Handstrapping My Treo
Over the past week I’ve managed to drop my Treo on the floor twice (luckily it was on a thick carpet and nothing happened) while resting it on my shoulder instead of holding it in my hand (I know… I should have been using my Bluetooth headset…).
The whole episode proved a little bit scary (understatement) and I began to think about what I could do to prevent this from happening again – something that would provide me with a better grip.
I had previously tried the eGrips solution which I found to be excellent and that I really liked. Unfortunately my experience was that eGrips only works if you’re using a holster case and don’t plan to put your Treo in your pants or a jacket because the non-slip surface is so strong.
Another idea that I had thought about for a very long time is that some sort of hand strap would be the ideal solution but the Treo has no natural opening through which one could insert the strap so I shelved the idea.
However, after coming across Seidio’s useful new Treo 650 battery cover with reset hole ($9.95) here on the right I had a bit of a Eureka moment and thought that if only there were two holes instead of one I could easily loop a hand strap there. I ordered one planning to drill a second hole but as I was anxiously waiting for my shipment to arrive I suddenly realized that I already had a battery cover with two holes on which I could test my idea – namely the one that comes with Enfora’s WiFi Adapter (below right).
Using an old handstrap that I had from my digital camera, I easily managed to loop it through the two holes in Enfora’s cover (below left) and then painlessly slide the battery cover back on my Treo (right).
Whether I decide to wrap the strap around my wrist, hand or finger I am happy that I’ve found a little trick to prevent my Treo from accidentally falling off my hands. The only thing that I want to work on now is trying to find a slightly more modern looking strap – perhaps a metal one.
If you feel like creating your own Treo handstrap I would suggest either buying Seidio’s battery cover and drilling two small additional holes in the top center section (like Enfora’s). To work best, the holes must be drilled just where the top section of the battery ends and there is a small 1mm spacing.
Treonauts are always tinkering…
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Tracked on Dec 7, 2005 9:29:48 AM
Comments
I too am very afraid of dropping my Treo and having little Treo bits instead of a phone, especially since the insurance carrier that all the cellular carriers use (I forget their name, but Cingular uses them at least) won't insure smart phones (I specifically called them and asked).
I lodged a request to make a new tier of insurance that costs more but covers smart phones and they said they'd think about it.
Anyway, I went with the half-shell swivel clip treo case (http://shop.treonauts.com/content/accessories/4-23--86.htm ) and now I'm not worried anymore. I use VeriChat on this thing, so I type on it all the time, and the half case is great. I only have 2 apps that don't grok the d-pad so the screen cover doesn't bug me at all really.
More to the point, I have actually dropped it onto a hard floor while standing, denting a case corner (it bends back, sweet), but the Treo was fine. I fear I wouldn't have a hand strap on when I most needed it, so I like having the armor.
Oh - I'm seriously considering drilling a hole in my battery cover to get reset button access though, that's a great idea, and seeing your handstrap thing makes me think mods like that aren't so hard.
I can't wait for the equivalent of the upgrade from MacOS 9 to MacOS X. Give me some process segmentation and OS memory protection already! It's ridiculous that applications can blow up the OS...
I've never been a case or belt clip person. I don't like the way it looks and found that for the brief period that I used one at work it was always getting caught on or bumping into things (desk chair arm-rests particularly), but I had also lost 3(!!) pdas and 1 phone when they slipped out of my pocket unnoticed.
Now I use a compact retractable lanyard clipped to my belt loop and attached to the treo with a bun-j lanyard holder . Its a very secure, but not ideal (catches lint, covers buttons even though it doesn't interfere, adds a tiny bit of bulk, etc...). Case holes would have been better, but I was drill-shy.
I use egrips. I rarely have ever dropped a treo since. And a little grey fingernail polish goes a long way toward covering any nicks.
I used cases for PDAs for years. Now that I'm using a Treo, I'm riding bareback. It's a phone for god sake, I shouldn't have to keep it in a backpack!
Andrew, could you post a pic (with a higher res link) of the inside of the battery cover?
Thanks!
cool trick. looks similar to what I did with my treo, but a lot eaiser and safer.
here is my trick http://www.treotricks.com
I would be very concerned that it puts too much strain on a parts that were not meant to support it.
I doubt the engineers thought of it being used this way so it may not hold.
Neil makes a good point. Safer to use a Skin case with a hole on the side. The JavoSkin is an example.
This is a great solution (except for the technical problems as Neil points out, but I'm still not sure how this keeps the Treo from falling off one's shoulder? Do you put the strap around your ear????
Fred - I'm working on an ear-strap as well... ;-)
Neil/Cripple - the battery cover is more than robust/solid enough to handle the weight/strain of the Treo and this is not something that I would worry about.
Cheers, A.
a link to my simple solution for the hand strap:
http://mytreo.net/forum/index.php/topic,21061.msg178301.htm
Andrew, maybe you missed my post, but I wonder if you could edit your post. Can you include a link to a higher res image so we can see exactly where you drew the hole on the battery cover? -the inside of the cover, to be exact.
Uri, I wouldn't trust the cover latching mechanism to be able to hold the Treo's weight after a couple of near-drops.
You might save your battery, but the Treo might kiss the concrete.
;)
Leo,
I'm already using it for some months and it looks stable and strong.
In the begining I planed to cut a little niche
on the cover to let the strap be in this space, and because It was very strong and there was no presure on the cover I withdraw this.
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