Dougmeister

From a practical point of view, does aluminum w/ neoprene lining *really* protect the PDA more than a leather case?

It may be obvious to you, but I just keep imagining the aluminum case banging against the concrete whereas the leather would soften the initial blow at least a little bit...

Thoughts?

Edit: I want a nice balance of thinness and protection. If I wanted protection, I think I'd get an OtterBox !

BKF

I don't expect the Rhinoskin to protect better in a dropping situation. however, I do expect it to be better than a leather case if I put it in my back pocket for awhile.

Dougmeister

Good point.

Have they done any stress/weight testing on any of these aluminum cases? I imagine it would protect against any reasonably-sized adult sitting on it???

HouTex1

I accidently put all my massive weight onto one knee which came down on top dead center (screen side) of my Axim X5. The Rhino Skin case saved it! I have also had the misfortune to drop my X5 on concrete, I firmly believe that the impact absorbtion from the slight deformation of the it's Rhino Skin case saved it. It still works perfectly.

Therefore, my new X50v will rest no place other than in my palm, and it's new matching Rhino Skin case.

I belive in them!

emac

I dropped my X5 on an asphalt road while it was in a Rino with no damage to the Axim. I had to bend, er, reform the case to make the door open and close properly. My X50 is in a Rino as well.

motionmind

I have dropped my x50v in it's Rhinoskin case two times now, both from about waist height and the second time had some decent lateral force involved so it kind os skidded a bit before it stopped; my x50v hasn't skipped a beat. In fact, my case only has two very small pock-marks to show for it. On a negative note though...one of the drops was actually my fault and the other was because of the cheap plastic belt clip that they included with the case.

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choch

I dropped my Axim X5 while sitting in my chair in a plastic holster. The X5 touch screen crapped out and I had to get an X50. Very annoyed as I just purchased a HD battery. Anyone need an Axim X5 HD batter and all the acc?

Make an offer

NiwRoC

Droped it from about 4 feet high and my baby surived!

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niftyken

Just wanted to say that my 2-month old X50v that was in a RhinoSkin case dropped out of my coat pocket (about waist-height) onto a carpeted floor in my house and that the touch screen was no longer responsive. (The alarms, D-PAD, and display still worked fine, but I couldn't interact with any of it!)

Multiple soft resets didn't help. I was still able to do a full backup using ActiveSync because that didn't require any interaction with the PDA. Then I proceeded to remove the battery and do multiple hard resets, which didn't help at all, and in fact it would get stuck at the "Tap the screen to set up your Pocket PC" screen because it didn't register any of my taps.

Anyway, after over an hour on the phone with Dell tech support and a simultaneous online chat with another Dell support person, I was getting fed up with the help offered and I decided to take off my Boxwave "Crystal" screen protector, mainly because I was starting to prepare the unit for an exchange. All of a sudden, the screen was responsive again! Everything's been back to normal since then. I had to restore everything, and I even put the (excellent) screen protector sheet back on. No problem!

Well, that's my story. Can anybody relate? I have no idea what the screen protector had to do with the problem. Any ideas? Remember that all of this started with me dropping the unit out of my pocket onto the carpet while it was still in its RhinoSkin.

By the way, I actually do believe that the impact is a little harder in the RhinoSkin case than it would be with the original protective sleeve that comes with the X50v.

Finally, do the forum rules restrict me from posting this in other PDA dropping / RhinoSkin / screen protector threads? Want to see if I can warn others and get some theories about what really happened today.

Theophilus

Perhaps something was "misplaced" after the drop, and it disconnected the screen input. Then everything it needed then was another small bump "in the right direction" to put things back in place, and that's exactly what did your attempt to remove the protector ?...

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Wily_Stuff

I have dropped my x50v twice in its rhinoskin case with only a slight mark on the case. I think the neoprene lining gives a little shock absorbtion to the back of the axim. It mainly helps hold the axim in the case in a nice rubbery grip. The front part of the door does not come in contact with the unit and probably just cuts down on any clanky sounds when opening and closing the door. I bought the rhinoskin to be tough and unyielding when I carry it in a backpack with my other junk. If you really want to protect from drops wrap your axim in a fluffy pillow .

The real question is how much of the shock of a drop is transmitted through the case to the PPC inside? Leather probably gives a little more protection from drops but less from crushing. My vote is crush first drop second, this is my second rhino case and I ordered it the same day I ordered my x50v and I got the case first so I had to look at a nekkid case for three days

maddmatt

I dropped mine in a Rhinoskin once. The only damage it suffered was a small gouge on the top right corner. I have never dropped it in a leather case.

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kcronister1

I have a Belkin Leather zip case. I dropped mine from about 4 feet, getting out of my Aviatar and it did not damage the unit at all.

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choch

I dropped my X5 about two feet from a sitting position in a chair. The touch screen stopped working and nothing could be done. I sold it as is and the note on the site was that it had to be sent into the repair depot for some part. I tried the screen saver from the X5 in the X50 and it seemed to work. However some time later the screen stopped working. Removing the screen saver fixed the problem. There seems to be an exact fit issue with the edges of the screen. The correct screen saver works great.

It's only -35 here today. A fresh sping day in Canada.

Oakley

to say it bluntly, the leather will in no way soften the blow if dropped on concrete. When I bought my x5 looong ago i bought a nice leather case. The axim lasted one drop. When Dell next-day'd me a replacement I bought a rhino-skin that since has absorbed 3-4 waist-high drops. I have had my X50v since Nov. with it's rhinoskin and, thank god, haven't dropped it yet (knock on wood).