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A slight glitch at Netfirm’s end that reverted showing data from a few days ago. I didn’t notice until AFTER I posted this review that I lost 2 postings. Now that they have restored their most recent backup, I have to re-post this again. So, don’t think your eyes were fooling you. This was posted but I had to re-post it again to get it back to what it should have been yesterday. But everything is fine now. Sorry for any inconvenience. At least it’s all cleared up.

Palm Discovery gives a BIG THANKS to Richard of Prima Cases for providing the product for this review.

Here’s a “veteran” case manufacturer that’s been around for over 25 years! Prima Cases is a division of the Colemax Group LLC, one of the world’s premier designers, manufacturers and suppliers of quality custom carrying cases for high tech companies, television sports networks, and major multi-national corporations. They are also the founders of the original Bellagio Designs, creators of the original Palm III Case, Palm V Case and Palm VII Case. As well, all the cases carried by CBS SPORTS field teams and executives are also Colemax cases. To say that they have experience in this field (pardon the pun) is quite an understatement.

Today I will be reviewing the Treo 700 Open Face Leather Case - Cell Phone Style Case from Prima Cases. This case is specifically designed for the Treo 700 series of devices. There is a similar one for the Treo 650, and Treo 600 as well.

Pics of Prima Case Treo 700 Open Face Leather Case

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Video of Treo 700 Open Face Leather Case

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First of all, keep in mind that this is a “specially” designed case for the Treo 700 series models only. Thankfully, I still have the Treo 700p on loan from Environics (thanks to Michelle and Amy) so I was able to do this review.

The first thing you will notice about this case is that it *looks* different. At first, I couldn’t place it. And then, like a “dumb” moment, it hit me. It was the open face design (which was clearly noted in its name) that was the difference. It was clearly what made the overall case look very different. The open face design is just that, it shows off the “face” or front of the device. Unlike many other similar leather cases, the open face allows full frontal access to the device, without any obstruction. There is no small piece of leather that is normally found running along the bottom edge of the screen that separates the screen area from the buttons and keypad area. It looks clean and definitely provides a nicer, cleaner look.

This very different look is cleverly accomplished by its unique frame design that allows this special open face look but yet retains the firm, rigid shape of the case. What a clever design!

At the side, the case has side cut outs for the side and volume buttons. At the back, there’s a speaker hole cutout (one that I really like) and a built-in flat head screw attachment for the removable ABS plastic swivel belt clip. The bottom has cut outs for the ports and connectors. The top has a cut out for the ringer switch. The case is kept in place with a magnetic snap closure that wraps over the top of the case and the device spanning diagonally across to meet the back of the case. Another interesting looking design compared to other cases where it’s normally a straight wrap around.

Here are my observations:

I really like the open face design and it’s quite nice to notice that this design really “shows” the beauty of the Treo device without any piece of leather that may “get in the way” to separate the screen and key and buttons area. This gives a very clear and “open” look. I also like how the special frame design does a great job of keeping the case’s shape and rigidity.

The speaker hole at the back of the case is a big plus for me. I personally love listening to my Audible while driving in my car or just when I’m doing other things and don’t want to plug in my headphones. Having a speaker hole makes a big difference because it will allow the sound to come through. A lot of leather cases do not have a speaker hole and a lot of times, I find that I have to increase the volume by quite a substantial amount to “hear” it. As well, without a speaker hole, I may not be able to “hear” the alarms when they go off, or when a call comes in. That is why I really like having a speaker hole, regardless of how it may look. For me, again, it’s substance or function over style. But that’s me.

The permanently attached flat head attachment screw for the belt clip is another plus for me. First of all, as I’ve discovered with other metallic screws that you screw on, is that over time, the screw will unscrew itself. I have personally experienced my share of mishaps when the removable belt clip failed on me. What normally happens is that the screw will unscrew itself and at the most inopportune time and you are left with the belt clip with screw still attached to your belt or pants and the case on the floor. With a permanently attached screw on the case, this eliminates this problem. Also, with a flat head, this also allows me to easily lie the case on a flat surface like a table or floor when it’s removed from the belt clip. Unlike other belt clips with a curved or round head, the case with the screw will lie perfectly flat. So, these are big pluses for me.

The design of the magnetic snap closure although it offers a different style and design, I’ve noticed that it may be a slight hindrance for some. If you have a tendency to swap out your SD cards or need access to the infrared port, you will need to unsnap the tab before you can have access to those parts of the device. But this problem isn’t limited to this particular case as all similar type leather cases that has a snap closure at the top will face the same problem since there is very limited space available that will accommodate for the speaker hole, the camera lens, the stylus as well as the SD card and IR port. So, to have access to one will likely mean, you won’t have access to another, unless the design is completely changed. But since I’m not a designer, I do not have much of an idea on how to circumvent this. I’m only disclosing my observations of the case to help readers get an idea of the cases are like.

The clip itself is made of ABS plastic and offers a good strong grip, which I like. It can lock into the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions to allow you to clip your case either vertically or horizontally. What I would like to suggest is if the back side of the clip where the attachment will fit on, so that it will extend to “meet up” with the hook end of the front side of the clip. This will hopefully provide an even better grip of the fabric, rather than relying on the back part of the clip meeting 3/4 of the way and only touching part of the curved clip (a closer examination shows that only a small part of the edge meets up with the curved front part). I have noticed that it does slip on my Tilley pants as well (but then, not everyone wears a Tilley) ;). Had the clip been extended (no need to change the attachment part but just the part where the two clips meet can greatly increase the grip strength of the clip. The reason why I prefer strong belt clips is that I tend to wear thin fabric material pants, like Tilley pants where, less stronger belt cips will tend to slip off and not grip as well. That’s why I personally prefer a much stronger belt clip because again, I have experienced times when the case has slipped because I was bending down. This ABS clip is great but I think it could be even better.

Here’s some more details and info on the case itself (taken from Prima Cases)

Made of beautiful Italian aniline leather, this elegant case has an open face design and comes with or without the removable spring loaded swivel belt clip.

Available with and without a belt clip.

You can add your initials to be embossed on the case (up to 12 characters or letters) for $14.00 as well as your company logo. Contact Prima Cases for more information. They will also make custom designs for orders of 100 or more. Prima Cases offer a 1 year warranty on their cases and 60 days for clips. All products are shipped straight out of their distribution facility in New Jersey so that means you get your cases sooner.

Overall, the case is quite nice. Keep in mind that it is custom fitted specifically for the Treo 700 series of devices. The open face really does a good job of “showcasing” the beauty of the Treo device, offering a full frontal view of it with limited leather to distract from its appearance. There are cut outs for most features and functions of the Treo such as buttons, ports, etc. The speaker hole is quite a nice feature as is the flat headed screw attachment for the belt clip allowing it to be placed on a flat surface. My only gripe is that the magnetic snap closure at the top blocks access to the SD card slot and the IR port. But for those who don’t need to frequently access them, it’s not too much to unsnap the tab when you do need to access them. Again, it depends on your preference and whether you do need frequent access to those areas. With a leather case, you know that you can enjoy the feel and smell of leather as well as the level of protection it provides for your Treo, not to mention also providing a good grip of your Treo.

Again, Palm Discovery thanks Richard of Prima Cases for providing the product for this review. If interested, please check out the specially designed Open Face Leather Case for the Treo 700, or a somewhat similar one for the 650 and the 600.

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