There are many different cases you can choose from for your Treo, ranging from classy-looking leather cases to more protective metal hard cases. But if you are looking for the ultimate in protection for your Treo, look no further than the brand new OtterBox 1920 Palm Treo Case. This is the Hummer of Treo cases.

OtterBox is well-known for making rugged waterproof cases that are nearly indestructible. They also make rugged cases for electronic devices such as laptops, iPods, and PDAs. And while their general-purpose PDA cases (such as the OtterBox 1900) can be used with a Treo, they can't really be compared to the OtterBox 1920 Palm Treo case which is specifically designed for the Treo 650 and 700.

It should be clear at first glance that this is not your everyday case. Normally, if you walk into a business meeting and drop your Treo on the table it won't get a second look. But if your Treo happens to be in an OtterBox case, people will probably look at you as though you brought a Pit Bull to a Poodle Party. This is a tough looking case, and unless you are in law enforcement and frequently use your Treo to deter crime, this case is probably overkill for a typical office environment. But if your work is a little more physical and you are often in situations where your Treo can get hit, crushed, dropped, wet, or dirty, then this may be the perfect case. It will allow you to take your Treo with you wherever you go, ensuring that it will be well protected.

While I work in an office and don't have a need for an OtterBox during the week, I like to explore the great outdoors on the weekend. And if you are the kind of Treo user that likes to go kayaking, skiing, hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, or anything else where you might get wet and dirty, the last thing you want to worry about is protecting your Treo. So even if you don't work in construction or other harsh environments, you may still have a need for an OtterBox to protect your Treo during your various adventures.

First Impressions

The OtterBox case is noticeably larger than an unprotected Treo, but not as much as I had expected given the level of protection it offers. The overall length of the OtterBox is only about 0.5" longer than the Treo while the width is about 0.75" wider and the thickness is nearly double that of the bare Treo.

The case is made from a combination of hard black plastic (used for the front bezel and frame of the case), gray plastic (used for the latch), softer gray rubber (covering most of the back and sides), and a hard clear plastic (used for the screen cover and top cover). The top clear plastic cover is a bit frosted around the edges and over the part that covers the antenna, but is clear over the top part of the Treo and where the IR port is located so it shouldn't interfere with IR beaming and receiving.

The front section of the case actually consists of two parts: the case body and the front bezel, which are bolted together. Sandwiched between these two parts are a rubber keyboard and a membrane that allows you to write on your Treo's touch screen while protecting the screen from water and dirt. The screen membrane is also protected by a hard clear plastic flip-lid that locks in the open and closed positions.

Putting the Treo into the OtterBox is a fairly quick and simple process. First, unlatch and remove the back cover. Second, insert the Treo into the front part of the case, pushing forward until the Treo is all the way in. There are pegs at the top of the case that are designed to match the top curve of your Treo, so just push the Treo forward until it is firmly against them and it will be correctly aligned. Finally, replace the back cover and close the latch.

As can be seen in the above pictures, the front part of the case has two foam spacers on the sides of the case, just between the keyboard and screen area. The back part of the case also has a thin rubber strip about two-thirds up from the bottom, and three contoured rubber braces to hold the bottom and sides edge of the Treo. All of these work together to keep your Treo firmly in position and to cushion the Treo in case it is dropped.

I was expecting the latch to close firmly in order to make a strong seal and was surprised that there wasn't much resistance when closing the latch. Once it was closed the back cover felt tight enough, but I called the people at OtterBox to make sure this was normal and was told it was. They explained that the front part of the case has a grooved edge that presses against the soft gray rubber gasket in the back part of the case and it doesn't really need much pressure to form a good seal.

Once the case was closed with my Treo inside it seemed very snug. I didn't notice any motion inside as I shook the case vigorously. The curved back of the case fit nicely in the palm of my hand and the edge of the external stylus holder makes a nice edge you can hold with your thumb. I especially like the feel of the softer gray rubber that covers the back, bottom and sides of the case, and I'm sure the extra flexibility should help protect my Treo if it happens to fall onto a hard surface.

Looking back at the picture of the inside of the back cover, there are two white spots: one near the top edge close to the latch and the other near the bottom edge. These are Gortex fabric covers, located where the microphone and back speaker of the Treo are located, and are designed to allow the sound to come through while keeping water out. While Gortex is water resistant, it may allow water to penetrate if it gets saturated and this is one of the reasons why OtterBox says that the case is waterproof, but is not intended for underwater use.

Overall, my first impressions of the OtterBox 1920 for the Palm Treo were very positive. The case seems very well designed and constructed.

Living With an Otter(Box) in My Pocket

Once my Treo was safely enclosed in the OtterBox, I decided to see how it affected the usability of my Treo. The OtterBox advertising says "Easy access to all Treo functionality" so it was time to put it to the test.

Size
I didn't actually carry the OtterBox in my pocket, but if your pants have large open pockets it will probably fit. However, given the size of the case, you'll probably carry it in your hand, throw it in duffle bug, or put it in a pocket on your tool belt. The case is pretty smooth all around and doesn't have any sharp edges that are likely to catch when sliding it in or out of a pocket.

Weight
The extra protection offered by the OtterBox comes with a price. The weight of the case is quite noticeable and it is almost as heavy as the Treo itself.

Treo Only (700p) 6.3oz (179g)
Case Only 5.8oz (166g)
Treo + Case 12.1oz (344g)

While this might be a problem if I was going to wear the OtterBox on my belt when going to work at the office, it's not really an issue if I'm going to throw the OtterBox into a duffle bag or backpack. I'd rather have the extra protection that comes with the extra weight.

Stylus Holder
Soon after putting my Treo in the OtterBox I realized that I had forgotten to remove the stylus. I opened it up again to remove the stylus and attach it to the integrated clip on the side of the OtterBox. You can insert the stylus into the clip by either sliding it in from the top or simply by pushing it into the groove where it fits very snugly against the side of the case in an indentation that protects it from getting snagged.

Sync & Charge Port
You can sync and charge the Treo while it is still in the case by removing the rubber plug that covers the bottom of the case. As can be seen below, this exposes the bottom of the Treo to the elements, but this shouldn't be a problem because the main reason to remove the rubber plug will be to sync or charge the Treo in your car or at a desk. The one exception to this might be if you want to use a wired headset for a call (instead of a Bluetooth headset) or to listen to music. But I would expect that in most situations where you can safely use a wired headset it would be OK to leave the bottom open.

The bottom opening provides full access to the connector on the bottom of the Treo and I was able to use the sync cable that came with my Treo 700p as well as a Seidio synch and charge cable (which is a bit larger than the Palm sync cable but about the same size as other sync and charge cables) without any problems.

The bottom plug is the first area where I saw some room for improvement in the OtterBox. As I mentioned before, the bottom plug is made of a soft rubber that fits into the bottom opening. Since the plug sits flush with the outside edge of the case, it is unlikely the plug will be accidentally pulled out. However, the plug only remains in the hole due to friction and it is fairly easy to remove with just a little pull on the edge of the flap. I think I would rather have this be a tighter fit so that when it was inserted it would be much harder for it to get accidentally pulled out.

The bottom cover remains attached to the case by a thin flexible extension that is wedged into a slot inside the back part of the case. This is where I encountered my first problem with the OtterBox case. While pulling the rubber plug from the bottom of the case the plug became separated from the inside of the case. There was no way to re-attach the plug while the case was closed, so I had to open the case in order to re-attach the plug.

And then I ran into another problem with the plug. While pulling relatively gently on the plug to make sure it was firmly seated in the slot, the rubber cord broke and I had to glue the two pieces back together. I was surprised how easily the rubber cord broke and I really think it should be much more durable. When I contacted OtterBox about the problems related to the bottom plug I was told that they have already addressed the issues related to the strength of the rubber and how tightly the plug fits into the case in their latest production run.

Screen Cover
The Treo's screen is protected by two layers. First, there is an outer flip-lid that is made out of hard clear plastic. The lid locks firmly in the open position so that it won't fall back over the screen while in-use, and it snaps shut when closed so it doesn't accidentally get knocked open. There is a thick lip on the bottom edge to make it easy to open the lid with just your thumb. The pegs holding the lid to the case seem very solid and while I'm sure it is possible to break the lid off the case, I think you would need to exert quite a bit of force to do so.

When the outer lid is open, there is a clear inner membrane that continues to protect your Treo's screen from water and dirt while still allowing you to use your stylus or finger on the Treo's touch screen. The membrane feels a bit softer to write on than an unprotected Treo screen, but no softer than some screen protectors I've used. Due to the thickness of the case, the Treo's screen is inset about 0.25"from the outside edge of the case, making it a bit harder to use your finger to push on-screen buttons at the bottom edge of the screen.

While the membrane is essential for protecting the Treo from the elements, I did notice a couple of side-effects. The first was that after a bit of use the membrane would often stick to the Treo's screen, trapping bubbles under it that were visible when using the Treo. An extreme example is shown below where the center part of the membrane is stuck to the screen while the outer edge is not.

The second side-effect was that there was a bit of a rainbow sparkle effect around the corners of the screen. This can be seen on the picture below from the bottom left corner of my Treo's screen.

While this side-effect did have a slight effect on the legibility of the screen, it was neither so bad nor so distracting that I considered it a big problem. I'm not sure there is any way to avoid these side effects while providing the same level of protection for the Treo, so while these might be considered minor problems, I think they are part of the price you must pay for the extra protection.

Keyboard
The keyboard area consists of rubber keys attached to a membrane with round pegs on the inside that press on the Treo's keys when they are pushed. I was initially skeptical of how well this would work, but when I finally tried typing I was quite surprised at how easy it was to type with the Treo in the OtterBox case. While it feels a bit different than typing directly on the Treo's keyboard, I found it just as easy to type on the OtterBox keyboard. Since many tasks on the Treo require the use of they keyboard, it is a major strength of this case that you can be just as productive even when the Treo is completely protected from the elements.

After using the keyboard for a while, I did notice a couple of things that may be an issue for Treo 700. First of all, while the OtterBox case is advertised as supporting the Treo 650, 700w and 700p, if you look closely at the front of the keyboard you'll see that the top part more closely resembles a Treo 650's keyboard.

Treo 650 Keyboard Layout

Treo 700w Keyboard Layout

Treo 700p Keyboard Layout

On the Treo 650, the Home and Menu buttons just under the screen are about the same size as on the OtterBox. On the Treo 700p and 700w, these buttons are thicker and almost twice as wide. Now, if you look at the picture above showing the back side of the keyboard, you'll see that the little peg is on the inside edge of the key rather than the center. This means that while the OtterBox Home/Menu keys work perfectly on the Treo 650 because they are pushing on the main part of the key, on the Treo 700w and 700p they are only pushing on the edge of key. This doesn't mean that they don't work on the 700 series Treos, but I found that I had to push harder and sometimes more than once on these keys when using the OtterBox case with my 700p in order to activate the Treo key underneath.

You may also notice that the Power/End Call button isn't in the same location on the 700p as it is on the 650 and 700w. The red Power/End Call button on the OtterBox case corresponds to the 700p's Home button. So even though I know where my End Call button is located on my Treo 700p, I found that on more than one occasion I would push the red button on the OtterBox keyboard to end the call only to find that I was looking at my Home launcher screen instead of ending the call.

Another thing I noticed was that the Up button for the 5-way control was much thinner than the other buttons. While this did make it a bit more challenging to push this button, it wasn't as hard as I had expected. Still, I wish they would have made this button a bit thicker so it was easier to push.

It wasn't until I needed to make a phone call at night that I gave any thought to the Treo's backlit keyboard. As you can see in the picture below, the backlighting of the Treo's keyboard transmits through the OtterBox keys pretty clearly, allowing you to read the letters on the keys at night. Unfortunately, the OtterBox numeric keys are covered in blue with black letters which doesn't allow the light to shine through, effectively making these keys unreadable in the dark. While you can probably figure out which key corresponds to which number based on the position, it's not quite as easy to figure out the corresponding letter if you need to type an email and aren't very good at touch-typing. I think OtterBox needs to figure out a way to make these keys stand out as well as the number keys while still allowing the keys to be legible at night using the Treo's keyboard backlighting.

Keyboard Lighting


Since the front bezel can be removed (in order to replace the membrane that protects the screen), I wouldn't be surprised if OtterBox eventually offers different versions of the OtterBox for the different Treo models or replaceable bezels with rubber keyboards designed for each Treo model. But for now the current case works well enough with the Treo 650 and 700 series that you shouldn't have too many issues.

Side Buttons
The site buttons on the OtterBox case used to control the side buttons on the Treo worked well. And since they are taller and more separated than the Treo's actual buttons they are even easier to locate by touch.

Top Cover
As mentioned previously, the top cover of the OtterBox is clear plastic where the Treo's IR port is located. Theoretically this allows you to both send and received IR transmissions from other Treo or Palm users. However, I rarely receive or transfer anything using my Treo's IR port and haven't had a chance yet to determine how well it works, but I have no reason to think it won't work.

I do have one nit to pick with the marketing material for the OtterBox. They claim that the case provides "easy access to all Treo functionality." The one exception I found to this statement is that you can't access the mute switch on the top of the Treo once it is in the case. The first time I put my Treo into the case I forgot to turn off the mute switch. While it is possible to remove the top cover by opening the back latch and prying up the tab that holds the top cover to the case body, I concluded that it was easier to just remove the Treo in order to get to the switch. It's not a big deal, but since the mute switch is a nice feature that I use quite often at work, I thought it was worth mentioning.

Of course, you also can't access the SD card slot without removing the Treo from the OtterBox, but similar to changing the battery, it isn't something you do very frequently.

Sound Quality
Since one of the Treo's primary functions is to allow you to make phone calls, I had to examine how the OtterBox affects the sound quality of the Treo's microphone, ear speaker, and back speaker.

To examine the impact on the volume of the back speaker, I used PocketTunes to play some music and listened when the case was both fully closed and with the back cover off. While my testing was pretty subjective, I would estimate that when the case was fully closed it reduced the volume of the back speaker significantly (maybe one-half). It wasn't so bad that it was unusable, but since the environments where I would be most likely to use my OtterBox are also the environments that are going to be noisiest, the reduced volume will be a problem when trying to use the Treo in speakerphone mode.

To check the volume of the front speaker and microphone, I called my wife and chatted under a variety of conditions. Similar to the back speaker, the front speaker's volume was also noticeably reduced. After inserting and removing the Treo from the case several times, I concluded that the volume of the ear speaker while the Treo was in the case was roughly equivalent to the volume when holding the phone about 6 to 8 inches from my ear when outside of the case.

In response to the reduced volume I decided to use VolumeCare to increase the volume, but to my surprise, when I turned the volume up past a certain point the person on the other side would start to hear himself echo. At first I thought this was due to an echo effect inside of the case, but after removing the Treo form the case I had the same problem so at this point I believe this is a side-effect of using VolumeCare at the maximum levels rather than an issue with the case.

During my sound quality testing I also noticed that the case would amplify the tapping and scraping sounds as I handled the case while talking on the phone, and these sounds were quite noticeable to the person on the other end of the call. However, when I performed the same test without the case I found that the tapping and scraping sounds were still noticeable, though they weren't quite as loud. So this problem isn't unique to the OtterBox case, but since the enclosed case does make these sounds louder you should be aware of the issue and either minimize your handling of the case while on a call or use a headset thus avoiding the problem completely.

Since the case does reduce the volume of the Treo's speakers and you can't completely overcome the reduced volume by make it louder using the Treo's volume controls (with or without VolumeCare), you may want to seriously consider using a wired or Bluetooth headset when using the OtterBox since either option will completely avoid these issues.

Accessories

Additional accessories for the OtterBox will be coming out soon and include:

• Belt Clip
• Replacement Screen Membrane
• SD Top Cap for use with barcode readers

I'm definitely interested in the belt clip, but I'm thinking the clip will need to be large enough that it can work with a variety of different size belts.

After talking to the people at OtterBox is sounds like they understand that if you are writing on the membrane that protects the screen you will eventually need to replace it (just like any other screen protector). They said they will be offering some sort of do-it-yourself replacement kit for the screen membrane, possibly selling them in 3-packs.

The SD Top Cap will be large enough to cover the most common barcode readers that plug into the Treo's SD slot and is a necessity for people that use their Treo for inventory tracking and barcode scanning.

Crash Testing

While there are some compromises to usability when using the OtterBox (such as with the reduced volume mentioned above) I consider these more than balanced by the ruggedness, protection and overall usability that the OtterBox offers. But even though the OtterBox felt very sturdy and durable while holding it in my hand, I wanted to do some more extreme testing to see how the case (and hopefully my Treo) would stand up in situations beyond what I would expect to encounter. So I decided to do some drop and water testing.

Before continuing, I should clarify that OtterBox only claims that their case offers drop and crush protection and doesn't claim that it will make your Treo impervious to damage. These tests go beyond what I would consider reasonable and I only performed them in order to get an idea of just how much abuse it could take so I would know how careful I needed to be with my Treo when it is in my OtterBox.

Drop Testing
As much as I want to give my readers the results of the most realistic testing possible, I'm not about to start dropping my Treo from various heights no matter what type of case it is in. However, I did drop the empty OtterBox case on both concrete and linoleum several times from heights between 3 to 5 feet. I also dropped the OtterBox from various angles including onto the top (where the antenna is located), front, bottom and sides. The OtterBox withstood all of the drops without any noticeable damage to the case, so overall I would say this is one tough case.

However, in a couple of those drops the bottom plug popped out of the hole, most likely from the sudden compression of air inside the case when it hit the ground. And in two other test drops (from about five feet high) the back of the case separated from the front. I'm not sure if this would have happened if the Treo was inside the case because the rigidity of the Treo might have prevented the case from flexing and popping open. And it wasn't clear if the case opened because the latch popped open or if the tabs that hold the bottom edge to the front part of the case popped out of their slots due to air compression.

While I wish that the case wouldn't have separated during these tests, I don't consider these results to be a major problem. In fact, I can't think of any other case I would have even attempted to drop form this height in the first place. And in the event that I ever drop my Treo while it is in my OtterBox, I'm confident that it will either emerge completely undamaged or much less damaged than with any other case. But just to be safe, I will be doing my best to avoid tossing my Treo around as if it were indestructible.

Water Testing
While the OtterBox product page says it is "waterproof", they also have a note in red on the same page that clearly says that it is not intended for underwater use, so while I will be taking it TO the Jacuzzi after a long day of skiing, I won't be taking it INTO the Jacuzzi.

Before doing any water testing, I gave the people at OtterBox a call to ask what sort of protection I should expect the OtterBox to provide against water. They confirmed that I shouldn't take it underwater, but that it was designed to protect the Treo from a "driving rain". It's good to know that the next time I'm heading into hurricane weather I can take my Treo with me without any worries. They also said that it should offer some protection against a quick drop in a puddle of water, but not an extended submersion.

To test things out I decided to put the case under the faucet for several seconds, letting water run directly over all surfaces of the case for at least a second or two. This is probably more water than my Treo will see during a normal rain, so I figured if it could stay dry during this test then it should be safe for anything I'll run into. But before performing the test I filled the case with rolled up paper towels so that if the case did leak I would be able to determine where the water came from.

After giving my OtterBox a brief shower and then opening the case, I saw that a few drops of water had entered from the Gortex-covered hole where the back speaker is located, but not so much that I think it would be a problem. Other than that, the rest of the case was dry inside.

So what is my conclusion from the water test? Similar to the drop tests, I can't even imagine putting ANY other case under running water for any amount of time, let alone for over 10 seconds. So even though the case wasn't 100% waterproof, it was much more water resistant than any other case I've seen for my Treo.

Testing Conclusions
While putting my Treo in a padded box might offer better protection against being dropped, it would also render the Treo unusable. Similarly, while putting my Treo in a Ziplock bag might offer better protection against water damage, it too would render the Treo unusable and wouldn't provide any protection against being dropped. In my opinion, the OtterBox provides a good balance between providing protection against your Treo being dropped, crushed or exposed to water while at the same time maintaining a very high level of usability for your Treo.

The designers at OtterBox probably could have increased the water resistance by covering up the speaker and microphone holes with something more resistant to water, but this almost definitely would have come with the price of making the Treo almost unusable as a phone because it would have rendered the speakers and microphone useless without a Bluetooth or wired headset. And while I think there may be room for improvement in the design of the case so that it doesn't pop open after a drop from several feet, it already provides more drop protection than any other case I've seen.

When I contacted OtterBox and mentioned the abuse I subjected their case to, they let me know that they have tested the case to make sure it was rated for MIL-STD 810F Method 516.2 Procedure 4, which means that it has been tested to drop 3 feet to concrete on every angle with no damage to the case or the device. They also tested against MIL-STD 810F Method 512.4 Procedure 1, which is rated for protection against Heavy Rain. Based on my test results, I have no problem believing their case has passed these tests without a problem.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a case that will provide the maximum protection for your Treo and allow you to take it wherever you go, then you should take a close look at the OtterBox 1920 for the Palm Treo. While it is more expensive than your typical Treo case, you can't really compare prices because if you work in an environment where your Treo can get knocked around and exposed to dust, dirt and water on a regular basis, there really isn't anything else that will protect your Treo like the OtterBox.

And while I think there is some room for improvement in design of the case, I also think that if you need this level of protection for your Treo today it will more than meet your needs. Having to replace a broken screen or antenna is expensive enough, but being without your Treo for several days while it is being repaired can be even more expensive if you rely on it for running your business.

Pros

• A strong and durable case that will protect your Treo from a wide variety of dangers including dust, dirt water, being crushed and short drops.
  
• Allows full use of the Treo while it is in the case (with the exception of the mute switch).
  
• Two layers of protection for the Treo screen: a hard outer flip-up lid and a thin protective membrane that allows you to use the Treo's touch screen while still protecting it from the elements.
  
• OtterBox keyboard is very easy to use, just like the Treo keyboard
  
• Great combination of protection and usability for your Treo
  
• Unconditional, no hassle, lifetime guarantee.

Cons

• Sound volume is noticeably reduced when using the Treo's built-in speakers and the use of a wired or Bluetooth headset is highly recommended.
  
• The rubber plug that covers the bottom hole could use some improvements so that it stays attached to the inside of the case when in the open position, stays inserted even under the roughest conditions, and doesn't break when pulled.
  
• The End Call button the OtterBox does not match the End Call button on the Treo 700p, causing problems for Treo 700p users when trying to end a call. This isn't a problem for the Treo 650 or 700w/700wx users.
  
• The location of the pegs for the top two buttons on the keyboard (next to the 5-way control) makes it harder to press the corresponding keys on the Treo 700p/700w/700wx.
  
• The membrane that protects the Treo's screen can stick to the screen and cause some visual side-effects, but nothing that significantly impact the use of the Treo.
  
• Text on blue numeric keys on OtterBox keyboard can't be read at night.

Tested using a Treo 650 and Treo 700p

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