip. The case mutes the ringtone a little, so if you�re in a noisy environment, best to crank up the volume. I leave mine on max all the time, so people around me can enjoy the Treo�s distinctive ring.

�Removable� is the key word, but really, don�t bother installing it in the first place. The �system� comes in a little plastic baggie complete with washer, screw, and a tiny screwdriver. To attach the unwieldy clip, put the washer in its indentation in the back of the clip, place the clip over the tapped hole, and tighten the screw with the screwdriver. To remove the clip, you have only to drag out the trusty screwdriver and unbolt the accessory from the back of the case.

It�s much simpler to do than describe, but the clip, however convenient, is unsightly, clumsy, and dumb. Install it and leave it there, or just forget it. I put the thing on, marveled at how it messed up the otherwise nice designer-ish lines, and then removed it. It�s secure enough, just none too appealing. In fact, the company ought to offer a clipless model, removing the extra weight and un-designer-esque appearance of the clip provision on the back.

The case closes with a non-removable, leather-lined, leather strap attached to the bottom of the case. It snaps both mechanically and magnetically.

Protection

Luxurious or not, leather or something else, any Treo case still has to protect its treasure from harm, and this Covertec one does a great job. When closed, the padded, reinforced flap keeps the touch screen well shielded, and the rest of the device stays protected by one or more layers of soft leather, felt, or whatever else. Soft, but durable, and probably up to the challenge of any flying objects, bumps, or scrapes. With antennaless Treos like the 680, even a minimal altitude drop might be okay, but you�re on your own to test that, and I suggest you don�t.

In a Noah-level downpour, you�ll need to pocket the Treo as you run for cover (or umbrella), but a little drizzle won�t matter much. Forget dunking and diving, however. You and the case might survive, but your Treo won�t.

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