06-07-2006, 04:00 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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Boxwave Armor Case Reviewed
Product Category: Case
Manufacturer: Boxwave
Where to Buy: Boxwave
Price: $22.95 USD
System Requirements: N/A
Pros:- Well-designed;
- Solid feel;
- Lightweight.
Cons:- Belt clip feels cheap;
- Only one SD card holder;
- On Axim model, speaker is covered.
Summary:
Lightweight and sturdy protection in a stylish package. For more on the torture-tested Boxwave Armor Case, read on!
Armored and Ready
There is no shortage of aluminum cases available for various Windows Mobile handhelds. For me, the Boxwave Armor Case stands out because of its solid construction, light weight, finished feel, and overall build quality.
Keep Your Baby Safe
When I first got into the "community" and started buying Pocket PCs, I always preferred having a naked handheld. The idea of sticking my Pocket PC into a case killed me because I liked the natural curvy lines of the handhelds I was buying. That was until I dropped my Axim X5, popped the battery off, and lost everything. Lesson learned: Buy a case.
Boxwave's Armor Case is a fine example of how to put together a solid protective case. My handheld is an Axim X51v and it fit into the case snugly and securely.
Figure 1: Side view of the Boxwave Armor case. The raised grips provide enough resistance to keep the case from sliding out of your hands when in use.
The outside of the case is a slightly textured aluminum with small raised grips toward the bottom of each side. All the requisite cutouts are lined up for each individual device. Mine had perfectly aligned holes for both status lights, the reset hole, the recording, wireless, and device lock switch, and an open-top for access to the infrared receiver, and a cut-out on the bottom for connecting a sync cable.
Figure 2: Back side of the case showing the mounting hole for the clip attachment.
On the back is a threaded hole for attaching the connector for the belt clip, which I don't really recommend to be honest. As nice as this case is, the belt clip feels cheap, and doesn't stay put very well on your belt. I carry a gear bag, so even though I don't trust the clip, it doesn't come into play for me.
I'd recommend a great deal of caution if you're looking for a belt-mounted carrying case.
Figure 3: A look inside the Armor Case.
The inside of the case is lined with neoprene which holds everything in place by friction and acts as a shock absorber for the inevitable times you'll drop your Pocket PC (usually on concrete or some other inappropriate and unfortunate surface)! The inside also features a single SD card holder (a bit of a gripe for me; there's more than enough room for two).
Another weird design choice is the completely closed front side of the case. On the Axim X51v, the speaker is on the d-pad, meaning if you close the case, you can barely hear the speaker. Again, this is a minor concern, but one you should be aware of if you have a habit of throwing your handheld into the case with music playing.
So It Looks Good....Does It Hold Up?
Does it hold up? Absolutely. In fact, I'm quite happy with it.
My plan was to throw it on my Pocket PC and leave it there for a few weeks. I entertained the idea of dropping it a few times purposely to see how much damage occured, but scrapped the idea just in case the Armor Case wasn't up to the task.
Then it happened. Unintentionally, but it happened. Twice. Once on concrete at a train station, and once on the tile floor of my bathroom. Both drops were from approximately 4-5 feet in the air.
I'm happy to report that despite the slight bending on the hinge which was easy enough to straighten out, the case withstood the shock as did my Axim with barely a mark on the case itself and no signs of damage to my handheld. I couldn't ask for a better result, and I was quite happy that the case did what it was supposed to do; protect my $500 handheld.
Conclusions
There's a lot to like in this case. Currently, for $22.95, it's a great value. The weaknesses don't detract enough from a very good overall product to make me not recommend it. If you're considering a new aluminum cradle for your electronic baby, don't think twice.
If aluminum doesn't do it for you, be on the lookout for my next review where I take on Boxwave's acryllic Active Case!
Vincent Ferrari is a Systems Analyst for a Cellular Master Agent in New York City. He enjoys photography, music, and cycling, and is an avid early adopter.
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06-12-2006, 08:00 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 3
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I love my case. I have a case for my rx3715 from Rhinoskin. I think they must all just buy the cases from the same place and repackage them...
I have dropped it a handfull of times. Some of those times it been mor like launched it and one time it fell and went under my foot and I steped on the thing...eek. Still like you said the most that happend was the hinge bent a bit and the SD cards would pop out. only once has the plastic on the top come in contact with the concrete just a smidge.
The only down side for me has been that the sliding plastic on the back that covers the camera lens does not stay in the closed position anymore but thats is not to bad...
It was well worth it and I use the belt clip with out a problem as well...
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06-12-2006, 08:04 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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I own the Rhinoskin case for my Axim X51v and I can tell you it's an entirely different type of case and definitely made from a different kind of aluminum.
The Armor Case, in its design, reminds me of many cases I've played with over the years as far as its general design, however it's made about a thousand times better out of infinitely thicker aluminum than some of the cheaper cases you'll find on ebay, etc.
In other words, worth every single penny.
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