By James Booth
With my recent acquisition of a Tapwave Zodiac, a lot of my focus of late has been finding accessories for it. For a product that's been on the market for almost a year, there are suspiciously few accessories.
A case to protect a valuable investment is something that most handheld users like to have, and when it comes to the Zodiac there are only a few, two of which are merely pouches. Enter Global Source with their custom-fitted, padded leather, book-style Zodiac case.
The case for Global Source
Global Source actually offers two cases for the Zodiac. For the most part they're identical, with the only difference being a belt clip and stylus holder.
Brando Workshop offers a similar case, but the stitching on theirs is white. When combined with the black leather, it gives the whole thing a made by Johnny in summer camp look. That's why I specifically chose the Global Source model. It has black stitching and is just more professional looking.
The Global Source Zodiac case is held closed with a magnetic clasp, and the newer version has a non-swiveling belt clip on the flip side. Due to the form factor of the Zodiac, the case actually opens more flip-style than book-style.
As the padded leather case opens, it reveals the Zodiac compartment on the bottom and what I like to call the "wallet" section on the top. In between is a removable card case, and on the new version, a stylus holder on the inside of the spine. Figure A shows a shot of how it all goes together.
FIGURE A
The Global Source Leather Zodiac Case with belt clip. (click for larger image)
The wallet side
The wallet section has two storage slots for SD cards, storage space for two credit card-type cards, and behind these, an additional storage pocket for more cards that can also accommodate the tail from the removable card case. When the case is closed, the insert completely covers the screen cutout in the lower portion, providing an extra layer of protection.
The Zodiac side
The Zodiac slips into the handheld section from the top, so the shoulder buttons, IR, Bluetooth, and SD slots are easily accessible.
There's one large cutout on the left side for the analog controller, speaker, and buttons. On the right side is a cut-out for the Action buttons, and three small holes for the speaker. And of course, a cutout for the screen as well.
The bottom of the Zodiac section has an opening for the power/sync cable connectors. You won't be using a cradle with your Zodiac in the case, but you'll have no problem using the cables.
Rounding out the newer version of the case is a stylus sleeve on the inside of the spine or fold, if you prefer, and a non-swiveling belt clip. The magnetic clasp in Figure B holds it all together with a strength that beats Velcro ten ways.
