MDA Vario III wears PDAHut Milan style

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Do you use a carry case for your device?

As a rule, as with screen protectors, i've generally not been a fan of carry cases. I try and look after my device, and so far have managed to keep it pretty much unscathed :D That said, the discovery of a small scratch on my Vario III coupled with the fact that my better half managed to drop her Touch Dual creating 2 substantial marks got me thinking. (Well, she actually managed to get out of the car with it on her lap, but let's not go there :))

I've tried the case that comes with the Vario III, but it's not really for me. It's a bit too much hassle to get in and out, and by the time you've GOT it out, you've probably missed the call or pressed something you didn't want to... so my case search led me elsewhere... and I got chatting to the nice guys at PDAHut.

So I need a case for my Kaiser, how hard can it be - eek, hard, there's a lot of choice :D Being nice guys that they are, they sent me a few to try out to see which one I liked, and i've posted pics and deets below. I'm interested to hear though, do you use a case? If so, which one? What are the good and bad points?

Help me out here :D

P

Case 1 - Piel Frama Kaiser 'Book Style' case, Red, £39.99

So i've never seen a Piel Frama case in the flesh before, but heard a LOT about them. The price says quality, and I wasn't disappointed. WOW! VERY VERY soft leather, a beautiful box, a cleaning cloth, some cleaning spray and a wicked red colour :D Fit and finish are spot on with more material than on the other cases, and it shouts class and quality at you. Very good first impressions!

Case 2 - ADVERTISING SPAM 'Book Style' case, Red, £12.95

A world apart in price, but a world apart in quality? Yes and no to be honest! Although the material is clearly thinner and in less quantity, it still feels like a great case, and is also great value for money. The fact there's a bit less material means it's easier to carry and hold when calling without badly compromising the protection of the device. Seems to be made to a high quality, and a good fit. The red is a lot more subtle than the red on the Piel Frama case too!

Case 3 - ADVERTISING SPAM 'Flip Style' case, Tan, £12.95

The other thing for me to consider is a flip style case. Without giving it a go, i'm not sure which one works best for me, both in general use and when taking calls. Much like the case above, it's clearly not a match for a Piel Frama item, but it is solidly made and feels soft. The tan is actually nicer in person than I expected!

Conclusion - which one do I like best?

So which one do I like best? Wow, it's a REALLY hard choice, but I think it's the Piel Frama on quality for sure, and the red 'Book' case otherwise. I found the flip to be perhaps a little better for calling (could just flip it round the back really easily), and the book style better in general use, and since I don't make /take a huge number of calls, that swung it to the book style. So that narrows it down to Piel Frama (more expensive, more luxurious, bit bigger in overall size due to better quality material, card slot in flap) or the ADVERTISING SPAM (Cheaper, more compact, stylus still accessible in silo rather than internal holder). The winner? The Piel Frama for me... it's SO well made and that colour is awesome :D

P

PS One other item I ordered from PDAHut, the USB cradle at £9.99 Does exactly what it says on the tin :D

[Guest jimbouk]

Does it go with your handbag?

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Do Piel Frama make man-bags? :)

P

[Guest Mr.Clark]

do you use a case?

Nope, although I do worry about the screen a lot.

PS One other item I ordered from PDAHut, the USB cradle at £9.99 Does exactly what it says on the tin :)

The title says TyTN II, the description says Touch... <_>

[Guest chucky.egg]

Does it go with your handbag?

Why are cases so ... poncy?

I'd be vaguely tempted by a black/grey slim belt case for my Touch, but something that doubles the size and looks so ... girly? (I'm trying really hard to avoid the homosexual references, which might offend some, but they are what immediately spring to mind)

[Guest dolbe666]

Ive got a black ADVERTISING SPAM book style but I want to get the Piel Frama book style in tan or black, not sure yet.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I should have pointed out they're all available in black too :)

P

[Guest J273]

I like to be naked :)

Although on my iphone i use a crystal case.

Always use a screen protector though o nevery phone i buy (martin fields).

Edited January 15, 2008 by J273

[Guest Monolithix]

I'm not a case person *at all*. Although thinknig about it, i do use the slip-case that came with my 5.5G iPod Video, so I may actually use something like that (the Touch and Touch Dual both come with a similar style case actually). At the end of the day, i cant be arsed messing around with them, and its annoying that you have to "put" them somewhere when you're using the phone! (Not nesc the case here, admittedly).

[Guest Thumper Net]

I do use cases sadly , on my touch i have the htc case ( available from htc website )which is cool and very good as well the phone also remains thin as well , on my nokia i have opted for a market case only to protect it at work from bashes :)

[Guest crusti]

ive used a krussel cover for my m3100 for nearly 18 months, its fantastic

you never need to remove the phone from the case, even when useing the keyboard, theres a protective flap over the screen (altho i still cover the screen with a film) and the keyboard is underneath a plastic film, and krussell off loads of different type of clips

I paid around 20 pounds for mine

google krussell, i guess they have a site, i got mine from ebay

when i get my tyntII i will go for a krussell case again with no hesitation, best phone case ive ever had

usually with flip and slide phones, the case's restrict the way u use your phone, the only restriction i found is fitting the phone to a cradle but theres lots of differet clip and adapters for the cases, (i have a belt clip and a bike clip)

mines the dynamic version, some of the other ones they make have pockets built in for mem cards, and have much more leather, but they seem to hide the phone

heres the link for it

http://www.krusell.se/product.php?productI...&category=7

Edited January 15, 2008 by crusti

[Guest mwright]

ive used a krussel cover for my m3100 for nearly 18 months, its fantastic

you never need to remove the phone from the case, even when useing the keyboard, theres a protective flap over the screen (altho i still cover the screen with a film) and the keyboard is underneath a plastic film, and krussell off loads of different type of clips

I paid around 20 pounds for mine

google krussell, i guess they have a site, i got mine from ebay

when i get my tyntII i will go for a krussell case again with no hesitation, best phone case ive ever had

usually with flip and slide phones, the case's restrict the way u use your phone, the only restriction i found is fitting the phone to a cradle but theres lots of differet clip and adapters for the cases, (i have a belt clip and a bike clip)

mines the dynamic version, some of the other ones they make have pockets built in for mem cards, and have much more leather, but they seem to hide the phone

heres the link for it

http://www.krusell.se/product.php?productI...&category=7

Unfortunately Krusell do not do that case for the Vario III/TYTN II or I would have snapped one up by now!

I really cannot find a case I want since I stopped using the M3100 with its case!

[Guest juxt@pose]

The phone is big enough without a case. Just remember to put it in a pocket without any change in it.

Desk docker/charger with extra battery slot is a must for any business geek. It stands up prooudly from your desk saying look at me. :)

[Guest RapsKaiser]

I use a small digital camera pouch that goes on your belt. When I had my old iMate with me all the time, I used the case that came with that. However, I found that getting in and out of my work van kept knocking it off the belt. The case I have now is a complete loop and you have to take the belt off to remove it. Getting the phone out is just a matter of opening the velcro'd flap. It also has a small zipped pocket for a screen cloth or something.

And the price? £2.50 from Tesco!!!! :)

Edited January 15, 2008 by RapsKaiser

[Guest]

I bought a Piel Frama case for my Vario III last year - the quality was superb but I had to return it for a refund because the plastic layer over the keyboard kept creasing up, making the device almost unusable. It's a shame because I've had Piel Frama products before and really like them.

Instead I bought a Noreve case from France, which allows the device to tilt and slide without having a plastic layer between the two halves. I would highly recommend it.

http://www.noreve.com/brand/HTC/product/Ho...HTC_Tytn_2.html

[Guest pbarclay]

I am not surprised Paul was impressed by the Pielframa case. I bought one for my Loox 720 after seeing rave reviews in 2004. After over 3 years of daily use, the case looks almost new. Their attention to detail is superb as is their presentation - you hardly want to take it out of the box it comes in!

If I was using a Big Phone like a Vario 3, I would want a belt-based case to hold it. I now have a Small Touch Dual which only weighs 120 g and slips in my pocket. So, I have bought a MOCKS sock to keep it cozy and warm in winter. Problem solved....until I met my friend Leke. He also works as an anaesthetist and told me how he smashed the screen of his HTC Touch by walking into an anaesthetic machine. Unfortunately, the machine worktops are at pocket height and we do spend a lot of time moving around the machines, concentrating on the patients instead of our phones! Sock thing wouldn't have been of much use, which brings me back to the solid cases.

Oh well, maybe I will fall for Pielframa again!

[Guest dolbe666]

I couldnt resist it any longer, I just purchased the Piel frama case (in Black) from PSA HUT. ITs cheaper there than from the Piel Frama website. And the nice people at pda hut send it special delivery so it will be here tomorrow morning :)

[Guest Snoballz]

I use a ADVERTISING SPAM book style case for my Motorola Q9h. I absolutely love it.

The pros: great protection with a classy look and feel, far outweigh the cons. It weighs almost as much as the phone, it's over twice the thickness of the bare phone, and the plastic cover for the screen blurs the screen a bit.

I had considered the much nicer looking Peil Frama flip style case, but I had to go with the ADVERTISING SPAM since it was 1/2 the price.

I'll deal with the extra weight and thickness issue when summer rolls around and pocket space is limited.

[Guest bronksy]

I've tried loads of cases.. I have the 'Noreve' case for the TyTn II.. but.. but... I have also been send the Seidio shell and holster for the phone.. I have to say.. that I think this is the best yet.

I dont like leather cases.. they flap about.. and add bulk, and these phones aren't exacly 'waffer thin' so I dont want something that's going to get in the way.. nor do I want a case with an odd plastic cover over the keyboard to hold it in place.. then I came across this little beauty..it has a lovely rubberised coating on.. and seems to clip on well..

Here's some pics.. i'm not a sales rep for Seidio..I stumbled upon their site.. but it seems that this case is quite good..some photos attached for you people!