Vaja: Quite Possibly the Best Treo Case in the World

[Update (Oct. 06): Please note that this review dates back to 2004 and only applies to the discontinued Treo 600.  You can see all the latest Treo cases in our Treo Accessory Shop as well as my latest favourite list of Treo accessories.  It should also be noted that while I still consider that Vaja make some pretty good Treo cases these are no longer my favourites...]

You may remember that a few months ago I mentioned how I had been drooling at the prospect of getting my hands on one of Vaja's i-Volution cases for the Treo 600 (now also available: Vaja i-Volution T65 for Treo 650).  Well, my wish was granted a few weeks ago when I was finally able to slip my Treo into its very own handmade, luxurious high quality black leather case shipped directly via Fedex from the company's 'atelier' in Argentina...

The Vaja case wraps itself tightly around your Treo 600 leaving just the right openings for your camera, speakerphone, volume (on side), hotsync and headset connectors.  I never did figure out what the other small round opening on the bottom left was for...  The one opening missing is the one for the reset slot and it wasn't immediately obvious to me why they had omitted to include this.

There's one thing that immediately grabbed me from the Vaja cases which pictures cannot unfortunately convey.  First, the tactile quality of the case is fantastic - it's the soft high quality of the finest leather in your hand combined with the strength of the casing.  Second it's the smell!  When people ask me to have a look at the case the first thing that I do is get them to 'sniff' that gorgeous leather scent that emanates from it...

This is what the Vaja case looks like 'naked' straight out of the box (to be honest with you however after just a couple of days with the Vaja case I felt that it was my Treo 600 that was naked without its luxurious leather cover...).  I also have to admit that my first reaction upon taking the case out of the box was one of shock "This tiny little shell is all that I get for spending $100!?!?!?!" but then you realize that this case is not about quantity but about quality and craftsmanship.  It is the superb attention to detail that quickly wins you over (for example notice the inside fabric embossing with the Vaja logo).

I have yet to figure out exactly what the shell of the case is made out of but from speaking with a friend who is a leather craftsman it is my understanding that it could be polypropylene plastic which is now widely used to manufacture handbags for example (where previously the shell used to be made out of cardboard) as it doesn't absorb moisture and maintains the shape much longer.

The thin outline of the Vaja case contours your Treo 600.  Some people might complain that there's no screen protection but that would be missing the point of this Vaja case (if you really want a cover you can get Vaja's Classic case for the Treo).  I have personally only added a thin film to protect my screen (which everyone should do the moment they get their Treo) and have never had any problem putting it in either my trousers, suit pocket, jacket pocket or in a briefcase.

Naked Vaja case above and Treo 600 'dressed' in black leather...  While I chose black the amazing thing about Vaja is that you can custom design your case (as they are all handmade) and select from a range of 25 colors going from white, yellow, green, to red, purple and brown for the full case or also two-tone with one color for the top and one for the bottom of the case.

Some more detailing of the Vaja case which just yesterday prompted a complete stranger to approach me on the underground asking me where he could buy one.  Faced with my puzzled look he brandished his very own (but naked) Treo 600 as if to reassure me that he was not some weirdo who would run away the moment he laid his hands on my 'precious'...   You can picture my change of face upon realizing that I had bumped like this into a fellow Treonaut - Edwin R. from San Francisco on the London tube!  The world's shrinking more every day... or perhaps it's simply that Treonauts travel more... 

Click here to see all 100 Treo cases available in the Treonauts Accessories Shop.