Rating: Summary: A Great Investment! Review: I attempted to deal with the generic case provided by Palm for the Zire 71. But, It just did not cut it! After searching some great forums like Brighthand I decided to go with an aluminum case and the most popular one seemed to be the Rhinoskin.About The Case: The case itself is lightweight with a nice finish. It has some texture to it which is a great thing so it won't slip out of your hands as the Zire 71 (naked) will do due to its smooth finish. The "top" of the case is completely missing due to the fact that it provides access to the stylus, power button, IR port, and SD/MMC slot. I think this is a great idea but, I have found that the cut-out for the power button seems to be a little "off center". Pro: It is easy to place the Zire into the case. It slides right in and secures itself onto two latches that "lock-in" to the two notches on the back of the handheld. I've also figured those two notches are used for the camera component of the handheld which allows for the camera to "lock-in" place. Con: Something you may consider with this case are scratching from the latches from sliding the Palm in and out of the case. Especially, If you need access to the cradle or another various peripherals that will not allow access to the Palm while in its case. My Zire has scratching under the notches on the handheld from the latches of the case from daily removal to use a keyboard. Pro: One of the best features of this case is the speaker cut-out on the back. It prevents muffled sounds that I had experienced with the stock case provided by Palm. Pro: The inside of the case is lined by some sort of felt/smooth material which protects against scratches and serves as a form of shock absorption. Pro & Con: There seems to be some extra spacing and gaps between the handheld and the case which in-turn takes up room that could have been saved if the case had been a "close" fit to the body of the handheld. But! I must add that the case is in fact small and conforms to the body of the handheld nicely. Pro: There are two extra slots inside of the case that provide room for SD/MMC cards. And, This has been spaced nicely so that the cards will not touch the screen of your handheld. Con: The design of the SD/MMC slots of the case would expose to "pin" side of your SD/MMC cards which makes me wonder why were the slots of the case implemented in this fashion. Pro: You do have the option to hotsync/charge the handheld through the cutout provided if you purchase a separate sync/charge cable. Con: The UC can only be accessed when the handheld is outside of the case which can be a pain for those who use other various peripherals. Or, Even to charge and sync your handheld without the use of a cable. In Conclusion: As a college student that takes a two hour commute to & from school this case has proven to be quite the protector of my palm. Despite all of the cons I am very pleased with this purchase. I can throw my handheld into my bookbag without worrying about accidental turn-ons and battery drain (and the possible loss of important notes/dates/etc). I know that my screen won't get smashed by my bag full of textbooks. My palm can stay in a "like-new' condition while my case takes all the abuse. Nothing is perfect.. ..And, The pros definitely outweigh the cons! You should purchase this case (or one like it)!
Rating: Summary: Excellent Hard Case Review: I have had several PDA's and this is the best hard case I have used. It fits extremely well, and leaves the ports accessible. In addition, there is memory card storage built in.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Hard Case Review: I have had several PDA's and this is the best hard case I have used. It fits extremely well, and leaves the ports accessible. In addition, there is memory card storage built in.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful case! I love it! Review: I tried a generic version of this case (purchased elsewhere), but the glue-on plastic stud for the belt clip just wasn't cutting it. The metal stud (which is removable) on the RhinoSkin case is much nicer, and you don't need to worry about the glue failing and the case falling. This case lets you use the camera without removing the Palm from the case -- a nice touch. The stylus is easily accessible, as are all the buttons. The Palm seems very secure in this case. There are just two drawbacks that kept me from giving this five stars. You can't sync in a cradle unless you remove the Palm from the case -- the cutout on the bottom is supposed to work with a HotSync cable, but not a cradle. The other drawback is the way the device attaches. There are two metal strips attached to the case that sit behind the Palm, with plastic tabs on them that fit into the two holes on the back of the Palm. On the generic model I had, one of those plastic tabs broke off (probably because I kept removing my Palm so I could sync) after I'd had it for two weeks. Once the tab broke off, you couldn't put it back, and the Palm wasn't held in the case nearly as well. The RhinoSkin looks like it's built the same way, so this may be a problem. Hopefully the 1-year warranty will still be in effect if this happens again. I loved the generic model, despite it's shortcomings. The RhinoSkin looks like it's better in at least one key area, and the warranty has me hopeful.
Rating: Summary: This small investment has saved my palm many times over Review: I use my Zire 71 as a Real Estate Key for my life as a Real Estate agent and as a drug reference guide in my life as a health care professional. In all the freetime that that leaves, I use it as an mp3 player, bible, and newpaper...all this in addition to its actual Palm functions: Addressbook, calendar, to do list, etc.
So needless to say, I always have my palm with me, and needless to say if you know me, I am always dropping it. I have had my Zire 71 for just over two years and it has survived every fall. It has had a couch dropped on it. It has been run over by inumerable office chairs. I've even managed to drop it down a flight of stairs. The palm is in perfect condition; the aluminum hard case is very beat up and scratched up. So this very small investment has saved my larger investment many times over.
Rating: Summary: Terrible. Review: I work in a busy E.R., and was excited to get this hardcase for the Zire 71. Well, the biggest problem is the mechanism for the beltclip. The screw which keeps the clip locked onto the case kept coming loose. Twice during my 12 hour shift, the case fell off of the beltclip and crashed to the floor. I ended up carrying the case with PDA in my scrub pocket. I went to Office Depot the next day to buy a Belkin leather case instead, which was $5 cheaper. What a waste of money and time this case was. Buy at your peril.
Rating: Summary: Good protection Review: I'm sure my palm will be well protected now if it gets run over by a truck. The case offers great protection, but there are a couple of draw backs. The case makes the overall mass of the unit pretty large. If you carry this in your pocket, it really sticks out. It does come with a belt clip, but who wants to carry something that big on they're belt? Why not switch to a PDA phone then? Watch your fingers too! This thing clamps shut pretty good and can pinch your fingers! It will not fit on a Palm cradle for charging. It is the best protection out there for the Zire 71. It's nice to be able to slide the camera out of the case, but you have to watch out not to slid the whole Palm out of the case. It is well secured in the protective case, but it can be pushed out when flipping up the camera part. In the long run, I would recommend this case over all the other's because of it's sturdiness. It's the best protection for your Zire 71! :-)
Rating: Summary: 3 out of 5 -- Great little case, small form factor. Review: I've banged the heck out of my case in just 5 months and it looks like it's been to the moon and back--but I just really seem to like this case. It's rugged, it's solid, and I feel confident having hard protection for the screen. My only gripe is the cheezy plastic belt clip. To use it, you have to screw a threaded knob into the back of the unit--and then attach the plastic clip to that. That's fine and dandy, but because that metal knob is a screw, it's prone to coming out. I've had my case take a few tumbles from my belt because the screw/knob had become unthreaded. I e-mailed customer support at Saunders and was told that's normal and to just use a pair of pliers to super-tighten the knob. Strange. Anyway--I used superglue on the screw threads to hold it tight--and haven't had any problems since--until today, where the entire plastic belt clip broke into 5 pieces and the case slid off my belt. I'm in the process of contacting customer support again to see if I'm in any position to get a replacement. Great case, but awkward/cheap belt clip design.
Rating: Summary: 3 out of 5 -- Great little case, small form factor. Review: I've banged the heck out of my case in just 5 months and it looks like it's been to the moon and back--but I just really seem to like this case. It's rugged, it's solid, and I feel confident having hard protection for the screen. My only gripe is the cheezy plastic belt clip. To use it, you have to screw a threaded knob into the back of the unit--and then attach the plastic clip to that. That's fine and dandy, but because that metal knob is a screw, it's prone to coming out. I've had my case take a few tumbles from my belt because the screw/knob had become unthreaded. I e-mailed customer support at Saunders and was told that's normal and to just use a pair of pliers to super-tighten the knob. Strange. Anyway--I used superglue on the screw threads to hold it tight--and haven't had any problems since--until today, where the entire plastic belt clip broke into 5 pieces and the case slid off my belt. I'm in the process of contacting customer support again to see if I'm in any position to get a replacement. Great case, but awkward/cheap belt clip design.
Rating: Summary: Good but not great Review: This case is great in almost every way. Very durable, sleek, holds the Palm securely and all the things you would want a protective case to do. There are two shortcomings. The first is that the power button is exposed, which means it can be turned on by accident. The second is that although in the description it says the IR port is open for easy transfer, you can't hot-sync it in a cradle without taking it out of the case. That's a real pain.
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