Thanks for visiting Palm Discovery

First of all, a BIG THANKS to Treocentral for mentioning and linking to Palm Discovery’s Treo 700p review. It’s quite an honor when I get noticed by the “bigger” guys that it always is such a thrill and quite shocking (but in a good way) ;). Thanks, Treocentral!

For those who love the stylish look of a flip style case, here’s another contender for your admiration, Prima Cases’ Treo 650 Leather Smartphone Case - Flip Style. This case is specifically designed for the Treo 650 but there is one specifically designed for the Treo 700 series as well, so don’t fret.

Here are some information on the Treo 650 Leather Smartphone Case - Flip Style (taken from Prima Cases’ website)

TREO 650 LEATHER SMARTPHONE CASE - FLIP STYLE

Available with and without a belt clip

Pics of the Treo 650 Leather Smartphone Case - Flip Style

Hover the mouse over the images for a brief description and click on the thumbnail images for a bigger picture.

Video of Treo 650 Leather Smartphone Case - Flip Style

Treo 650 Leather Smartphone case at Vimeo

Vimeo requires Flash version 8 or better

Alternative link: YouTube

At first glance, this case looks very similar to a lot of other flip style cases that are out there. The case is made of Italian Aniline leather and of course with leather cases, you can really smell or enjoy the aroma of the leather (good or bad depending on your perspective). The case has a leather flap that covers over the front or face of the Treo smartphone, obviously to protect the delicate screen. There’s a magnetic snap closure that wraps around the bottom of the case and connects at the back to secure the flap in place. The case comes with or without a removable ADB swivel belt clip without any extra charge.

Opening up the case, you will be greeted by the face of the Treo, again with Prima’s special open face design which displays the full facial or frontal view of the Treo. As I’ve mentioned in my previous Prima Case Open Face review, this is quite an interesting design that works very well. It allows full unobstructed access to the front of the Treo, displaying the true beauty of the device unlike many others that have a thin strip of leather that runs horizontally along the bottom edge of the screen, separating the screen area from the keypad area. It may seem like a little thing, but it definitely makes quite a difference on the overall look of the case and device.

At the back side of the cover flap is an elastic holder that can fit a variety of different small objects like keys, coins, SD cards. Being it is elastic, it will do a good job of keeping the object from falling out and conform to the shape of the object (to a certain degree).

The case has the necessary cut out to provide access to the side and volume buttons, connector, microphone and headphone jacks, camera, and a very important feature that isn’t available on many leather cases: a speaker hole.

To me, a speaker hole is essential for all leather cases. Of course, having such a hole can make it less pleasing to the eye but being a practical consumer who wants function over style, I am one who loves leather cases with a speaker hole. Having a speaker hole will allow me to still enjoy audio whether it be music or audio books like Audible (I am quite a fan of their daily periodicals for those who aren’t aware) without having to plug in a headphone and without having to dramatically increase the volume. For audio, it may be a slight nuisance to increase the volume, but for the phone, there’s no way that I can increase the volume of the ring. So, if there’s a call coming and the Treo is in a leather case without a speaker hole, chances are, I will not likely be able to “hear” it ring since a huge portion of the sound will be muffled or blocked by the thick leather material. It does make a huge difference, that little hole.

At the back of the case, for those cases that come with a removable belt clip (you have the option of a belt clip or not, without any extra charge) besides the cut outs for the camera and speaker hole, you will notice that there is a different looking permanent screw attachment for the belt clip. I really like this type of belt clip combination.

First, for me, it’s very important to have the screw attachment or belt clip attachment permanently attached to the case. Having such an attachment helps solve one of the problems I’ve experienced with regards to belt clips where the screw on attachment will tend to unscrew or unravel itself from the case. Of course, when it finally does, what usually ends up is your case holding the Treo will be on the ground and your belt clip with the screw is still attached to your belt or pants. This scenario has happened to me many times with many different types of belt clips for cell phones, Palms, FRS radios, etc. I believe that had the case been fitted with a permanent and non-removable clip attachment that this scenario would not have easily occurred. Of course, if you ever break it, then, that’s another story.

Yet another reason why I like this permanent clip attachment is that it has a somewhat “flat” head. This is also quite important because a lot of us will likely remove the case from the belt clip and will likely place it on a flat surface like a table or floor, etc temporarily. Having a flat head will allow the case to lie flat without wobbling, something that a lot of removable or screw on screw clip attachments will obviously do.

While we’re on the subject of the belt clip attachment, I will now focus on the belt clip itself. The clip is obviously a different design from other clips, probably due to the different clip attachment. It functions very similar to other belt clips, with a release catch and a release button at the top of the clip. The spring clip is somewhat strong, although I would still prefer something a bit stronger, since I do tend to wear thin fabric pants like a Tilley or other synthetic fabric materials. The back of the clip has a longer, curved part with a hook at the end which is a great feature to make sure that the belt “stays” hooked to it. But one problem is that it doesn’t actually touch the other front part of the clip. Upon closer examination of the clip, I can see that the front and shorter part of the clip, first of all, isn’t curved to “meet up” with the curved and back part of the clip. Only a small part of it actually “meets” the back clip. I personally think that if both parts of the clip actually meet each other that the clip could be much more effective and stronger without any changes to the spring. Either shorten the back part or make the overall clip longer so that both parts of the clip will grip and meet each other. But again, these are my observations and suggestions since I am quite picky about belt clips and always want a good strong grip for a clip.

Whew! Enough about belt clips! Can you tell that I’m a belt clip freak? Okay, maybe not that crazy but I am picky about it since I don’t like it if it’s not strong enough to keep the case clipped securely on my belt or pants.

Back to the case. One last special feature about this Prima Case Flip Style Case is that it has an extra back flap to enable your Treo to stand up on a flat surface like a desk. Those of use who either put our Treo in a cradle or just simply like to have it “stand up” while we’ve got a slideshow or screensaver like set up to show images while we’re working may really like this special flap. Simply bend the front cover flap back and lean the case back and you’ll find your Treo in the case, standing upright. Again in a cradle, with the back flap moved out of the way, you can slip in your Treo (still in the case) into the cradle for charging. Or, use the flap to allow you to take a self portrait if you want simply by placing it on a table or flat surface.

Again, Prima Cases shows how their experience in this field is clearly reflected in the design of their cases. First of all, I really like the “open face” design, which quite separates from many others in showing off the beauty of the Treo device. Second, the elastic slot holder is another good idea, allowing a variety of objects to be inserted and held in without falling out. Third, the speaker hole is a big plus, which greatly helps in allowing the sound to come out, unobstructed so that I won’t likely be missing a call or have to increase the volume to hear my audio. Fourth, the permanent clip attachment helps prevent accidents from happening and the flat head allows the case to lie on a flat surface without wobbling. Fifth, the removable belt clip offers a good grip, allowing the case to rotate in any direction. My only complaint is that I wished it were stronger and have added my ideas for enhancements. But then, I’m not a designer so I obviously have no idea what I’m talking about, surprise, surprise.

The case comes with or without a removable swivel ABS belt clip, without any extra charge. So, getting it with the clip won’t cost you any extra, which is one nice thing I really like about Prima Cases. You can choose from amongst the variety of colors available for the cases, also without any extra charge. In addition, you can customize your case with special initials or logo embossing for a small fee. Prima cases are shipped directly from their manufacturing facility in New Jersey and are normally shipped very quickly. Special personalization will likely take longer for obvious reasons but they will contact you if the shipment will be delayed.

Overall, I think this is a pretty well designed case. I like the open face design, the flat and permanent clip attachment, speaker hole, strong clip (although I would like it even better if it were even stronger and both clips meet) and the back flap that allows the case to stand upright. Those who love the stylish form of a flip case will likely find this case appealing offering a good balance between style and function. Check out the Treo 650 Smartphone Leather Case - Flip Style at Prima Cases. Again, there’s a Treo 700 series version too.

Again, I’d like to thank Richard of Prima Cases for generously offering this product for the review.

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 accessories primacases case softcase leathercase flipstyle-case

Popularity: 69% [?]