Cell Phone Cases & Clips

Palm Leather Side Case for Palm Pre

Palm Pre Leather Side Case

Features

• Slim Sleek design adds a layer of protection with minimal bulk
• Made from high quality black Nappa leather
• Soft microfiber lining pampers your Palm Pre Phone
• Added belt clip for convenience
• Leather reinforced ribbon for the easy removal of your phone

User Reviews

I have a Palm Pre Plus and what I needed out of a case was:

* To protect the phone, I could bump into things where I work
* Be very secure on the belt
* Look good and be as small as possible
* Phone slide in and out easily and quickly (see modification below)
* Have the earphone plug attached while in the case (see modification below)

Out of the box the Side Palm case does not do what I need and neither does the other cases on the market. By the way the cheapest I found for this case was on Amazon.com. Also as noted by others, when new the case is too tight a fit even with the ribbon.

How to modify to allow for earphone jack and the phone (stock from the factory) to slide in and out easily:

1 - Stretching the case: When I first got the case I used two screw driver handles that are slightly larger then the inside of the case and placed them inside the case at each end. This is to slightly stretch the internal of the case. The screw driver handles were left in the case for about an hour before I got the stretch I wanted. The case looks normal after it is stretched. Now the phone will silde in and out smoothly when pulled with the ribbon. With the earphone jack modification below the phone does not need the ribbon.

2 - Earphone Jack Modification: I use my case on the right front side of my belt. My phone is placed into the case as per instructions of the case which is touch screen facing me/back of the case and the earjack and top of the phone pointing to the left of my body. I used tin snips (any pair of sharp heavy duty scissors can be used) and notched the leather to accommodate the earphone jack. The notch is cut on the front leather piece and leave all of the case stitching intact. The notch that I cut out is 1/4" wide x 3/4" long. Use the phone as a gauge, it will look obvious as what the notch needs to be. Then use a black sharpie or permanent marker and color the edge of the notch. After coloring the notch the case will look factory and the phone will slide easily in and out of the case by just lightly lifting the base of the headphone jack.

The Palm Side Case is built really well, the leather is very thick. After the above described modifications I am extremely happy with this case.


-- Perfect case for the Palm Pre/Pre Plus and how to modify...

So, when I got this thing 6 months ago, I had learned how to use a different case with a different phone and was frustrated with this one. Now that I have it figured out (OK, so my son-in-law is the rocket scientist) I love it.

Very durable, unlike some I've had. The trick is to align the ribbon before popping the phone in. Just take a finger and push the ribbon down, into place. Don't push it in with the phone, or it can get twisted wrong a couple of ways. Works great, if you know what you are doing. -- Changed My Mind and Decided this is a Great Case

I've had my palm pre side case for about 2 months and it is very functional. The case fits the phone snuggly as expected and the appearance is classy. There is a pull tab to raise the phone out of the case which is helpful for getting it out of the case. -- palm leather pouch

EDIT: For some strange reason, I am finally starting to get the imprint of the ribbon upon my Phantomskinz (highly recommended perfectly clear and non-sticky) screen protector. I'm going to try stretching the leather a bit by sticking the Pre in its included cloth pouch and stuff it into the case. I'll revise this review once I get the results.

EDIT 2: It seems to leave a mark when the ribbon is slightly twisted or not positioned flat against the case. Since it would be too much of a pain to always reach in and properly adjust the ribbon so it doesn't press the screen, I guess I'll just live with it until the case breaks in enough to remove it.

I finally decided to pick up this case after watching a video review on YouTube. If you look up "Fommy leather side case" it should pop up with the video. It's fairly solid and I expect it to survive a few good drops over the next couple of years. The case is so slender that it's pretty easy to fit into a jeans pocket even with the great quality (though sadly non removable) belt clip.

I suspect that some of the cases are indeed defective given the varied reviews. From what I've read on the Precentral forums this case should not be so tight that the ribbon is unable to lift the phone with moderate pressure from two fingers. If it is too tight it may end up squeezing the screen against the thread against the back leaving scratches. Mine is a tight fit, but not so much that it's scraping. If I squeeze the Pre inside the case it still isn't excessively tight. I've included a picture of the ribbon mechanism since I couldn't really find any great ones online when I made this purchase. Finally, I have read an unfortunate case of the screen reacting poorly to the magnets if it is placed facing towards the flap, so always face the screen towards you.

No headphone or other ports open, and no real areas for the case to get dust or grit caught inside to scratch up the phone. At Palm's original MSRP of $40 it would not be a great bargain, but at Amazon's price of $25 it's pretty competitive against most other third party cases in its price range. I've always bought Palm cases for their products, and though I have somewhat more mixed feelings about this particular purchase than the rest, I don't regret the purchase.

For what it's worth, I think the best idea would have been combining this case with the slip case. Then you'd have a pinch to open sleeve with a magnetic flap and detachable belt clip. Would have loved that. -- Decent enough case to protect the Pre.

Decent looking holster case, the tab makes removing the phone easy enough so no missed calls fumbling with the case. -- Does what it should

Tags: leather-side, palm