jmckie

To me they are a necessary evil in order to protect the fragile screen. But from an engineering standpoint, they truly ruin a lot of the painstaking research and development that went into your PDA.

Engineers went into a lot of effort to make the PDA as small and lightweight as possible. Cases make them bigger and heavier. With few exceptions, the PDA is harder to hold.

The battery cover was designed to be easily removed and replaced. Not anymore if you have a case.

Engineers keep pushing the envelope on the operating system as well as the CPU to make the PDA faster and faster. Information should be accessible in an instant. You don't want to wait when you want to check your appointments or look up a phone number. But now you have to open the case before you use it. So much for that fast CPU.

It makes using certain cradles, specially auto mounts, rather inconvenient.

Ergonomics: you are forced to use two hands to use the PDA when sometimes one hand operation would have been possible.

Truly and engineer's nightmare. But some cases look so pretty.

psionandy

How about looking at it the other way around. The Axim is one module is my pda system. Due to the wonderful engineering design from it.. And the other module makers it can be used in a variety of situations..

Most of the time i fit it in my alu carryying module (from Proporta) . This gives it excellent portablily and impact protection. Other people I know like the soft feel from their leather carrying modules (from Senna). I also have a waterproof module and sometimes use that.
When its in its case i use the chargin module and BT connection.. instead of the Cradel module...


Now others like the larger outside bombproof modules(otterbox).

To wrap this up. The wide range of case designs is a good idea. It allows people to choose what is right for them and the way they work.

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Adrian Knack

It sounds like you were on the X50 design team!

As a designer I would design something such that it is sleek (like the X50) for those of us who want the classy look. And yet easily cased for those of us with more practical uses. Or those of us who are just plain ruff (and tuff)!!

Personally I don't have a case... yet... I don't really know where to get one from in Germany either... Suppose I will wait tll I get back to Oz unless somebody suggest something.

Cheers

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psionandy

Originally Posted by Adrian Knack

I Personally I don't have a case... yet... I don't really know where to get one from in Germany either... Suppose I will wait tll I get back to Oz unless somebody suggest something. Cheers

http://www.expansys.de/
or
www.proporta.co.uk (will ship worldwide for same price)

Although the internet being what it is you could probably order from anywhere in the world and have it shipped straight to your door

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tacoman667

Handspring came out with PDA's that had thier own flip-cover for the LCD protection. That way you didn't need a case if you didnt want to. Why don't PPC manufacturers try that solutin out? The unit will stay light and small, while still giving good protection to the expensive LCD screen.

jfarr

The problem is that designers never seem to design something so that it's rugged enough to withstand everyday use. I cite the iPod as an example: just breathe on it once and you'll scratch the white plastic surface.

If I were at Dell and it were up to me, the Axim would be mil-spec :approve:

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uzziah0

I use my case (the original that came with my X5) for transporation while outside (like going to work or Caribou).
I have one of the BullGuard covers, that just covers the front (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showt...ight=bullguard or http://www.bullguardcovers.com/).
I believe this is could be one of the exceptions to your contentions about cases.

jmckie

Originally Posted by tacoman667

Handspring came out with PDA's that had thier own flip-cover for the LCD protection. That way you didn't need a case if you didnt want to. Why don't PPC manufacturers try that solutin out? The unit will stay light and small, while still giving good protection to the expensive LCD screen.

Ding! ding! ding! Exactly! This is what I want. It will only add a few cents to the manufacturing and a couple of bucks to the consumer. Make it removeable for those who want a case.

I'm not interested in playing dress with my Axim, all I want is to protect the screen when I put it in my pocket.

BTW, thanks for the info on the Bullguard cases!

Adrian Knack

The iPAQ hx4700 has this... it is magnetically closing.

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psionandy

Originally Posted by Adrian Knack

The iPAQ hx4700 has this... it is magnetically closing.

ahh now i know what your taking about :)
The Zaurus 5500 has one (it was done badly but the idea was right).

jmckie You are absolutely right. I'd probably still buy a case anyway but it should have something like that straight out of the box..

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diesel

i have a different opinion on this issue...i'm a gadgetholic, i.e. gadget freak so i tend to upgrade my pda's every year or so, and even if the lcd on the pda was "protected" via some kind of built in cover, I would still want to put a cover on the pda and here is the reason why...RESALE VALUE

when you put your pda in a case, any scratches will be to the case itself and not to the pda. No one is going to give top dollar for a used pda that looks not only used but is all scratched up. So i consider a case an investment to ensure you can get the best price for your pda when you need to upgrade to a newer one

SirElmo

Is this a personal observation or is there a study out there to support this claim?

Originally Posted by jmckie

To me they are a necessary evil in order to protect the fragile screen. But from an engineering standpoint, they truly ruin a lot of the painstaking research and development that went into your PDA.

If the engineers hate cases so much, why didn't they design the unit to better protect the fragile screen? If they don't want you to use a case, make it so we don't have to.

Quote:

The battery cover was designed to be easily removed and replaced. Not anymore if you have a case.

No, the battery case is still easily removed. You just have to take the unit out of it's case first. How often do you have to access your battery?

Quote:

Engineers keep pushing the envelope on the operating system as well as the CPU to make the PDA faster and faster. Information should be accessible in an instant. You don't want to wait when you want to check your appointments or look up a phone number. But now you have to open the case before you use it. So much for that fast CPU.

Huh? This sounds like a straw man argument. Do you have your PDA glued to your hand so it is always there providing you information? So I now have to spend an addition 1-2 seconds opening my case. Even without the case I have to spend that much time in picking up my PDA that I dropped because there was no way engineered into it to for carrying it around.

Quote:

It makes using certain cradles, specially auto mounts, rather inconvenient.

Based on your agrument, engineers designed the perfect unit so there shouldn't be a need for cradles or auto mounts. They just add weight and tie down a portable device.

Quote:

Ergonomics: you are forced to use two hands to use the PDA when sometimes one hand operation would have been possible.

Hmm...... It take me one hand just to hold the unit, with or without a case.

krypticide

The Sony TH-55 had a flip cover. Awesome; I wish PPCs did too.

jmckie

Quote:

Is this a personal observation or is there a study out there to support this claim?

Personal observation.

Quote:

If the engineers hate cases so much, why didn't they design the unit to better protect the fragile screen? If they don't want you to use a case, make it so we don't have to.

Pressure from the marketing department.

Quote:

No, the battery case is still easily removed. You just have to take the unit out of it's case first. How often do you have to access your battery?

You have to take it out of the case first - ergo it is much harder to remove! I change my 1100mAh battery about once per day. Because my Axim spends most of the time out of the case, I can switch batteries very easily. For me this is more convenient than charging on the cradle.

Quote:

Huh? This sounds like a straw man argument. Do you have your PDA glued to your hand so it is always there providing you information? So I now have to spend an addition 1-2 seconds opening my case. Even without the case I have to spend that much time in picking up my PDA that I dropped because there was no way engineered into it to for carrying it around.

I care about those extra few seconds. Imagine if your PPC took an extra two seconds to power up from a quiescent state. That is the functional equivalent of having to open a case. In the end, all that matters is that it is slower to access information.

Quote:

Based on your agrument, engineers designed the perfect unit so there shouldn't be a need for cradles or auto mounts. They just add weight and tie down a portable device.

Non sequitur. You have to carry around a case. Why would anyone need to carry around a cradle or auto mount?

Quote:

Hmm...... It take me one hand just to hold the unit, with or without a case.

I didn't say "hold the unit". I said "use the unit". Without a case, I can turn on the PPC and look at my upcoming appointments with one hand. With most cases, you need two hands to do this basic operation.