Extreme Limit Body-Suit for Sony CLIÉ PEG-NZ90 Review

Product Requirements:
Sony CLIÉ PEG-NZ90

There are benefits to keeping every PDA in a case: Cases offer pockets for
carrying accessories. They can also provide screen protection for those that
prefer carrying their PDA in portrait/tablet mode. A case will provide
protection from scratches to the PDA’s shell, as well as its screen..

Plus, I think a lot of people just like the way their PDA feels when it is
covered in leather.

Extreme Limit,
"the leading Japanese manufacturer of bags and cases for mobile computers,"
has a new offering in their Body-Suit line, made for the
Sony
CLIÉ NZ-90.

Unlike the pebbled leather of the cases in this series that I have reviewed
in the past, this version consists of a smooth grained cowhide in black with
matching black stitching.

There is an interesting addition of two zippers on the rear of the case, with
their pulls joined by a leather wishbone shaped snapping tab that is done in
black leather with contrasting red edges. In the center of the rear zippers is a
pocket for a CF card. The top of this pocket is embossed with the Extreme Limit
logo. Note that the CF pocket covers the area where the NZ’s speaker is. With
some PDAs, this might not be a big deal, but because the NZ90’s speaker is not
that loud to begin with, I think the pocket’s placement is a mistake.

This Body-Suit is a classic flip-style case, featuring a holster that the
NZ90 slides into and affording complete protection to the PDA’s front, bottom
and rear, with some protection to the sides.

Because of the placement of the PDA’s buttons, memory card slots, jog-dial
and sliding power button, the appropriate cutouts were made in the case’s sides.
The left side has notches for jog-dial, Back, and Voice Recorder buttons, and
when you peel back the Velcroed leather strip that covers the CLIÉ’s bottom,
there is a perfectly centered hole for the reset button.

On my sample, the only cutout that didn’t seem to line up as nicely as I
would have expected was the one on the right side, where the memory stick, hold
and power buttons are. The cut-out seemed to be at an angle which exposed a
portion of the MS. Since the website says that the memory stick is supposed to
be accessible by unzipping the back of the case, I assume that this was a
defect. Note that there is also a lanyard loop included for those that want that
feature.

As previously mentioned, there is a leather strap that covers the CLIÉ’s
bottom. It can be undone to expose the compact flash slot, or left undone if you
have the WiFi card installed. Personally, I don’t like this strap, I found that
it either got in my way or its Velcro was constantly being unpeeled. I would
have preferred that the case’s bottom had either been left intact or been made
with a cut-out slot.

Unsnapping the wishbone tab reveals and interior comprised of more smooth
black leather and a soft nappy material which will touch the back side of the
CLIÉ. In the front portion of the flip-lid are four slots for ID or business
cards, a stylus loop, as well as two memory stick slots.

The flip-lid can be laid against the back of the case to expose and use the
camera.

For those that choose to carry items in the flip-lids pockets, there might be
a concern about these items touching or scratching the NZ90. This is especially
true for those that prefer to keep the CLIÉ in tablet mode, as I do. To protect
the PDA, Extreme Limit has installed a removable black suede flap.

The holster is composed of a clear flexible plastic which covers the entire
keyboard. While I suppose that there may be a good reason for this, I personally
don’t like it. I feel as if the addition of the plastic cheapens the case. Even
though I keep my NZ90 in tablet mode, and I rarely have to actually see the
plastic, I don’t like knowing that it is there.

The one thing that may appeal to some people is the fact that this case
can sync in the cradle, because of the dual zippers. When you pull them
back, and undo the case’s bottom flap, you can then position the NZ90 in its
cradle. This is not a simple thing to do however, as it involves several steps
and repositioning of the CLIÉ both in the case and on the cradle. It really is a
bit of a hassle, and I found it much easier just to remove the PDA from the
case, but to each their own.

Overall, this isn’t one of my favorite cases. While I think that Extreme
Limit included some worthwhile elements, I also feel that the case missed its
mark. The very E&B-esqe (examples:
iPAQ & Jornada) addition of the two
zippers on the back just seems like a poorly implemented design. Let’s face it –
Sony put the power/sync port for the NZ90 in an incredibly inconvenient
position. I don’t think it will be possible to design a case that can easily
allow the PDA to sync or charge in the cradle. Those of us with an NZ90 that
choose to use a case will just have to accept that this will involve removing it
when we need to perform those necessary functions.

Price: ¥6850,
or approximately $62

Pros:
NZ90 can sync and charge while in case
Can hold one compact flash card and two memory sticks
Removable suede flap protects screen from items in pockets
Clear holster allows view of keyboard

Cons:
Expensive
It is a pain to sync and charge the NZ90 when in the case
Zippers that allow access for syncing/charging seem too big and flashy
Velcroed bottom strap gets in the way when opened
Plastic holster is cheesy