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(Last updated and edited June 11, 2007)

The winner of the Palm Discovery’s Nutshell Leather PDA Case has been chosen and awarded to Greg Leffler. Congratulations, Greg! It is on its way to you and I hope you will enjoy your new case. If you wish to have more contest giveaways, please consider supporting Palm Discovery by purchasing products from vendors and suppliers where I have affiliate links (ie. Boxwave, Palm, Proporta, Handango, etc). I also will donate a portion of the proceeds to Plan International Canada. Thanks to everyone for your support!

First of all, a BIG THANKS as always to Sammy McLoughlin of Palm Addicts for a recent mention of Palm Discovery on their front page.

As many regular readers may have noticed, posts have been somewhat less frequent lately. I’ve previously hinted a bit about changes in my life about how much more time I need to devote to my son and his activities and schoolwork. This obviously means that I can’t spend as much time in front of my computer composing, editing and doing all the Palm Discovery stuff that I previously was able to do before. So, that means that the reviews will likely not be posted every Monday but whenever I finally get to finishing it.

Also, again, I’m feeling a bit of blogging burn out so I am going to slow things down again to catch my breath. But don’t worry. I am going to still plug away at this. It only means that reviews won’t come as frequent as they used to. I may start to just post short editorials and news like many other sites. I haven’t decided yet. Thank you for continuing to read and support Palm Discovery. It means a lot!

A BIG THANKS to Ian of Nutshell for providing the product for this review.

I will be giving this case away so read on for details on how to win it!

Here’s another leather holster type cases for your Treo or PDA. This one comes from Nutshell aka Tuff-As-Nuts.com (what a very interesting name for a url!)

One interesting tidbit about this leather case is that if you take the time to examine it, you’ll notice that the case is made up of ONE piece of leather. If you look at the front part of the case, you can follow it as it wraps around to the bottom and to the back. In my special customized Nutshell case, the entire piece ends at the security tab that wraps around the top of the case. This is quite an interesting idea. Having the entire case made out of one piece of leather means that the case will be much better at keeping itself intact and retaining its shape. So, Nutshell certainly has a great idea here! No wonder why they call it Nutshell and Tuff as Nuts.

The case itself is quite simple in its style. A piece of leather that is folded at the bottom and sewn at the sides to create a “holster” case. In my case, the end of the piece of leather is shaped as a security tab with velcro that will wrap over the top of the PDA to secure the PDA inside the case to prevent it from falling or coming out. The basic Nutshell case is open top, which in some ways is even better since you have no obstruction or tabs to remove before inserting and removing the Treo or PDA. The inside is lined with soft ultrasuede to prevent scratching.

The case is designed to have the PDA inserted with its face towards you or facing the belt clip. So, the back of the PDA will be touching the front of the case. This is noted by the obvious cutout for the headphone jack. If you inserted the Treo with its face facing outwards, the headphone jack cutout will not be very useful. So, this case is designed similar to other cases where you are protecting the Treo’s face simply by having it facing you.

The Nutshell case originally came shipped flat. That meant that I initially needed to shape it so that I could fit my Treo 650 into it. Being flat originally, it took a bit to get the Treo inside and remove it since the case was still quite flat. As Nutshell has recommended here, you can try to shape it and loosen it so that your PDA will fit in the case better as well as other care tips for your case. For me, I simply fit my dummy Treo 700p in it and it was fine.

Pics of Nutshell case

Click on the thumbnail images for a bigger picture

Video of Nutshell case

Video at UndoTV

Alternative links: YouTube, Vimeo

I made a mistake on the length of the shoulder strap in the video. The length is 28 inches instead of the 18 that I mentioned in the video. Sorry! Old age is catching up with me As well, I’ve been advised by Ian of Nutshell that the inner backing of the Nutshell case is not cardboard but sheet polypropylene plastic. That’s good to know! In addition, Nutshell now also offers an adjustable shoulder strap allowing users to be able to adjust it to the length they desire. Thanks, Ian!

More information and customization options for the Nutshell case

You can customize your Nutshell cases in many different ways, according to your preference and needs and at an extra charge.

The basic Nutshell case comes in either Nutshell Black or Tan Brown in color with an open top.

First of all, you can choose between having the case a belt clip (which I am reviewing), or a leather belt loop, or even without one.

Next, you can add an elasticized pocket to hold your spare or extra SD cards, or other small objects.

To further protect your Treo or PDA, you can opt to have a full cover security flap that will cover the front of the case. This can be helpful for those who prefer to have their Treo or PDAs facing outwards instead of inwards. But, this full cover security flap option is not available for the Treo 650 due to its antenna.

You can also have a top security velcro tab to secure and keep your PDA inside the case. Or stay with the open top that the base case offers for unobstructed access to your Treo or PDA.

Finally, you can choose from amongst the various different color choices available. Nutshell Black and Tan Brown are available at no extra charge.

Crocodile Black, Atlanta Red, Camouflag, Navy Blue, Crocodile Brown, and Chocolate Brown are also available at extra cost.

Here are my observations of the Nutshell case.

The case is quality made. It’s very nice to see the Nutshell logo and branding on the case to distinguish it from other holster cases. I especially like the very strong belt clip. I was rather quite surprised, or more shocked at how well the clip works, considering that it isn’t a spring clip. My limited experience with non-spring belt clips has shown me that a lot of them aren’t strong enough to grip and hold the case for thin fabric material. That is not the case (pardon the pun) with Nutshell, to my surprise. The belt clip was very strong and worked extremely well at keeping the case clipped to my thin Tilley pants. Being that the case was shipped flat, it obviously means that the case takes up very little space when it’s not holding the PDA inside. So, if you need to take it with you, you can simply collapse it and it takes up minimal amount of space. Also, with a velcro tab instead of the usual magnetic snap closure found on most other cases, this may appeal to those who don’t want any magnets around. The D ring for the shoulder strap is very sturdy and strong. You can opt to use it with the supplied shoulder strap or with other straps.

On the other hand, here are some suggestions. I personally would have preferred that the front of the case have some kind of protection. Although it’s expected that the Treo or PDA is to be inserted with its face facing towards you or towards the belt clip, I think there’s some of us who prefer to have the PDA facing outwards instead. Having that extra layer of protection at the front of the case can be helpful for those of us who prefer it that way.

At the back of the case, I notice that part of the metal clip that’s covered by the leather does stick out and I’m a bit worried that over time that piece may cut and tear through the leather. Also, the thin strip of leather that is stuck onto the metal clip, may end up coming off over time, as the end of the strip stops right at the contact point of the clip and the case. Had it been a slight bit longer and somewhat wrapped around the inside of the clip, it may not come off as easily. But that is a slight observation and you can easily tape it down or glue it back on the clip.

The non-adjustable shoulder strap at a firm 28 inches in length could be possibly improved by making it adjustable. Some of us may prefer to sling it just over the shoulder and not completely over the head. Having it adjustable will appeal to those who prefer either way. For me, I found that the case would be way too low for me (half way between my knees and the top of the thigh). I would probably prefer to have it closer to the waist instead. Having an adjustable strap would allow me to adjust where the case will be. (EDIT. April 24, 2007.) I’ve been informed by Ian of Nutshell that they now offer an adjustable shoulder strap (great news!) so that you can now adjust it to your desired length. Thanks, Ian!

There is only a cutout for the headphone jack. Although it may be sufficient for a lot of people, I would have preferred if there was a full cutout for the multiconnector, microphone and the headphone jack. Having the cutout can allow some of us to be able to place it in a charger cable or cradle without removing the Treo or PDA. I understand that having such a larger cutout may decrease the case’s strength and possibly affect its shape. Maybe providing double stitching or possibly have part of the leather folded inwards with a wire wrapped around the cutout may help? I’m not sure. I’m not a case designer but I think that the case could be improved to allow for as much function and access as most PDA users may demand.

Overall, this is a quality leather holster case. I am quite impressed with the strength of the belt clip, being able to clip and grip to my thin Tilley pants. I would have preferred more protection at the front of the case as well as a bigger cutout at the bottom for the connectors. Being made of quality calf skin leather, this is one of those cases where it will soften over time.

Nutshell cases are individually handmade and they offer and support an enormous variety of PDA models including iPaqs, Tablet PCs, cell phones, cameras, iPods. Check out the vast amount of devices they support at Tuff-as-nuts.com

They also offer a three year warranty on their cases. That should give you an idea of how Nutshell views their products.

Now, as for the answer to my original question about whether Nutshell cases are as tuff as nuts, I’m not sure. Let’s be frank here. Leather will never be impenetrable (think sharp objects) but as a leather case, Nutshell cases are quite durable. Keep in mind that the leather is quite hard and rigid and takes a bit to shape it out so that you can fit your PDA inside it, but it will soften up over time. Just like there are a variety of different nuts of varying strength that you can crack (think peanuts vs walnut), likewise there are a variety of different leather cases. I wouldn’t personally want to try to crack this nut but as a case, it is a quality one that you wouldn’t want to crack.

Thanks again to Ian of Nutshell for providing this case. As I’ve indicated already, I will be giving it away to one lucky Palm Discovery reader!

Palm Discovery Nutshell case giveaway

The exact case I’ve reviewed here will be given away to one Palm Discovery reader. Keep in mind that I have only demonstrated that this case will fit the Treo devices in the video (Treo 600, 650, 700p, 700w/wx, 680) so if you don’t own a Treo device, you may not be able to fit your device in this case.

You can be entered in the giveaway in one of two ways:

1 - Provide and submit a Palm Explorer profile for publishing on this site. It’s simply a note about what Palm device you own and whatever little tidbit you wish to disclose about yourself and how you use your Palm device. You will get 4 additional entries or chances at the drawing (thus, 5 chances overall). You can submit it via the CONTACT FORM.

2 - Reply to this posting as a comment. You will only get 1 chance or entry for a comment.

PLEASE NOTE. Duplicate comments or entries will not be accepted to make it as fair to everyone as possible. This giveaway is valid for everyone in this world. I will pay for shipping to ship it to the winner worldwide. I will, however, not be responsible for any customs, fees, charges that may be imposed by your local country.

Only those who submit a Palm Explorer Profile for this contest will be entered in the drawing. If you have previously submitted your Explorer Profile and wish to be entered, simply provide a comment to this post and indicate so.

This contest giveaway is valid until midnight Pacific Standard Time May 23rd, 2007). I will draw one winner from amongst all entries received. As usual, I will allow up to one week for the winner to claim his prize. If the winner can not be contacted within a week, I will re-draw another winner. So, please ensure your email address is valid and you will be checking it..

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.

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