If you take your pocket pal out into polite society, and you want to dress him up in a fancy new suit, then you may wish to consider the svelte leather attire afforded by the SPE FormCase.

This tight-fitting case molds to the body of your Treo like spandex bicycle shorts. Scooching the 750 into it is like putting on a wetsuit without talcum powder. Undressing it is even worse. Once you get it on, you may not wish to remove anytime soon.

To remove it, I recommend that you screw in the mounting post on the back to give you some leverage. Otherwise, it is a fairly onerous task.

Yes, you can install or remove the mounting post in the back as you wish. Without it, you have a slim profile with nothing sticking out, perfect for pocket consumption. If you are the belt dangler type, you will want to install the post, which simply screws into the threaded plate sewn in the back. The slotted post lets you use a screwdriver or a dime to tighten or loosen it.

With the mounting post in place, it is simply a matter of sliding it into the slot on the belt clip. To retrieve it, you simply push the release button on the top of the belt clip and slide the device out. The belt clip has a hook at the bottom so that it cannot slip off a belt.

The belt clip swivels a full 360 degrees, but does not lock into any one position. At first, I thought this would be a problem for people who prefer either a vertical or horizontal position, but it tends to stay in whatever position you put it in.

You have your choice of brown or black textured leather. The review sample I received is brown. At first, I thought I would have preferred black because the body of the 750 is mostly black. But, frankly, so little of the Treo body shows that it really doesn’t matter. The brown case looks quite fashionable.

A two-centimeter wide strap snaps closed in the back over the top. I find this strap annoying on several counts. It catches on things and comes unsnapped. It covers the sound on/off switch. It seems altogether unnecessary because with such a tight fit this case is not about to slip off.

The sound switch is not the only thing the case hides. There is no opening on the entire right side so that you have no access to the miniSD expansion slot or the reset button. This reminds me of Palm covering up the reset button on the back of the 700w and 700wx. You have to remove the battery cover to get at it. Extricating your 750 from this case is no simple matter.

While I wish it weren’t true, the system can get hung up and needs to be reset from time to time. You also need to reset sometimes after installing new software. This case makes it difficult.

With no openings on the entire right side of the case the IR port is also covered. Did the designers even have a Treo 750 when they put this case together?

I recommend that future iterations of this case consider these issues and create appropriate new openings on the right side of the case.

Otherwise, all the other ports and buttons are available.

The case is extremely well- made of fine leather and beautifully sewn. The craftsmanship is superb. It is a case whose appearance you can be proud of.

Now, normally, I’m not the belt dangler type. However, it seems to me that with the belt clip and hitching post, the unit sticks out quit a bit—about an inch. I should think that belt packers would appreciate a unit closer to the body. Personally, I carry a gadget bag and either clip my little friend in a case outside or tuck him away safely inside.

Now comes another issue. While this handsome case protects most of the back and sides of your faithful companion, it offers no protection to the screen and keyboard—the most vulnerable areas. This is something you may wish to take into consideration. But, maybe all you want is a muscle shirt to strut your stuff, and you don’t need full-body armor.

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