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 FlipLid is Back!
The clear flip-lid is a real bonus. I’d been missing having a flip-lid from my Jornada days, and getting not only that, but one that you can see through makes those quick checks for my next meeting so easy. The lid is kept closed via two rubber grips just under the screen, on the right and left sides.


Figure 8: Clips to hold the flip lid closed.

There’s a real solid ‘click’ as the lid fits into these clips and I’ve had no instances of the lid coming loose on its own. I suspect you’d really have to bang this case hard to make that happen.

Even with those fairly solid clips, the lid only needs slight fingernail pressure to open, and it swings back about 180 degrees. This gets it well out of the way when you want to use the screen.


Figure 9: The flip-lid in action.

The lid hinges on a couple of 2mm pins on either side of the top, which fit into good-sized receptors. I don’t believe there's any chance of the pins or the receptors getting broken very easily under normal use.


Figure 10: A view of the hinge pins and receptors.

Everyday Use
As mentioned above, the Active Armor case adds very little to the overall weight and size of the iPAQ, so it is still very pocketable. (Actually, more so than the aluminum case). I’ve been testing the case for a couple of weeks now, and find that it's very easy to slip my Pocket PC into a shirt, jacket or pants pocket and feel completely secure about the safety of the unit.

The flexible grips on the sides of the unit give the case a good, solid feel and it easily fits into my small hands comfortably. The flip-lid is supposedly made of unbreakable plastic, but I haven’t really put that to the test. I have been literally throwing the iPAQ into my bike pack with all my other gear, so the lid has gotten a few scratches, but nothing really major – and no cracks!. Since the lid fits down into a recess in the case, it does a pretty good job of keeping dust, lint and other pocket gunk away from the screen.

I haven’t actually dropped the unit or struck the flip lid, :snipersmile: but the feel of this case gives me every confidence it will protect from most bumps and bruises.

Conclusions
All I can say about the Active Armor case is "Wow!" This has definitely become the case of choice for my iPAQ 2215. The case has so many great features and that added ‘coolness’ factor (my friends at work with Palms ooohed and aaahed with envy) that I can’t imagine being without it now. For the price, it's the cheapest insurance I can think of against physical damage. I sure wish this had been around for my Jornada. So… I guess the next question is when will they come out with Active Armor for other models? :ppclove:

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