One of the biggest problems that I have with the Pocket PC Phone Edition (PPCPE) is that it is more fragile than a standard mobile phone. I know that this isn't really something that could have easily (and cost effectively been avoided), but the fact remains that the Pocket PC Phone Edition is much more likely to suffer damage if it were to fall or hit something than a standard mobile phone. With that in mind I decided to seek out a case for the Pocket PC Phone Edition. The first case that I am trying-out using is the I-Volution T-Buron case from Vaja. I am not a big fan of Pocket PC cases, and I typically carry my devices 'naked'. Will the I-Volution be able to win me over? Read on to find out.
First Impressions
When my I-Volution arrived I eagerly opened the nice box that it was packaged in, and took out the case. My immediate reaction was that this is a very nice looking case.
The I-Volution is a stiff case, unlike the typical soft leather case. The rigidity of the walls, which is created by layers of abs, helps to protect the device from impact. This is a nice feature because the PPCPE is my mobile phone so it has to go places where I might traditionally leave a Pocket PC behind. Another nice feature of the hard shell design is that it allows for 2 SD card storage pockets to be embedded in the lid.
The case looked nice, but what would close inspection yield? The black outer leather and the red leather inner lining were both very high quality. Vaja has a small metal logo on the outside of the case, and the inside of the case is embossed with a small logo as well. The red inner lining does a nice job of hiding the edges of the black leather. There are no sharp or frayed edges which may scratch the PPCPE - (an important fact given the paint problems with early units).
Usage
The stiff walls of the case and the nice form fitting design make insertion and removal fairly easy. The case fits very nicely to the PPCPE. It is snug enough to hold onto the device, but it is not so tight that it is difficult to remove the PPCPE from the case. I have been using the case for a while, and the case does not show any signs of stretching even though I frequently remove the PPCPE from the case.
The I-Volution T-Buron was designed very smartly. There is access to most of the important areas of the PPCPE. The earphone jack, the SD slot, the mic, the IR port, power button, and the antenna/stylus silo are all easily accessible to the user because Vaja has made nice cut-outs in these areas. The cut out for the SD slot and the headset jack are almost perfect. They opening match the device almost exactly. The one thing that is blocked by the case is the reset hole. The case blocks the reset hole requiring the PPCPE to be removed from the case prior to performing a soft reset.
I received a case with a belt clip allowing me to clip the case to my belt. I have had some bad experiences with belt clips in the past, but I like the way that Vaja has used the clip with this case. The part of the clip that is on the case is a nice metal knob. This knob slides into the clip that attaches to your belt. The clip and the knob both feel very sturdy, and I don't think that the knob will rip out of the case even with the added weight of the PPCPE.
