Palm Centro Air Case Review
This week Palm released its first official Centro case with the launch of the excellent Palm Centro Air Case (pictured below) which I have quickly selected as my favourite Centro hard case and now decided to use on a daily basis to protect my smartphone.
I have to admit that I have been mightily impressed by this thin, strong, translucent and ultralight Centro Air Case as it offers terrific scratch and drop protection, fits perfectly to the contour of your smartphone and looks truly great.
For those who have never owned one of these cases, the Centro Air Case essentially provides two layers of thin plastic which are then “sandwiched” around your device and locked into place with a side latch mechanism that closes with a mild press. In this instance, the mold of the Centro Air Case is so good that it almost looks like it might be the original casing.
As you can appreciate from the images here above and below, the Centro Air Case provides all of the necessary cutouts for the Centro stylus, camera and back speaker. Additionally, the low profile of the case around the keyboard has been intelligently designed so as to ensure it does not interfere with your typing.
There are other small details such as the rounded corners around the side buttons (image above right) which again ensures optimal and quick accessibility.
Similarly, the bottom of the case provides perfect cutouts for the Centro headset jack, charger and HotSync connector as well as the microphone and lanyard loop. The only area that does not offer a cutout is the memory card slot but as Centronauts will know well by now the only way to really access it is actually by removing the battery cover so this cutout is not really required.
Separately, I’m also glad to say that I found the P6 Pouch Case (pictured on the right) to be the perfect companion for the Palm Centro Air Case if you’re looking to carry your smartphone by your side at all times.
The bestselling P6 Pouch Case (see my review) is one of the best value Centro accessories available and the smooth surface of the Air Case makes it extremely easy to insert and remove at a moment’s notice.
If you’re looking for more options you may also be interested in reading my Seidio Centro Holster review and Centro Skin Case review.
Centronauts always work hard on the case…
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Comments
After reading this review, I just have to let the Treonauts out there know that there is such a case for our Treos as well! I came across a similar case for my Treo. I was searching cases on e-bay because I was looking for something to protect the phone when dropped! Protecting the housing, the Cellet rubberized metal case, with a flip up screen cover, has become my favorite. It fit both my 650 and 700. I had a racey red one and have recently ordered a 'Breast Cancer' pink case. That isn't the real color name, but it gives you an idea of the pink it is. I found it on e-bay for around $20, including shipping. There is a card slot on the back, but someone wasn't thinking when they designed it. The card only fits one way-contact wires facing out! It does fit in the slot very nicely though.
So, for the Treonauts out there, this case is pretty much the same as the Centro case described on the latest newsletter. It does have cutouts for everything we need them for, including the SD card.
I tend to forget about the screen protector and start tapping on the screen. I can't understand why my touch screen isn't working....oh, forgot to flip up the portector. I really like this added protection.
Treonauts, the rubberized case with flip up screen protector is by Cellet and easily found on e-bay.
I love this newsletter!!! Thanks for providing us with the latest info on our Treo's and keeping us informed of new releases.
Karen
I will be copying and pasting this into every single review I can find on the internet for any and all Centro cases. I've had the Treo 300/600/650/700p and now the Centro. Every one of these devices have a touchscreen, which is very delicate. My first case was a very sweet lambskin beauty with rubberized plastic stretched over the screen, which did naught to protect it when on my hip and bumped a side mirror of a car, while walking very slowly. I immediately bought a RhinoSkin aluminum case, and when upgraded to the 700p, bought a Speck Products ToughSkin. These last two are indispensable because they have solid clear plastic covering the screen. The RhinoSkin had the whole front cover on a hinge, and the ToughSkin has a flip-up shield. Please please please keep an eye out for something akin to what I describe, and include a warning that none of the skins you review offers even a modicum of protection to the most important part of their expensive devices. BTW, I always recommend Treonauts reviews because they DO contain a wealth of knowledge. Thank you very much!
Yes, how DO you get the Palm Centro Air Case off the phone? It snaps on nicely, looks great, etc. but I can't get it off. Help!
Salim, Susan - to remove your case:
With the keyboard facing you pull gently on the case where the Q and A letters are until the lip pulls over slightly then do the same at the screen area and you should have no trouble opening the Air Case.
I hope this helps.
Cheers, A.
Are there any other techniques to getting this case off?? I tried what Andrew said. So far I've been unsuccessful & my fingers hurt.
This is a great case. I ordered it based on this review and couldn't be happier. It fits the centro like a glove and you can barely tell that there is a case on at all. It also has the appropriate cutouts for everything, including the small microphone which prevents your voice from being muffled. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a case to protect your centro.
I like this case, and I too ordered it based on this and many other reviews. I would definitely recommend it, but with slight reservations.
In the month or two that I've owned the case, it now opens up very easily, almost too easily. I'm sure it won't just fall off on it's own, but if you drop it from any height, the case will come off (at least mine does).
Also, this thing scratches like nothing else! I had my Centro for a month prior to having this case and there's no scratches on it. I didn't change my routine at all (i.e. When it's in my pocket, it's in the pocket with no keys, I don't "throw" it on the desk, I set it down gently, etc), and this case is scratched beyond recognition! Scratches, scuffs, they're all over this thing!
Anyway, those two problems aside, this is a great case. It adds a little bulk to the phone, but I found that it feels better for texting and generally holding the phone... It makes it almost, but not quite, as large as my Treo 755p.
I can't get the case off...even with the helpful suggestions I've read here!
The advice given to remove the hard case worked. Don't try too hard, you just need to pull at the QandA side enough to get it to move a bit and then go up and do the same at the screen area and it does loosen up and pops off. That is the key, just get it loosened up a bit then it will come unhooked. Thank you so so much for the advice, it was all dusty and yuck and it looks brand new again.
Note that the Palm Air Case is not compatible with the Palm Centro Cradle. While Palm tech support and sales both they can be used together, the Centro will not dock with the Air Case on.
Palm continues their tradition in this regard, leaving lots of room in the 3rd party accessories market. Unfortunately, everyone was sold out, so I took a risk on Palm. I won't be fooled again...
I've found that the easiest way to get the case off is to start at the bottom - unhook the clasp between the charger port and the lanyard hook (just to the left of the lanyard), and then do the same for the segment to the right of the lanyard.
It takes a lot of work to get if off for the first time, but then subsequent removals are a breeze. This might not be such a good thing though - because this does seem to loosen it up quite a bit.
However, I'm not very thrilled by the case - while it does fit really nicely, it surprisingly adds a lot more bulk to the phone than I was expecting. (Without the case, I hardly notice the phone at all.)
I've had it for 2 days now, and have already retired it. I'll just be extra careful with my naked phone.
Used case, anyone?
can anyone please confirm this case is compatible with the palm treo 500 series? The Palm Treo 500 is the European version. No one seems to sell a clear case like this one for it! Strange..
Anyone?
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