Otter Box 1900 Universal Rugged Case
www.OtterBox.com

First of all, I must say that the Otter Box is a very unique case. Unlike most cases that just provide moderate protection for your PDA, the Otter Box is amazingly strong, weather proof, and shock proof. The case is great if you are in a job that requires you to be in the field a lot were the elements could normally hurt your unprotected PDA. The 1900 case is made of a rugged plastic along with a neoprene hand strap on the back. Another great feature is an inner thin plastic shield that protects your PDA's screen, yet allows you to still use your PDA in the case ( it is a thin plastic built into the case that ends up over your PDA). The 1900 is made for smaller sized PDAs (like the Dell X50 series, Dell X3/X30 Series, HP 3700 Series, HP 4700 Series, etc.) and for reference, Otter Box has put up a compatibility guide HERE. I did try my Dell X5 in the case and it would not fit, but this is a good thing also since they overall size of the case is less bulky than past Otter Box cases I have seen, and it fits smaller sized PDAs very nicely (not a lot of extra room like when using some of the big Otter Box cases with small sized PDAs).

Now lets go over the parts of the case. On the front of the case there is a clear plastic lid that flips up and is hinged at the top to cover the inner softer plastic that allows you to use your PDA with out having it exposed. The front also has a slot to clip your stylus to on the left side (only works for round stylus, if your PDA has a different shaped stylus you could easily buy a universal one like mentioned in the manual).  The top has a clear plastic cover that can come off separately with two clamps to allow for easy access to SD and CF card slots. If you do need to add a longer card to your PDA, Otter Box makes accessory lids that you can use to accommodate CF GPS cards, Modems, Etc. The bottom has a long rubber cover that pulls out to allow access to the sync port on your PDA. You can stick in your sync cable, charger cable, etc. without having to open the whole case (a very nice feature!).

On the back there is a nice soft yet durable neoprene strap that allows you to easily hold the case in one hand while using your stylus in the other. The whole back section also slides off, once you unclip two clamps, so that you can take out and put in your PDA easily. Each of the four clamps, used to secure the back and top panels, can be screwed down so that they have no way of coming open by use of four included screws and a included allen wrench. This is a great feature, but do not think the clamps come open on their own, they have a good amount of pressure that keeps them locked.

To put your PDA in the case is very simple. You simple take off the back panel, loosen the Velcro strap inside, slip your PDA in, tighten the Velcro again, and close the back panel. You do need to position your PDA in the case so that it is properly aligned in the window on the front, but the PDA seems to slip into the case very well and line up easily on its own. The inner Velcro strap is also lined with neoprene on the side that touches your PDA so that it will not leave scratches.

Once you have the case back panel put back on, you can flip the case over and start using your PDA. You first open the main clear hard plastic door, and then you are able to use your PDA through the replaceable membrane (which is like a soft plastic). This does take a bit of getting used to because the soft plastic does not sit directly on the screen (the bottom and top portion of the PDA on the X50v are up a bit from the screen so that keeps the soft plastic up a bit) so when you press you first feel the stylus hit the membrane, then the screen. Also the screen membrane adds a bit of a stickier feel to every press of the stylus. But then again, this soft plastic keeps your PDA safe and out of the environment.

One thing that some will note about this case is that there is no access to side buttons. I have no idea how Otter Box could accomplish this as the sides give so much structure and strength to the case, but some will notice this if they often use the record or some other side button. On the top of the case there is a headphone port that has a solid plug that can be removed to connect headphones to your PDA. Also included is a plug that can be used there that has a split in it so you can run your cable through the plug and still have your PDA protected. Both ways, the headphone hole, with either solid or split plug, works great. The top is also clear so that if you have a PDA with IR on the top (like the X50v) you can still use IR while the PDA is in the case. On the back, the hand strap can be easily removed by use of the include allen wrench (all you have to do is take out two screws). Also on the back is a small vent that is a Gore Membrane vent. This means that it is not just an open hole, it still protects from the elements, but does give some air flow in and out of the case.

From Left to Right: Piel Frama X50 Case, Otter Box 1900, Sena X50 Case

Overall I think the Otter Box 1900 is the best rugged case for small form factor PDAs. It has tons of great features, it has a new smaller size, it is super tough, and high quality. One thing that does take some getting used to is the inner membrane over the screen, but once you get the hang of it, it does not bother you at all. If you need super protection for your PDA, get the Otter Box 1900!

Thanks to Otter Box for the Review Product