Price:	£20.95		Reviewed by:	Mike Featherstone
Supplied:	PDair Shop		Review date:	31/01/2005
Pros:	Looks good Feels good Well Padded Stylus Holder built in		Cons:	A little bulky for pocket portability

Having spent some time prior to Christmas using a PDair aluminium case with my T5, over the break I transitioned to a book type leather case from the same source. Unlike the aluminium one, I'd used a leather case before so had more idea of what I was looking at and a greater opinion on my likes and dislikes about such cases before I'd even started. This is not necessarily a good position from which to start an unbiased review!

The first thing I noticed about the PDair case was the magnetic closure. I believe this to be quite a common mechanism, but this is the first time I have used one personally. While possibly not as strong as a ‘new’ snap closure mechanism, it is certainly stronger than an ‘old’ snap closure mechanism and seems plenty strong enough to resist most of the accidents of opening that could occur in transit.

As many others have done, I initially wondered about the impact of this sort of magnetic closure on the electronic device inside the case and also as many others, have determined the effect to be negligible as far as I can see. What I don’t know is whether this is just lucky or whether it’s a finely calculated piece of manufacturing!

One of the key points I like about this case is the stylus holder in the spine. One of my worries about the T5 itself is that like the Vx, the moulding of the stylus grip along the side of the unit is made from plastic. On my Vx, after a few years, the ends of these pieces of plastic broke off leaving me with a rather loose stylus and a jagged PDA. Storing the stylus in the case in this way, then, seems to be a very good way of avoiding this issue completely.

Made from black leather with white stitching with the PDair logo embossed inside the front cover, the fit of the case to the PDA is good providing plenty of room for the T5 while still holding it snugly when the strap is fastened across the opening. There is certainly none of the excess internal room I noticed with aluminium case. Internally, the leather is reinforced in some way making it quite strong and affording a good amount of protection. The sides are obviously open and unprotected but this risk is mitigated in the usual manner as the edges of the case protrude beyond the sides of the T5. As with some of the other leather cases I have seen, though, while good for your PDA, this does have a negative impact on its portability. In this case, the T5 is a tight squeeze in my pocket making that method of transport impractical. If poketability is one of your key requirements then I’d recommend the aluminium case mentioned earlier.

As with the aluminium case, a belt clip is supplied as standard and this time, I did try it out (albeit in the privacy of my own home). I find it a little bit bulky personally as it holds the PDA a long way from the belt. The upside to that, however, is that using the clip is perfectly comfortable and prevents the PDA from getting in the way or restricting your movements too much. I'm still not convinced I'll ever use one ‘for real’ but the option is there if needed. Once the belt fitting is removed, the remaining socket on the case is fairly unobtrusive so I don’t feel ‘clipless’ use has been compromised by its inclusion.

In addition to the PDA and stylus, this case is equipped with two pockets inside the front cover. One is the full height and width of the case, accessed from the spine while the other is slightly larger than credit card size and opens at the top. All I generally carry in my PDA case is a set of business cards so the pocket arrangement is more than sufficient for my needs. Storage for two SD cards is also supplied in slightly recessed pockets in the back cover.

And that’s about it really. All in all, this is a good everyday case. As I’ve said, the size (or more specifically the width) presents a few problems to me in my daily routine so it’s not my personal favourite accessory but it looks smart and feels sturdy and does a good job of looking after my T5 in the way it’s designed to.