Windows Phone Thoughts: Active Armor for iPAQ 2200 Review

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Active Armor for iPAQ 2200 Review

Posted by Don Tolson in "HARDWARE" @ 09:00 AM


The Need for Protection
I guess I’ve acquired my desire for protective cases for my Pocket PCs since I lost my HP Jornada 568 in a fall. It wasn’t a big drop – only about three feet to the cement garage floor, but it cracked open the case. While everything seemed to work all right, it would drain the battery in about ten minutes flat. :cry: When I replaced it with an iPAQ 2215, my wife bought me an aluminum case from Proporta right away. The aluminum is good looking and provides excellent protection, but it adds considerable weight to the overall unit, and having to open the door when I wanted to use it was a pain.

Then I saw a review of the Active Armor case on The Gadgeteer. I contacted them immediately and asked for a sample for this review. They were very accommodating and sent me out one right away, but somewhere in snailmail, it got lost. Dan (at Active Armor) did some tracing, and a couple of weeks ago, sent out another one, via courier this time! (Two gold stars for customer service, guys!) I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

The Active Armor case for the iPAQ is currently available in two colours – HP Deep Blue (the one shown in this review) and Slate Gray. (A Burnt Orange version is rumored to be coming soon.) It’s packaged in a clear plastic bubble, with a cardboard insert describing the features of the case.


Figure 1: The Active Armor case, with its packaging.

Fortunately, the bubble-wrap isn't one of those heat-welded ones, so it's relatively easy to get the case out. The case itself is molded from a single piece of santoprene rubber -- the same stuff used in 'ruggedized' units for outdoor and rough-use conditions.


Figure 2: A close-up of just the case itself (front view).

Installation
No, you won't need a manual. Installing the case couldn’t be simpler. Just insert the bottom of your iPAQ 2200 into the case and flip the top corners over the handgrips.


Figure 3: Fitting the iPAQ into the case.

Once inside, the iPAQ is held very snuggly. The rubber ribs on the side and the extra thickness at the corners are designed to absorb the impact at the points most likely to hit the ground first. There’s no feel of slack or movement of the unit within the case. All in all, the case adds just over an ounce (34g) of weight, and about a third of an inch (8.5mm) to the overall dimensions.


Figure 4: All snug in its new home (front view).

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