E-grips full wrap for the Treo 600
Most people who have ever bought an expensive gadget like a Treo have had a horrible slow motion moment when it’s been knocked off a table or slipped out of their hand. There’s that awful moment when with a heavy heart and feeling of dread you pick it up dust it down, say a little prayer then press the power button to see if it’s alive or dead.
Thankfully, on both the occasions I’ve dropped my Treo 600 I’ve been lucky and the tough little blighter still works. Unfortunately the mtdn boards are littered with stories were people have been less fortunate, we’ve had sad stories of dropped Treos which no longer work, Treos which have been dropped for a swim or down a toilet and even one which had a run in with an alligator ;) .
My Treo spends most of it’s life in a Krusell case which works fine for me, but there are times when I want to slip my Treo into my trouser pocket without its case. It’s during these caseless times that I’ve discovered the Treo 600 can be remarkablely slippy especially if you have any moisture on your hands. This is were e-grips are designed to come in useful. E-grips are thin custom cut adhesive plastic appliqués designed to be attached to your Treo to make it easier to hold securely. They’re available for a huge range of appliances including hundreds of different mobile phones and PDAs. There are 4 different styles of e-grips in a range of colours just for the 600, with others available for the 90, 270, 300 and 650, ranging in price from $9.95-12.95
The e-grips I tested were the Treo 600 full wrap version. Each pack contains; full fitting instructions with nice clear pictures and directions, two sets of e-grips and two isopropanol wipes to clean the Treo. Before using the e-grips you first have to remove some of the pre-cut out sections to allow access to reset hole and volume keys once the e-grips have been attached, this is easily achieved with a craft knife. You then clean your Treo with an alcohol wipe and once the Treo is dry apply the appliqués. I found the whole process to be straight forward and only took a couple of minutes. Once installed the e-grip is designed to last for at least 6 months. I couldn’t confirm this in the 3 weeks I tested them so I spoke to one our other staff members, Woof, who told me his 650 has been in E-grips for 5 months with no problems.
As the e-grips are custom designed for each device it means I found no problems with the normal day to day use of my Treo with the volume buttons, reset hole and camera all perfectly accessible.
The degree of ’stickness’ of the e-grip is surprising, I found myself looking for surfaces I could balance my Treo on without it slipping, car dashboards and alike posed no problem, my Treo just sat there almost regardless of the angle. To show the difference I performed a little experiment (sorry, I’m a scientist) which demonstrate the benefit of the e-grips. First I put my hand flat with my Treo on the palm of my hand with screen pointing upwards, I then slowly rotated my hand to the vertical to see how steep of an angle I could get to with just the e-grip holding my Treo onto my hand. It was only when I was 10-15 degrees from vertical that it started to slide with a nude Treo I only got about half as far before it started to slide.
The only problem I encountered with the e-grips was that once I’d put them onto my Treo I could no longer get my Treo into its Krussel case. E-grips are quite thin (~1mm) so I assume this is only a problem because the case I use it quite a tight fit. Unfortunately, for me this was a deal breaker as my Treo spends most of it’s time in its case nice and safe. If the e-grip clad Treo had fitted in its case I would definitely have kept using them as they give you a reassuringly secure hold onto your Treo. This did provide the opportunity to test the removal procedure, the e-grips are really easily removed and thankfully left absolutely no residue on the Treo.
All owners are eager to protect their Treos, for most of us this means a screen protector and either a case or skin. Having now tested them I think e-grips can be included in this list of protective accessories, although they provide little protection compared to a full case they could help prevent you dropping your Treo in the first place.
Cost - as reviewed $12.95 for a pack containing two sets of e-grips (Treo range $9.95-12.95)
Pros - Help you to keep your Treo safe
Good value for money
Cons - Won’t allow your Treo to fit in all cases
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Filed under: Accessory reviews
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I have this full wrap E-grips for my 600. It works great! Phone can sit on the dash or car seat and it stays put (even on sharp turns and fast breaks). Also, it keeps the Treo from acidentally slipping out of my hands during use. It is a quality product.
E-grips. Where do I start with E-grips? I first tried them on my Treo 600 as somewhat as an afterthought. When I’m on the go, many times I’ll get somewhat clumsy. I’ve dropped my cell phone dozens of times and the thought of dropping a Treo gave me pause.
I had no idea what I was buying, but it far exceeded my expectations. It far exceeded what I thought a product was capable of. Setting your phone on your dashboard is a nice “party trick”, but doesn’t really display the practical advantages of E-grips.
After a tragic accident involving my 600 becoming airborn while going through airport security, I ordered a 650. Straight out of the box, I was flabbergasted at how I felt that I could barely hold on to it. The exterior seemed impossibly slick, and I didn’t even want to leave the house with it until my order for E-grips arrived.
They’re literally that good. Your phone will feel secure in your hand, and won’t slide around on your desk or in your car. I use a Covertec horizontal pouch case, and the e-grips added just enough friction for me to feel comfortable sliding it in and out of the case on my hip, while not having to fight it in and out.
If you think that I’m somewhat evangelistic about E-grips, then you’re right. I just can’t say enough good things about them. It’s the best under $20 purchase you can make for your Treo.
(I tried to format this with actual paragraphs, but the software seems to strip them out)
I had this on my 600 and now my 650. It is the best stuff for your Treo, I recommend it for everyone.
I’ve had the e-grips for my treo 600. It does what it says, i.e. keep things from falling off slippery surfaces. It does a pretty good job at that. But I’m a careful user after all - I don’t really need this. I do find the surface pretty rough after the e-grips is put on - rubbery, lizardy like surface. It gets to me, actually. So I took it off. I’ve had my treo 600 wrapped up with colorful vinyl stickers for a more personal touch (doesn’t serve any purpose except for cosmetics) :)
Hmmm it still doesn’t protect the most vulnerable part of the Treo: the *corners*…
I think e-grips sound awesome. But if you use them, how do you carry around your phone? In your hand all day? But EVERYTIME I see e-grips mentioned I see people talking about how they don’t fit cases.
Did you just carry it around by hand for 3 weeks?