Lodis PDA Mobile Office

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

June 25, 2001

Product Requirements:
Device: Palm V/m500 series

As you might imagine, I see a lot of cases come and go across my desk. Every now and then I'll get one that makes me think, "What a great idea!" The Lodis PDA Mobile Office is one such case.

Done in luxurious black Onyx  leather with only the slightest hint of a grain, the Lodis is sure to please if you have the right tools to fill it. Black stitching completes this case's professional looks.

Opening the box that the Lodis arrives packaged in, you will at once smell the intoxicating aroma of fine leather.

When you first observe the outside of the Lodis, you might be fooled into thinking that it is a simple zippered book-style binder; although the leather looks more touchable than most. Measuring in at 7.75" (19.7cm) tall x 6.5" (16.5cm) wide x 2" (5cm) thick, this case is slightly smaller than a "classic" sized binder. 

The front of the Mobile Office is plain, except for the discreet LODIS name embossed on the right edge. The back side shows the embossed brand name on the right edge again, but there is also a deep gusseted zipper pocket.  

Both of the zippers on the mobile office have a leather pull tab, adding to the case's finished look. 

Unzipping the main compartment of the Lodis reveals a very well thought out work area.

As you can see, this is not your typical paper binder. 

Where the metal binder apparatus would have been, there are two loops. One is perfectly proportioned for a larger diameter ball-point pen. My Mont Blanc, Rotring Executive, and even my Delta Dolcevita all fit with room to spare. The smaller loop will hold an aftermarket stylus quite well. Here you see it holding an E&B iP3C stylus.

The top half of the Mobile Office features a leather wallet section that will hold four ID or credit cards, and your Driver's License through a window that uses a black screen material instead of clear plastic. There is a slash pocket behind the credit card slots that is large enough to hold an American Passport. 

On the right hand side of this top half there is a built- in phone holder with a leather front, and elastic on three sides. The Lodis logo is embossed on the front of this pocket. I had to laugh, because this pocket looks like it will hold a pack of cigarettes perfectly. Just for fun, I took a pack of Marlboro Lights from my husband's "secret stash", and sure enough, it fit. Hey, this could be an important feature for some of you! :0)

In all seriousness, measuring 3.5" (9cm) tall x 2.75" (7cm) this pocket is sized perfectly for any flip-phone in the Motorola Startac size range. I have a Samsung 8500 pictured in the large shot at the beginning of this review, and it fits very well. There is not enough "head-room" for my Kyocera smartphone (6" tall, including antenna), but the pocket was definitely wide enough to accommodate it. That might help give you an idea of if your phone will fit. I would imagine that most Nokias without the extended-life batteries should also fit just fine.

Moving down to the bottom half of this case, there is a tablet of plain white paper on the right hand side, perfect for when you need to jot a note to a friend that doesn't have a PDA you can beam to. Behind the notepad, there is also a deep vertical pocket that runs the length of the pad. Perfect for stowing folded bills or receipts.

Then there is the PDA holster. Although the name of this case says PDA, make no mistake about it: once you open the Lodis, the cutout where your PDA will fit screams Palm V or Palm m500. It has the same curve at it's bottom as the Palm V/m500 series, and it fits those PDAs flawlessly.

I tried every other PDA I have in the holster, just to see if any others might work, and the second best fit I came up with was with my Visor Deluxe.

The other PDAs I tried either looked "wrong" by being too tall for the top leather bar, or the leather sides curved into the screen area in a distracting manner.

So, there you have it. This case offers a very beautiful, yet professional, place for everything you might possibly need to carry on those days when you are "out and about". The only thing that might make it better, is if the holster could hold a wider variety of PDAs. 

The Lodis PDA Mobile Office is available at Stylus Central, and other fine retailers.

Price: $110

Pros:
Convenient, efficient storage for your PalmV/m500 series PDA, cell phone, and personal items
Sumptuous, smooth, aromatic leather
Very sharp, professional case
Does not use Velcro to secure PDA

Cons:
Custom fitted to hold the Palm V/m500 series only (but you can make it work for the Handspring Visor)