Check out the Palm-Tec web site for ordering info.

Reviewed by: Charles Westergard

The PalmV is a classy device. By far, stylistically speaking, it is the PalmOS device to have. For the person who owns a PalmV or Vx AND is active in the outdoors, a neoprene case may be just the answer to keeping your device handy while you are having fun. I was lucky enough to win a PalmV case at the last SeaPUG meeting in September to be able present this review.

I do not own a PalmV so I will be passing this case on to a friend of mine who does. I have owned and seen a lot of cases though. I have even had the opportunity to handle a BodyGlove Palm3 case to compare this one to.

The case is a Palm-Tec neoprene case. It is blue with black trim. The case has a very large zipper around the outer edge on three sides that allows the case to open fully. One nice feature is that the zipper has two handles that allow the case to open from either end. On the down side, the zipper handles are LARGE and "dangle" quite a bit. The zipper itself is embedded in cloth fabric which would get wetted easily if exposed to the elements. The other trim and "hinge" of the case are made of black plastic of average quality. By far the most obtrusive element of the case is the Palm-Tec label, which is large, sticks out from the trim and looks very cheap. It is impossible to get it off without destroying the case. The neoprene itself seems pretty thin when compared to the BodyGlove neoprene case. The outer fabric of the case tends to "pull away" from the rubber underneath. This was not the case with the BodyGlove case I campared it to. The cloth and rubber were tightly joined. There is some kind of reinforcing material that stiffens that case internally protecting the device from bumps and drops.

When the case is opened, it lays completely flat. The interior of the case is made of the same plastic as the exterior trim. The left panel of the case has three small slits for credit cards and a larger pocket for money. The slits in the plastic are not reinforced and it makes me wonder if constant use of these slit pockets would eventually tear the plastic. There is an elastic band in the center for holding a stylus but it is too loose to securely hold one. My PDA Panache stylus easily falls out of the elastic holder. The PDA attachement to the case is a large piece of velcro on the right side of the case. This forces you put a large piece of sticky velcro on your device-not pretty. The interior stitching of the case is adequate, but some of the interior trim looks as if it was chewed apart rather than cut with scissors.

All in all, if I owned a PalmV or Vx, I would want the best case I could get- sleek and sexy like the device itself. Even a sport cover made of neoprene can have a stylish look and feel. This case serves the purpose, but, in my humble opinion, the style and quality of workmanship leave a little to be desired.

Additional Comments...

Greg Gaub

"In my brief time with the case, taking photos, I noticed that the bottom corner of the PalmV sticks out of the case enough to make it somewhat tedious to zip/unzip. Since the zipper is plastic, now harm should come to the Palm, but it's an inconvenience."

Palm-Tec

"The neoprene case is designed to be able to support multiple machines and that's why we opted for velcro instead of the familiar rail system... the rail is better if you use a Palm V and that's why we've adopted it in the Chameleon V (hard case) design. However, the rail system puts the price up a lot and I've seen the Body Glove retailing around £30-£40 where ours is under £20 and features a more rigid plastic sheet screen protective lining - not a bad saving! If I put my Palm V into the neoprene case tight to the 'hinge' area I don't have the zipper rubbing problem you mention and we wanted the case to be as small as possible..."