gai-jin
11-11-2003, 05:21 AM
Just got my new vaja case for my i700 pda phone today, and thought I'd share my thoughts thus far:
I love the feel of it, and over all it seems to be a very well crafted product. I've never owned a vaja before, but the quality defenitely lives up to everything I've heard from others. The case looks GOOD, and I was amazed at how much better it makes my phone look. The i700 can be seen as a bit wide for a cell phone. When the case arrived, my wife told me on the phone about it, and when i told her it was for my phone, she was shocked, and told me there was no way it would fit my phone. Sure enough when I got home, it was a perfect fit. I was amazed at the slimming effect it has. Unlike most other cell phone/pda cases, this one actually makes the phone seem smaller, at least visually. Looking at the closed case, it looks much narrower than looking at the naked phone.
Also, the quality of the belt clip peg impressed me as well. I've had many cases with a built in belt clip for phones etc, and rarely have I had the peg sewn into the actual case break. However, vaja still takes it a step farther with a solid metal peg. The clip itself (which is the part I have seen break frequently) is still molded plastic though. I guess a metal belt clip would be too much to ask. :) I was glad to see they use a standard clip / connector style, which almost any best buy or radio shack will carry replacement clips for.
One thing I was mildly disappointed with was the snap on a strap closure. I would much rather have seen a magnetic closure, built into the lid so as to hold the lid closed without the additional strap. While I can picture what I'd like, it's a bit hard to describe, and possibly also hard to actually make functional w/o adding to the bulk of the case, so that may be why the closure is designed the way it is. Still, at least the snap is on the back, directly over the battery, so as to not place undue pressure on any vital areas of the unit.
I also would have liked some way to sync the pda (& charge) while it's still in the case, but I think that's more the design of the cradle than the design of the case.
All of the button cutouts seem to fit just perfectly, lining up with the buttons on the side of my pda.
And last, but not least, the one thing most people seem to be concerned about with this case: The normal vs. extended battery. I bought the extended battery version of the case so I can get a full day's use out of the pda. However, my extended battery happend to be low today ( forgot to charge it last night ) and so I used my standard battery. I really couldn't tell that the case was made for a larger unit. After looking carefully, I do see that the case is a bit looser on the pda when using the standard battery, but only on the back, and not significantly so. I've tried it now with each battery a couple times, and the fit is perfectly snug with the extended battery. While the fit is slightly less snug with the standard battery, it is still VERY useable, and doesn't feel loose at all.
Overall, I'm very impressed with this case, just as I have been thus far with the actual I700. The only complaint I have about the case is one that also troubled me slightly about the phone itself: Price. Fortunately, as a subscriber to PPCthoughts, I got $20 off the case. (I wouldn't have bought it otherwise) However, I was disaappointed to find as I neard the end of my order that the $20 coupon barely covered S&H.
If the case were >$50 including shipping, (and if fedex would actually deliver by 10:30 as they promise) I'd really have no complaints.
This is defenitely a 5 Star case, but also carries a very much 5 star price. If you can afford it, don't hesitate to buy one today!
Gai-jin
I love the feel of it, and over all it seems to be a very well crafted product. I've never owned a vaja before, but the quality defenitely lives up to everything I've heard from others. The case looks GOOD, and I was amazed at how much better it makes my phone look. The i700 can be seen as a bit wide for a cell phone. When the case arrived, my wife told me on the phone about it, and when i told her it was for my phone, she was shocked, and told me there was no way it would fit my phone. Sure enough when I got home, it was a perfect fit. I was amazed at the slimming effect it has. Unlike most other cell phone/pda cases, this one actually makes the phone seem smaller, at least visually. Looking at the closed case, it looks much narrower than looking at the naked phone.
Also, the quality of the belt clip peg impressed me as well. I've had many cases with a built in belt clip for phones etc, and rarely have I had the peg sewn into the actual case break. However, vaja still takes it a step farther with a solid metal peg. The clip itself (which is the part I have seen break frequently) is still molded plastic though. I guess a metal belt clip would be too much to ask. :) I was glad to see they use a standard clip / connector style, which almost any best buy or radio shack will carry replacement clips for.
One thing I was mildly disappointed with was the snap on a strap closure. I would much rather have seen a magnetic closure, built into the lid so as to hold the lid closed without the additional strap. While I can picture what I'd like, it's a bit hard to describe, and possibly also hard to actually make functional w/o adding to the bulk of the case, so that may be why the closure is designed the way it is. Still, at least the snap is on the back, directly over the battery, so as to not place undue pressure on any vital areas of the unit.
I also would have liked some way to sync the pda (& charge) while it's still in the case, but I think that's more the design of the cradle than the design of the case.
All of the button cutouts seem to fit just perfectly, lining up with the buttons on the side of my pda.
And last, but not least, the one thing most people seem to be concerned about with this case: The normal vs. extended battery. I bought the extended battery version of the case so I can get a full day's use out of the pda. However, my extended battery happend to be low today ( forgot to charge it last night ) and so I used my standard battery. I really couldn't tell that the case was made for a larger unit. After looking carefully, I do see that the case is a bit looser on the pda when using the standard battery, but only on the back, and not significantly so. I've tried it now with each battery a couple times, and the fit is perfectly snug with the extended battery. While the fit is slightly less snug with the standard battery, it is still VERY useable, and doesn't feel loose at all.
Overall, I'm very impressed with this case, just as I have been thus far with the actual I700. The only complaint I have about the case is one that also troubled me slightly about the phone itself: Price. Fortunately, as a subscriber to PPCthoughts, I got $20 off the case. (I wouldn't have bought it otherwise) However, I was disaappointed to find as I neard the end of my order that the $20 coupon barely covered S&H.
If the case were >$50 including shipping, (and if fedex would actually deliver by 10:30 as they promise) I'd really have no complaints.
This is defenitely a 5 Star case, but also carries a very much 5 star price. If you can afford it, don't hesitate to buy one today!
Gai-jin