Waterford Flip Case Review

Product Requirements:

Device: Any
PDA up to 5.3" (13.5cm) tall x 3.2" (8.3cm) wide x 1.1" (2.8cm)
thick

Not too long ago, I reviewed the Waterford
Tri Fold PDA Case. If you liked its looks, but thought it was a little bit
larger than what you would want to carry; here is another case for your
consideration. 

The Waterford Flip
Case is done in Waterford’s black Neoweave,
which is their proprietary nylon micro-fiber cloth, and then trimmed with smooth
black leather. With complimentary black stitching, this case looks a lot
more expensive than it is…in fact, when you hear the price, I think you
will be mildly shocked!

The front of this case is done in two parts, with the overlapping leather flap snapping to a underlying Neoweave portion. A shiny chrome plaque graces the front, simply saying WATERFORD. This branding is discreet, yet fashionable at the same time. Like the previously reviewed Waterford case, the Flip Case would be at home either in an office environment, or in an after-hours setting.  When the flip-lid is closed on this case, you do not have access to any of the ports on the top of your PDA. This may be something to take into consideration if you are partial to head-phone jack access.  I feel that when closed, the Flip Case will protect your PDA’s screen quite well from most bumps and shocks. It is certainly not crushproof, however.

This case features a snapping leather belt-clip, which will accommodate up to a 1.5" (3.8cm) belt. One of the nice things about this clip is that it will lay flat if you prefer not to use it. But be advised that it is held with a simple, regular snap. If something tugged on this case hard enough, it would most likely pull your PDA off your belt.  I have to say that I would not trust any of my PDAs to this belt-clip method. It seems flimsy, and makes me nervous.

The interior of the Flip Case is done in a combination of the Waterford Neoweave, black leather, and a nylon Waterford Logo cloth.

There is a leather holster that surrounds your PDA, protecting it’s edges and sides.  You’ll notice that on the left side of the holster, the leather does not come up as high. This will be good news for many PDA owners, as this is where jog-dials, Power, Record, and other buttons are often located. There are two pockets behind the PDA holster. Either one can accommodate the unique method Waterford has used to secure your PDA with this case. As you can see, there is a flexible plastic insert, with a wide piece of double stick tape affixed to it.  You will attach this plastic insert to your PDA, and then slide the plastic into whichever pocket suits you. You can then store receipts or bills in whichever pocket you don’t use for the plastic insert.

It is worth noting that you will have to remove your PDA from the Waterford
for syncing and charging. The good news is that this is very simple to do, given
the plastic insert method.

I am not thrilled with the double-stick tape  – but I did find a couple
times when I wouldn’t mind using it (as much): You can position it so that it
will fit perfectly on a dummy springboard, if you are using a Handspring
Visor.  

You can also affix the plastic piece to either a basic style sleeve, a Compact Flash sleeve, or a PCMCIA sleeve for the Compaq iPAQ! I almost fell over when I tried the PCMCIA Sleeve, just for fun…I couldn’t believe this case was able to hold it! I did find fit-wise, that everything looked better if I removed the little note-pad. I guess the good news is that this case can actually handle all of those sleeves, Amazing!

The bottom portion of the Waterford features a small note-pad, and a pen loop. I was disappointed with this pen loop, because it did not fit a single ballpoint pen I owned, seriously!  I found it was more suited to holding a replacement stylus. The note-pad can be removed if you would like, and you can use the pocket that held it for other things.  There is also a long pocket behind the note-pad area, perfect for holding receipts or folded bills.

There is a built-in stylus holder to the right of the PDA holster. This will be especially good news for HP Jornada Pocket PC owners; as you will most likely wish to remove your flip-lid from your PDA when inserting it in this case – although there is enough room that you don’t have to remove it, if you would prefer not to.

When the case is closed, the right side is completely covered.

From the left side, the only exposed area is that small portion near the top of the PDA where most of the extra controls reside.

The Waterford can get quite bulky. When I inserted my iPAQ with PCMCIA
sleeve, this case measured 5.5" (14cm) tall x 3.8" (9.7cm) wide x
2.11" (5.36cm) thick, when closed. 

With a normal sized PDA installed, the measurements are the same, but the
thickness is reduced to 1.45" (3.7cm).

When I was actually holding and using the Waterford, I found one of my few major complaints with the case’s styling: Namely, the smaller top flip-lid kept trying to cover my PDA’s screen. I got to where I would have to use my thumb to keep it propped up. This may not be a big deal for some, but for me it was an annoyance.

Overall, I feel that the Waterford Flip Case is an outstanding value for the
money. The things that I took issue to were minor in the grand scheme of things,
and could generally be worked around – except for the belt-clip safety issue. If
you never intend to wear this case on your belt, then my complaint won’t even
matter to you.

The Waterford Flip Case is available at Stylus
Central, and other fine retailers.

Price:  $29.00

Pros:

Excellent Price
Case looks sharp, and is made of durable materials
All sides of the PDA are protected

Cons:

Small potion of flip-lid got in my way while viewing screen

Pen holder is too narrow to hold most pens

Belt Clip method seems flimsy

Must remove PDA to sync
No access to the top of PDA when case is closed
Must use sticky tape to attach PDA