.KEYWORD cases
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE RhinoSkin cases for the new millennium
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY Got a new Handspring Visor, TRGPro, or Palm IIIe and don’t know what to carry it in? Contributing Editor Jason Perlow takes a look at three new cases from RhinoSkin that fit like a glove and protect the heck out of your Palm device.
.AUTHOR Jason Perlow
A whole slew of new Palm devices came out in the final days of 1999, namely the Handspring Visor, the TRGPro and the Palm IIIe. If you bought or are considering buying one of these devices, one of the first questions you probably asked yourself was, "What do I carry it in?" There are certainly a lot of cases out on the market for Palm devices, and not all of them do a good job of protecting your device or are customized to fit these new models.
Fortunately, premium handheld case manufacturer RhinoSkin has got the whole case issue covered. We took a look at three of their new cases for the new Palm units, and we really liked what we saw.
.H1 The Titanium Slider Hardcase for Handspring Visor and Visor Deluxe
RhinoSkin made its reputation for uncompromising quality on their Titanium Cockpit case for the PalmPilot, which I reviewed here almost two years ago in the April 1998 issue of PalmPower. Visit "The RhinoSkin Titanium Cockpit, Klutz Proof!" at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199804/rhinoskin001.html.
It was the only case I would use until very recently, when I sold off my trusty PalmPilot Professional (which had since been upgraded to 8MB using a TRG SuperPilot XL Pro board) on eBay and upgraded to a blue Handspring Visor Deluxe. The case served me extremely well. It saved my PalmPilot from destruction on the many times it slipped out of my coat when getting into my Chevy Blazer and crashing on the asphalt, or the times when I left it on the computer chair at my desk and accidentally sat on it when I came back to do some writing or Web surfing.
I kept the Titanium case, hoping that my new Visor would fit. To my extreme horror, it didn’t, and I ended up selling the battle-scarred veteran to NY Palm Pilot User Group member George Ianaccone, a Long Island landscaping contractor who had managed to kill two Pilots in the field already and couldn’t afford to destroy another one. From what I’ve hear, so far, so good. It’s serving him well. George is so dangerous with his PDAs, RhinoSkin should use him as their poster child. I hear he does great shrubbery, though.
Fortunately, I found out that RhinoSkin was releasing a new Titanium case for the Visor, shown in Figure A, based on their new "slider" design for Palm V and Palm III. The new design enables the user to flip the undercarriage of the case over the cover using a sliding mechanism and to grip the case one-handed when using the PDA. This is a really nice enhancement over the original case, which needed be held on the flat of your palm and gripped with the other hand when opened.
.FIGPAIR A The Titanium Slider Hardcase for Handspring Visor and Visor Deluxe can easily be gripped with one hand when opened.
Like the original, the Titanium Slider Hardcase for Handspring Visor and Visor Deluxe is made out of Grade 1 Titanium, and it’s practically indestructible. And while you can’t exactly fit it in your shirt pocket, it has a somewhat slimmer form factor and every millimeter they’ve shaved off does count. But like the original case, protection like this comes at a price. It’s $99. For more information about the Titanium Slider Hardcase for Handspring Visor and Visor Deluxe, visit http://rhinoskin.com/visor_page.htm.
.H1 The ShockSuit SportCase
The ShockSuit SportCase, shown in Figure B, like RhinoSkin’s Titanium case line, is designed to provide serious protection for your PDA, but at much less of a premium. At $34.95, it’s a bargain for those who are worried about damage from drops or bouncing it around with daily use.
.FIGPAIR B Here’s RhinoSkin’s ShockSuit SportCase.
While I wouldn’t advise testing its strength by sitting on top of the case like I did with the Titanium one, its pretty damn protective. The case is constructed of shock-resistant neoprene foam with felt lining and a rigid plastic inner frame. The outside of the case is covered with an elastic material similar to what’s used on diving wetsuits and surfing trousers. The corners of the case are lined with extra thick neoprene for additional shock resistance.
The case fits snugly on the Handspring Visor, as well as on the TRGPro and on the Palm III series. Another nice feature is that right side of the case has a clip for holding a stylus on the outside, so you don’t have to remove your device from its case to gain access to it. We tested it with Visor, Palm III and TRGPro style styli. It had no problem holding onto them tightly and we were able to insert and remove each stylus with relative ease.
Like the Titanium Hardcase, this kind of protection negates the ability to carry the case in a jacket or a shirt pocket. RhinoSkin has supplied a heavy-duty plastic belt holster clip with a spring loaded quick-disconnect mechanism so that the case can be attached securely to your belt when you are walking around, and easily disconnected when you need to use the device. We like.
The unit we were shipped was grey/slilver in color, but also comes in black or blue.
.H1 The RhinoPak 1100
While the RhinoPak 1100, shown in Figure C, isn’t designed for shock and collision protection like the Titanium Slider or the ShockSuit, it’s a great case for someone with an active outdoorsy lifestyle. It’s made out of tightly woven water-resistant Cordura fabric, which is used in duffel bags and knapsacks. It opens and closes with a zipper, and has a hard plastic insert for protecting the device’s screen.
.FIGPAIR C RhinoSkin’s RhinoPak 1100 is water-resistant, and has plenty of room for credit cards, Springboards, and CompactFlash cards.
The 1100 fits just about any Palm device imaginable, and has pockets for credit cards and receipts. It also can accommodate a couple of Springboards or CompactFlash memory cards, in case you own a Visor or a TRGPro. This is great if you want to keep your memory cards and PDA together all in one case. We could certainly see the RhinoPak 1100 being a welcome accessory on a rainy day, or on trips to the country for picnics, or for joggers and runners. (Exercise? What’s that?) The RhinoPak 1100 is priced at $26.95 and comes in black.
If you need even more storage space, say for a wireless modem and larger peripherals, RhinoSkin also sells the RhinoPak 2000 and 3000, shown in Figure D, which are constructed from the same Cordura material.
.FIGPAIR D The RhinoPak 3000 Utility Case is great if you need storage space for a wireless modem and larger peripherals.
.H1 They don’t call them RhinoSkin for nuthin’
RhinoSkin’s new cases are certainly tough, and we wouldn’t expect any less from a company that stakes its reputation on having the ultimate protection for your PDA. So no matter what Palm device you own, and for whatever budget you have, you can be sure that if you want a quality, protective case for your device, you don’t have to look any further than RhinoSkin’s Web site.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information about the Titanium Slider Hardcase for Handspring Visor and Visor Deluxe, visit http://rhinoskin.com/visor_page.htm.
For more information about the ShockSuit SportCase for Handspring Visor/Visor Deluxe visit http://www.rhinoskin.com/visor_page.htm.
For more information about the ShockSuit SportCase for the PalmPilot Professonal and Palm III series visit http://www.rhinoskin.com/palm_page.htm.
For more information about RhinoSkin’s RhinoPak 1000, visit http://rhinoskin.com/rp1100_palmpilot.htm.
For more information about RhinoSkin’s RhinoPak 2000, visit http://rhinoskin.com/rp2000_palm.htm.
For more information about RhinoSkin’s RhinoPak 3000, visit http://rhinoskin.com/rp3000_page.htm.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Jason Perlow is Contributing Editor for PalmPower and loves anything made out of Titanium. He can be reached at the fashionably evil email address of perlow@hotmail.com
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6e0a1
