Piel
Frama is one of the premier leather PDA luxury case makers
in business today. Based in Spain, Piel Frama is manufacturing
products that have surpassed their competitors in some features.
I received the new leather case which is custom made for i-mate
Pocket PC Phone (aka XDA II / MDA II / Qtek 2020). There are three
different color combinations: black, tan, and black on tan.
You can see that I choose Black/Tan. For the user that does not
want just simple leather, Piel Frama also offers luxurious
PDA cases in cow skin-crocodile and cow skin-ostrich.
Impressions
When the case arrived, the first
thing I noticed that it was nicely presented in a neat little box
wrapped in paper. Obviously, top luxury case manufactures give
deep thought about packaging.
First impressions are of nice quality
soft leather which is much better than the standard case I got
bundled with i-mate, click
here to view it. The case has a thicker front and back compared
to its sides to improve device padding but not make it any wider,
so still you can have a good comfortable grip on it. The leather
is stiffer in the places where they use thinner leather. Included
in the box a tiny spanner to remove the metal belt clip, along
with a couple of plugs to fill the hole.
Truly this leather case provides
excellent protection and an elegant overall look, the genuine leather
looks alike and evened all over the case. Piel Frama reinforces
their custom PDA holster with fabric to keep it from stretching
or distorting. You will get noticed carrying this case with you
anywhere you go, it is pure brilliance how they put a lot of thought
and attention to details.
Design details
Compared with any other competitors,
Piel Frama made sure when you fit your device in their case you
won’t ever worry about it slipping out. It really holds the
device securely “like a glove”. It is almost a perfect
fit and everything where it should be and it lines up with the
screen just great.
The case has a flip cover design
that snaps closed on the back. That's ok although a magnetic closure
might be more desirable. The snap-closure is tight enough to keep
the case always closed. Simply everything is accessible but the
SD card slot is covered when the case is closed. There is only
one draw back with this flip cover design. It opens upward covering
the back of the device and covering the camera as well. To take
a picture you will have to hold the top cover with one hand and
the device with another. The
case that came with i-mate opens the opposite side which
makes it much easier to take pictures and hold the phone up to
your ears; this is the ideal design for more convince using a
PDA phone device.
On the back there is a belt clip
connection. All Piel Frama cases include the ability to be connected
to a belt clip which is included and matched to the color of the
case. The connector for the belt clip does not protrude very far
from the soft leather. Click
here to see how it fits.
The belt-clip on this case opens
and closes with a pinch, and there is a plastic plunger system
to release the locked plastic button which is located on the back
of the case. For UAE and Gulf locals wearing “Dishdasha” they
won’t need a belt clip. It can be easily removed as shown
in the pictures:
Conclusion
This case was manufactured extremely well with a
lot of care. The stitching is perfect, the leather is soft and
the cutouts are exact. It fits i-mate perfectly. Piel Frama's case
is an elegant and practical solution for carrying my i-mate everyday.
It not only can protect my i-mate, but also gives it stylish appearance
weather you are wearing a dishdasha or a suit your PDA will always
look great in a Piel Frama case. And you will look great too.
What’s positive?
Quality leather
Optional colors
Extremely well designed
Practical belt clip system
What’s negative?
The top flip cover obstructs the camera
You can buy it online from Piel Frama's website here.
