Piel Frama recently supplied a PDA case for review to AximUsers.com. They offered any case from their website, which offers a
plethora of options. I chose the black cowskin one because I prefer a smaller and more flexible case to the larger aluminum or wallet type cases, and the ostrich/crocodile ones are a bit showy for my taste. What type you prefer might vary; I appreciate small pocket footprint and a subdued appearance while an executive or frequent traveler might like something more ornate or substantial.
The case arrived surprisingly well packaged- the box the case comes with is the kind you don’t throw away but keep around to put nick knacks into. Inside the box was the case wrapped in tissue paper, a swivel belt attachment, and numerous card placeholders in the case pockets.
Upon inspection, the case itself proves to be made of high quality soft leather and lacked any imperfections one might expect of some leather products. Even the stitching exhibits quality with heavy duty, soft black threads. There are three slots for business card size storage and two SD card sized slots. There are two openings on the left side for access to the record/wifi buttons and the lock button, one opening on top for the headphone connector, and an opening on the bottom for the sync port. There is a button snap to keep the swingback screen cover in place and an attachment on the back for the belt clip.
While the case is aesthetically appealing, very soft to the touch, and provides protection to the not-too-cheap X51v, there are a couple of drawbacks to it. Even though there is a sync port opening, the PDA cannot be cradled while in the case. Only a sync cable could be used to sync. Also, the two top corners of the case provide minimal protection if the PDA is dropped. A slight overhang would be preferable on the top but that would go against my smallest pocket footprint rule, mooting the point.
The case proves to be both hardy and delicate, a nice combination for a home the X51v can snuggle into. Piel Frama made a fan out of me with it, and anyone who is in the market for PDA protection would be well advised to take a look at their product line when deciding on a case.
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