Zero Halliburton Metal Case Review

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Product Requirements:
Device:
Palm V Series

I’m sure you’ve seen them before, people carrying those cool looking brushed
silver attaches cases. One such manufacturer of these cases is ZERO Halliburton,
a company that has been in existence for over 30yrs. They are known for their
high quality aircraft-grade aluminum travel cases. Now they’ve created a PDA
case for the Palm V series that is being sold by Franklin Covey.

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The ZERO has a great look to it. The finish on the aluminum is brushed and
appears to wear very well. I carried this case inside my gear bag in the same
compartment as lots of other items for over a week, and the case doesn’t have a
scratch on it.

This hard case has several features that other Palm hard cases do not have.
The main one being a unique closure mechanism. The case snaps closed with an
audible click. It is opened by sliding a spring loaded latch. As long as you
make sure that the case is indeed latched shut, it will not come open on its
own.

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The interior of the case has a Neoprene lining on both sides that helps
absorb shock in the event of a drop. This lining is a nice thick rubber-like
insert. Both sides have indentations for the scroll and application buttons.
Since the indentations are on both sides of the case, the case is quite usable
for left handed people (like myself). The Palm V can be attached by the right
rail instead of the left rail.

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Each half of the case also has a metal clip that can hold several business
cards in the provided cutout area. The problem is that my business cards didn’t
quite fit in the cutout. I tried a handful of other business cards that I had,
and found some that did fit; but most were just a bit too long. They need to
make the cutout just a bit longer.

The case itself is actually made of plastic with two aluminum shells glued to
each side. Normally this wouldn’t bother me, but I found that the glue used to
hold the shells to the plastic case didn’t appear to be that strong. The case
that I had for review exhibited cracking noises if I squeezed the top and bottom
shells while the case was closed. I think the glue was sticking and unsticking,
causing this noise. I also noticed some glue goop and quite a bit of play in the
shells when squeezing them.

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If you look at the picture above on the left, you can make out some of the
glue goop. The picture on the right shows the gap in the aluminum shell and the
edges of the case. I could squeeze the end of the case and close this gap. Doing
this also caused the cracking noises that I mentioned above. I’m pretty sure
that I could pry the shells away from the plastic case if I wanted to without
much force. I really think the metal shells should be attached to the plastic
case by a different more reliable method other than glue.

The case hinge is also made of plastic, as is the rail that the Palm attaches
to. The Franklin Covey description of the case says that the rail is metal, but
it isn’t. The Palm V attaches to the rail easily and although you can remove it
just as easily, I didn’t feel that the Palm V would fall off the rail on its
own.

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The top part of the case has an opening for the IR port and the unique
stylus. The IR port opening has a small plastic window over it. So when the ZERO
is shut, the PDA is completely enclosed and protected.

The stylus that is included with this case looks like a little hatchet or a
flag. It is all metal except for the tip which is plastic. The tip can screw
off, but unfortunately there isn’t a reset pin included.

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The stylus when inserted, sticks out in such a way that it makes it easier to
remove than the stock stylus. However, if you don’t like this stylus, you can
use your original one or another 3rd party one such as the PDA Panache Deluxe Palm V stylus.

You can also sync with the cradle without removing the Palm from this case.
It’s a little awkward to get the PDA into the cradle, but it can be
done.

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The ZERO Halliburton is an attractive and protective case. But, it is also
HUGE and heavy. At 4.0 x  5.0 x 0.9in (102 x  126 x 23mm),
.545lb. (247g) it is a real
handful. It still fits in most back jean pockets, but it definitely won’t fit in
a typical shirt pocket. It pretty much takes your sleek Palm V and turns it into
a brick. That said, I could see myself using this case to protect my Palm V
while it was in another case… such as my gear bag or luggage. But as is, the
ZERO is too big and unwieldy for me to personally want to lug around as my
‘everyday’ case.

Price: $79.95

Pros:
Attractive
Protective

Cons:
Aluminum shells not affixed to plastic
case properly
Price
Size/Weight

 

Product Information

Price:$79.95
Manufacturer:Franklin Covey
Pros:
  • AttractiveProtective
Cons:
  • Aluminum shells not affixed to plastic
  • case properlyPriceSize/Weight

20 thoughts on “Zero Halliburton Metal Case Review”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. If you haven’t been to Nashville, then I’d like to suggest that you give it a thought or two. There’s a lot of interesting things to see downtown like the Frist Museum, The Parthenon (Athens is out sister city), Music Row, The Rhymann Auditorium, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, plus a bunch of other stuff that I’m forgetting too.

    The Grand Old Opry is a MUST see for all first time visitors. Even if you’re not crazy about country music, the experience is unique enough that EVERYONE always has a good time. Hee-Haw Live is a good description; but its not as corny. I have yet to have a guest tell me they didn’t like going.

    Nashville isn’t too far from Indy, so you should be able to get here within a reasonable amount of time too.

    Food..? Oh yeah! We have some good places to eat. Monelle’s is a must eat if you like Southern Cooking. If you want good fried Chicken, then The Pie Wagon is a must. Its a little hole in the wall kinda place; but Wednesday is the day to go if you want the best fried chicken in the world!

    We’ve also got a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, a P.F. Chang’s Chinese Bistro; and if you want some of the BEST sushi you’ll ever eat, then you have to try Benkay.

    If you decide to come to Nashville, give me a shout, and my wife, Michelle and I will show you around town!

    Kind Regards,

    Christopher Spera

  3. Hi Chris,

    Thanks for the suggestion. I have visited Nashville in the past. Did the whole Opryland, Gatlinburg thing a couple times as a kid. I like country music, but not sure I like it enough to base a whole vacation on it right now 😉 Also, Nashville is busier than what I like. Think slow paced, and laid back. That’s me. 🙂 The food descriptions you gave are enough to make me want to visit again sometime soon though!

    Keep the ideas coming folks!

  4. Hatteras Island, NC is a really cool and scenic place. Plus, on the way, you drive through Kitty Hawk, which is especially cool on this 100th anniversary year of the Wright brothers’ first flight.

    You can get to Hatteras in your car via a bridge at Oregon Inlet. A very cool place to go.

  5. Richard Greene

    Living in Modesto – Yosemite is just an hour or so away. You could hit Yosemite for a couple of days and then go to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

    I’d suggest flying into Fresno, CA and you’d be in Yosemite by driving in 1.5 hours. Then come back to Fresno and to get to Kings Canyon and Sequoia which are even less of a drive.

    Lots of scenery and the fall colors would be out. There would be a fair amount of walking which would afford you your own pace or you can take the “canned” tours.

    Just my 2cents.

  6. I know you said to keep it in the US, but how about somewhere in Canada?

    Good people, good food, good time!!!

  7. I’m kind of leaning towards a visit to California. I’ve always wanted to see the giant redwood trees. I’m just wondering if there will be enough in that area to keep me interested. I like the outdoors, but only to a point. 😉

    …still pondering…

  8. Richard Greene

    Well, Yosemite is really two days and you can actually stay in the park at various locations – just go to the National Parks Web site and then go from there. Yosemite to San Francisco – 3.5 hour drive on a bad day. And S.F. will have plenty of – Not the “great outdoors” type of museums etc.

    If you want good food – a restaraunt resort in Oakhurst, CA which is near the entrance to Yosemite called Eldeberry House. It’s one of the highest ranked restaruants in the state and it’s pricey but it’s a full 7 course meal and is an experince that is not forgotten.

    I’m travelling for the next week but when I get back to my DSL line then I can provide more info.

    In S.F. you could stay at the Courtyard North Beach area and either walk to many fine places or take the cable car or of course cabs to just about any of the usual tourist spots.

    Let me know if you want further details.

  9. Washington D.C. is full of museums and outdoor stuff. There’s great shopping and decent public transportation too. 🙂

    I know you said California, but I thought I’d leave the suggestion anyhow. 🙂

  10. I haven’t made up my mind yet for sure, so keep the ideas coming 😀

    As for visiting Canada, I’ve never been, tell me more!

  11. It might be too busy for you, but San Francisco has loads of history, both in town and nearby. Lots of nature too. Easy to get around by public transit (don’t drive downtown, though) and lots of great restaurants. Hmmm… Take a look at <http://www.sinasohn.com/attractn.htm> — its way incomplete and rather out of date, but gives you an idea. As for food, way out of date, <http://www.sinasohn.com/restrant/> will at least give you an idea of the sort of experiences available here. (Note: Paul’s and Leon’s are both gone.)

    As for history, you’ve got all kinds of museums, you’ve got the Fillmore, north beach… there’s history just about every where you look. Yosemite is nearby, and Sacramento is the state capitol and has Sutter’s Mill with the gold rush stuff. You can head up the coast to the Russian River area (one of my favorite areas — we’re hoping to retire there in a few years) or the wine country. Head south for the silicon valley, including the tech museum of innovation, the intel museum, and (if you time it right) the vintage computer festival (<http://www.vintage.org/>).

    That time of year is actually the perfect time for visiting SF — the weather is warm (occasionally even hot) and the crowds are gone. Kids are back in school where they won’t bother you. You might even be here for the italian festivals (Columbus day, iirc, though it’s now known as indigenous people’s day here.)

    There are lots places to just chill, if you want to do that too.

  12. If you’re not so into the great outdoors, I would suggest Ottawa (the capitol). Museums and shopping, and lots of great food. I would love to go back there.

    Vancouver, BC is also fantastic. Another place we’ve considered relocating to (if the SF Bay Area fell into the ocean).

  13. For the outdoors, thereverglades is really something to see. Otherwise, you have the beaches and the Keys. Real Key lime pie from, mmmmm.
    Miami has some of the best cuban food available.
    Finally, where else will you get to see very expensive cars in pastel colors!

  14. gremlin_591002

    If you are into historical stuff, old buildings, easy pace, and scary good food. You can’t beat New Orleans. I spent a year working down there. I loved it. There is a brochure that has a self guided tour of the French Quarter and there is an excellent tour of the old cemetarys that starts out of Igor’s Cafe and Bar, it’s guided by an anthropologist. And if you want a bit of wild life, you can always go for a swamp tour. Not all of New Orleans is Mardi Gras. If you are interested I’ll send you an email with all my favorite places to stay, eat, drink, and see. A guide only, New Orleans is best experienced without a stated itnerary.

  15. If traveling too far is not too big a concern, Hawaii is, in my opinion, the best vacation spot in the US (granted not continental US..). I just returned from my second trip there…The first time around we went to Maui, Honolulu, and Kona on the big island. This time, we stayed on the island of Kauai. It was absolutely breathtaking…We took a helicopter tour of the island (they’ve shot several movies including Jurassic Park there). The hotel we stayed at was absolutely fabulous (8 restaurants nonetheless…it was the Hyatt at Poipu Beach). I’ve never returned home so relaxed.

    Also, you probably would stop at Honolulu, so you could check out the Pearl Harbor Memorial Site and the Queen’s Palace…not to mention Waikiki Beach and the excellent shops and restaurants in downtown Honolulu.

  16. My wife and I did the Bed and Breakfast thing in Eureka. We stayed at the Carter House Inns – Victorian inn, gourmet breakfasts!
    http://www.travelassist.com/reg/reg_m_wc.html

    We were very close to the Redwood National forest, which offers more Redwoods and Old Growth forests than you know what to do with:
    http://www.nps.gov/redw/
    We did some car camping, which was very nice in spring. October may be a bit rainy.

    You can also visit New Growth forests (biodiversity – NOT!) and see mountains of lumber – broke my heart.

  17. I’ve kind of switched gears and am now thinking about Marco Island or Keywest Florida. So many places to choose from…

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