PDA

Mine was a throw-in when my daughter bought me my new Tungsten E so I kept it. Didn't cost anything, can't be returned, and maybe come in handy occasionally.

My first impression was that the case was bulky and difficult to open. And, I questioned how protective and versatile it would be. Usually our instincts and first impressions are accurate with most things.

In trying to use the case around the house, I found it very annoying. You have to access the right edge of the Palm to flip it 45 degrees on its hinge, and with some degree of difficulty, in order to remove the stylus and turn it on; then again to insert the stylus and turn it off. The Palm should be removed entirely to charge it and hot-synch it.

One reviewer here indicated s/he dropped the Palm 3 times and the case protected it. I'm not optimistic about that. The case interior is hard plastic and the palm doesn't even fit snugly. It would seem to me that dropping the Palm at 6 feet onto a hard surface would place it in great peril with this case.

One reviewer mentioned the hinge breaking in 1 1/2 weeks. I can easily see that happening. It's very flimsy plastic and will be used frequently since the Palm will be removed/reinserted so often. I would expect the hinge to break in the early future. Palm should sell hinges in 3-paks like styli, but of course that won't happen. Heaven knows they will come in more handy than extra styli.

I haven't shopped Palm cases but I will seek out a leatherette case with foam or other heavy padding and which would enable easy removal. I would also look for a case with cutouts for the stylus and power switch, as well as the charger input and hot-synch port.

In my view, the only thing this case has going for it is that it is very heavily armored and will surely protect the Palm and the glass screen from being struck sharply against a hard object while it's in your coat pocket. That's how I broke my old Personal PalmPilot, getting into a snug fitting booth at a restaurant, cracking the glass against the table corner.

At the price point of this accessory, I thing we can do better.

I have had my Palm and the hard case for about two weeks now. The case is very nice looking and gives a high degree of protection to the unit. I am a teacher and a student and will be carrying this around in a book bag. I wanted strong protection and this case provides it. It is very nice looking with a clean design and brushed aluminum (not plastic) exterior. There is plastic in the interior that cradles the unit and provides storage for two SD cards. The case opens easily with one hand and the lid folds completely around to the back where it is out of the way. Because of the extreme range of motion offered by the hinge I suspect it could be broken fairly easily. The loose fit of the unit in the plastic allows easy access to the stylus well and the off/on switch. Holding the open case in my left hand I can easily tilt it forward a little and allow the unit to swing out enough to reach the stylus and switch. In the same way gaining access to the USB and power ports is easy. While it does move around in the case I don't think it moves much. I am confident this case will protect my unit against most hazards it will encounter in my book bag. If you want maximum convenience and minimal protection then this case is probablyl not for you. If you can live with a little extra bulk and want greater protection for your unit then this case will probably fill your need

In order of their appearance: (1) dangerously slippery surface, can literally slip out of your hand (2) unit slides off of slide-on bar when tilted (3) case catch stopped working at 2 weeks without any trauma, so it constantly gapped open in my purse. At the time, there were no alternative cases so it at least protected the unit (poorly) for a while. I threw this waste of money away.