Ishibumi Sony CLIÉ T Series Case Review

Product Requirements:
Device:
Sony CLIE T615C or
T415

I take PDA cases pretty seriously.

I had no less than three different case options for
my old Vx, and was always swapping them around.  A few months ago, I was certain
that I was getting the m130, and bought a

stylus and

Vaja case for the thing before it had even been released!

Well, I got the T615C instead, and the Vaja had to
go back; now I was left with a PDA without case – Oh, the humanity!

With every new PDA platform, there is period of
time where the Gadgeteer world holds its collective breath, waiting to see what
kind/how many cool little accessories will be available.  This situation is
ten-times worse if you already own that new PDA…trust me.

I needed a case.

Of the cases that were out there, most either did
not interest me, or were not yet available – then I found the

Ishibumi Case, available from

shop.brando.com.hk and whipped out my credit card.

  

Ultimately, it took 29 days to receive the case.  I have never ordered from
Honk Kong before, so I have no idea if this is a normal wait or not.

The first thing about the case that struck me was that it was not leather…but
a tightly-woven nylon – the pictures on the site can be somewhat deceiving.  Too
be honest, I felt a little cheated at first; but after using the case for a few
weeks I have come to like the material quite a bit.  It is strong, durable and
very stain-resistant.

Okay, on to the case.  It is a tri-fold book style
that features a flap to cover the credit card/MS slots (more on those later). 
The case is held shut with a strap that snaps onto the front cover of the case.

The nylon surround of the screen is something of an odd fit, curving over the
screen and obstructing a slight amount of the upper left corner.  The effect is
minimal, but the cause seems to stem from a strap located just above the jog
dial – directly over the lanyard mount.

For those who do not know, the lanyard strap on the
Clié 615 stick out of the site of the PDA for about five millimeters, and the
strap seems to have not taken this mount into account.  I am toying with the
idea of punching out a hole in the strap and allowing the lanyard attach point
to pass through.  Making this mod might also keep the PDA in the case (more on
that later…).

 

 

Your Clié slides into the case through the top –
which provides no protection to that side of the case, but leaves the IR and MS
functions available at any time.  A cut-out is placed on the left side for the
jog dial and back button, and another on the bottom for access to the sync
port.  You can sync or charge with the cable, but the device will not fit into
the cradle when in the case.

This situation is not a problem, as it is easy to
remove the Clié from the case, a little too easy, I think.  Only the friction
provided by a felt backing holds secures the PDA, and it seems a little
insufficient for the task.  Often, I pulled the case from my pocket to find that
my PDA had slipped part-way out of the case.  Not the end of the world, to be
sure, but the other day I was holding my case and gesturing wildly (I talk with
my hands, so what?) and send my shiny-new Clié careening across the room.

Caution may be advised.

In the case, the stylus silo is difficult to
access, so there is a slot included in the fold of the case.  This slot is
larger than the teensie stylus that ships with the Clié, so I found a use for
that m100 series stylus I purchased…cool.

The card holder area has two each of credit card
and memory stick holders.  The slots are fairly basic, but hold all media and
memory fit securely and do not fall out. 

Were there a money pocket behind this area, this
case might work well as a wallet, but having only the two card slots (which can
fit two credit cards each) would make such attempts difficult.

Despite my gripes, I like this case and will
continue to use it as the best suit for my main brain – just forget about
keeping it in your shirt pocket…

 

Price: $45 (From

Brando)

Pros:
Very good front-back-side protection
MS and credit cart storage that will never harm screen
Durable, easy-to-clean material
Stylus holder opens up world of possibilities

Cons:
Bulky
Lanyard Attachment interferes with case
PDA can slip out easily
Have to remove to sync with cradle