Extreme Limit Sony CLIE SJ Series Case Review

Product Requirements:
Device:
Sony PEG-SJ30

Colors:

red/black, blue/black,
black/black

As long as I have been dealing with Palm PDAs (and that has been since
1997/1998), I have been a purist as far as cases were concerned.
I didn’t like
them, because all of them added bulk to the pocketability of the Palm units I
have owned. Here and there I was tempted to use one or the other. On two occasions
I even bought cases, only to have them land in the dresser drawer after a short
while, because daily usability was poor..

Up comes the Extreme Limit Mesh Suit for my Sony PEG-SJ30 and I may
have to change my mind about cases and protection.

  

The Extreme Limit Mesh Case that wraps around the high ends of the SJ30 is made of
a combination
of materials. The seams and the folds are of leather and the padded parts on the
larger areas is a heavy duty nylon fabric mesh, much like the extra tough
Durafabrics.
The stitching is very well made, none are frizzly or sloppily glued.

The case itself clamps to the outside edges of the SJ30, with what Extreme
Limit Japan calls a "secure method", which has patents pending. I suspect that it is
a "U" bar of steel that has two small rails at each end that clamps on to the
left and right side of the Sony. It has a real snug fit and you will actually
need to pry off the case with a little pressure. I don’t think that it would
come off by itself by accident, because for that, it has a fit which is
exceptionally tight.

One of the next things I never liked about the flip cases for Palms was that
the inside flap would always accommodate Memory Sticks, credit or business cars,
SD cards, etc. Now, that in itself was a contradiction, since the case I would
choose needs to protect the screen foremost and then the rest of the unit itself.
Having said that I personally like smooth flaps on cases, since that is the best
protection for the screen.

 

Extreme Limit seems to have thought about this issue and still had extra
pockets built in, but also put a protective
extra flap in between to really protect the screen. This consists of a thinner
piece of leather/nylon padding that can be taken out of the case if needed or
wanted. I prefer to keep it in there. This issue was solved nicely. The whole
inside of the case is made of softened-up leather, which is an extra added
protection against minor scratches to the screen.

The case closes with a thin overlapping clasp on the back side of the unit.
Next to this, there is a metal loop for a possible lanyard/cord if needed.

On one
hand, the IR window, on/off button and the stylus silo are accessible. The clasp
isn’t in the way of an MS that might be in use. On the other hand, the top part of the unit is
unprotected. If you use a Sony Bluetooth Memory Stick then you will not be able
to close the clasp of the case, since the BT MS stick out to far. The back of the case has a small cut-out, so that
you can access the reset-hole without removing the case.

The downside of this case is that it doesn’t protect the unit on the sides.
It could be seen as a positive aspect that the Jog-Dial and the "back" button
are accessible at all times (but none the less aren’t protected either).

   

On the bottom of the case, there is a cut-out for the power/HotSync cable.
The closed case cannot be placed into the cradle designed for the SJ Series. You
can however open the case, fold it backwards and then, without having to take it
off the SJ30, put it in a cradle. This is also a sign that the designers were
taking this usability aspect into consideration before the case was produced.

You can also use the new Sony game pad and the mini keyboard designed for the
SJ/NR series with the case still attached to the PDA.

The case that I received isn’t one of those tough ones that has to be broken
in. It is easily useable right from the start and folds itself easily to the
contours of the SJ30. It adds a considerable bit of bulk to the unit. This may
or may not bother you depending on what you think of your SJ30 – but the PDA
itself isn’t exactly slimlined either so this shouldn’t be a problem after a
period of getting used to.

A nice twist to the whole case is also that it can be used as a stand, since the
SJ30 does not ship with a cradle. It makes working with the SJ30 a bit more easy.

 

Summary
All in all I really like the case, but I would only put it in an empty coat
or pants pocket. Because three sides of the SJ30 are not protected I think that
if I had keys or loose change in the same pocket it could get caught in between
the case and the unit itself, possibly scratching the PDA and screen after all.

The Extreme Limit case is a good "in-between" case for those that want fast
action access to their SJ30 and above average protection for their machine but
don’t want a full case which would cover the whole PDA and open like a book.
After all the SJ30 is a Palm OS unit and as such should be able to be used "in
the palm of your hand".

 

Price: $ 44.00 (converted from Japanese Yen)

Pros:
Fits well without Velcro or magnets
Above average screen protection for a flip-case
SJ30 can be hotsynced and charged in cradle with case attached
Reset slot accessible
Can be used as a stand

Cons:
Added bulk
Protects the PDA only on the back and front sides
Can’t keep a Bluetooth MS in the unit while the case is closed