Thanks for visiting Palm Discovery

A BIG THANKS to Mingo and Eva Chui of PDAir for providing the product for this review. They were also very kind enough to enclose two leather keychains (which I will be giving away in a future Palm Discovery giveaway once I get enough money to pay for the contest shipping) as well as a Christmas Card. That really shows me how much they appreciate their customers by going that extra mile and providing that extra touch. Thanks again, Mingo and Eva Chui!

The PDAir Aluminum Metal Case version 1 comes in various colors: Silver, Black and Pink. I chose black because I wanted to get a slightly different case since a lot of aluminum cases are in silver and it would be nice to review something that is in a different color. And what a difference color makes! The black color makes the case quite distinctive, sleek and almost transforming it and looking like a TX (er, well, maybe not).

Pics of PDAir Aluminum Case for Treo 650

Click on the thumbnail images for a bigger picture

Side by side comparison of two different aluminum cases

Video of PDAir Aluminum Metal Case for Treo 650

Vimeo requires Flash version 8 or better

Alternative link: YouTube

Very much like other similar aluminum type hard cases, this case is made out aircraft grade anodized aluminum, making it quite lightweight but sturdy and durable enough to provide protection for the Treo. Also unlike other aluminum cases, the entire inside of the case is covered with the neoprene lining. In other aluminum cases, there were certain areas (usually where the rubbery grip is located) where there are gaps in the lining. This offers a much better “grip” of the Treo inside the case as well as providing more of a shock absorption all around.

There are cut outs in the case to allow for access to the hardware buttons as well as the top row of the QWERTY keyboard. The cut out for other aluminum cases may only provide access to the hardware buttons instead. There are cut outs for the side and volume buttons, camera lens and mirror and speaker as well as at the bottom for access to the connector ports.

There is a transparent plastic window at the front to allow for viewing of the screen as well as providing protection for it to prevent any accidental taps or poking on the screen while it is inside a bag or wherever. However, the transparent plastic window is much smaller in size than other alumninum cases I’ve reviewed. Perhaps, this is a one size fits all type of case for the 650/700 line to accommodate for the smaller 240×240 screen of the 700w/wx? So, with a smaller transparent window, that obviously means that you won’t be able to view everything on the Treo 650 screen but only part of it. You may want to keep that in mind.

The cut outs at the bottom of the case is much bigger than other aluminum cases, thus, you won’t experience any problems inserting your connectors to the bottom of the Treo that may happen with other cases (not necessarily the aluminum cases) that I’ve noticed.

There are also a set of four small buds on the back side of the aluminum case, something like small legs to help stabilize the case when it’s placed on a flat surface (when the removeable belt clip and screw is not attached.

The screw that attaches to the case is a bit different than others, well at least appearance wise. Rather than just a boring metallic screw, there is a much bigger head that will attach to the removable clip. The bigger head also make it easier to screw the screw onto the case. A closer examination shows that a bigger piece of plastic was stuck to a normal looking screw. So, aside from the looks, it is very much like other removable clips and screws.

The case with the removable belt clip attached, can surprisingly still lie flat on a flat surface like a table without having it all wobbly, unlike other cases with removable belt clips attached. All that’s required is to swivel the clip with the spring release button of the clip not pointing up but down. This will somewhat balance the weight of the case and the clip with case will lie flat on the table.

To summarize my observations, the case is very similar to other aluminum cases with some differences.

First, the transparent plastic window is much smaller on this particular case compared to others I’ve reviewed. If you prefer to work on your Treo with the Treo in the case and the flap closed, then, you may find that the limited visibility of the screen may be a big factor. The cut out for the hardware buttons is much larger than other aluminum cases, so you now have an extra line of QWERTY keys you can access. This is a nice feature if you prefer this over just a cut out for the hardware buttons.

Second, the neoprene lining covers the entire inside of the case, unlike other similar cases which do not cover all over the inside. This will obviously offer a slightly more “grip” and cushion against shocks. I actually find that it gripped my Treo a lot more than I wanted, very much like the other aluminum case I own. What I ended up doing is finding where the “gripping” occurs and removing part of the neoprene material so that it’s easier to remove the Treo without pushing or pulling it out with some force. Again, this is not a big deal. You’d much rather have the case grip it better than to not have it grip the Treo, well, at least that’s my view.

Third, the actual clip could have been better improved. Although I like the overall design and form of the clip, being it’s nice and flat, the actual way that the clip works is not a spring-like type that I personally prefer. I tend to prefer clips that are very tight and uses a spring to tightly clip or grasp that belt or fabric. Other clips that aren’t the spring-like types, I find can easily not grip the material as well, and may lead to possible accidental drops. So, for me, a belt clip has to have a good spring like clip but it also has to be quite tight in its grip. I have experienced my share of accidental drops with clips that don’t grip as well as I’d like so this is quite an important feature for me. Please keep in mind that this is my personal opinion.

Overall, the case is quality crafted and I really like the neoprene lining all over the inside of the case. The black color is very distinctive and really sets this case apart. The PDAir Aluminum Case also comes in Silver, Black and Pink. Although the transparent window is smaller than the actual size of the Treo 650 screen, unless you are someone who does work with the Treo while the case is closed, this should not really be much of a factor. The bigger cut out that allows access to the hardware buttons and the top line of the QWERTY keys is a very nice feature. This still provides protection for most of the other QWERTY keys, yet still gives some access to the QWERTY keys if needed. I like how the case when clipped to your belt or pants keeps the case at waist level rather than have it above waist level, which sometimes can get in the way when I’m bending down. That is a very nice design. Again, as with my other aluminum case, I suspect that the inner rod of the hinge of the case will likely fall out (as I have previously discussed in a previous review). So to avoid the rod from falling out and possibly end up with a case that won’t close, you may want to get yourself a tight elastic band and fit it around the hinge. More details including a pic of it on my case can be found at this post.

Thanks again to Mingo and Eva Chui of PDAir for providing the product for this review as well as the two nice looking leather keychains and the wonderful Christmas/seasonal card.

Thanks for visiting and supporting Palm Discovery. If you are not reading this article from Palmdiscovery.com or Palmdiscovery.net, the website you are reading it from is guilty of copying and posting my content without consent. Please visit Palm Discovery for the original source of the material.

Del.icio.us categories: archives categories palm case hardcase pdair pdair-aluminum-metal-case, aluminum-case hardwarereview accessories

Popularity: 6% [?]