treobaby

I think that I may quite possibly have found the best case ever for my Treo…

Last week I reviewed the Smartphone Experts ClearCase (see Clearly A Very Good Clear Case) which I like a lot and consider to be one of the most innovative cases to have been developed in quite a while. However as I wrote at the time, the ClearCase is not perfect with a relatively thick profile, SD card holder that doesn’t work properly and raised sides which somewhat impede easy access to the keyboard. Other Treonauts also wanted to see a slim version with a smooth back (no belt clip or SD card holder) to make it easier to carry in their pocket.

Now thanks to the newly released Smartphone Experts CrystalCase you can basically have your cake and eat it too.



The CrystalCase is made of a hard, thin (only 1mm thick) and durable plastic which ‘sandwiches’ your Treo 650 (a 700 version is coming soon) in between its two layers (below). It is available in two elegant tints – smoke and clear – and once fitted you can barely note that your Treo is in a protective casing.



The CrystalCase has all the necessary cutouts for charging, syncing, volume control, camera, SD card and stylus. Four small side latches (two on either side) will snap to lock the case and you can easily open it again by gently pulling the front left latch.



Perhaps more importantly, because this case is ultraslim there is no interference accessing the side keys on the keyboard – something which other similar cases suffer from. I also like the fact that there is no flip-open plastic screen protector to deal with.



Because the CrystalCase adds 1mm of thickness all around your Treo you will not be able to use a standard sized holster. However, Seidio’s Skinned Shield Holster (pictured below) works perfectly and is a terrific companion for this case allowing you to quickly and easily answer calls.



Insofar as charging is concerned you can either leave your Treo in its CrystalCase and use the INNOdock cradle or alternatively simply and easily remove the protective layers to use it with my preferred Palm Cradle Kit.

Overall the CrystalCase provides the ideal looks and protection for those Treonauts who like me typically prefer to have their Treo ‘naked’. The case is so thin and unencumbered of any grooves, hinges or other add-ons that it provides the same smooth tactile feel as if no case was present. However, the real benefit here is that thanks to the CrystalCase your Treo can still ‘look’ naked while having the protection from scratches and drops that it deserves.

In passing, I personally find the CrystalCase 10 times better than any of the popular rubber skin cases because it is so much easier to use and remove and also much easier to clean as it is not prone to attract dust and dirt like most skins do (something which I can’t stand).

At least for me, I don’t think that I’ll get much closer to finding a perfect case for my Treo 650…