05-03-2004, 06:00 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 706
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Now You See It: Proporta Crystal Case for the iPAQ 2200 and 1900
Product Category: Case
Manufacturer: Proporta
Where to Buy: Proporta
Price: $23.95 USD
System Requirements: Available for iPAQ 2210 and 1900 series
Pros:- Clear case;
- Allow easy access to all buttons;
- Doesn't add substantially to size or weight of device.
Cons:- Can't use cradle while device in the case;
- Might scratch.
Summary:
The Proporta Crystal Cases provide your iPAQ with decent protection but keep the screen and buttons easily accessible. If you prefer to go commando with your iPAQ because you want to be able to look at the screen and access the control buttons easily then this might be a neat compromise.
Read on for the full review!
Vital Statistics
OK, before I start I better confess; I�m a case junkie. At any given time I�ll be switching between three or four different cases for Spike, my iPAQ 2210. Also, although the Proporta Crystal Case is available for other iPAQs, my comments will mainly be about the Crystal Case for the iPAQ 2210.
The Crystal Case promises to deliver plenty for a very reasonable price. Amongst its key features are:
- shatterproof
- shock absorbent
- completely clear (ideal for use with GPS systems)
- cutouts give access to stylus, ports and controls
- secure closure catch prevents accidental opening
- double hinge allows case to be folded through 360 degrees
In order to see if this case would live up to its promise of protecting Spike while keeping it accessible I used the Crystal Case exclusively for a few days.
Using the Crystal Case
There�s a lot to like about this protective cocoon. The iPAQ is very securely held in place. The Crystal Case takes advantage of the two small indentations on the back of the 2210. Once secured I was not able to remove the 2210 easily. I shook the case and tried to dislodge my iPAQ but was not able to.
Figure 1: The small lugs inside the case hold the 2210 securely in place.
With the iPAQ firmly locked into place, you can easily access all of the Pocket PC�s buttons and controls. Once I�d started Microsoft Reader I was able to change pages easily and the clear front made it easy to read the screen.
Figure 2: As you can see, it's easy to read the screen with the Crystal Case closed. My screen is also covered by a Pocket PC Techs Writeshield.
There are well placed cutouts for the power button, soft reset, headphone jack and the internal speaker.
Figures 3, 4 and 5: Cutouts are well placed to give access to all the iPAQ's control buttons.
Extracting the stylus is the most difficult operation. The case has a small slider that is used to push the stylus out of its slot. While this worked fairly well, I managed to pop the slider out of its slot and had to replace it.
Figure 6: The small slider for extracting the stylus is OK, but I did manage to pop it out once. Also, it doesn't quite push the stylus out far enough to make it easy to grab that little plastic stick.
Access to Spike�s dual slots was reasonable. For users of CF peripherals, the CF slot is well exposed. This is particularly handy if you use a CF GPS receiver as you'll be able to view the screen easily and have the case closed.
Figure 7: It's easy to access the 2210's CF, even with the Crystal Case closed. However, you won't be able to access the SD slot.
My biggest issue with the cutouts in the top section is that access to the headphone socket was quite tight. Plugging my headphones in was not as easy as I'd have liked, with the side of the headphone jack beinght right against the cut out.
The base of the case provides access to the charge and sync connector. I was able to connect a sync cable but you won�t be able to use your cradle. In fact, I was not even able to use my HP foldable keyboard.
Figure 8: Access to charge and sync port was easy with the Crystal Case.
The dual hinge design makes it possible to flip the lid completely behind your iPAQ. However, I didn�t do this often as I found that the case was uncomfortable to hold like this as the edges were quite hard.
However, the sides of the case have a series of grooves, aiding the case's gripability.
Figure 9: The groover on the side of the Crystal Case make it easy to hold.
Durability
One of my greatest concerns was around the durability of the Crystal Case. There are a couple of parts of the case I�d like to focus on. Firstly, as I�ve already mentioned, the slider that pushes the stylus out seems to be a little fragile. The slider fell off my case and although I was able to fix it very easily the problem won�t be with fixing it but rather with finding it. It�s quite small and clear making it the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Secondly, the clips that attach into the securing holes on the back are quite solid. However, the cost of their strength is that area around them is subjected to some stress when the case is being removed from the case. If you look closely at Figure 1, you might be able to see a small crack near one of the lugs. If you regulalry take your iPAQ in and out of the case I'm not sure that the case would survive a really long time.
The hinge is subjected to a lot of movement and looked, to me, to be the part most likely to break in the case of an accidental drop. Again, if you look at Figure 1 you'll get an idea of how the hinge is constructed.
Finally, my biggest concern was whether the case would easily scratch, reducing its usefullness. After a week of using this case exclusively, pushing it across my desk and carrying it in my backpack, there are a few minor scrathes on the front but they are not enough to make the screen unreadable. All of the photographs in this article were taken after the case had been used for about a week.
Conclusions
The Proporta Crystal Case will appeal to many different iPAQ users, especially those that miss the flip cover of the Jornada. Although I have some reservations about this case�s longevity, my experience, thus far, is that the Crystal Case is a solid protector for your iPAQ.
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05-03-2004, 06:26 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,389
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Funny... I got one of these for $5.00 on sale. But the regular price is only $9.99.
Check it out at Meritline.com
It is _exactly_ the same thing. I looked very closely at all the pictures in the review to make sure. Every detail the same. Great case by the way. Love mine.
Edit:
comments on the review.
Yes, this stylus slider falls out quite abit. But the instructions with the case say to take the stylus out before putting the pda into the case. This helps me a bit. I just pop the stylus loose before cliping my ppc into the case and not actually take it out.
I have used my case for over 3 months maybe over 4.
The clips are holding up just fine. Actually the loosened up a bit with use. Which is very nice. The pda is held securly and i don't feel like i am gonna break something when i try to get it out of the case. 
The hinge was a major worry of mine. It looks horribly fragile. But these things are supposably made from a similar polymer as bullet proof glass. I have dropped my case several times with it open (without pda in it) with no sign of breaking or even weakening of the hing. I am very impresed with it's durability.
and about scratching. yes it does scratch. but so far it has not hindered usability. It is alot nicer looking than the crystal on my wrist watch. 
I'll see if i can get a good picture of the case and post it later.
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05-03-2004, 06:29 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 176
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The h2210 and h1900 version of these cases should be reviewed separetly. I owned the h1900 version and if you drop your PDA the case can pop open and spit your PDA across the room. I have been told that the h2210 secures the PDA via it's holes in the back so it doesn't have that problem.
The case scratches like all a polcarb CD. Over time the scratches grow and become blurs. You really cannot expect to actually read ebooks or anything of the like with the case closed over time, unless you like reading through scratches.
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05-03-2004, 10:06 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 14
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Wow! Posts for these clear cases just keep popping up over and over again. They must be popular.
At least this review was more accurate than the last one.
I'll reiterate that I have yet to hear about the hinge failing on anybody although every review has ASSUMED that it will eventually. I don't think it will, but I could be wrong. I've only had mine a month.
I will also once again recommend an adhesive screen protector to help maintain visibility by preventing scratches. I haven't tried it myself. My case has quite a few fine scratches but it has not hindered visibility. With the backlight on the scratches virtually disappear. I keep mine in a slip case for safe transport.
As for the crack Anthony pointed out, I've noticed several on mine, all next to cutouts. I can't tell if they are actually cracks or hair line scratches. They appear to be only on one side. I think they are actually flaws caused by the manufacturing process. They don't seem to impact the structural integrity of the case.
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05-04-2004, 02:40 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 176
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Well the hinge shouldn't just fail all of a sudden. It will break if you accidently place too much pressure on it.
I broke my hinge when I was plugging in a pair of headphones. Instead of pushing on the case itself for support I pushed right on the hinge and SNAP. They are only plastic (polycarb) toothpicks after all.
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05-05-2004, 02:43 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 8
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how is this different from the JavoEdge clear case? looks just like it. love the javoedge, but, i must say, the plastic 'toothpick' hinges do look susceptible to failure. have had mine one month and when opening it with earphones plugged in, the hinges on the left/earphone-jack side do indeed come unhinged - but, for now, anyway, pop back in place okay. seem doomed to failure someday. but nice while they last. i tried cutting the energyleaf case to fit earphones...but failed. haven't yet tried with the javoedge. does anybody know a case that allows access to buttons AND that allows fliptop lid to be opened with earphones plugged in?
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06-16-2004, 09:28 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 2
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Quote:
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With the iPAQ firmly locked into place, you can easily access all of the Pocket PC�s buttons and controls.
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This is clearly a false statement. I have to open the case to turn on the Ipaq. I have found that the only button easily accessible is the 4 way navigation button and I don't have large fingers.
The case scratches pretty easy and viewing the iPaq with scratches on the case is nearly impossible.
If you change batteries often, this case makes it difficult to do so.
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06-16-2004, 11:11 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 706
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by astro_turf
Quote:
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With the iPAQ firmly locked into place, you can easily access all of the Pocket PC�s buttons and controls.
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This is clearly a false statement. I have to open the case to turn on the Ipaq. I have found that the only button easily accessible is the 4 way navigation button and I don't have large fingers.
The case scratches pretty easy and viewing the iPaq with scratches on the case is nearly impossible.
If you change batteries often, this case makes it difficult to do so. |
Umm, the unit I have has cut outs for the navigation pad and buttons on the front of my 2210 and for the power button. I can turn the unit on and off and control a lot of it's functions with out opening the case.
As far as scratching, I did say that it scratches easily. However, I can still read the scrteen easily through mine after many weeks of use.
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Get your Pocket Mojo. Anthony Caruana is the Mojo master. |
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