Treo 680 Case Of Cases: Review Part 6
>>> Please view the complete range of Treo 680 cases in our Treo Accessories Store for the most up-to-date listing of products.
Following my Treo 680 Accessories Guide last week, as promised here is the next part which specifically addresses the issue of Treo 680 cases [Please note that most of the cases below also fit the Treo 650 and Treo 700p|w].
Preparing for this review I first looked at the current Top 25 Bestselling Treo 680 Cases (select ‘Treo 680’ from the top left pull-down menu + click on ‘Cases’) and then gathered all of my existing favourite Treo 650/700p cases and tested them for compatibility with both my new Treo 680 Unlocked and Cingular Treo 680. Below is a list of the ones that I found to best fit the Treo 680.
Horizontal Pouch Cases
As always, this type of cases appear to top the charts and I will therefore start here.
Smartphone Experts P6 Pouch Case ($19.95)
The bestselling case for the Treo 650 and 700 series now also becomes #1 for the Treo 680. The slim high quality leather, solid construction, strong double magnets at the front, great value price as well as extremely positive user opinions will undoubtedly help to keep it there for some time.
Smartphone Experts P7 Pouch Case ($19.95)
Following the lead of its younger incarnation, the P7 Pouch Case has almost identical hallmarks to those that made the P6 such a bestselling case. The two main differences are that the P7 features a cream leather interior whereas the P6’s is fabric and also that instead of the two magnets found at the front flap of the P6 there is only one on the P7.
Body Glove Rhythm Universal ($19.95)
This is a case that I personally really like and which I reviewed recently.
As I mentioned then, the Body Glove Rhythm Pouch is made almost entirely of a high-quality smooth rubber providing a very comfortable fit for my Treo and the front flap is held in place by a large and strong magnet. I particularly like the fact that the Body Glove Rhythm benefits from a very low profile both across the entire case but also particularly with a very narrow fixed rotating belt clip.
Additionally, if you would like to consider more Pouch Case options I can recommend the high leather quality of the RexRegina Stanton Classic Case ($54.95), the E&B Company Copilot Case ($34.95) which is the only horizontal case with a belt loop and no belt clip as well as the Milante Fit Case ($19.95) that benefits from a very thin leather profile.
Skin Cases
New Smartphone Experts S680 Slim Case ($19.95)
Almost as popular as the Pouch cases are Skin Cases and the newly released S680 Slim Case is no exception to the rule. Custom shaped to the Treo 680 the S680 provides all the right openings for the keyboard, SD bay, speakers and camera at the back. The S680 Skin Case is available in two models – with belt clip or without – as well as four colours – Frosted Clear, Lady Pink, Executive Grey and Future Blue. Both models also include a convenient hand strap.
Holsters
Although many people had stated that the existing Treo holsters would not work with the Treo 680 I discovered to my delight that both the Seidio Shield 2 Holster and Helix Holster both fit the Treo 680 very well (I found the Helix to provide a snugger fit though).
Seidio Shield 2 Holster ($29.95)
The Seidio Shield Holster range has been the bestselling Treo holster for some time and now it can also be used with the Treo 680 even though it does not provide quite a ‘perfect’ fit. As always, the ultra slim clip is great and the large top center release lever provides for easy access. Overall however I would more highly recommend this holster to Treonauts who already own one and direct new Treo 680 owners to the Helix holster below.
Helix Holster ($19.95)
The rubber-coated Helix Holster not only provides very good protection for your Treo 680 but as I’ve also now discovered is a solid and perfect fit for it – albeit minimally too tight on the sides. Also, since the SD slot has been moved to the side, you no longer have to worry that the Helix’ top release lever might accidentally eject your SD card.
Please note that in both cases I expect a new completely custom-fit Treo 680 holster to be release at some point in the future but probably not within the next two months. Therefore, if you need a Treo 680 holster today my recommendation will be to get the Helix Holster.
Skinned Holsters
Much like the normal holster, I also discovered that the Seidio Skinned Shield Holster ($29.95) can be used in combination with your Treo 680 and the new Smartphone Experts S680 Slim Case in exactly the same way that this had been previously done.
The fit is good but not perfect. However it is currently the only skinned holster solution available.
Pocket Pouches
An increasingly popular case category are Pocket Pouches and the four models below are both my favourites and bestselling ones. These cases do not have a belt clip and are designed to fit primarily in your pocket, jacket, bag or briefcase.
SPE UltraSlim Leather Pocket Pouch ($34.95) + RexRegina Harrison Nouveau ($49.95)
As its name suggests, the SPE UltraSlim Leather Pocket Pouch (above left) is both the slimmest and lightest case yet produced for the Treo – it’s also the one that I use daily. It feature as high quality leather construction combined with a thin but hard inner plastic shell. There have been some complaints that it does not provide a ‘tight’ fit for the Treo but I have found that in order to remove your smartphone one-handed it is actually best not to have this – the flipside is that if you turn this case upside down your Treo will obviously fall out. A custom Treo 680 model is expected within the next two months.
The RexRegina Harrison Nouveau case (above right) is a similar high quality leather pouch case. It’s not as thin as the previous one – thus more bulk – but it does hold your Treo 680 extremely tightly which will be good or bad depending on how quickly you want to remove your smartphone and whether you’ll be using one or two hands.
The foofpod Fabric Pouch ($19.95) shown here on the right is one of the more ‘funky’ cases to have been released for the Treo and although I have now upgraded to its closest leather version (the SPE UltraSlim above) I still find it to be an extremely good and fun protective pocket case for your Treo. Also, now that the Treo 680 is so much slimmer and lighter it makes it that much easier to slide this pouch in your pocket.
Vertical Pouches (With Clip)
SPE VP7 Vertical Pouch ($19.95) + Nutshell Natural Leather Case ($54.95)
The vertical version of the bestselling SPE P6 case, the VP7 (above left) offers the same type of high quality leather construction and perfect fit for your Treo 680. At the same time, the Nutshell case which I had previously found too tight for the Treo 650 and 700p now appears to be just right for my new Treo 680.
Conclusion
There are still too few custom made cases for the Treo 680. I expect many to be released in the coming months but at least this review will help to show you those existing ones that will already fit well.
Treonauts are always chasing a case… 
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Comments
I think you should review/investigate battery life of the Treo 680. I'm on my second one after returning the first and am still very disappointed in its capacity. Whereas before I would go a week without recharging, the first Treo 680 would barely last 2 days. This new one is only lasting 3 days at best. I am very unhappy about it and would appreciate hearing if anyone else is having similar issues.
My 680 is being charged twice a day. Once at night to use the next day at work and after work, in the car to use when I get home. It does eat the juice! I will be exchanging my 680 for another one this week due to a "crackling/static" noise in the speaker above the screen. When pressure is applied to hold it against my ear, I get that sound. I blamed it on Cingular’s "All Over Network" at first, but soon learned the gruesome truth.
Despite…I will be buying one for each of my sales reps.
In short, the battery sucks and the speaker blows.
Most pouch-type case pictures/descriptions don't show or talk about the belt clip. Most of the clips don't have a ridge that falls under the belt but just friction clip to it. Friction clips (like the Smartphone Experts P6) allow the case to slip off when getting out of a car, or worse, allowing someone to snatch and run. I prefer a clip that goes around the belt like the Seidio Shield 1 holster. Just wish someone would put a clip like that on a pouch!
Andrew,
I was wondering if you had tried any of those 680 cases listed on the palm site? They have a new vertical holster that is suppose to be available soon as well as some silicon skins that cover the keyboard and are custom made for the 680... plus that covertec horizontal pouch looks nice...wondering how that compares? I cannot wait until they make an ultra-slim pocket pouch just for the 680.
Thanks
i know that the 680 is new and all the rage, but how about mixing it up a bit for those of us who will not be purchasing it and are devoted treonauts?!
I just got my Treo 680 yesterday! So far, mostly good news, with a few complaints, but since this article's about cases, I'll go right there.
I was until yesterday using a Treo 600, which I loved. The case I have for it is the Covertec horizontal leather pouch with the fixed clip. This case has been outstanding in every way, and has kept my too-often-abused 600 in working order. One would think it would be an excellent case for the 680, but for one important detail. The lack of an external antenna on the 680 makes getting it out of the case MUCH more difficult. With the 600 I would just lift the Treo out by the antenna but that's not available on the 680 so it takes a great deal more time and effort to get the Treo 680 out.
Now I'm not sure what case I'll end up getting for the 680, but a horizontal holster doesn't seem like the best idea for this Treo. Too bad, I love my Covertec.
Hope this helps all you case shoppers!
I'm finding the battery comments interesting. I was thinking it didn't seem to be lasting as long as claimed. I'll be tracking it more carefully now.
I have to agree...my treo 650 would last all week on one charging, I'm charging the 680 daily as I have 1/2 battery charge at end of 1 day.
Doug - I have been performing various battery tests for the past four days and will report all findings in a review later this week.
Ron - if you are concerned about the pouch cases' clip coming off I recommned the E&B Copilot which has a belt loop instead: http://shop.treonauts.com/content/accessories/4-120--87.htm
Allie - no, I haven't had a chance to test the cases on Palm's website yet but will do so shortly.
Cameron - I understand that you would like to see reviews other than for the Treo 680. Hopefully you'll appreciate that many of the reviews are actually relevant to all Treonauts. Having said this, I hope that by next week I will have completed all of my detailed Treo 680 reviews.
Rex - the new Covertec as well as two other new Treo 680 cases are being shipped to me and I will review them by next week.
Cheers, A.
I just ordered the rex regina side pouch in black leather. Should be here today. I'll let everyone know how the 680 fits.
Ron - I completely forgot to mention that the Body Glove case does have the clip that you're looking for... See my photos and review here: http://blog.treonauts.com/2006/10/new_body_glove_.html
Cheers, A.
Okay, this question may sound a little dumb, but I bought the Seidio Shield 2 holster and so far I have been unable to figure out a good way to remove and replace the phone one-handed. I'm reasonably mechanically-minded, but so far all of my attempts at one-handed operation have resulted in my dropping the phone for lack of a good grip, ejecting the SD card with a finger, etc. Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Have you ever seen or tested any of the Vaja (http://www.vajacases.com) cases? They offer custom-made leather cases for phones, pda's, MP3 players, etc. I've had one for my iPod for years and love it. They're kind of expensive, but the custom fit and the quality of workmanship seem to me to be worth the money. For the 680, they have both a standard horizontal pouch and a custom case (found here: http://www.vajacases.com/images/smartphones/palm/treo_680/treo_680_en.html).
None of these cases would fit my requirements.
I use cases that:
- let me fully use the treo as a phone with the case on.
- easily let me remove the phone from the case for all other use
- have a sturdy belt clip. (I.E. no plastic, no swivels)
The only cases I've found that fits this are the Codi line...
seidio came out with a holster for the treo 750, they claim it will not fit the treo 680. I would like to know if you have tested this holster and if it is compatible with the 680?
The first case I purchased for my Treo 650 was my favorite. It was available from Verizon Wireless at the time of purchase. After a year of abuse I needed a new one and alas, VZW no longer offers it. I searched far and wide looking for a Treo holder/wallet case. It would be great if it also allowed charging in the case and had an opening for the headset/headphones while it is attached to my hip. I settled on a Cellet brand case that offered most - but not all of these features. It is the wallet case and is holding rather well for only a $15 purchase. It lacks the headset opening, but a slight cut in the case sorted that out.
I like BoxWave's Skins. They are rubber rather than Silicone and don't attract dirt and pocket fuzz. I use them in combination with a Nu Shield's screen protectors.
Regarding the 680's batt life: I bought a Cingular version for my wife and after hearing constant complaining about dropped calls and the batt not lasting half the day, I carried it two days alongside my 650. I got 50 mins of talk time with the 680 and 5 hrs of standby time, both on fully charged batts. Loads of dropped calls too. I suspect a rotten firmware release. I am hounding Cingular and Palm One with 5 emails/day each and 2 phone calls every day to each. I sincerely hope that all of you will do the same until they fess up and fix it.
Andrew,
I love your posts! Very informative. I see that the Helix holster is out of stock...any idea when it will be available? Thanks!
has anyone tried out the vaja i-volution case for the 680? i've had my 680 for a week now and am worried about damaging it since i'll use it so much more than my T5. i'm going between that and the S680 slim case, since i don't need a clip. does the silicone on the 680 attract a lot of fuzz and dirt?
Can ou buy the Helix Holster for the 680 retail anywhere? I want to try the fit before I buy one.
Thanks
I'm also waiting on a review for the vaja i-volution for the 680. I"m having a hard time getting mine out of the horizontal pouch I'm using now. The I-volution has a cool belt clip system, but it leaves the face of your treo exposed and facing out. Otherwise, it's beautiful. I'll probably have to start buying looser pants to carry it in my front pocket. Sone of us cyclists are blessed and cursed at the same time with these freakin' thighs. Segue.... can anyone suggest some pants that are mobile device friendly?
I found the coolest case by accident. Since the Treo 680 no longer has a handle (Palm called it an antenna), you need to be able to grasp 2 sides of the unit at the same time to get it out of a case. Grasping the sides is much easier than grasping the front and back or top and bottom.
The Apple iPod Carrying Case with Belt Clip is perfect! It has a belt clip and gently cradles the Treo, but you can pop it out of the case with one hand! In my case I had one just laying around the house since I have a better iPod case.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=7AB1E70A&nplm=M9603G%2FA
Ron,
I did the same thing with my iPod carrying case. The elastic sides provide just enough friction to keep my 680 in place, but still lets me remove the unit without heavy tugging. The belt clip is very low profile compared to all of the other holsters/pouches I've seen. It works great with or without a belt.
Okay, maybe this would be overkill, but could anyone suggest a holster or pouch that would hold the 680 while it is encased by vaja's i-volution suit? The belt cases are nice, but your phone is not protected from drops once you've got it out, or if, God forbid, it falls out. Maybe I'm asking too much.
I recently purchased the SmartPhone Experts S680 skin + Seidio skin holster and suggested, but I find the skinned 680 moves too freely in the holster. Has anyone tried this skin paired with the Seidio NON-skin holster? Might be a little snug fit, but then again isn't that what we want?
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