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Another magnesium flip-case review
Just got my Innopocket magnum case for x50v. Ordered it on the evening of the 8th and FedEx delivered it today at 10:30 AM. Not bad at all for an item shipped from Hong Kong to the U.S.A.! Here's a brief review of the case. Hopefully it will help someone trying to decide if they want to buy this case.
The case arrived in a Fedex Tyvex envelope, inside a brown box with the Innopocket logo on it. The case was well packed in bubble wrap and placed inside a small white box. The belt clip was in a separate plastic bag inside the brown box. Upon picking up the case, it felt solid and well made. The case is a dull black color (not the dark violet or purple hue you are led to believe from the pictures on the website). The case is lined by a neoprene lining. The lining is quite uniform through-out the case with no lifting whatsoever and no uneven areas - I liked that. The front cover clicks nicely into retaining notches on the bottom part of the case re-assuring you that it is closed and not liable to open unexpectedly. Opening the front cover requires a little more force than I expected, but probably with repeated use it will "soften" a little bit. The top of the cover has two cut outs for the mic and the LED and is attached to one of the two hinges in the case. On my case the front hinge (the one the front cover is attached to) moves freely without much friction so the cover will not stay propped open partially. I think this is intentional so that the front cover can be moved freely about the hinge. The back hinge, on the other hand is stiffer and can hold the hinge assembly in any position you place it in - again a nice feature. There are cut outs on the left side of the case for the keylock button and the wireless and recording buttons. On the back is a cutout for the reset button which will easily allow the stylus to pass through. Inside the front cover is a single slot for an SD card.
Now to put the x50v in!. You open the cover and rotate the hinge assembly out of the way and just slide the x50v in. It is a snug fit and once inserted, I was not able to detect any freeplay. The contoured body case perfectly matches the contours of the x50v. The stylus and headphone jack are easily accessible with the front cover closed. The wireless button and the recording button are also easily accessible through the cutouts. The key-lock button is somewhat more difficult to access via the cutout, especially for those with fat fingers. The bottom connector is well exposed and easily accessible as well. Overall, the case does not add much bulk to the x50v (as a frame of reference, it adds less bulk than say the slip-case that comes with the x50v). It doesn't add too much in terms of weight, but certainly more than the slipcase, obviously. The case measures 25mm thick and weighs in at 2.6 oz (The Axim x50v weighs 6.1 oz and the slipcase provided by Dell weighs 1.3 oz). It feels comfortable to hold, whether the front cover is open only 180 degrees or a full 360 degrees. Even with the belt clip post screwed in, it does not wobble when placed on a table (this had been one of my concerns when I placed the order). Also, the front cover can be opened a full 360 degrees even with the clip post screwed in.
Pros:
-Well made, solid case that contours the x50v beautifully.
-Front cover latches/clicks into place nicely, giving both a tactile and audible cue that the cover is latched in place.
-nice neoprene lining with storage for a single SD card.
-No problems with scratching of the x50v by the case (unlike the Rhino cases)
-Hinge mechanism seems to be solidly built and appears durable
Cons:
-Dull black color. Would bave preferred a brushed aluminum type finish
-Keylock button somewhat difficult to access, especially for those with thick fingers
-Black finish not anodized and seems prone to rub off at friction points (indeed some areas along the inside edges had already rubbed off, revealing the lighter metal underneath - these areas had been touched up with some black permanent marker and were not really visible unless you looked closely)
Overall, I am quite pleased with the case and was also very pleased with the smooth transaction on Innopocket's website and the lightning fast shipment and delivery. I would give this 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.
P.S. I have no affiliation with Innopocket and purchased the case for my personal use.
Last edited by Don_S : 03-12-05 at 11:43 AM.
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I love Aximsite 
