.KEYWORD orbino
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Wrap your Palm V or Palm m500 series device in luxury
.OTHER
.SUMMARY For those of you who understand that it’s important to "dress for success" in order to be successful in business, Mark Asadoorian reviews Orbino Luxury Italian Palm Cases. Custom-fitted and hand-crafted by master craftsmen in Italy from naturally dyed, premium Italian calfskin, these cases are the perfect compliment for your Palm V or Palm m500 series handheld.
.AUTHOR Mark Asadoorian
Last year I reviewed the Ondata luxury leather case for the Palm V series of PDAs at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200002/ondatacase001.html. I was so impressed that I acquired one for myself. If you read my article, you’ll quickly understand how I felt.
I was recently asked to review the new Orbino Luxury Italian Palm Cases for the Palm V and Palm m500 series of PDAs at http://www.orbino.com. The cases are made by the Centro Stile Orbino in Italy, a group of industrial designers who also conceived of and launched the Ondata line of Italian cases. The artisans responsible for the fine workmanship on the Orbino cases also hand-stitch many of the steering wheels, stick shifts, and other fine leather elements for some of the finest luxury Italian sports cars, such as Ferrari, Maserati, and Bugatti. If you want to "dress for success" to succeed in business, the Orbino is the case for you.
.H1 A work of art
Since I was told that it was a "higher-end case," I was certainly intrigued. However, I was also somewhat skeptical, as I could hardly imagine how they could have improved on the original. Well readers, I’m here to tell you that this is truly the case (pun intended). They’ve definitely improved on the original. This company has crafted a true work of art. It’s difficult to describe, and pictures do it little justice, but take a look at Figure A nonetheless.
.FIGPAIR A The Orbino Luxury Italian Palm Cases are form-fitting around the contours of the Palm V.
You must actually handle the sumptuous leather and slide your Palm handheld into it to appreciate the beauty of this case.
The case arrives in a beautiful box that includes a drawstring carrying case for the case itself! It also includes a very nicely done booklet that gives you some information on the origins of the case, as well as a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity for each unit.
The case itself is available in a variety of colors. The one I reviewed is black leather. The leather bears some description, as it’s crafted using an ancient technique called "glass glazing," which gives the leather an extraordinary, sumptuous finish. Apparently, the Orbino people have a special relationship with the leather tannery, as I’m told that these particular calfskin leathers are only made available to a select few.
This particular case is a limited-edition design that also boasts a pair of palladium flanks. Palladium is one of the world’s most precious metals, and it lends an air of elegance to the case that must be seen to be appreciated. It also serves to solidify the case, making for a solid, substantial feel. Other cases feature equally elegant polished-nickel flanks, as pictured in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B Many of the Orbino cases feature polished-nickel flanks.
.H1 Never need to leave the case
The case itself is a play-through design, meaning you never need to remove your Palm device in order to use it. After flipping open the front cover, you slide the Palm device into the case through the top. There are no snaps or Velcro closures necessary. Both the Palm V series and the Palm m500 series fit perfectly. The front cover swings completely out of the way for working and closes securely using magnetic closures.
One unique feature of this case is that there are no cutouts for the application buttons. Rather, there are embossed representations on the face of the case, as seen in Figure C.
.FIG C The case features embossed representations of the Palm unit’s hardware buttons.
These are very nicely done, by the way. Each embossed button has a small dimple below it. When you press the top, you activate the button below. This is very elegant, and, in my opinion, a better alternative to the cutouts.
The only cutout is at the bottom of the case for the HotSync connection. One drawback with the older Ondata case was its inability to allow HotSync operations to be performed because of the thickness of the finger strap. Well, the finger strap is gone, and the Orbino case allows for HotSync operations to be performed perfectly while the device is still in the case, as shown in Figure D. This is a major improvement.
.FIGPAIR D Your Palm device can connect to its cradle without being removed from the case.
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.H1 Conclusion
All in all, this is easily the finest and most elegant case available for the Palm V and Palm m500 series PDAs. Of course, this level of luxury and fine workmanship comes with a price tag. It’ll cost you between $149 and $189, depending on the particular model chosen. Once you’ve seen the case, however, the price becomes quite reasonable. I’ve seen some other designer name-brand cases costing even more than the Orbino, and in my opinion, the Orbino stands head and shoulders above the competition.
In striving for the correct description of this beautiful and functional case, I came up with the following: You take a sleek, modern gadget like the Palm V and wrap it in an elegant, old-world style work of art. The combination is perfect. There may be an unending debate over which PDA is better, but if you have chosen a Palm V or Palm m500 series device, there’s absolutely no doubt that the Orbino is the finest case for your new PDA.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Orbino Luxury Italian Palm Cases, visit http://www.orbino.com.
For the article, "The Ondata luxury leather case," by Mark Asadoorian, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200002/ondatacase001.html.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.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.
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.BIO
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