Ever since we saw the first mysterious clear cased PalmPilot, we have all lusted after
them. Come on, don’t deny it! Unfortunately, the only way to get one was to be a
software developer or to know someone on the inside. Well, now it’s not as hard
to get your greedy little paws on the ultimate cool case for your Palm III because PalmPilotGear H.Q. has them!
PalmPilotGear H.Q. has both the clear case and flip covers in very limited quantities.
The clear case comes with very detailed easy instructions for replacing your original
grey Palm III casing with the clear casing. Switching out the cases will void your
warranty… so if something goes wrong with your Palm III, you have to switch back to your
original case before you send it in for repair.
Removing the original case and installing the new one, is easy. It took me about 10mins
total to do it. It was just a matter of removing the four screws, taking off the back of
the case, popping out the PDA guts, and slapping everything back together in the clear
case. You don’t even have to take out the batteries to do it!
After you’re finished, you have a very nifty invisible Palm III. The clear
case is exactly like the original casing only clear and smooth (not rough textured).
The feel of the case is a less rugged feeling. With mine, I found that there was a
little bit of give to the case when I squeezed it in my hand. With the original casing, I
did not notice this. It was very minimal, but I’m pretty picky.
The clear flip cover is neat because it lets you see what alarms are going off without
first lifting the cover… but, you still have to lift the cover to turn the Palm III off
or acknowledge the alarm. Although the underside of the flip cover has the indentation for
the graffiti sticker, it is still easy to see through. The only bad thing about the
flip cover is that it is easily scratched and scuffed. I put the Palm III with the clear
cover in a RhinoPak 2000 case with the Delorme Earthmate. When I took them out I
noticed that the flip cover was all scratched up. The rest of the clear casing wasn’t
though…
The clear case / cover are a neat alternative to the original casing and the price
isn’t too bad. I wish the casing was a little bit more rugged. Maybe if it had the
same rough texture of the original casing, I’d like it better. What I think would be
really cool would be an aluminum replacement casing just like the original.
Ultimately, I went back to my original casing. Not for any real reason, other than I just
like the feel of it better.
Price: $44.95 (clear case w/flip cover), $9.95 (flip cover
only)
(This item is currently not available but is expected in the
Spring of 1999 at PalmPilotGear)
Pros:
Looks cool.
Doesn’t require a hard reset to install it.
Cons:
Flip cover scratches easily.
Case is a bit more flexible than the original.
Product Information
| Price: | $44.95 |
| Manufacturer: | PalmGear |
| Pros: |
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| Cons: |
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