The Vaja i-Volution T65 case is one of the best cases I have ever used. Unfortunately, its high price puts it out of the range of many Treo owners. When I heard about the LH650 Leather Hard Case, I had high hopes, as it is similar to the T65 yet at less than half the price. One of these days, a product is going to buck the "you get what you pay for" axiom. The LH650 is not this product.
Features
The LH650 is made of soft yet sturdy leather that goes over a hard plastic shell. The Treo is nicely protected in the case, except for its screen. I recommend using a screen protector with this case in case you decide to slide it in a back pocket. There are cutouts for everything. The side buttons and top of the Treo are exposed, and you can easily remove the SD or SIM card if needed. There are cutouts for the camera and speaker on the back, and the headphone and sync ports are also accessible. There is even a cutout for the mic on the bottom of the Treo, which is not something I normally see. No mesh coverings like the T65 though.
Usability
A removable screw goes into the back of the LH650 and is used with the beltclip. Being able to remove the nub on a case is a handy feature for those that sometimes want to use a pocket instead of a beltclip, but there is a danger of the screw loosening and coming apart.
If there is one piece of advice I can offer to case manufacturers, it is to include a rubber o-ring to ensure that the beltclip screw does not loosen. I recently bought a pair of darts, and while at the store, I noticed that before I put an o-ring on the dart, the dart would loosen as I gripped and thew it. After I put an o-ring on the dart, the dart halves never loosened again. It cost a dollar for 6 rings, so it is not a great expense for case manufacturers. Should you buy a case like this, a trip to the local game store is in order.
I really dislike the beltclip. It feels cheap and bends easily. It does work, but because of the way the release is designed, it takes some getting used to before you are able to easily remove the Treo from your belt. The screw is average size, so you may be able to use a different beltclip with the LH650.
I can almost forgive the beltclip, but for me the deal-breaker with the LH650 is the keyboard cutout. There just is not enough room to easily use the keys on the sides and bottom of the keyboard. I had to adopt an "opposite typing" method when using this keyboard, using my right thumb to press the Q, A, and Option keys and my left thumb to press the P, Backspace, and Enter keys.
The bottom keys are tough no matter which hand you use. If you look at the first picture in this review, you can see how there is no spacing around the keys. Those with long fingernails will have better success with the side keys than with trimmed nails like myself.
Conclusion >>
Copyright 1999-2016 TreoCentral. All rights reserved :
Terms of Use : Privacy Policy
TREO and TreoCentral are trademarks or registered trademarks of palm, Inc. in the United States and other countries;
the TreoCentral mark and domain name are used under license from palm, Inc.
The views expressed on this website are solely those of the proprietor, or
contributors to the site, and do not necessarily reflect the views of palm, Inc.
Read Merciful by Casey Adolfsson
The Vaja i-Volution T65 case is one of the best cases I have ever used. Unfortunately, its high price puts it out of the range of many Treo owners. When I heard about the LH650 Leather Hard Case, I had high hopes, as it is similar to the T65 yet at less than half the price. One of these days, a product is going to buck the "you get what you pay for" axiom. The LH650 is not this product.
If there is one piece of advice I can offer to case manufacturers, it is to include a rubber o-ring to ensure that the beltclip screw does not loosen. I recently bought a pair of darts, and while at the store, I noticed that before I put an o-ring on the dart, the dart would loosen as I gripped and thew it. After I put an o-ring on the dart, the dart halves never loosened again. It cost a dollar for 6 rings, so it is not a great expense for case manufacturers. Should you buy a case like this, a trip to the local game store is in order.
I can almost forgive the beltclip, but for me the deal-breaker with the LH650 is the keyboard cutout. There just is not enough room to easily use the keys on the sides and bottom of the keyboard. I had to adopt an "opposite typing" method when using this keyboard, using my right thumb to press the Q, A, and Option keys and my left thumb to press the P, Backspace, and Enter keys.
