Reviewed by: Greg Gaub

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Anticipation

When I saw an ad in a magazine for this case, I was excited... but didn't have the sense to actually write down the URL. Doh! (_8(I)   Fortunately, later on, I read a message board post with a link to their site. I contacted them and was soon awaiting my new case in the mail. For some reason, the initial order didn't go through, but they sent the case and it arrived in a matter of days, which is nice since it's from the UK. When the package came it was all I could do to drive straight until I got home to open it. hehe. ;-)

Happiness

When I opened the package, I found another case they had sent for me to review and decided to give it away at the SeaPUG meeting. Of course, I dug right into the Chameleon to give it the twice-over. I found what appeared to be a well designed and well constructed case. Not only was it protective, attractive, and secure, but it was also ambidextrous! Lefties rejoice! I was happy to slip my PalmV out of its 3COM Palm hard case and into this little beauty. :)

Disappointment

This is when things started going downhill. Inserting the rail into the PalmV stylus silo was very difficult. It's simply too thick to be done easily. A snug fit is definitely a good thing, but not when it's too snug to be done easily, or if it makes you worry about stress fractures in your PalmV shell. The next thing I noticed was that there were no notches for the PalmV hardware buttons, particularly the scroll button. This can be problematic if you use alarms, as the unit will remain on when the scroll button is pressed, draining the batteries. Sure, there are hacks to turn the unit off, I even tried one which did the job, and was told of a combination that works really well. I guess I was spoiled with the 3COM Palm hard case which has the notches for all the buttons. The list goes on... Later, while playing with the case, carelessly spinning it on the clip, it took off on it's own right into the floor. The belt clip button on the back of the case had unscrewed completely, remaining in the clip. I screwed it back in nice and tight, and simply decided to be careful about it from now on. Then, I noticed that it was mysteriously coming out of the clip a couple days later. After testing the clip with my cell phone, and vice versa, I discovered that the button on the Chameleon had worn down somehow, making it come out of the clip as if it was never clipped. Now, what good is that? So, here I had a nice, secure case, that left my PalmV powered on, could possibly cause stress fractures in my PalmV shell, and would come flying off my belt clip at any given moment. I was not a happy camper. Last but not least, the interchangeable color panels can be a little tricky to remove, especially the red one, which has an enameled paint job that can scratch if abused.

Satisfaction

I wasn't going to take this lying down, so decided to make some modifications to the case. First off, I whipped out my Dremel tool and sanded down the rail so that it fit into the stylus silo easily, yet still snugly. MUCH better! :) Then, I figured out where the scroll button was touching the lining, which wasn't hard since the scroll button caused a small mark in the velvety lining material. I grabbed my razor-knife and cut out a rectangular piece of the lining, which provided enough room to allow the case to close without pressing the up scroll button. Next I had to tackle the belt clip button. As I mentioned, I have a similar clip on my cell phone. I added that clip from a kit that had stick-on buttons, which I still had one of. So, I unscrewed the button from the back of the Chameleon, and stuck the extra button in its place. Unfortunately, unscrewing the button also unscrewed it from the case. The new button was now attached to a replaceable color panel on the back of the case, which comes out very easily when you are pulling on the button. Great. :( Good thing I have some high quality contact cement. :) I removed the panel and applied the contact cement to the case and the back side of the panel. Then I replaced the panel and did my best to provide good contact between the two pieces for the cement to make a good bond. Done! So, now I have the near-perfect case I thought I got in the first place. :)

Results

Well, knowing that I can easily fix the problems inherent in this case, I'd still buy it. For everyone else, though, it's a toss up. If you're willing to pay about $40 (depending on exchange rates) for a case that needs some slight modifications, then go for it. As far as I know, there are no equivalent cases on the market. If you want the perfect case right out of the package, then you might want to hold off until the next version. I'm pretty sure they're working on some design modifications for a new case, and I'll make sure they get my comments. I probably wouldn't give an unmodified case as a gift, though. For these reasons, I give the case only 3 needles out of 5. Had I not needed to fix things, I'd have given it 5. :\

Likes

1. Attractive design, also includes replaceable color inlay panels, hence the name "Chameleon." I'll probably try to design a tooled leather inlay for mine. :)
2. Hard, fully enclosed case with soft lining. No worry of damage of any kind to device.
3. Attaches to belt with button and clip.
4. Ambidextrous
5. Positive lock on the case. Many other hard cases don't lock at all, let alone very well or securely.
6. PalmV is held by rail in stylus silo, NOT Velcro.
7. Card pocket on one side nice for the occasional business card before writing the info into the Palm.

Dislikes

1. Fablock (belt clip) button can be easily unscrewed and wears out easily.
2. Rail to attach case to PalmV using stylus silo too big/thick.
3. No indentations for PalmV hardware buttons, requiring stay-off hacks.
4. Card pocket isn't really useful for more than one card, or a couple business cards.
5. Not really a dislike, but it would be REALLY neat if one were able to create their own color insert, such as with a white plastic that easily accepts and retains permanent marker or acrylic paints. That, or if there were a line of inserts with wild colors and/or patterns. ;-)

Rating: 3 needles (out of five).

Additional Comments...

Scribble

"You have a Chameleon from batch one and some of the negatives you've raised have been sorted now (sorry - happy to switch your case with you).
The Fablock button can come unscrewed in batch one. We've now thinned it down so that it spins freely within the housing and can't come unscrewed. The fix for this though is the one you found - i.e. just hand screw it in very very tightly. It should then be OK. We like having the option of removal because you may want to put it in a bag or rucksack and removing the button makes it 'cleaner' (and nicer to look at).
We have also sorted the button problem. The pocket for cards was a late mistake and has been removed. This should remove pressure from the button."

If you would like to add any comments or corrections to my review, please contact me at flux@snapbag.com