Rhodiana Visor Case Review

Now that the Handspring Visor is becoming popular, it’s time
to start looking at protective cases. The Work-through Carry Case
by Rhodiana is a
good choice for those of us that are looking for style and protection. And you
can get it with or without a swivel belt clip.

The first thing that you notice about the Work-through
Carry Case is that it is very form fitting to the Visor. I have tried
my Visor in numerous Palm cases, due to the lack of readily available Visor
cases, and it feels good to finally have one that fits like a glove. To put your
Visor inside the case, you unsnap the snaps on the back side of the case and
just slip it in. The snaps are hardly noticeable, but they are quite sturdy.
Once you re-snap the top case opening, you access the Visor through the flip
cover, which is secured by a plastic clip that you squeeze to open. I like the
clip better than Velcro, but it takes a while getting used to closing it with
one hand.

I mentioned how great the fit of the case is to the Visor. In
fact, the fit is so good that it is a little difficult to remove the Visor. The
case has a clear plastic strap that goes around the top of the Visor. This strap
is very nice in that it firmly holds the Visor in place. But when you try to
remove the Visor, it gets caught on the bottom ledge of the screen opening. To
remove the Visor you have 3 options. You can just pull real hard and the plastic
will flex and your Visor comes out. Or you can stick your fingers under the
plastic and lift up on it, and risk scratching your screen. Or you can pull up
on the Visor a little, just enough to get it away from the bottom of the case,
and then pull it forward the rest of the way to remove it. This is what I do.

I wouldn’t say that the plastic strap catching on the screen
ledge is a reason not to buy the case, but I’ll list it in the “con”
section at the bottom of the review, because if you have to remove your Visor to
sync, it may take a while getting used to. I can’t yet sync using IR, so I have
to remove the Visor each time.

The clear plastic strap covers the Springboard module opening of the Visor. But all you have to do to access it is to unsnap it and lift it forward. I had no trouble getting my Backup Module in and out while the Visor was in the case. There is also an opening in the clear plastic strap for access to a stylus. But it has to be one that sticks up like a “nail” style stylus. You won’t be able to access the stylus that comes with the Visor because the side is covered by the case.

On the other side of the Work-through Carry Case is the opening in the case for the IR port. This makes it easy to beam data without taking the Visor out of the case. But like I said, unfortunately for me I have to remove the Visor to sync. Which is too bad since it only takes 8 seconds to sync!!! (Plug for the Visor 🙂

There are a couple other nice features of the Work-through
Carry Case. If you turn the case over, you will notice two
elastic straps that can be used to hold the case in your hand. You simply stick
your fingers through as shown below.  There is also a pouch in the flip
cover that has a stiffener in it for added protection of the screen. The pouch
is large enough to put a business card in. The entire case is padded, which
makes it quite protective. And the outside material of the case is an
interesting and attractive weave of nylon. But even with the padded case walls,
the size is not much larger than the Visor itself.

As I said at the top of the review, you can get the Work-through
Carry Case with or without a swivel belt clip. The belt clip is
the same plastic clip that comes on a lot of other cases. I like it and prefer
the belt clip version to the ones without clips. (Although it is almost $10 more
to get the one with the belt clip.)

Overall, I would give the Work-through
Carry Case a very high rating. It has style, flexibility, and
offers a lot of protection for the Visor. The materials, stitching and
construction is of high quality.  The belt clip version seems a little
pricey, but you really get what you pay for. I have seen less expensive cases,
(for the Palm), that were not nearly as well designed and constructed. I’d
rather pay a little more for a really good case, and not have to use super-glue
on a cheap case a month after I get it.

Prices:	Handspring Visor Work-through Carry Case:	$29.50
	Handspring Visor Work-through Carry Case with swivel belt clip:	$38.75

Pros:
Well designed and constructed.
Elastic straps to help you hold the case.
Openings in the case for the IR port, and a replacement stylus.

Con:
A bit difficult to remove the Visor from the case.
Visor has to be removed to sync. (Unless you are syncing via IR)
Securing the flip cover with one hand takes some getting used to.
Will not be easy to get at the stylus that comes with the Visor.