Silver Slider Custom iPAQ CF Sleeve Review

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The iPAQ Pocket PC is a very cool PDA. It is the smallest, sleekest, and sexiest unit currently available. But, if you want a compact flash card slot for it, you must purchase a CF Expansion sleeve which turns your iPAQ into the heaviest and thickest Pocket PC currently available. Eck!

Enter the Silver Slider by George Mosquera. George is an iPAQ user that also did not like the size of the stock CF sleeve. He used his experience of doing body work on limousines to come up with a solution to make the sleeve more compact. George takes an original CF Expansion sleeve and turns it into a much sleeker version which he calls the Silver Slider.

When I first heard about this modification, I knew I had to get one. I waited a couple months while George perfected his modification process. I then contacted him and was told that I would need to send in my original CF sleeve for the mod. Although I didn’t want to be without my sleeve, I went ahead and sent it in. 2 weeks later, I received the Slider.

It was a very cold day when FedEx delivered it, and my first impression after taking it out of the box was that it was a brand new sleeve made entirely of metal. But, it only felt like metal due to the fact that it was really cold and painted in a silver metallic paint.

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The new sleeve fit the iPAQ like a glove and worked perfectly. I had absolutely no problems inserting or removing my iPAQ from the sleeve or with inserting and removing CF cards from the sleeve.

This sleeve feels quite a bit thinner than the original sleeve but of course it still adds some bulk and size to your iPAQ. Check out the stats below:

iPAQ
with Silver Slider
iPAQ
with original CF sleeve
Naked
iPAQ
Weight .570 lbs
(259gm)
.585 lbs
(265gm)
.410 lbs
(186gm)
Size 5.11 x 3.28 x 0.80in
(13 x 8.3 x
2.0cm)
5.11 x 3.40 x 1.05in
(13 x 8.6 x 2.7cm)
5.11 x 3.28 x 0.62in
(13 x 8.3 x 1.6cm)

What is involved in the modification? George basically cuts out the sides of the original sleeve, and strips the back to make the new sleeve as thin as possible. He then first paints the modified sleeve with primer and then with 2 coats of silver paint. He allows the paint to dry thoroughly between coats. He finishes with several clear coats which gives the paint job a nice hard finish. During the whole process, he has to be very careful with the amount of paint that he uses as this could effect how the iPAQ slides into the sleeve.

The quality of the paint job is really terrific. It was better than what I had expected. It is very smooth and looks very professional. I’ve had my Silver Slider for over a week now and so far I have no scratches on it at all. It really feels very durable. If it does scratch, touchup paint can be used to fix small scratches. Such paint can be found at auto supply stores.

cfsleeve4silverslider6

As you can see from the pictures above, the original sleeve on the left is quite thick. If you look at the Compaq logo, you can see that on the original case, the plastic near the logo is the same thickness along the whole backside of the sleeve. On the Silver Slider, the back is cut out and is quite a bit thinner. This really makes a difference with the way the sleeve feels in your hand. It is much more comfortable and easier to hold.

silverslider3

silverslider4

Here’s a close up of the page job. As you can tell, it is quite smooth. There were absolutely no figure prints or smudges on my Slider. The silver paint also perfectly matches the iPAQ’s silver color case so that the two blend together.

silverslider7

The iPAQ would almost be perfect if the CF slot were built into the PDA, but the Silver Slider is the next best thing. Even though the mod for this sleeve costs about twice as much as the original sleeve, I think it is well worth the price. George does a great job, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Product Information

Price:$75.00
Manufacturer:George Mosquera
Pros:
  • Much thinner CF sleeve design
  • Terrific craftsmanship
Cons:
  • Must send your original sleeve to George for modification
  • 2 week turn around

36 thoughts on “Silver Slider Custom iPAQ CF Sleeve Review”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. Excellent review, you two would make good travel writers. Your observations and comments will be of immense use to others planning a trip to Scotland. Even for those of us travelling elsewhere, this review has given us tips on what to look out for, to do, not to do, etc.

    Thank you for an enjoyable read.

    😀

  3. Marvellous writing. I want to go to Scotland! Right this minute!

    I have to say that Rob Roy is one of my alltime favorite movies (I cry several times every time I see it, for which my wife teases me mercilessly). And I have to put in an obligatory historical-accuracy rant about Braveheart – I don’t believe Wallace ever met the Bruce, and Wallace *CERTAINLY* never would have had a chance to have a fling with the Duchess of York!

  4. The article was excellent! I concur that you would make good travel writers. The photos looked great. I am glad the Sony DSC-U20 worked out. It was one of my suggestions when you asked for digital camera ideas. I am amost using mine as my primary camera due to its ease of use and small size.

    Where is your next trip going to be? Perhaps us fellow gadgeteers can take a poll.

    Regards,

    Andy Cheng
    Plano, TX

  5. I loved the article. Since I will not be going to Scotland any time soon. ( Lack of $$$) It was nice to see the pictures etc. I have a friend that lived here in NC and met a Scotsman over the internet ( Believe it or not ) any way she and Simon ended up getting married and she is now living there. For a few years anyway. Simon is a great person and if all Scots are like him I would love to visit. They live up near St. Andrew. I am glad to know you liked Haggis I had always heard it was gross. I’ll have to make it a point to try it when I get over there.

    Diz

  6. Now, for a delightful trip to Scotland in the 1940’s, be sure to see Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesay in “I Know Where I’m Going.” The only gadgets they had were oars, pay telephones and cows!

  7. Great article. Glad to hear you had a good time. I have to admit I did like Edinburgh a great deal on our last trip up there, although we only spent two full days there, and never made it up to Aberdeen, where I grew up. I noticed you took alot of the same pictures we took as well. I have never once had a bad experience while visiting the UK. Unfortunately it will probably be many years now until I have the chance to return.

    By the way, we flew AA there this Feb. We were flying on airline miles tickets, and they called the night before and let us know that our return flight had been canceled, and then they put my wife and I on different planes to different cities. Ridiculous! After a rather long conversation, finally got us back on the same plane with a free upgrade to first class for the trans atlantic portion. What a difference that makes. Room to breathe, fully reclining seats, powerports for laptops, and a choice of menu for your meals. Priority check in was probably the best though, to bypass the long security lines at Heathrow. If you can swing an upgrade on your next trip, do it. It is well worth it.

  8. I would have given anything to have been able to upgrade to first class for the ride home. My knees had felt like they were going to explode after the trip to Edinburgh…and I was afraid it would be the same on the way back. Thankfully, it wasn’t that bad. We will definitely fly a better class next time we take such a long trip though, believe me.

    Judie :0)

  9. Thank you very much for the superb article. (I feel so Scottish now) I enjoyed the information and the pictures were superb.

    Thanks again, great job!

    Irv

  10. Wonderful article! It sounds like it was an awesome trip. I loved my visit to Edinburgh years ago, and your article brought back lots of great memories.

    BTW, I saw your comment about not getting the cool cellphones here in the States… but we are! My Verizon Motorola T720 just arrived today, and with a color screen, email and SMS, web browser, downloadable software, etc., it’s definitely as nice as the DoCoMo phones that my friends in Japan have. And just as tiny! I haven’t really taken it for a full test drive yet, but I think the cell technology gap between the U.S. and Europe/Asia is definitely narrowing.

    —Ell
    Ellen Beeman

  11. Ell, I probably should have been more specific. While it’s true that cool phones are coming to the US – they won’t be coming to MY town anytime soon. It would seem that all the cool phones are on GSM/GPRS systems, and all we have where I live is Sprint PCS and Cellular One. Julie doesn’t have it much better in her Indy town, either.

    I sure do wish that we could get the kind of saturated GSM/GPRS coverage that people in Europe enjoy – but then I would be stressing because I didn’t know which phone to settle for. ;0)

  12. Fun article. I visited the North of England and Scotland a few years back too, it’s amazing. Too bad you’ve only spent a short amount of time in the highlands, they are so incredibly beautiful…

    One thing tho’: the big street running through Edinburgh, the one with the gardens beneath the castle, is called Princes Street, not Prince’s Street 🙂

  13. Great article. Had I known you guys were coming over, I would have met up to trade some Pocket PC reviewing secrets since I live 15 mins from Edinburgh.

    Glad you enjoyed yourself and it would be great for you guys to come back over sometime.
    Just for the record, it’s been virtually unbroken sunshine and no wind for almost two weeks here now! Very unusually warm for March in Scotland! 😉

    Andy.
    reviewer at Pocket PC Thoughts and Ultimate Pocket.

  14. Excellent insight, i live just south of the scottish boarder and regulary visit the highlands to go climbing and walking, it’s a wonderful place, i also only get 4 tv channels, and i know the advert with the bums, noble?, firm etc. weird :rolleyes: , anyway i registered just to post this so there you go.
    Ben 🙂

  15. One thing though: I’d rather have BBC1 & BBC2 then 10 random US-cable-channels. Their programs are high-quality, no advertising. Dutch public channels are in a much lower league than the BBC 🙂

    But that’s just my 2 cents 😮

  16. Dear Gadgetgirls,

    I really enjoyed reading Your trip report to Scotland. Judie, we sort of talked a little bit about Edinburgh some weeks ago. While I was a student for a year in Edinburgh I wondered, if You did not visit the great Arthur’s Seat – the “mountain” in the middle of Edi. I would be honoured if I can send You some pictures taken by me some years ago, when I was now and then in Edinburgh. Just send me an email so I don’t have to bother You when You are not interested … Thanx very much for all Your nice articles. Greetings from Mäckie

  17. Nice article. Sounds like you guys had a good time. 😀 Its a shame that you barely scratched the surface of things to do.

    I must admit that some of your observations do sound a bit corny. Whats wrong with jeans and white sneakers? Were not as backwards here in Scotland as you might think. The coke here is horrible but the water is some of the best on the planet and our chocolate is nicer than the stuff available in the states.

    Good to see you braved the Haggis, its not to everyones taste.

    Yep we are generally friendly but you cant trust everyone over here.

    Id be suprised if everyone in America has a central water heater, im actually very suprised that you didnt have one were you stayed. With weather like ours most homes do have central-heating.

    To see the Highlands you really have to travel to Inverness, about three hours north of Edinburgh (E-din-bur-uh 😀 ) some of the best scenery etc. Loch Lomond is in the Trossachs (Lowlands 😉 )

    Its really great to see people come over to explore I love it here. Hopefully ill get back out to NY this year but ill have to wait and see.

  18. TGuv:

    Several people told us NOT to wear jeans and sneaks… that we would stick out like a sore thumb. :p

  19. Hi there,

    Just read your travel report…very interesting!

    I’m actually originally from Scotland (though I now live in Southern England) and I spent 4 years at university in Edinburgh. And I *absolutely* fell in love with the city – in fact, it’s my wife’s and mine goal to move back “Up North”.

    I’m so glad you enjoyed your stay in Edinburgh, and in Scotland in general! I think there are lot of misconceptions in the USA regarding holidaying in the UK (the food, for example) – your article went a long way to dispell them! Thanks! 😀

    And TGuv, you’re right – they barely scratched the surface of the things to do and see!!!

    But it’s funny how you picked up on the difference in technology, My wife is American, so I spend a lot of time in the US. I think the perception is that “all the good stuff” goes to the ‘States…but I disagree. When I was last in the US (Nov ’02), I took the opportunity to browse around the local Best Buy’s, Circuit City’s, etc….and I really wasn’t that impressed.

    The mobile phone (ie cellphone) is the obvious example – in the UK, and I would say Europe in general, mobile phones with external externals went out of fashion years and years ago. But in the US, they are still prominent. The phones here are *really* small, have colour screens, built in cameras, polyphonic ringtones, etc, etc. And the great thing is, we use the GSM standard, which means we can pretty much go to any country in the world & our phones work (I used to work in 3G cellular development, so I know all about the different standards). In fact, some US operators are adopting GSM as their standard – I stepped off the plane in Pittsburgh last November, switched my phone off and called my family back in the UK to let them know we had arrived ok – much to the disbelief of my American sister-in-law!:-D

    Cheers,
    Steve.

  20. Judie, Julie

    I really enjoyed your travelogue, in fact it had me in stitches at times, including the encounter with Hamish the hairy coo and the disappointing lack of dead bodies in the Princes Street Gardens! 😀

    One thing I’d better point out though is that the Irish distil whiskey and the Scots distil whisky (no letter ‘e’ in the word). I’ve had my ear bent from getting that wrong in the past!

    I’ve been to Edinburgh several times, including hitchiking up there from Manchester (England) as part of a student ‘rag week’ challenge and sleeping in a sailing boat under the Forth rail bridge (oh, my ever moving stomach!) but I’ve missed quite a few of the places you’ve mentioned, so thanks for the incentive to re-visit.

    There are now around 30 tv channels available free to air via digital terrestrial decoders which have recently come onto the market, so hopefully your experience of only four channels won’t be repeated in the future. I’m glad that the food was a highlight too, as I really enjoyed all my meals up there and it’s a shame when old stereotypes hang around for ever.

    I was led to the your tale by spotting the review of the Sony U20, so thanks also for that, as it was good to see how it performed in the real world, not just for a few quick pictures on a specialist photo review web site.

    Can’t wait for your Africa trip and hope it will be a mite warmer than you found it in ‘Auld Reekie’ (Edinburgh)!

    Best wishes and thanks for sharing your fun with us,
    James

  21. charlie.stross

    Let me just say how amused I was by this article — as you were staying about a mile from where I live, and some of your perambulations took you virtually to the top of my street, I found it extremely funny (and a bit surreal!) to see my home city described as a tourist destination.

    (Oh yeah: if I’d known about it, I could have pointed you at the good pubs — for beer and food — and recommended the oldest Indian restaurant in Scotland, which wasn’t far off your path.)

  22. Charlie,

    Glad you enjoyed the article! What is the name of the Indian restaurant. Judie and Steve may have eaten there!

  23. charlie.stross

    Kushi’s Lothian Restaurant, in Drummond Street, just off North Bridge, round the block from James Thin’s Bookshop. Warning: they’re about to move to, if I’m not mistaken, the side of the roundabout intersection between London Road and the top of Leith Walk, opposite the foot of Calton Hill (which I noticed you climbed).

    They’re not your standard Indian restaurant. The current premises (they move every couple of decades) used to be a University canteen, so they’re all formica tables and orange/brown seventies wallpaper, very basic diner. The menu is extremely small, and consists of old Mrs Kushi’s home cooking — it’s not standard restaurant fare, it’s what you’d get if you visited a punjabi family at home. It’s made with good quality ingredients, in large quantities, and it’s consistently good.

    (It’s a local cultural institution — and after fifty-five years I think they’ve earned it.)

  24. Charlie,

    Thanks for telling us about Kushi’s. Unfortunately, we didn’t find that restaraunt – it sounds like we missed out ona real treat!

    Judie :0)

  25. [FONT=Arial][COLOR=DarkRed]
    I was trying to find inexpensive ideas for Spring Break with my family. I was not having any luck with my search descriptions until I put in Spring Break. Low & behold I came across your link. Granted it was 2 years ago, but I felt very compelled to reply to your article. You guys did a fantastic job & I completely agree with the other posts that you would make a great writing team! The descriptions were great & the photos fantastic!!!!

    I am now going to consider Scotland as an option. I’m wanting to take my 8 year old son. He’s excited about the thought of flying.

    I actually have 2 good friends that are from Edinburgh & have met a few of their other friends. One of them is married to a childhood friend. All great people! I’ll have to get more great info from them. I’ve always wanted to travel to Scotland. Have been to England, but that was 19 years ago while in high school. Have been dying to go back since. You gave some great tips & I hope to utilize them sooner than later.

    Oh, did you ever make it to Africa?

    Thanks for the entertainment! 😀 [/COLOR][/FONT]

  26. aliciakg:

    Nope, we have yet to go on a joint vacation to Africa. Someday! 🙂

    Glad you enjoyed the article. Scotland was great and I would love to go back someday. Judie already returned for a 2nd vacation this year. 🙂 That has to tell you how much fun this destination is.

  27. Hi there! Yes, we went back to Edinburgh – and this time we also explored some other UK destinations. It was wonderful!

    If you go during spring break just remember that it will be quite chilly and possibly very wet – but you will have a lot of the touristy areas all to yourself! This makes it worth it!

    When we went back this summer, everyone was on vacation and while the weather was glorious, areas that we had easily explored previously were quite crowded – especially with all of the August festivals that were occuring.

    The place that we rented on the 2003 trip is no longer available, but there are plenty of great flats that can be had by the day / week. This is a good place to look:

    http://www.selfcatering-directory.co.uk/results.asp?town=Edinburgh

  28. ladies

    as a scotsmans who just stumbled across your story, i must say it was both hilarious and charming – its always great to hear about your back yard being described by a visitor. i’ve just returned to scotland after 10 years away and you two would both certainly be an asset to the scottish tourist board – you certainly reminded me of what a great and beautifal city and country it is.

    i’ve worked and visited the US about 5 times – miami, houston, virginia, fort lauderdale, new york – and found your countrymen welcoming, enthusiastic and considerate. i hope my scottish countymen treated you with an equal welcome.

    next visit, be sure to check out the coastal towns of east lothian and venture further north than loch lomond, which without being unfair is the ugly brother of loch ness and beyond. the drive from bridge of allan to benmore, orchy, glencoe and to fort william is breathtaking.. although fortwilliam itself is a tad outdated.. better to stay in a nice B&B than some of the mainstay tourist hotels..

    cheers
    graeme

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