And many cases, there are. Some are hard, some soft. Some are black, some brown, some fire-engine red, some clear. Some have pockets, some are like a second skin. Some aren’t cases at all but claws… I have yet to find “that one perfect case” for me, so I’ve got to try a many as I can, and took the Seidio Crystal Case for a spin.

One thing I did think to myself while I was using it was, what's the purpose of this case? Cosmetically, it obviously would prevent dings and scratches, which is good. Aesthetically, it did retain the "naked" look that many Treo users prefer, which is also good. But, did it provide significant shock protection? Not sure about that. When my Treo 680 did happen to do a good ol' 3ft drop, the two pieces of the case would shatter apart. Perhaps it was designed like a motorcycle helmet, to absorb shock by shattering…?

It did not come with a clip function, which is fine if you don't tend to carry your Treo on your belt. For me, I hate having to “carry” my Treo anywhere else, so a belt clip is my primary preferred approach. Therefore, this case left me requiring an additional accessory, so I still had to fit it into a belt case. Interestingly enough, my old Treo 650 case, which is slightly larger than the 680 case, accommodates the 680 with the case, but a case that properly fits the 680 would not work, as the crystal case did add several noticeable millimeters to the Treo.

There was an annoying impedance of the stylus to the edges of the screen due to the millimeter or so that the edge of the case added to the screen edge. Occasionally, I'd remove the crystal case in order to feel comfortable using the Treo at length. The case doesn't assemble and remove very easily, making it doubly irritating on a regular basis. (Though perhaps with greater practice will come greater ease.)

Over time, dust and particle detritus can finds their way between the case and the Treo. With clear cases, this can become unsightly and defeat the purpose of being clear, to allow the beauty of the Treo to remain in view.

When I think about cases generally, I think that a clear case simply isn't the right approach for me. I understand that one case shouldn't be expected to do all things (there are cases that will survive falling off a building, but they won’t elegantly disappear into your shirt pocket). But a case should provide some flexibility of application, so that it can do more things in my various aspects of life, from work to play, to taking a quick voice memo for later transcription, to watching a video while waiting in line somewhere. A case should be “quick” to bring my Treo into action, but secure when it’s just waiting to be used.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend clear cases. If I did, I would prefer one with a belt clip built-in.

Related Links

Purchase the Seidio Superslim Crystal Case

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We have Prima's new Centro cases! (Review.) - Mar 05, 2008

Two Great Cases from Seidio for Your Centro - Mar 02, 2008

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Boxwave Cradle - Feb 21, 2008