Covertec Tungsten T3 Leather Case by Shaun McGill

 

http://www.covertec.com  (£31.27)

 

 

 

You are probably sick to death of reading case reviews but don’t worry- I’m sick to death of writing them:) The problem with case reviews, more than any other Palm accessory, is that the choice is such a personal decision. You have Vaja- top end cases which look superb but are rarely practical, PDair and Proporta- low end cases which are very practical and well made yet extremely well priced and then companies like Sena and Covertec who fill the middle ground of good quality leather with a reasonable price.

 

Craig from FoxPop (nice chap by the way:)) gave me a Covertec Tungsten T3 case to review and I jumped at the chance as I have owned a few cases by them for my previous Clies and have never been disappointed.

 

Presentation

 

 

As usual for Covertec the case comes in a nice presentation box with a simple paper wrap around which details the make and model of this case and that’s about it. It’s just how I like it- simple but elegant and no chance of the packaging adding to the overall price…

 

Extras

 

 

Covertec have recently started bundling a belt clip, 2 screws, a washer, a clip holder and even a screwdriver with their clip cases and it is just such a nice touch. Something as simple as the included screwdriver and the spare screw shows that real thought has gone into the design and that they understand the needs of their customer. Personally I am not a belt clip man- have never worn a PDA, mobile phone and most certainly not a bum bag on my waist for fear of looking like a right idiot, but that’s just me I guess:) This is where Covertec’s design does well as you have the choice of clip or no clip and if you are like me and choose not to use a clip there is no evident protrusion coming out of the rear (excuse the phrase:))

 

Security

 

 

This may seem like a minor feature but the quality of the closure mechanism is brilliant. It easy to use (magnetic) and really does look the business and on it’s own turns the case from just another PDA protector to a stylish accessory. There is no chance either of the T3 slipping out of the case as the fitting is very, very tight.- it’s almost too tight as it is difficult to remove the PDA from the case when it’s new. Hopefully it will soften over time but that could then cause the opposite problem so I guess only time will tell… There is also a slight concern over the way the sides slope which leave parts of the PDA exposed and it’s difficult to tell if this would have a detrimental affect should you drop it.

 

Practicality

 

 

I like to carry my credit cards, money and receipts/stamps with me in my PDA case and it’s fair to say that Covertec have fallen into the same trap laid by  many others before them. You get 2 Secure Digital card slots and 2 credit card slots and… well, that’s it really. In these days of ever increasing debt and the fact that most of us still carry cash around with us it does seem strange not to include a little bit more for storing extras alongside the PDA. I presume that size was the guiding factor in this decision and this is where the personal choices of the individual come in. I like to have 3 credit card slots, SD slots and an extra pouch for money etc. but many people are happy with metal cases which usually have no extra slots so… don’t listen to me if you prefer to be slotless:)

 

I would love to see a protective flap between the credit/SD cards and the PDA screen but this case does not have one and since I used Proporta and PDair cases which included them it’s a difficult things to give up. Again, this is very much a personal thing though.

 

Conclusion

 

 

The overall design is excellent as is the fit to the machine- the white stitching contrasts well with the black Nappa leather and the brown interior is a nice extra touch. The quality is not in question and for the price (£31.27) it is good value. If Covertec changed a couple of things it would be perfect for me but that’s the whole point- it probably is perfect for lots of you and this is why I hate writing case reviews. You will probably make up your mind from the first picture.

 

I will give it 4 FoxPop stars (always wanted to give out some Foxy stars:)) for what is a quality product that should fit the bill for most T3 owners.

 

Note: I’m not sure what happened to the images in this review but I ran out of time to fix them up a bit (excuse the poor qualityJ)