Rating: Summary: Dented, scratched and a broken latch Review: I purchased my Palm Tungsten E Hard Case back in May 2004, soon after I upgraded from a Handspring Visor Neo. I knew I would need something tuff that would protect my PDA because I am in college and carry my PDA in my backpack and pocket. Well, the cover quickly showed scratches and soon after I noticed that it was dented, several places. Now I know that these are my own fault, but I do not throw my backpack around, nor have I abused this case in any extreme manor. These dents appeared with only minor pressure applied. The case does not create a tight fitting close and so dust has an opportunity to get between the crack at the top and bottom of the case. And YES, my PDA, although attached with the swing hinge, jiggles inside the case when carried in my pocket...it is sometimes so loud, I wonder if the people I am walking past can hear it.
The guy who dropped his PDA (in the hard case) in water is very lucky considering the case does not create a tight seal. The same man mentions that the case opens 360 degrees which is false; it opens 180 degrees, just to clarify.
The most annoying part about the case is that the latch that holds it shut is broken. I had not owned it for more than 2 months when I had noticed this.
And YES, it is inconvenient to charge and hotsync the PDA in the case because the case covers half of the connections (both the USB port and the power connector port) so you either have to take it out, or swing the case around on itself exposing the PDA fully, so as to lay it flat, alloying the case to hang off the side of a desk or table.
This product does not deserve 5 stars. I am calling Palm to complain about this defective product when I get a chance.
It amazes me that the Palm Tungsten E is designed with such sheer brilliance and yet, to design a case that is durable, functional and practical seems so difficult.
Rating: Summary: A nice, sturdy case for your Tungsten E. Review: I read some of the reviews here, but went ahead and purchased the hard case. I was pleasantly surprised how nice it was given the very negative reviews here.First, the case exterior is most definitely aluminum, not plastic as one reviewer mentioned. Only the interior is plastic. As for the difficulty some folks mentioned on opening the case, all I can say is they are opening it wrong. Although this is a clam-shell type design, the latch mechanism works by sliding the lower half of the case toward the hinge. I have no difficulty opening the case with one hand, using my thumb to slide the lower half. If you try to open the case like a book, you won't be able to open it. I believe that's why folks are complaining about "how difficult" it is to open. It's not so don't believe it. Lastly, regarding the issues of not being to access the power switch or stylus, that's kind of a nonsense issue. The design of the lower half of the case surrounds the Tungsten E. To access the power switch or stylus, just swing the unit out slightly to gain access. The unit is attached to the case via a hinged rail that your Tungsten E slides onto. Again, all I can say is I'm rather pleased with the hard case. It's stylish and protects the Tungsten E like an armored car, which is what I was looking for. If you want a quick access case, you're probably either better off with the Palm zip-case or one of the generic flip or holster type cases
Rating: Summary: Personally, I'm very impressed Review: I wanted something tough, durable, and small, this thing fits the bill. It IS in fact aluminum, to be specific, the outside is anodized aluminum, the inside is plastic. Yes, the power button and stylus are hard to get to if you find it difficult to lift the 5oz palm about an eighth of an inch. I do think it could be a little easier to open, the first dozen or so times I had some difficulties, but I got used to it really easily. It is small and compact, offerring little extra space save for the clips built in for 2 expansion cards, but small is what I wanted, this thing adds very little to the size while at the same time protecting it better than any soft case could.
Rating: Summary: Certainly the best case for Palm Tungsten E Review: I was not going to buy this case after reading most of the bad reviews about it on Amazon.com site. I am thankful to few of the people who gave good reviews, who inspired me to buy this case. I am glad I bought it finally. I am very impressed by its construction and look. It is very easy to use and good protection for the Palm. Good design and good prize at Amazon.
Rating: Summary: Big and Bulky Review: I was surprised when I recieved this case as it was bigger than I expected, also much thicker than it looks in the pic. It is merely a shell for your pda. I found mine hard to open and it was a pain trying to get the stylus out. Still it will protect your tungsten better than a leather case and it has 2 slots for extra cards. I am a nurse and like to carry mine in my pocket at work and this case was just too big.
Rating: Summary: Unequaled protection in an elegant package Review: I went over many of the reviews posted here before placing an order for a Tungsten E and its accompanying hard case. Admittedly, because of the many negative and mixed reviews, I had my doubts on the quality of the case, but since I didn't like any of the alternatives, I went ahead and purchased it. I've been using my Palm on a daily base for a month now. During this period, I've dropped it around 5 times, once in a stream of water in a roadside. Not a scratch on the PDA, it looks exactly as it did on the day it arrived. Despite my best efforts, I am careless and forgetful (hence the need for a PDA), thus I find this case to be perfect for my needs. CLARIFICATION. Many of the mixed or negative reviews here are from people that haven't learned to use the case properly. As another reviewer pointed out, the hard case has a hinge that matches with a slot on the PDA, a perfect fit. The PDA doesn't flop or shake around at all. The cover is most definitely NOT made of plastic, but some type of aluminum. The inside is plastic, and has 2 slots for memory cards. Opening the case is extremely simple and takes 2 to 3 seconds: you hold the case in your palm, top cover facing outward, press the bottom lid in (there's a small triangle that indicates exactly where) with your thumb, the case then clicks open, you then use your free hand to open the lid (which rotates 360°), swing the PDA and pull the stylus out and voilà ... brand new Tungsten E. I hardly ever use the power button to the unit on since I have 4 alternate power keys on the front. By the way, you do NOT need to pull the PDA out to charge or hot-sync it, I do it daily and haven't had to do this once. On the other hand, as one reviewer pointed out, you won't be able to listen to mp3s while the case is closed. Is this important? There are excellent mp3 players out there, with up to 30 GB storage, so I find buying expensive memory to play mp3s on your PDA ridiculous. For it's elegant appearance, slim fit, unequaled protection, and relatively cheap price (on Amazon) this case deserves 5 stars.
Rating: Summary: Not worth the money Review: I'm going to throw my two cents into the negative-review camp. I bought this case for $40 and returned it within a few days. My case didn't come with a piece of foam to keep the PDA from rattling inside. The SD card tabs were too loose so I wasn't confident the cards were secure. The overall design is too large so there's too much wasted space inside the case. Access to working parts at the periphery of the device is hindered by the case (stylus, power button, charger connection, and USB connection). I bought the case because I had no experience with a PDA (first one) so I overestimated the likelihood of hazards. I work a desk job and all I do is keep it in a dedicated pocket (don't put keys or change in that pocket) or safely in a drawer so I don't feel the unit is likely to end up in harm's way. I'm using the flap that comes with the device and there's no sign of scratches after several weeks of use. Of course, if you are a student or a traveling business person, there's more chance of harm so maybe the case is a good idea for you.
Rating: Summary: Doesn't hold it Review: In order of their appearance: (1) dangerously slippery surface, can literally slip out of your hand (2) unit slides off of slide-on bar when tilted (3) case catch stopped working at 2 weeks without any trauma, so it constantly gapped open in my purse. At the time, there were no alternative cases so it at least protected the unit (poorly) for a while. I threw this waste of money away.
Rating: Summary: Has no advantage over cases from other manufacturers Review: In order to access the stylus, to charge, or to sync the Palm, you have to open both the front and *back* panel. This makes it really difficult to use, and makes it more probable that your Palm will slip and drop. The PDA shakes inside the case even when it is closed, and of course you can't fix the PDA inside because then you wouldn't be able to access the stylus. Finally, the case is heavy and too slick to grasp. My suggestion - save your money and buy another case; Anyway, the original is not better adapted to your Palm.
Rating: Summary: Decent case, weak latch Review: Initially, i thought this case was suitable but not outstanding. It does an adequate job of protecting my PDA and the extra room it takes up is not too much of a problem. The front of the case catches rather than smoothly folding back, but that's not a big deal. Here's the rub... in less than four months of average use, with no rough handling or drops, the latch broke and now the cover swings open freely... so much for the protection this case once provided! For the price, I'd expect a Palm product to last much longer than a few short months!
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