Piel Frama PDA Cases

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Julie

November 09, 2001

Piel Frama is a leather goods manufacturer located in Ubrique, Spain (The Land of Leather). In business since 1960, they have just come out with their first line of PDA cases. Created in the same style as cases made by Vaja, they are the slipper / play through variety.

Versions are available for the Palm m505, 500, Palm V/Vx series, Casio Cassiopeia em500, 505, Compaq iPAQ naked, with CF sleeve, or with PC Card Sleeve. They come in two color styles: Black or Black with Tan.

Made of quality cowhide leather, they look nice and feel great in your hand. Here's a look at each of their current offerings.

Palm m505, 500, Palm V/Vx Series Case

This is a nice slipper style case that cradles your Palm PDA in soft padded leather. Unadorned, the front of the Black and Tan version of this case is a combination of mostly black leather with a tan top. The style is very similar to the Vaja Palm case.

The screen cover is padded and has a semi rigid stiffener to protect the screen from bumps and knocks. The inside has 2 card slots with one larger slot behind them. The cover is held closed with a snap tab. This tab wraps around the bottom of the case protecting the hotsync port.

The tab is so long that it could be used to create an easel of sorts. If you fold the cover back and snap the tab, you can then sit the PDA up on end. Not sure how useful this is, but I thought I'd mention it...

The holster portion of the case has a large cutout area for the screen and application buttons. There is also a large opening for the hotsync port. Although you can't sync the PDA in the cradle while it is in this case, you can use a hotsync cable.

Because the hotsync opening is so large, it makes it much easier to activate the up / down scroll buttons on the PDA. I found this slipper case to be the best one yet for use while playing games.

The back of the case has a plastic belt clip stud. While on your belt, the case can swivel freely on the clip. 

I love how this case feels in my hand. The leather is really soft and cushy. Much more so than a Vaja case. I think this is because the leather used in these cases is thinner than Vaja cases and more foam padding is used. Quality-wise, I could find no defects in the leather or stitching.

At $60, you're not going to save a lot of money buying this case over a similarly styled Vaja case.

Price: $60 (UPS Shipping included)

Pros:
Ample cutout for application buttons and hotsync port

Cons:
Not available without a belt clip
Have to remove PDA to hotsync in cradle

Compaq iPAQ Case

The iPAQ case is another 'copy' of a Vaja iPAQ case. It has the same features as the case above: padded, rigid screen insert, 3 card slots, and belt clip. 

In addition to those features, this case also has a cutout for the headphone jack. It allows you to plug you headphones into the iPAQ while the case is closed.

Although it appears as if you might be able to sync your iPAQ in the cradle while in this case, you can't. The lip around the bottom of the case prevents it from seating properly on the connector.

This case is well made and I found no defects whatsoever.

Price: $60 (UPS Shipping included)

Pros:
Nicely padded

Cons:
Can't sync in cradle
Not available without a belt clip

Casio EM-500 Series Case

Here's yet another Vaja reproduction for the Casio EM-500 Pocket PC. It is almost like they made an exact template out of the Vaja EM-500 case and used it to create this one. Right down to the shape of the screen cutout.

The only thing missing with this case is an opening on the back for the reset switch. Other than that, there are really no surprises. It is well made and looks nice. The only question I have about it is concerning 3 small circle cutouts along the bottom of the case. I don't know what they are supposed to match up with. It is possible that the Japanese version of the EM-500 might have a need for these openings.

Price: $60 (UPS Shipping included)

Pros:
4 card slots

Cons:
Not available without a belt clip
No reset switch cutout
Extraneous cutouts

Summary

In summary, the Piel Frama PDA cases are nice. I just wish they were a little more unique than Vaja cases. As a copy, they compare fine and I really can't find anything to complain about as far as construction. In a choice between them and Vaja, I would probably choose a Vaja case because they come in a wider variety of colors and options.