If you’re the sort of person who feels a leather case is the way to go, the Covertec Luxury Case is an easy choice. It’s an attractive case with a lot of very nice extras and almost no deficiencies.

When you first take the Covertec case out of the box (it comes on a blister pack, but nestled in a nice gift box inside of it) you’re immediately struck by how upscale this case looks. It is made of a soft, fine-grain black leather, with attractive white stitching. If red or tan is more your style, those colors are available, as well. The front is nicely padded to absorb bumps. It’s a flip-style case, opening like a Star Trek communicator, and the sides are open, exposing the shiny silver or the Zire 71. In all, it’s a very attractive case. But the case isn’t limited to attractiveness, it has it’s share of nifty features.

The flap cover closes with a nifty little magnetic clasp on the back, which makes it less likely to get snagged and open in your pocket or on your belt. It also seems more classy than Velcro or a normal snap.

Inside there are two stitched little pockets to hold your SD media as well as a couple of slots for frequently used credit cards. The Palm is held in place by a leather harness-like affair which has a stiffener stitched into it. This holds the PDA safely while letting you pull it out of the case quite easily. My only complaint is that it gets a bit in the way of the Zire 71’s little pointing stick. Although it doesn’t prevent you from using it, it does make navigating a bit more awkward.

There is a cutout to allow you to use headphones with the case closed, and openings to allow access to the connectors at the bottom when the case is open. The case isn’t thin enough to allow a hot-sync using the cradle without removing the case, but the PDA comes out easily enough that this poses no problem.

The Covertec cases have one really nifty feature that I’ve never seen on a case. They refer to this as the WIPS system. Simply put, there’s a little threaded metal plate stitched securely onto the back of the case. If you want to carry the case around in your pocket, fine, you don’t have to do a thing. But if you want to use it as a belt case, you attach a little plastic piece with the provided screw (they even provide an extra screw and a screwdriver!) and it will now snap into a very nice belt clip. The clip mechanism allows the case to swivel, so it doesn’t get in the way sitting or driving. Even the belt clip is nicer than ones you’ve seen on other cases. It’s a little bigger than most and has a very nice mechanism that holds the case securely but also allows you to unclip it one-handed. This is, hands down, the best solution to available for a case that can be used as a pocket case or a belt case. It is also the nicest implementation of a belt clip system I’ve ever seen. I have to admit that I prefer to carry my PDA on my belt, and I’ve never used a belt case I liked as well.

The case is deceptively sturdy, as well. After several weeks of carrying it there are no visible signs of wear, and it is padded well enough that it’s taken its share of knocks without allowing any of them through to my Palm. Still, this case isn’t made to protect a PDA as well as a hard case, and I wouldn’t want to let it rattle around in a pocket full of change.


All in all, these are both great cases. Both of them look great, add very little size to the PDA, and have nice extra features. If you prefer a hard case, or if you like to carry your PDA in your pocket, I’d recommend the Proporta case for the protection. On the other hand, if you prefer a belt case, the WIPS system makes the Covertec case the easy choice. Either way, you’ll find your money is well spent.

Tucker Hatfield
--Senior Palm Editor

http://www.covertec.com/