Product Requirements:
Device:
Palm Zire 71
At the same time I bought my Zire 71, I got the “slim leather case” made by
Palm. That was a mistake. Upon purchasing a Pilot 5000 in 1997, I also bought
the “original leather case”. Both Palm cases fit over my Zire 71 much like a
book cover. I preferred using the old case because its snap closure was
convenient. The new “slim leather case” uses a strap that inserts into a
loop–closing the case requires two hands.
I thought I was happy using my old case. Then I discovered the
InnoPocket case.
The InnoPocket Metal Deluxe Case suits the way I carry and use my Zire 71. I
don’t carry a purse or shoulder bag, I slip the PDA into my front pants pocket.
For my purpose, the perfect case needs to be small yet very protective. This
case fits snugly over the Zire 71–its barely larger than the PDA itself. The
metal clamshell construction is extremely protective of the case and the screen.
It’s a more compact package that’s a big improvement over the “original leather
case”.
This silver anodized aluminum shell is neoprene lined. The neoprene along with
two security clips on the back and four tabs on the front, creates a friction
fit that holds the Zire 71 securely. There’s no chance the PDA will fall out
accidentally. The hinged cover opens to the right. Behind it are storage cutouts
for two SD cards.
The case openings are well thought out: At the top: power switch, SD card,
earphone plug and stylus are all accessible. At the bottom: the
serial connection.
Unfortunately, you can’t hot-sync your Zire 71 without removing it from this
case. The case is thick enough to prevent the serial connector from aligning
with the plug in the cradle. Removing the Zire 71 is inconvenient because it
fits so snugly.
Also, when the cover is open, it may be difficult to hold the Zire 71 with one
hand while writing with the other. The open cover gets in the way of your
fingers grabbing the hinge side of the case. I’ve overcome this problem by
positioning my thumb and pinky on opposite corners. This might be uncomfortable
if you have small hands.
On the other hand, this cover design makes picture taking easier. The rigid
hinge allows holding the open cover with one hand and the Zire 71 with the
other, creating an extremely stable photo setup.
It fits my pocket, protects my Zire and makes picture taking easier. For the
moment, this may be the best solution for my needs.
Price: $29.90
Pros:
Handsome, well finished product
Custom fitted to the Zire 71. A very snug fit, barely larger than the PDA itself
Holding the open cover creates a stable photo setup
Cons:
Difficult to hold PDA when the cover is open—can’t put fingers on
opposite sides of the case
Must remove Zire 71 from this case to perform a cradle hot-sync
Product Information
| Price: | 29.9 |
| Manufacturer: | Innopocket |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Post your comments here on the Innopocket Aluminum PDA Case Reviews.
Tungsten C Case
Toshiba e740 Case
Zire 71
HP 2215
HP 1910
Just click the POST REPLY button on this page.[
Finally, a hard case for the C! Can you do some testing to see if the case interferes with the WiFi signal?
Thanks for your great reviews, as always!
When I got my Innopocket I had to bend the cover slightly to even get the case to open it was sealed shut so tight. Also, the metal on the top left of the case is overlapping some. But for the money this is a great case. I can throw it in my pocket or my laptop bag and don’t have to worry about it getting damaged.
Even though I like the Innopocket case, I think now that Vaja has an Ivolution for the T|C I’m going to move up to that. You may see my metal case on ebay soon 🙂
I couldn’t put up with having to remove the PDA from the case to charge it. Synching isn’t a problem because I can do that over WiFi. Why don’t the case makers think about the cradle/charger issue? Or perhaps they do and have decided that it’s too difficult to get around and we just have to take the thing out every time. Now if Palm etc. made a charger like the one on my Panasonic shaver then that would be good. The shaver uses induction to charge the batteries so it just needs to fit into a coil with no plugs or connectors. Palm, are you listening?
I returned the case for a serveral of reasons. One is using the thumboard is impossible to do while balancing the case in your hands. Two, the case is two slipper and would drop easily.Lastly I couldn’t us the 3-1 innopocket sync /charge/sd card cable I purchased. You need to the and the back of the TC open to use teh cable.
🙁
Has anyone noticed any affect on the WiFi performance of the T|C when its in a metal case? I’d expect them to shield the antenna and reduce the range, but I don’t know how noticable that is.
The title of the site should be
“The Gageteer with tones of PDA Case Reviews”
Aie.
The way that the SD card pins are exposed when inserted into the case makes me ancy.
Two questions about the Innopocket Zire 71 case:
When the SD card slots are full, do they touch the screen and run the risk of scratching it?
Does the snug fitting case run the risk of scratching the finish on the Zire 71 when removed from the case?
Yeah, I’m a little bit of a scratchphobe if you haven’t noticed.. 😮 Nice review by the way!
Although I didn’t write the Zire 71 case review, I’m going to respond to this message. Innopocket styled their cases in such a way that the cover is usually bowed out. This allows the SD card / cards to NOT touch the screen whe the cover is closed.
As for the cases scratching the PDA from repeated insertion and removal, that should also not be a problem as long as the neoprene lining is still in place. The lining is soft and spongy, and will not marr the finish on your PDA. <- At least it never has on any of my PDAs so far.
Thanks for the speedy reply Julie! I’m happy to hear there no scratch related risks with the case. Now, if only they could make a metal case that opened/closed like a flip cover… then I’d be in heaven. 🙂
Hi,
I had bought a Innopocket case for my e750 via web. Once I opened up my package, I was amazed on how attactive it looked.
And surely felt solid once I opened it. I quickly put my PDA in it but once I got in, I discovered that it was tough to get it out!
I played with it for an hour or two, finally I had found out a sure way to get it out for my e750 Innopocket case. Perhaps someone already knew this, but I could not find it anywhere in the web. So let me voice this out.
The problem of not getting out, is the clips that lock the PDA, where there are 2 holds at the back of the e750. So I insert a screen protector, see attached image, so it helps to pass down at least one of the clips. And slightly push with a stylus toward the opening of the case at the bottom of the PDA and it will slide out easily. I have not tried it, but a credit card should work as well.
Only now that I got my unit out and found the clips does stretch a little of the back of my PDA.
BUY THIS CASE!! :love: They DO protect your PDA as promised!
I have a Zire 71 and purchased this cases bretheren from iConcepts which is the exact same case. I recently found out Innopocket, iConcepts, and Rhino Skin all have a version of this case.
I does fit to the exact measurements of the PDA and the neoprene protects nicely. The SD are reverse because of the “short factor” of the contacts meeting with the metal casing. (Although they could have lined the interior so you can turn them around and actually SEE which cards are which. :rolleyes: )
The case IS slippery and as a result, when I got out of my car this morning, it slipped from my hand as I was adjusting a small FedEx package I needed to send. I watched in horror as it flew from my hand tumbling sideways end-over-end towards the parking garage concrete. (complete with slow motion “N-o-o-o-o-o-oooooo..”:eek: ) WHAM!! as it landed on a corner and slid a bit. I nausiatedly reached for it expecting a case full of pieces when EUREKA!! Not a scratch!! Powered it up and it was perfect. Even better was the hardcase did not fly open on impact risking the screen!! WOW! I am very impressed with this case now and will purchase them for every PDA I ever own from now on!!