Review: Noreve Leather Case for the Touch Diamond / MDA Compact IV

[Guest Monolithix]

Our friends at www.PDAHut.com have kindly provided us with a Noreve Leather Case for the Touch Diamond and MDA Compact IV.

The Noreve is (according to the box) “hand crafted in beautiful colours and textures”. My first impressions would have to confirm this claim! This example is made from red leather highlighted with immaculate red stitching and finished with a subtle button on the front, bearing the Noreve emblem. The case itself is packaged in a gift box, labelled with the Noreve logo, as well as the standard plastic press pack.

As with all handset cases it will add significant bulk to the slender Diamond, however the magnetic flap holds the front cover securely in place and holds the entire case tightly together. Inside we find the accessories, and in line with the premium feel of the package a full screwdriver, belt-clip and securing nut and screw are provided inside a Noreve branded bag. We can also see the front cover of the case opened, revealing the handset pouch inside.

The case gives a very snug fit to the Diamond, enough to make it feel completely secure without having to stretch the leather in order to squeeze it in. Access to the limited array of hardware buttons on the handset is hindered in no way, with the cuts in the pouch providing a wide enough gap for even my large finger and thumb tips to press through with no obstruction. The front of the pouch has no tacky plastic window to fill with dirt and fluff, so as with the hardware buttons, access to the touch screen is unhindered. Furthermore the magnetic securing flap doubles as a cover for the camera lens.

The Noreve case is full of nice touches, on closer inspection of the internal lining we see the logo is embossed into the fabric, and the blanking screw on the back is also stamped with the company name. This can be removed and replaced with a fitting for the snap on/snap off belt clip. This can just about be removed from the clip with one hand, however it is a little stiff and I did catch my thumbnail on the nut a few times! Again though, this is more to do with the high quality of the spring mechanism holding the case in place rather than the result of poor design.

The only poor sides to this product are not even directly related to the case itself. It would appear from the images on the PDAHut website are from an earlier prototype equipped with memory card holders. Clearly as the Diamond does not have a memory card slot these are unnecessary and have since been removed, however the website remains to be updated and the case description on the packaging is also out of date.

At £32.49 it is not a cheap item, however the premium quality feel to both the real leather case and its packaging and accessories reflect this, making it well worth the money.

You can buy it here

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I love these super-quality cases :D

P

[Guest noxide]

Doesn't seem to fit the diamond very well..

..not to mention how bulky it makes the svelte Diamond look... :D

[Guest Monolithix]

It does feel a lot tighter than it looks (oo-er), but I admit you wouldn't necessarily think it from those pictures!