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Please accept my apologies for the late post. I’ve been having problems with my host Netfirms and have not been able to access my Wordpress all day and obviously even the site has been inaccessible for a big part of the day. I guess they have started looking into this and finally, I’m able to log in. Needless to say, I’m not terribly happy.

A BIG THANKS to Brando for providing the product for this review.

I’ve previously reviewed the “other” Brando Workshop Deluxe Leather Pouch Type Case for the Treo 650, which is a lateral or horizontal pouch type case. Today, I will be reviewing the vertical or more, specifically, the flip top leather case for the Treo 650.

Aside from the Brando name, there’s not much similarities in the two cases for the Treo 650. Not only are they different cases in how the Treo 650 is positioned, even the belt clip is different. Unfortunately, on Brando’s site, there is not a clear distinction of the two different versions of the case. Well, hopefully with the two reviews that it will help many potential buyers decide on “which” Treo 650 case they are interested in (Lateral Pouch or Flip Top).

Again, this review will be on the Brando Workshop Deluxe Leather Flip Top Case which is a vertical case. If you are interested in the “other” case, please check out my review on the Brando Workshop Lateral Pouch Case.

One of the nice things I like about getting cases from Brando is that they package the case in a nice looking box. I’m sure for most people, it’s not a big deal, but I personally find that compareed to the usual transparent blister type packaging, that it’s a very nice change. What I perceive from this packaging is that it’s almost like I’m getting a “gift”, because of this nice looking box, and that’s a really nice and different way of packaging a product. And I’ve forgotten to mention and take pictures of the extra Brando logo tags that are normally included in the packages I get from Brando. Of course, they are really for marketing, but it’s a nice touch regardless because Brando has spent the money to make these tags and have included in the package. This also adds in to my “perception” that Brando wants to make it seem like a gift to include something extra.

Opening up the box, I am greeted with the wonderful smell of leather. Did I mention that I love the smell of leather? Yes, I did, but that was in my video review of the Brando Pouch Case for the Treo 650 and I don’t believe that I’ve written this opinion. And this case really gives me that leather smell. While I was reviewing the case, I was constantly enjoying the aroma of the leather. That’s very nice.

Here are some pics of the Brando Workshop Deluxe Leather Flip Top Case.

Pics of Brando Deluxe Leather Flip Top Case

Video review of Brando Deluxe Leather Flip Top Case

Video at Vimeo requires Flash version 8

Alternative link: YouTube

The Brando Workshop Deluxe Leather Flip Top Case offers a lot more features than the other lateral pouch case. First of all, it has a flip top or flap, so to get access to the Treo’s screen, you’ll need to unsnap the flap and flip over the flap. The flap functions in two ways. First of all, it’s there to protect the sensitive Treo screen from scratches or accidental bumps. Second, located at the underside of the flap is a small SD card holder, so it functions not only as a regular Treo case, but also an SD card holder as well. Considering that there’s a single SD card holder and the flap itself can actually be able to fit an extra SD card inserting from the other end, I’m surprised that Brando didn’t have two SD card slots on the flap. They could have easily put the Brando logo either at the front of the case or on the SD card holder itself. Just an observation.

The flap itself is kept held into place by a magnetic snap tab that wraps around the bottom of the case to the lower back. Herein lies a slight problem for me, at least. I have found that sometimes I need to pull the tab a bit in order for the magnetic snap to “snap” in, otherwise, although the magnet will stick the tab to the back, the tab can come off if it’s not fully snapped in.

Opening up the case, you’ll notice that there’s cut outs for the screen and the QWERTY and hardware buttons. There are side cut outs for access to the side buttons, cut outs at the top. At the back, there are speaker holes to allow sound to come out, unlike a lot of other leather cases which do not have such holes. Thus, with most other leather cases, part of the sound will be blocked and muffled. But, in this case (no pun intended), the speaker holes addresses this problem and allows sound to come through. This is quite a nice feature that I hoped that many other leather case manufacturers will address and improve upon. I personally enjoy listening to my daily Audible on the Treo and most of the time, I don’t put on my headphones, but instead have it sound through the Treo speakers, usually while I’m driving or doing something. So, for me, this is a big deal.

Also at the back is the holder for the removable belt clip screw. To use the belt clip, you’ll need to screw on the screw and tighten it. Then, slide in the plastic clip. With the clip, you can easily clip the case to a belt or to your pants. And, you can easily remove that belt clip from the case.

Now, here’s the difference and distinguishing feature of this flip top case. The belt clip for this case requires that you have to position the case in a horizontal position first, before you can remove the clip from the case. This provides somewhat of a “security” measure against accidental drops of the case (I know far too well) since it’s supposed to “lock in” unless the case is in a horizontal position.

Here are my observations. Although the idea of having a security “lock” on the belt clip is a good one, I’m not sure that it works as well as I’d like. First of all, any removable belt clip that I’ve ever tried seems to fail on me (I haven’t fully tested this one but due to the design, I would think the same result will occur). The main problem is that the screw that attaches to the case tends to unscrew itself over time (probably due to the frequent insertions and removals of the case). Even when I make a point of frequently tightenging the screw, somehow it failed on me. This was in respect to the last time I used a removable belt clip with my Innpocket Metal Deluxe Case, where the case fell (I have no idea how) since the screw was still tightly screwed to the case but and the clip was still on me. Most times, it’s usually the screw that gets unscrewed or unwound and the case falls to the ground. So, I would think that unless the screw or screw hole gets deeper into the case to make sure it’s tightly screwed on, or that it’s completely fused in with the case that this problem will happen some time.

The other observation with regards to the removable belt clip is that although the security feature does work, there are a few times where I was still able to remove the belt clip when in a vertical position, so it isn’t 100% secure in that respect. My experience is to never trust any removable belt clip since they’ve always failed on me. Instead, I either get a case with a fixed clip or just without a clip at all and put it in my vest breast pocket. It works very well for me, so the belt clip isn’t something that is too important for me. I have also found that I sometimes need to adjust the bottom cutout area of the case when I need to do a hotsync because the cable isn’t fully inserted (possibly the case is slightly in the way). I simply need to push out the Treo a bit and then make sure that the cable is fully inserted. Not a big deal, but hopefully, the leather will soften a bit over time and this isn’t a problem in time.

Again, keep in mind that my preferences are likely very different from yours. I am only sharing my thoughts.

Overall, the case is very nice. I love the leather smell and I can smell it all the time (which is a big plus for me, but for those who doesn’t like it, you may want to reconsider). The style is quite different as the flap flips out and looks quite cool when you do it. But, when you have the case clipped to your belt, and flipping it out, you’d need to keep your hand on it, or the flap will fall back down. This is where the removability of the case is important. But, if you rotate the case upside down, then, the flap can fall down and won’t get in the way. Also, the position of the belt clip is near the top of the case, so that unlike some other belt clip cases, the top of the case doesn’t get in the way, which is also another plus. The Brando Workshop Deluxe Leather Flip Top Case for the Treo 650 is a quality case. The leather is soft and it’s very nice and very stylish with the flip top design. If you are interested in a vertical flip top case, consider taking a closer look at the Brando Workshop Deluxe Leather Flip Top Case for the Treo 650 at Brando.com.hk

Thanks again to Brando for supplying the Brando Workshop Deluxe Leather Case for the Treo 650 Flip Top Version for the review.

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