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12/04/2003, 08:01 AM
#20
Righto, just sorted some photos out so here goes.
I got an email from their export guy to say that it had been despatched by courier on Monday, and it was delivered to me in the UK yesterday. The case comes in a very neat little box, wrapped in paper and there are no blemishes or marks on the leather, so overall very nicely presented. First impressions are of nice quality soft leather, and the tan interior is a nice touch. The leather is stiffer in the places where they use thinner leather. Btw the tiny 'spanner' in the plastic bag is a tool to remove the metal belt clip, along with a couple of plugs to fill the hole.
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/photostore/treo_box.jpg
The first thing I did was obviously to fit the Treo in the case and see what the fit was like. Well it's as good a fit as I've ever had, everything where it should be and it lines up with the screen just great. It takes quite a push to get it in the case, at least from new as I expect the leather will soften and 'give' a little over time, so there doesn't seem to be any danger of the Treo accidentally coming out of the case. It's held in very snugly. With the flip cover down and the belt clip removed it's no more noticeable in my pocket than the standard case. Even with the clip button fitted it's still 'pocketable', more so than I expected.
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot...reo_closed.jpg
Here you can get an idea of the fit, even though I didn't quite have the Treo in correctly for the photo the fit is still great. The keyboard is just as accessible as with no case at all, because of the way the leather wraps round the underside of it. There is probably 2mm extra width on each side of the screen border so as not to 'recess' it too much. I'm finding that whereas with the caseless Treo I could tap the battery icon easily with my finger, a little more effort is needed because of the way the leather borders the screen. Having said that I prefer the added protection that this gives, even if I dropped it with the flap open it should still protect the screen. At first, pressing 'up' on the D-pad meant positioning my thumb a little lower due to the strip of leather that crosses the screen (I have clumsy thumbs!). Once I pushed the Treo into the case a little further it became much easier to hit the D-pad though. The belt clip is a sturdy, metal-sprung item and better than the EB clip I had on my ipaq case.
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot.../treo_open.jpg
Here is a shot of the base, with the cutout for a sync cable. I can't say whether it would sync in a cradle since I don't have one, but with the cable it works just fine. The leather area holding the corners of the Treo is quite stiff at the moment, and although I can get my earphone cable in, the cutout for the earphone hole sits ever so slightly to the left. Again I think with use this will settle and move a little. The cutout for the mic hole is pretty much perfect.
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot.../treo_base.jpg
Below you can see access to the camera. The lens is completely covered with the flip closed. To use the camera you just open the flip and pull it down slightly - this will probably soften up with time too. Also you can just about make out a SD card in one of the two available slots.
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot...reo_camera.jpg
Next a photo of the rear of the case. It uses a magnetic strap which is strong enough to keep the case closed when you want it, yet easy enough to snap open quickly. The speaker area has a cutout with metal mesh, and there is a small cutout for the reset hole. I got quite a few missed calls with the OE case because I just didn't hear the ringer, but that hasn't happened with this case. I've had to turn the ringer down a little today as it's now quite loud when the phone is sitting on my desk! As you can see the belt clip button is made from brass, which isn't going to break in a hurry! 
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot.../treo_back.jpg
In this photo you can see that the width is comparable to the Treo in the included OE case. Unfortunately I only own one Treo, so I can't give you a side-by-side comparison. 
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot.../treo_side.jpg
And here you can see the cutout for the ringer volume controls.
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot...reo_volume.jpg
Finally, here's a side shot with the belt clip fitted. It seems to protrude less than the handspring case I tried recently, and will 'lock' at any angle. You can wear your Treo upside down if you like. 
http://www.abercon.co.uk/~neilr/phot.../treo_clip.jpg
So there you are, I've had to rush this a little so if there's anything I've missed just ask away. Overall I'm very pleased with this case, and am now glad I waited for it to become available instead of going for the Bellagio or Covertec.
One happy bunny!
By the way, if someone can tell me how to get the photos to display rather than show as links, I'll edit this post.
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