Reviewed by: Greg Gaub

Check out the Krusell web site for more info.

The first thing I noticed when I took this case out of the mailing envelope was the quality. The leather is thin, smooth, and flexible, yet strong. The stitching is even and well trimmed with no frays or ends that I could find. The interior is lined with a velvety material that couldn't possibly scratch the Treo's case. The edges, when exposed, are well trimmed and even, but most edges are turned and stitched for appearance and durability. From a quality standpoint, this case excels above many other cases I've seen and used, and I have absolutely no complaints about the quality of the materials or construction.

The design of the case is another story. This case essentially has two covers. The inner cover has a faux leather pocket that holds it to the Treo's flip lid/speaker section. The pocket has three small holes which align well with the speaker holes in the lid, but it has a tendency to slip off the lid a little when open which misaligns these holes. The inner cover also has a clear plastic window so that the Treo's screen can be viewed with the flip lid still shut. This would be useful and welcome if not for the strong velcro dot that fastens the inner cover to the outer cover. While it's possible to hold the inner cover strongly to open just the outer cover, there's little reason to do so, especially since it's more difficult to do that than to just open the whole thing at once. The inner cover is held to the back of the case with a norrowing piece of leather which is then stitched to a narrow strip of elastic to allow the cover to remain on the Treo when opened or closed. It works, but a more elastic strip would be more effective. One that stretches farther but remains taut when not stretched to its fullest would be ideal.

The outer cover protects the whole front of the Treo and is the continuation of the same piece of leather that makes up the back of the case. It has a tab at the end which wraps around the bottom of the case and snaps into one of two snap sockets on the bottom of the back of the case. There's a tasteful silver plate on the front with the Krusell name and logo on it, and a cutout at the top of the case where the antenna fits. In the upper third portion of the back of the case is the Multidapt mounting plate which I'll get into later. One the inside of this outer cover there is a single card pocket suitable for a couple credit card type things, or maybe several business cards.

The Treo is held into the case by a clear plastic pocket at the bottom. There is a small hole punched in this pocket that aligns perfectly with the microphone of the Treo to prevent muffling the outgoing sound. Although the plastic covers all the hard buttons and about a third of the actual keyboard, I did some text entry and it doesn't seem to interfere with the accuracy of the keyboard. It feels odd, though, every time I press a key under plastic, or worse, half under plastic and half uncovered (such as the C, V, B, and N buttons). There is an opening cut out of the bottom of the case, half out of the leather back of the case, and half out of the plastic pocket, which allows the HotSync and charging cable to connect to the Treo. The Treo comes with the cable rather than the cradle, but for those who've purchased the HotSync and charging cradle for their Treos, you should know that the Krusell case will not fit into the cradle. As such, the case will need to be removed in order to use the cradle. This wouldn't be a big problem except for how difficult it is to get the Treo in and out of the case. As I mentioned previously, it would be nice if the elastic for the inner cover were able to stretch farther. As it is, it only stretches far enough to make you think you can get the case on easily, but in fact it's rather difficult. It's slightly easier if you put the flip lid cover on first, then try to put the base of the Treo into the case, but not much.

While the outer cover offers additional protection from the world and the elements, it also presents new problems. For example, when the case is closed, there is no way to move the ringer switch. You can press the power button through the leather because of the flexibility of the leather, but that's small consolation when even opening the case doesn't allow easy access to the ringer switch. To get at the ringer switch easily, you must hold the inner cover tightly while opening the outer cover so that the leather at the top of the inner cover doesn't move up and obstruct your fingers. It's not something that can't be felt for, but that's only the least of it. Most unfortunately, the leather at the top of the inner cover completely obstructs the IR port. To send or receive anything via IR, you'll need to essentially remove the Treo from the case, at least by removing the top half to allow it to move out of the way. Also, because of the outer cover's tendency to stick to the inner cover when opening it, if you quickly open the case when a call comes in without also detaching the outer cover from the inner one, you'll have the leather snap tab flopping around on your head and face while trying to talk to your caller. In fact, if you open the case too quikly, you'll end up unsheathing the Treo from the inner cover, forcing you to struggle with putting it back on again. And after all this, the Treo is still unprotected on the sides.

Ok, so enough griping for now. Along with the top notch quality, there's another really cool feature: The Multidapt system. The Multidapt System is esentially a special mounting plate on the back of the case (seen in the bottom of the combination photo above) into which a variety of clips and brackets can fit. There are three different kinds of clips that attach to the mount, providing instant clipping power. The one I was sent was the MiniClip, designed for shirt and pants pockets where a tight grip is useful, but not the main source of security. You can see this one attached in the center of the combo photo. At the top of the combo photo is the button for the Slide Swivel Kit. They sent me the Frozty Wine-Red clip kit, but it's also available in black, and probably some other colors as well. As you can see this turns the Multidapt mount into a standard swivel clip button which then clips into a fairly standard belt clip. The other items they sent were the BikeHolderKit and the CarHolderKit. You can see the BikeHolderKit in the center of the photo of all the clips they sent me. It's a fairly large apparatus that mounts to the handlebar of your bicycle. The kit has another button to put into the Multidapt which then clips into the BikeHolderKit thing in a unique, but secure way. The only problem I have with this mount is that it still allows the case to swivel. I can't imagine riding around and NOT being upset that the case kept swiveling around sideways and upside down on bumpy roads. The CarHolderKit also comes with the button for the Multidapt and allows the swiveling to occur, but that shouldn't be as big a deal in a car. The CarHolder itself can mount to your car's dashboard with an included adhesive pad, or with the added security of a long screw through the center of the mount into the dash. I wasn't quite ready to test this mount either, but I imagine it should work just fine when mounted. There are several other clips and swivels to choose from, which ensures that most people can find one that suits them. As an added benefit, the Multidapt mount on the case features a small loop of plastic that would serve well as a place to loop a lanyard through, if one so desired.

Overall I found this to be a case of high quality, but flawed design. I've outed as many of the quirks as I can find, though, so if they won't bother you, then you'll surely enjoy the quality of this case.

Likes

1. Top quality materials and workmanship
2. Tasteful design
3. Multidapt system is very versatile
4. Face of Treo is well protected

Dislikes

1. Can't access ringer switch when case is closed
2. Won't work with Treo cradle
3. Inner/Outer cover combination doesn't work well in practice
4. IR port is completely obstructed

Rating: 4 needles (out of five).

If you've used this product, please share your thoughts on it with other SeaPUG visitors. However, please do not review the review. ;-)