| Topic: | Go Go Gadget Clié !! |
Date:
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12/09/2003
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Go Go Gadget Clié !! If you are anything like me, you have more gadgets that you can carry with you at one time. I recently had the opportunity to go to a University of Georgia football game and found myself carrying my NX70V, an external battery pack, the MP3 remote and ear buds, a cell phone, a transistor radio, ear buds for the transistor radio, a digital camera, my GPS, and a GMRS radio with hands-free ear bud / microphone. I was loaded like a pack mule. Unfortunately the shirt I was wearing did not have a pocket, the shorts I was wearing did not have a belt to hang things from, and the pockets in them were really too small to hold anything more than my billfold and money clip. On top of that, I am what we Southerners call a “big ol’ boy” and have to consider hanging anything from my hips when sitting anywhere with arm rests. Where in the world was I to put it all? Well, it was for just such an occasion that I chose to evaluate and review the following cases by e-Holster. As soon as I strapped one of them on and showed my son how useful it was for carrying my PDA and cell phone, with their accompanying wires, he immediately called me Inspector Gadget and all through the day would call out “Go Go Gadget Clié” or “Go Go Gadget Cell Phone” any time I used it… While it might have been humorous to him, it was nice to be able to carry so much of my stuff and still have my hands free… e-Uro Case From e-Holster The e-Uro consists of a wide bandolier strap that is designed to be worn over either shoulder. It is much wider at the top than at the ends which helps to distribute the weight across the shoulders. It is also padded and the underside is covered with a non-slip texture to help it stay stationary on your shoulder.  The strap is also designed in such a way that it can be worn on either shoulder with the strap being slightly curved at the top to be worn easily around the neck. Being right handed, I found it much easier to configure the e-Uro to be worn over my right shoulder so that I could access the pouches with my right hand as they hung on my left side. As you can perhaps see from the photo at the left, the actual case portion of the e-Uro is modular and is designed to hold a cell phone in one pouch and a PDA in the other. These pouches are, as I said before, modular and can be worn by themselves or with either one on the top. Now, I know what some of you are thinking: This guy in the photo is half my size. If I wore that thing I wouldn’t be able to get it around my neck! Well, that’s where you would be wrong. I am 6’3” tall and weigh over 300 pounds but was able to wear this comfortably all day, as seen in the following photographs.  One of the ingenious things about the design of the e-Uro is the implementation of “wiring conduits” on the underside of the strap to keep all those wires organized and out of the way. These “conduits” are made of several loops on the underside of the strap and do a wonderful job of managing the cables for the MP3 remote and ear buds. I attached the cables to mine and wore the remote clipped to the strap about there my shirt pocket would be. If I had wanted to, I could have run the wires for my phone headset up the back side and wore one in each ear – all without the clutter of wires dangling everywhere.  As I mentioned in the brief description at the top of the review, the cases are designed to be modular and are attached to the plastic loops at the bottom of the neck strap by fabric loops that are sewn securely into the back of the pouch. These snap in the middle and therefore can be attached to the strap (or another pouch) at either side of the pouch depending on what side you wish to wear the strap on. The pouches themselves have elastic sides to allow it to expand to hold virtually any PDA (My NX70 fit in it with no problem at all) or medium sized cell phone you wish to put in it. The cell phone pouch also comes in different sizes to accommodate different size phones.  While the e-Uro isn’t a case that can be worn in any situation (I wouldn’t wear it singing in the church choir, for example), it is certainly a excellent way to carry your PDA or other electronic gadgets with you in a casual environment. I plan on wearing it again tomorrow when I attend a local High School football game. The e-Uro is made or a silvery metallic looking vinyl over nylon and is made very well in my opinion. It, being modular, is priced from $35.90 to $53.85 depending on what pouches you order with it and is available from www.eholster.com . e-Zio Case From e-Holster In the previous review of the e-Uro from e-Holster I mentioned that there were certainly circumstances where I would not feel comfortable wearing the bandoleer-style strap containing gadgets such as singing in the church choir. There are occasions, however, in which I need a “wearable” case that is not attached to my belt. Something, for example, that can be worn virtually unnoticed beneath a sweater or jacket ant yet keep your PDA and / or cell phone handy. It would be even better if it could keep all those pesky wires for your ear phoned and phone head set organized and out of the way. Well, e-Holster has come up with just such a case – the e-Zio and it’ big brother, the e-Holster. (The primary differences between the two being the ability of ordering the e-Holster in leather and it being designed to be worn lower on the side – almost at belt level. As a matter of fact, it can be attached to the belt for added comfort…)  The e-Zio, as seen in the above photographs from their web page, is a “shoulder holster” designed wearable case for PDA’s, cell phones, digital cameras, of just about any other electronic gadget you may want to carry with you. It is fully adjustable to fit almost anyone as seen by me wearing it in the following photograph. I wear a XXX shirt and probably wear a size 54 coat – and yet I was able to adjust the straps our enough to fit me comfortably with the pouches tucked under each arm.  The e-Zio, unlike the e-Uro, is specifically designed to be worn higher n your side to comfortable accommodate up to two pouches on each side. For example, you can have your Clié and a battery charger for it on one side (with the ear buds and MP3 remote run up the strap to your ear) and a digital camera and cell phone on the other (with the phone’s headset cable run down the other strap) and, once you threw on a jacket over it, no one would be the wiser – unless they spotted the ear piece in your ear and thought you were part of the security detail…  As you can see from the photos above, I was able to adjust the straps to fit me great. The pouches rode sufficiently low enough on my side that my arms were able to move freely and so I didn’t feel like I had something stuck in my armpit. While you can put both pouches on one side or the other, I’d advice splitting them up so that the harness would ride evenly on your shoulders.  As with all the products made by e-Holster, the system is completely modular and the straps contain an integrated wire harness to manage the cables associated with your gadgets. The e-Zio and e-Harness both come in durable nylon although the e-Harness is also available in leather. The pouches are available in nylon, leather, or the silvery nylon such as the ones that match the e-Uro strap.  Accessories are also available such as extenders for some of the harnesses and belt straps that can transform any of the pouches into an e-Belt pouch. By removing any one of the pouches from the e-Zio and installing the belt straps to the plastic loops, you can comfortably wear the pouch on either hip by attaching it to your belt. Because of the fact that the belt straps snap together, it can be removes from your belt without having to remove the belt from within the loops. One advantage of this design is that the pouch has some movement to it and will not break off the belt of jostled. All in all I found the e-Zio to be a great case for the PDA and, while it might not be for everyone, is definitely worth checking into if you need a nicely designed wearable case. |
| Category: | Clie Connections |
