Silver Slider 3 Review

Product Requirements:
Device:
Compaq iPAQ 3600, 3700, 3800, 3900
and 5000 series.

If you are an iPAQ owner worth your salt, the initials GM will not mean
General Motors to you! Instead, you’ll immediately think of George Mosquera and
his hugely popular customized Compact Flash and PC Card sleeves called
Silver
Sliders.

He started out taking
original sleeves as sold by Compaq, cut them down,
sanded them smooth and
gave them a coat of silver paint. It’s been over 2yrs since I first took a
look
at George’s creations, so let’s see how they’ve evolved…

In the beginning, George worked his magic on the stock sleeves by doing
everything painstakingly by hand. He told me that he’s probably made 1000’s by
hand in the last 2 yrs. These days, they are machine made. This means the
sleeves are all exactly the same, and there’s not as long to wait for an order.

As you can see below, the Silver Slider 3 is quite a bit thinner than my 2
year old Silver Slider 2.

[Left to Right: Original Silver Slider 2, Silver Slider 3]

The sleeve is so slim that from above, all you can see are the arms that wrap
around the top of the PDA. The sides are cut out so that you feel like you’re
holding a naked PDA instead of one with a CF sleeve attached.

The arms that hold the SS3 onto the iPAQ are pretty small. But, they feel
strong and not the least bit fragile. They hold the iPAQ securely so that the
Silver Slider does not wiggle while in use. The left arm is shaped so that you
can still easily use the record button when needed.

Silver Sliders get their name from their color. The finish on the sleeves
match the color of the iPAQ beautifully. It blends in so well, that people might
believe that the Silver Slider is actually part of the iPAQ, and not a separate
peripheral.

I only found one small thing that I can complain about regarding the finished
product. At the bottom of the CF box area on the back, there are 2 rectangular
openings. My original Silver Slider 2 does not have them. In my opinion the
openings should be filled in.

Update 12/04/02: George informed me that those two
slots are for a snap on screen cover option that is in the works for the future.

If would like an even nicer looking finish on your sleeve, you can request to
have your Silver Slider clear coated. This is something that George will do by
hand himself for an additional $10. The results are quite nice, and give you a
very glossy sleeve.

[Sleeve with optional clear coat added]

Another option that you might consider for the SS3 (as well as the SS2) is a leather cover. This
turns your SilverSlider into a case that will not only give you a CF slot, but will also
protect your iPAQ’s screen from typical abuse.

Available in black leather, the cover is nicely padded on both the front and
back. The front has a stiffener as well as 2 card slots on the inside. It is
held closed with a magnetic snap and has a belt clip which protrudes out the
back.

This cover does not protect the sides of the iPAQ, but it does protect the
front and back. It makes the PDA comfortable to hold, but does add some bulk to
the unit.

The cover is affixed onto the sleeve by a very strong adhesive. So, you had
better make sure that this is really an option that you want when you order the
SS3 as it can not be removed once it has been added. If you order the cover when
you order the sleeve, George will install it himself. Otherwise, it can be
installed later by removing the adhesive backing and sticking it to the back of
the slider yourself.

I was very surprised at how strong the adhesive is on the leather cover. I
tried prying it away from the sleeve with medium pressure and it would not
budge. I think with normal use, it should stay put without any problems. The
only problem with the cover that I could see is that oversized CF cards will not
allow you to close the cover.

The Silver Slider continues to be a great alternative to the stock Compact
Flash sleeve sold by HP/Compaq. Of course, it’s more expensive, but it also
looks a heck of a lot better and is not as bulky.

Price: $56.00 SS3 without clear coat, $66.00 SS3
with clear coat, $15.00 Leather cover

Pros:
Thinner, smaller than original sleeve
Matches iPAQ color and style

Cons:
Optional leather cover can’t be removed once attached