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HP iPAQ hx4700 Case Review Roundup: Krusell,
Piel Frama, PDair, JAVO Edge, Sena and Covertec
Posted Jan. 2005 by Tong Zhang, Senior Editor
The HP iPAQ hx4700 series Pocket PC is a large PDA. This presented
both an opportunity and a challenge to case makers to design cases
that will protect the PDA well yet not add significant bulk. Because
the iPAQ 4700 series has a relatively large screen compared to most
other PDAs, having a protective case is more important although every
PDA should have a proper protection if it’s carried regularly.
We looked at 6 cases for the iPAQ 4700 series from 5 vendors in this
round up review. Note: none of the cases reviewed here except the
JAVO Edge’s silicon skin case allows you to use the screen
cover that’s included with the iPAQ hx4700/hx4705 models.
Krusell Leather Case
Krusell is a big case maker for many mobile devices including
PDAs and cell phones. We have reviewed their cases for the
Dell Axim X3 the iPAQ 2215 and the Nokia 3650. Krusell cases
usually have intelligent designs, use good quality material
and their Multidapt clip system has proven to be flexible and
durable. The iPAQ 4700 case comes with the same quality we’ve
come to expect from a Krusell case.
The iPAQ 4700 fits in the Krusell leather
case very well. There is a thick elastic strip on each side
of the pocket so that you can easily put the PDA in or take
it out of the case. Once the unit is inside of the case,
it sits securely. The Krusell case is the only one that has
this elastic strip design. The elastic strips are well made
and have more flexibility than leather. The case covers most
of the sides of the PDA with top and bottom edges cut out
and leaving the bottom of the PDA mostly uncovered for easy
access to the sync port, the IR port and the
mic hole. Although you can’t
sync via cradle when the PDA in the case, you can sync and
charge via cable. The case also leaves the touchpad open and
most of areas above the screen uncovered so that you can see
the LEDs and hear the speaker.
Both the bottom and the flip cover have
strong inserts to protect the PDA. The flip cover also adds
some extra padding to protect that precious large screen.
The Krusell leather has the most padding in its flip cover
among all the leather cases in this roundup. Inside the flip
cover you’ll find
pockets including a large business card slot, two CF card slots
and two SD card slots. Krusell’s design adds a little
more length to the flip cover so that when you close the PDA
with the pockets full of cards, they don’t scratch the
screen. The flip cover is closed by a tongue closure with a
snap. There are two snaps positioned on the back of the case,
one for closing the case without any cards stored in the flip
cover; the other for closing the case with cards stored which
requires more space. Very nice design!
On the back of the case, you will find
the Krusell’s
trademarked Multidapt belt clip system. This system has an
elegant track and lock system that doesn’t add a large
knob to your case. The belt clip base is not only slim and
strong but also will work with an assortment of attachments
including belt clip, swivel clip, strap, car visor clip and
more.
The Krusell leather for the iPAQ hx4700
series uses fine and smooth leather, and soft suede on the
inside. The snaps are strong. There is a silver badge on
the bottom of the front cover with Krusell’s logo and
name embossed. The case comes in black color.
Pro: Professional and classy case with
smart design. The case provides lots of protection for your
PDA and a good amount of storage room that you can use without
worrying about the screen when the case is closed. It’s
easy to access thanks to the elastic on the sides of the
case and cutouts for ports and buttons. Very nice belt clip
system that gives you various carrying options.
Con: The length of the flip cover might be a little to long
even after you stuffed all the cards in the pockets. It leaves
some gap been the flip cover and the PDA screen when the case
is closed. Only comes in black color.
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Piel Frama Leather Case
Piel Frama makes high quality leather cases for
mobile devices. The craftsmanship of their handmade cases has
showed us what great cases can do for your PDAs in adding both
protection and style. We have reviewed their cases for the
iPAQ 6315, XDA
II, Dell
Axim X30 and more. Piel Frama offers not only cow skin
leather cases, but also cow skin and crocodile as well as cow
skin and ostrich combo for the iPAQ hx4700. In addition to
the leather cases, Piel Frama also offers a hard aluminum case.
We look at their red cow skin leather case in this review.
The Piel Frama cow skin case fits the PDA
just right, not hugely tight but your PDA won’t slip
out of the case by accident. Since there are no slots, ports
or buttons on either side of the iPAQ hx4705 except the Record
button near the top on the left side, the Piel Frama leather
case covers both sides of the PDA leaving a cutout for the
Record button and stops right above the screen. The bottom
and the touch pad are exposed for accessing the sync port,
the IR port, the mic hole and the touch pad. Like the Krusell
leather case, you can’t sync via the cradle while your
PDA is in the Piel Frama case. But you can use a sync cable
or charger while it’s in the case. Since the top of
the PDA is exposed, your LEDs and speaker grill are not blocked.
Both the flip cover and the back of the
case have strong inserts for extra protection. They also
have some soft padding as well which makes the case more
pleasing in the hand. There is a large pocket that’s almost as long as the flip cover,
three CF card slots and two SD card slots inside the flip cover.
The flip cover has some extra room for you to store cards and
papers in these slots and still be able to close the case without
hurting the screen. The case is closed by a single snap in
the tongue built in the flip cover. The tongue wraps around
the bottom of the case and closes in the back. The Piel Frama
case offers a unique feature which is a cut out on the flip
cover to give the access to CF and SD card slots when the case
is closed. So you don’t need to open the cover if you
just need to slide a card in or out.
Like many Piel Frama case, the iPAQ hx4705
case has a belt clip hole that you can either plug with a
small plastic grummet included with the case if you don’t
need a belt clip; or you can use the included key to screw
on the belt clip knob. The belt clip system is very solidly
built and gives users the flexibility to add or remove it
depending on their needs.
The Piel Frama case uses very fine grained leather that feels
soft and smooth in the hand. The stitching is fine and strong.
Those with exotic tastes can check out the crocodile and ostrich
finishes in addition to the cow skin leather. They indeed look
stylish and classy. There are a variety of colors to choose
from regardless of which type of finish you fancy. The case
comes with a nice gift box.
Pro: The Piel Frama case shows high quality in material and
craftsmanship. Every case is handmade. The leather selection
beats other vendors and the colors range from professional
to jazzy. The case has a good balance between adding good protection
yet keeping the bulkiness down to minimum. The belt clip system
is easy to add and remove. Extra cut out for accessing expansion
slots with the case closed.
Con: Other than not be able to sync via cradle while the PDA
is in the case, we can really find anything to complaint. Then
again, none of the cases in this round supports syncing via
cradle.
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JAVO Edge Leather Case
JAVO Edge is a newcomer to the mobile accessory world, but
they have quickly added a good number of cases, cables and
other accessories for PDAs and cell phones. This is the first
time we’ve looked at their cases for PDAs and the two
cases we reviewed here are the black leather case and the clear
skin case for the iPAQ hx4700.
The JAVO Edge black leather case fits very
well thanks to the molded pocket that allows you to slide
the iPAQ hx4700 in and out easily. The molded pocket covers
the sides of the PDA half way from the top, leaving the Record
button open for easy access. The pocket is very rigid but
covers the least around the screen of the PDA among all the
leather cases reviewed here. There two leather strips holding
the bottom of the PDA, which leaves out the sync port and
the IR port open for easy access. Because there isn’t
much leather covering the front of the PDA, the mic hole,
three LEDs and speaker grill are completely unblocked. As
with other cases, you can sync and charge the PDA via a cable,
not a cradle.
Both the flip cover and the back of the
case have strong inserts providing good protection for the
PDA. The flip cover adds more padding and has the usual set
of pockets: three credit card size slots and two SD card
slots. Both the closure strip and flip cover fold are patched
with breathable dotted leather material to withstand bending.
The case is closed by a magnetic snap closure that’s easy to open and close. The magnet
is strong enough to hold the snap in place once the case is
closed. The closure strip crosses the bottom of the PDA and
fastens in the back. It has some extra length in case you stuff
some cards in the flip cover pockets. But if you don’t
store anything in the card slots the case is shut pretty tight
to ensure that the screen is well protected. There was no belt
clip option at press time.
The JAVO Edge leather case is made with
soft leather that’s
smooth, and there are special leather patches in the areas
that get bent while using the case. The stitching is fine and
is white which makes a nice contrast to the black leather.
This product comes in only black color.
Pro: Professional looking case that gives your PDA good protection.
Molded pocket is a unique approach that makes it very easy
to take the PDA in and out of the case. Good quality material
and nice design that ensures easy access to all ports and buttons.
The case fits very well and the magnetic snap closure is always
my favorite method on a leather case. Affordable price!
Con: If you are looking for a case with belt clip, look elsewhere.
While the strong pocket holds the PDA very securely, the case
pocket only protects the PDA halfway on the side. If you are
adamant about protecting as much surface of your PDA from scratches
as possible, then maybe check out other cases with more side
protection.
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JAVO Edge Silicon Case
In the world of PDA and cell phone cases, the silicon skin
cases are the new kid on the block. It has its appeal because
they are clear which can show off the true color and glory
of your gadgets, and the material is stretchable which makes
it easy to fit various shapes and sizes. JAVO Edge has some
very nice skin cases that fit Zire 72 style and the iPod which
look great. Unfortunately, the iPAQ hx4700 series PDA is not
a good candidate to wear a clear skin case.
The iPAQ hx4700 series PDA has a dark gunmetal
finish and large size screen with black plastic cap and large
black touch pad below the screen. The unit has a strong presence
compared to most other PDAs. The clear skin case does not
look attractive covering this unit. It’s almost like putting a white
robe on a football player, and that just doesn’t fit
the image. The JAVO Edge clear skin case is the only case that
allows you to use the screen cover included with the iPAQ hx4700
and you will need it because the case does not cover the screen.
True to the name, the skin case covers the PDA like a skin
with cut outs for ports on the bottom and card slots, power
button, stylus silo and the headphone jack. There are also
cutouts for the touch pad and the mic hole on the front as
well as the LEDs and speaker grill. Even though the Record
button on the upper left side is covered, the material is so
soft that you can tap the button and launch the application
through the skin. There is a belt clip system on the back of
the case and a strap holder on the upper left side to use with
the included carrying strap. You can remove the belt clip knob
if you don’t intend to use the belt clip.
The material of the clear skin case is
silicon. There are some very nice benefits using this kind
of material for cases. The silicon is lightweight and adds
little bulk to your PDA. It’s stretchable so that it can fit your PDA very well.
It has a nice grip and feels soft in the hand and it can absorb
small bumps in bags. The JAVO Edge silicon certainly provides
all these benefits. In our test, we’ve also discovered
some drawbacks using this material in this case design. Because
the material is very flexible, we find that it gets caught
on things easily in backpacks and purses. Often in result,
the PDA jumps out of the case because the material is so stretchable.
The material also attracts dirt, lint and pet hairs easily.
The material can become too loose after being stretched too
many times. The clear skin case comes in only the translucent
style.
Pro: Thin and durable material. Easy to get the PDA in and
out of the case. All ports and buttons are easily accessible.
The case is washable and has a nice grip. Flexible belt clip
system.
Con: Not attractive case for this device. The silicon material
should have more memory and not get too loose. The lack of
protection for the front and the top of the PDA leaves one
nervous.
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PDair Aluminum Hard Case
If you are in a profession where your PDA
needs more than leather protection in daily use, PDair’s
aluminum case might be the right answer. The case is made
of aircraft grade aluminum with a custom fit and cutouts
for all ports and buttons. It will prevent scratches and
take some bumps and bruises. Personally, I feel the PDA screen
stays the safer in this case than any other.
Like other hard cases from PDair, the iPAQ hx4705 series case
is form fitted to the PDA. You can easily slide the PDA in
and out of the case. Inside of the cold metal case, there is
a neoprene lining where the case touches the PDA. The case
cover opens from left to right. When the case is closed, you
will only see cut out holes and grills and the top of the PDA
exposed. Since there are two strong metal lips holding the
PDA securely inside of the case, you get to access the entire
front of the PDA when you open the case. There is only one
small cut out on the upper left side for the Record button
while there is a large cut out on the bottom of the case to
give you access to the IR and sync ports. There is also a cut
out hole for the Reset button on the bottom.
The PDair aluminum case has three cutouts
on the front cover. These cutouts allow you to see the LED,
hear the sound from the speaker or input sound via the mic
while the case is closed. The area covers the touch pad has
been slightly raised to ensure that the case won’t accidentally press on the touch pad
when it’s closed. The cover has as strong hinge that
should withstand plenty of use and closes securely. There is
a single SD card holder inside of the cover.
The back of the case has a small cutout
to give you easy access to the stylus and a half moon cutout
next to the CF card slot so that you can easily take out
a CF card. Very convenient design! The top of the PDA is
almost entirely open so you can access the CF and SD slots,
the power button and the earphone jack easily. You don’t need to worry about the PDA sliding
out from the top because the front cover curves over the top
just enough to hold the PDA inside the case yet doesn’t
block access to anything. There is a belt clip hole on the
back of the case, which you can either choose to leave it naked
or screw on the belt clip knob and use the included belt clip
with the case. The belt clip is strong and can easily carry
the weight of the PDA and the case. There are also four tiny
metal “feet” on the back of the case to help absorb
additional shock and prevent surface scratches.
If the silver metal look is your style,
the PDair aluminum case is a good choice. The material is
strong and the case is built very sturdy. The case is very
light in weight and adds very little bulk to your PDA. The
material is very scratch resistant and doesn’t show
dirt or fingerprints easily.
Pro: The hard case provides the best protection for your PDA,
especially the screen. Plenty of cutouts on this case provide
accessibility. The material is solid and the build is sturdy.
The case comes with a flexible belt clip system.
Con: None.
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Covertec Leather Case
Another high quality case maker from Europe is Covertec whose
cases we have reviewed for many PDA models including the Sony
Clie NX series the HP
iPAQ 1900 series and the Toshiba
e800 series. Their cases often win users over with their elegant
design, reasonable prices and good quality material. Most of
their popular PDA cases come in three colors: black, red and
tan. We reviewed the black color leather case for the iPAQ
hv4700 series.
The Covertec leather case is the slimmest leather case in
this roundup. The PDA sits in a short pocket that goes only
up to 1/3 of length of the PDA. While other leather cases come
with a slightly wider back piece than the width of the PDA,
the Covertec case has a slightly narrower cover on the back.
The flip cover however is the same width as the PDA. The pocket
where the PDA is sitting in is stitched to the back cover and
is slightly wider than the back cover so that the PDA can fit
in. There is a long cut out on the bottom of the PDA for easy
access to the sync port. There is a small hole for the mic.
Since the pocket only goes up to about 1/3 of the way, the
entire PDA above the pocket is open for easy access when the
flip cover is opened.
Both the flip cover and the back cover
have stiff inserts. There isn’t too much padding on
the back cover but a good amount of padding is added to the
flip cover to protect the PDA screen. There are two CF/credit
card size slots along with two SD card pockets on the inside
of the flip cover. The SD card pockets have a rigid indentation
for you to put the SD cards in and out easily and to create
a little space between the flip cover and the screen when
the case is closed. Very good design here! There is a small
cut out for the microphone jack which allows you to listen
to MP3 with the case closed.
The Covertec case has a magnetic closure
that adds style to the case. The tongue wraps around the
bottom of the PDA and closes the flip cover on the back of
the case. The magnetic loop is strong and shuts the case
securely. The iPAQ hx4700 case comes with Covertec’s WIPS belt clip system that
you can choose whether to install with the case. The WIPS belt
clip has a wide and sturdy clip that allows the PDA to stay
in either horizontal or vertical orientation on your belt.
It’s easy to install and Covertec even includes a screw
driver for the installation.
The Covertec case uses fine grained leather that feels nice
in the hand. The elegant Covertec logo is embossed on the lower
right cover of the front cover. There are three colors available
for the iPAQ hx4700 series and they are black, red and tan.
The black leather case has nice dark chocolate color leather
on the inside of the case. The stitching is a light gray cover
in accent to the black leather. The stitching is fine and well
done. The case comes in a nice gift box.
Pro: Very stylish and elegant case that
comes in three color choices. The case uses good quality
material and is well built. All ports and buttons are accessibly
and the magnetic closure is easy to use and shuts the case
securely. It’s the
slimmest case if you are going for the minimalism.
Con: The sides of the PDA feel naked especially with the back
cover narrower than the PDA width.
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Sena Leather Case
If you are looking for a slim case for
your HP iPAQ hx4700 Pocket
PC, Sena’s slim leather
case should be on your short list. Sena is known for making
tight fitting cases for PDAs. Their Tungsten
T3 case proved to be a very convenient accessory as it
enables syncing and charging the PDA via cradle without taking
the case off. The iPAQ hx4700 case from Sena has a similar
design which also allows you to sync your Pocket PC in the
cradle while still in the case. In addition
to the T3 case, we’ve also tested and reviewed Sena’s iPAQ
6300 case.
The Sena case for the iPAQ hx4700 series
has a slick and slim design. The case adds very little bulk
to the PDA yet provides good protection. The sides of the
PDA are covered by thin leather material exposing
only the four corners and the Record button on the left side
of the device. The leather on the sides also helps to provide
a better grip when you hold your Pocket PC. The bottom corners
of the PDA along with the touch pad, sync port and IR port
are exposed for easy access and for syncing in the cradle.
Another challenge when designed a case that allows for cradle
syncing is that the back
of the case must be slim as well. The Sena case meets that
challenge by using slim leather for the section that meets
the cradle. The case indeed allows you to plug your PDA into
the cradle; however you may need to stretch and break in the
leather a bit when it’s
new for a perfect fit in the cradle.
The front cover of the Sena case has a stiff
insert for better screen protection. The cover is shut
by two strong magnetic coins that live under the leather. The
back of the case has the same stiff insert to about 3/4 of
the length leaving the bottom part out for fitting in the cradle.
The case uses very smooth and shiny leather and the stitching
is fine. There are 5 colors available for the hx4705 case including
two solid colors and three striped designs which are my personal
favorites. When you order the case, you can choose the belt
clip option or without the belt clip. The belt clip system
is very sturdy which is a good thing given the size and the
weight of this large PDA. The Sena case comes in a nice gift
box and wrapped in a soft cloth pouch.
Pro: The Sena case shows good quality in
the material and has a nice slim design. It’s the only
case in this roundup allows you to sync and charge your
iPAQ in the cradle without taking it out of the case. The
case provides good protection and usability. Very nice color
selection and solid belt clip system.
Con: No CF card access when the case is closed.
You need to break it a little bit when the case is new for
easy cradle syncing.
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