Sena Case for the HP iPAQ hx4700 / hx4705 with Extended Battery Review

Product Requirements:
Device:
HP iPAQ hx4700 / hx4705 with extended battery

The day that I bought the extended battery for my
HP iPAQ hx4700,
I was set for some serious reading. Suddenly, my PDA’s life was extended
to over 13 hours, and life was very, very good…except for the fact that I no
longer had a case in which I could safely keep my iPAQ. For a while, I made do
with the removable screen cover that came with the PDA. Obviously this was a
temporary solution, because I was certain that some of my favorite manufacturers
would eventually introduce cases for this configuration.

During the wait, I am not even sure how it happened, but my iPAQ picked up
this beauty mark…

No more running naked for PAQo! There had to be a case out there, and thus I
began an extensive search. So far, I have only found one company that
makes the product I need, Sena. Their
case for the
HP iPAQ hx4700 with
extended battery comes in quite a few color choices as well as with or
without a belt-clip. I was sent the black-blue case with no belt-clip, which was
a nice deviation from many manufacturers’ usual black or brown case offerings.
The case is also available in red-camel, black-red, and yes…black or tan.

Sena Cases come in a glossy paper box, nestled inside a reusable cloth bag. 
The case itself is quite lovely, with its two-tone retro vibe. The exterior is
solid black, with the exception of the flip-cover, which has blue insets on each
side. Very neat black stitching compliments the design, and there is a discreet
embossed "SENA" logo in the middle bottom front of the cover.

 

The bottom corners of the PDA are more exposed in this case than I am
accustomed to, and it is possible that over time because of the lack of cover
these corners may become worn depending on what type of use the PDA sees.

Otherwise, the sides of the PDA are well covered in the thin black leather
holster. Note that there are properly placed cutouts for the record button, the
reset hole and there is a notch in the lid for the headphone jack.

  

The iPAQ will not be able to sit in the cradle when it is wearing the Sena,
however the sync/charge cable may easily be used.

The flip-lid is held in place with two small round magnets that interact with
the reciprocal magnets placed in the bottom of the holster. Not having a snap
tab helps to eliminate added bulk, and I should say at this point that the case
is very form-fitting and slim. The naked iPAQ with extended battery measures
approximately 5.2" tall x 3" wide x 0.83" thick at its widest points. The iPAQ
wrapped in the Sena case measures 5.3" tall x 3.1" wide x 1.2" thick.

 

Inside the flip-lid are two business card or ID slots, a deeper Compact Flash
card sized slot, two SD card slots, as well as a very deep pocket that runs
behind all of the others. I don’t like cards to touch my PDA’s screen, so I do
not keep anything in these pockets. I would imagine that if they were full the
case would no longer be quite so slim. Of course, since the flip-lid uses
magnets, all of the usual warnings about carrying credit cards or IDs with
magnetic strips apply. I should also mention that "SENA Genuine Leather" is
embossed in the middle of the lid.

 

The thin black leather holster is lined in nylon to prevent it from losing
its shape over time. I was actually surprised by how snugly the holster was able
to fit the iPAQ with its bottom heavy extended battery. The leather sides of the
holster perfectly frame the screen, and the only evidence I saw of gapping was
at the very bottom of the case, near the sync/charge port. This gap is not too
distracting or ugly by any means, but it may bother some.

The cutout around the touchpad is adequate enough so as to not crowd the
user…

…and there are cutouts placed about the holster for the microphone and
status light display. The speaker is covered with a bit of black mesh, which is
a nice touch.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the quality and design of the Sena. I am
also thankful that this manufacturer considered users with extended batteries
and that they managed to produce a case that didn’t turn the iPAQ into a
veritable brick. If you are also using an extended battery on your iPAQ, then
you no longer need to go naked and take the chance of scratching your $600+
investment – get a Sena and keep it covered!

Price: $43.99

Pros:
Pleasing two-tone retro design
Well made
Flip-lid can hold SD, CF, business and ID cards
Slim fitting

Cons:
Bottom corners of iPAQ are more exposed than I would like
Bit of a leather gap under the sync / charge port