Product Requirements:
Device:
HP 2200 series iPAQ
Remember when the coolest thing in the world was a clear replacement shell
for your Palm Pilot or Palm III series PDA? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a clear
shell for a Pocket PC, but for those of you that are into such things, I have
something that may suffice: A clear case for
HP2200 series iPAQ
from SuntekStore.
This clam shell style case is made from crystal clear durable plastic and is
molded perfectly for the HP2200. The PDA snaps into the bottom half of the case
and is held there by two posts which lock into the two slots on the back side of
the PDA.
Once snapped into place, the cover can then close perfectly over the front of
the PDA. Cutouts in the cover exist for the power button, applications buttons
and navigation button. The case is a little too thick to allow for easy button
access though. This is especially true for the small power button cutout, which
is almost impossible to press with your fingertip. The
navigation button is the easiest of all the buttons to use while the cover is
closed. Game players that are interested in this case will probably opt to play
with the cover open instead of closed.
Opening the cover is a little tricky. I found that the easiest way to open it
was to place two or three fingers in the large button cutout area and press
down while lifting up with my thumb hooked around the bottom cover’s ledge. When
opened, the cover can flip around a full 360 degrees. It isn’t very comfortable to hold
it completely folded under the PDA, but having it hanging behind your hand as
your hold it, is a nice way to get it out of your way.
The back half of the case has holes for the speaker and reset switch, while
the top has an open area over the compact flash slot. This allows you to keep an
oversized CF card plugged in while the cover is closed. There is also a cutout
for the earphone jack and stylus. The cutout for the stylus is pretty much
useless though. There is a small plastic lever built into the back of the case
that you can use to pop the stylus up. The problem is that the stylus doesn’t
pop up far enough to grab hold of. Not only that, the little lever
thingy fell out the 2nd time I tried to use it. Basically, you’ll want to use a
separate stylus with this case.
The play through aspect of the Clear Case is convenient and the style itself
is unique. With a price tag of less than $20, you really can’t go too wrong with
this case. Just make sure you buy a multi-pen stylus to use with it.
Price: $18.95
Pros:
See through, play through
Cons:
Buttons hard to press when cover is closed
Stylus is not accessible
Can’s sync/charge with cradle
Product Information
| Price: | 18.95 |
| Manufacturer: | SuntekStore |
| Pros: |
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| Cons: |
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Nice concise review. Quickly sums up all that is relevant about this pretty case.
I bought mine a JAVOedge, but I guess it’s the same thing.
I have some added remarks:
I’m not sure what you were trying to do to open the case, but the manual shows that you lock/open the case by sliding the front half up/down. You need to slide the front half of the case down to unlock it and then it just falls open 😀
I can get the stylus out just fine as well. Just use a swift motion to propel the stylus out. Never had the lever come loose yet. It is a bit of a nuisance that you need to take the stylus out before you put the iPAQ in the case (to allow the lever to grab the stylus) I keep forgetting that and then the stylus won’t come out or I need to take the iPAQ out and put it back in properly again. But that just might be a problem with me being to stupid to remember this 😀
I have an extra issue. I bought the case to use the PDA for GPS navigation in the car and the plan was to keep the cover closed and the iPAQ in the case. Trouble is, when I wear sunglasses (with polarizing glass) the plastic looks “oil stained”. This makes it a bit less usable in that situation, but it’s still doable.
And maybe that the plastic is not very scratch resistant. Not a big problem for me (I keep the PDA+case in a otherwise empty pocket), but if you plan on being rough on the case (keeping it with keys and such) you will quickly end up with a “frosted” look on the plastic.
Lastly, it doesn’t work with my PDA Panache stylus. I realy love that Stylus, but the top bit is too short for the case lever to grab it and move it up. Don’t know if I explained that well enough, but the point is that it just doesn’t come out unless I slam the whole case on my hand to pop it out (like a pack of cigarettes).
I realy love that the cover flips back all the way. That helps in reducing the numer of times that you need to take the iPAQ out of the case. The transparency and the “flip back” thing were the reasons I bought it.
All in all I think it’s a pretty decent case. Better than most that I have owned (for several PDA’s) Every case has it’s problems though.
:edit: Forgot to mention something. Most people who pick it up start tapping the plastic as if they were using the touchscreen. It’s funny to see them tapping away in amazement (nothing happens) until they realize the whole thing is covered in plastic :p
FYI, if you order this case from the Suntek company as mentioned in the article, your case will be shipped from Canada. 😡
I didn’t realize this until I got the confirmation email for my order. I just hate ordering things from Canada as the shipping times are a lot longer.
There are many other US-based online stores selling these clear cases, so you may want to keep that in mind when ordering.
Thank you, so much. I got my case from Suntek and I didn’t see any manual. That one little tip has made what was a very good case even better.
No mention of a belt clip or any attachment system. Guess it goes into your pocket, brief case, or purse. Since I like my PDA hanging from my belt, this case is not for me.:(
thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax