E&B HP54x Slipper Case

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Clark

November 27, 2000

Product Requirements:
Device:
Hewlett Packard 540 Series Jornada Pocket PC

Well, once again E&B has come out with a stylish answer for those of us that don’t want to carry our PDA’s without the protection of a leather case.

This particular model is for the Jornada 540 series. As with their other Slipper cases; this model is custom fitted to your Jornada, and is fashioned from Napa leather that has a very fine, subtle grain to it.

On the bottom front right of the case, is the E&B metal tag. I really like this particular logo, as it is simple and classy.

The back of the Slipper case is plain, except for the small hole that is located over the reset button, very handy.

My immediate impression of this case is that it looks professional and dignified.

I’m not sure what the flip lid is lined with, but there is definitely something stiff and protective inside there. This should be adequate to protect your screen from normal “dings”.

Upon opening the case, you insert your Jornada by simply sliding it into the top-loading, fitted pocket. The pocket itself is lined with a very soft, slightly padded, fuzzy material.

One of the best design features that you’ll notice, involves the pocket that the Jornada slides into. Instead of breaking up the smooth line of the cutout area, by adding a leather “bar” below the screen and above the buttons, E&B decided instead to make a cut-out that encompasses the entire front of the Jornada’s face, with the exception of its borders. I think that this design is very pleasing to the eye, and I am impressed that they did it this way.

All of the Jornada’s buttons are easily accessible, as is the speaker.

The top flap of the Slipper case consists of a wallet area, as with other E&B cases. Because of the unique stylus shape of the 540 series and the Jornada’s lack of internal storage for it, E&B has cleverly made a little pocket for the “string-bean”, next to the slide-in slot for your ID or credit card. There is also a larger pocket behind the cardholder area, for another card, or perhaps some folded cash.

The top of the Jornada is left exposed: so your CF slot, IR port, headphone jack, and LED/indicator button are easily accessible when the flip cover is folded back. However, you will not be able to close the case if you have your headphones plugged in, as the jack will most likely stick up too high.

The cutouts for the jog-dial and record button are perfectly lined up and centered on the left side of the case.

The E&B Slipper does utilize Velcro for its closure system. Although I am not a fan of Velcro, I will say that it appears that this is a less fuzzy type, and that it truly does not look that bad. There is a simple, thin strip running on the bottom and top inside edges of the case, and that is it. Unlike the Palm IIIc case that I reviewed some time ago, there is no extra strip on the left side of the screen. I actually don’t mind this Velcro’s placement. There is still the slight “rrrrrriiip” sound that accompanies any product that uses Velcro – however I must say that I appreciate the fact that the Velcro is on the case where it belongs, and not affixed to the back of my PDA, where it doesn’t belong. J

Running around the bottom half is a zipper. Because this case is basically made so that you can insert your Jornada, and never remove it again (unless you just really want to), E&B had to come up with a way to allow syncing in this case. Well, the zipper solves this dilemma quite nicely. You simply unzip the bottom half of the case, exposing your Jornada’s naked bum, and then insert said item into your cradle. It takes a couple of tries to get used to this system, but very soon you are doing it without thinking.

I guess my one and only complaint about the E&B Slipper involves the zipper-pull. It is about an inch long and quite dangly. The first thought I had when I saw it was that I should go ahead and stick something else on the pull, if it was going to just dangle there anyway. Well, you’ll notice that I stuck a charm on there, and personally I like it better that way. I realize that the zipper-pull is not going to bother everyone, I just want you to be aware that the head does dangle – and swapping it out with a charm – if you’re so inclined, is an option.

Overall, I think that this case is beautifully done. It looks professional and upscale – and unless you need a “sport utility” type case, you should like the coverage that it offers.

 

Price: $36.95 w/o clip, $39.95 w/clip (Available in Black or Burgundy)

Pros:
Able to sync in case
Very well made
Professional appearance

Cons:
Dangling zipper-pull  (which may not bother anybody but me!) J