Price:	£20.95		Reviewed by:	Mike Featherstone
Supplied:	PDair Shop		Review date:	14/02/2005
Pros:	Relatively Compact Protect open SD Card Slot		Cons:	Tight side hinge No Stylus holder

I’ve recently written reviews of both the Aluminium case and the Book type Leather case for the Tungsten T5 from PDair. Now it’s the turn of the Flip type Leather case from the same source. Where the Aluminium case surprised me in its utility and the Book case was nice but proved a little large for my use, the Flip case is different again.

Constructed from the same basic materials as the Book case, black leather with white stitching, there is much commonality with the subject of my earlier review. The embossed manufacturers name is there as are the two pockets, though this time they are both accessible from the ‘top’ (i.e. the hinge) of the cover flap rather than the top and side as in the other case. The detachable belt clip is also present but sadly, the stylus holder that I liked so much last time is not available this time around (though I wonder if a way couldn’t have been found to include one somewhere).

The case/PDA attachment is also the same but in a sense is also a little different. As with the other cases, the palmOne cover attachment groove on the left of the T5 is used to attach this one but as this case is ‘hinged’ at the top rather than the side, the PDA does not join into the hinge directly. Rather, there is a flap of material on the left of the case to which the PDA attachment mechanism is itself attached. Thus the facility exists for the unit to flip out to one side if waved about in an open case in a suitably extravagant manner. This isn’t really a problem as the attachment is firm (and for what it’s worth, I don’t see an alternative way of attaching the unit anyway) but it can be a bit of a surprise when it happens – yes, I’ve done this at least once!

One of the advantages I can see in a top hinged case like this as opposed to one hinged at the side, is the protection offered to the SD card slot of the T5. Unlike the T3, the T5 is not blessed with a hinged cover to this slot so when nothing is installed in it, the potential exists to get just about anything stuck in there. With a case such as this, though, that problem is mitigated by the fact that the case wraps around the top of the unit. Of course, this is equally a disadvantage for using of the audio socket as this is also top mounted on the T5. Fortunately, a hole is provided in the spine of the case to allow the insertion of an audio plug.

In the case I received, the extra ‘attachment flap’ on the side seems to be a little small to my way of looking at things, particularly at the bottom of the T5 where the unit widens out at the point that the buttons are fitted. In use, this results in the PDA being held much more firmly to the left hand side of the case than it should be; slightly too far to the left unfortunately. Whether this is by design, a manufacturing tolerance issue or just a problem with this particular case I don’t know. It may well be as designed, to be fair, as a looser attachment would actually allow the PDA to slide further out of the case as well as further into it as I would like.

This becomes more obvious to the eye when the case is closed as the bottom left hand corner of the PDA can protrude from the leather just slightly if left to its own devices. The front cover pulls across slightly to protect the PDA but the whole thing looks slightly askew. In use, I suspect this hinge piece may stretch slightly over time , however, and make the whole thing a little more comfortable.

In addition, I feel that the restraining strap that holds the case closed could have been a little longer. From new, a little bit too much effort was required to get the two ends to meet sensibly. Another couple of millimetres wouldn’t have gone astray, particularly as the T5 is somewhat fatter at its base than it is at the top. This is easing with age (1 month and counting) and has now become quite easy to close so don’t consider this as too great a drawback if you’re considering a case such as this for your T5.

The magnetic closure on the end of this strap is, unsurprisingly, identical to that on the Book type case and works equally well with this format even under the extra strain described. I like this mechanism more and more the more I use it, my previous leather case experience having been limited to those with ‘poppers’ to hold the two sides together. These soon wear and loosen noticeably but I don’t see this as a problem with these cases. As with the other case, the presence of a magnet so close to the PDA on this one has absolutely no effect on its function.

More pocketable than the Book case I covered earlier, this case makes the T5 as portable in leather as I found it to be in aluminium.

Overall, I prefer this case to the Book case to the point where I am still using it. It’s not perfect, as I’ve already said, but a certain amount of compromise is required for a flip case given the design of the attachment that palmOne have provided. This case manages to carry it off in my opinion.