Piel Frama HTC Wizard Case

Piel Frama HTC Wizard Case Review

As part 3 of our 7 part HTC Wizard case shootout review I'll be looking at a Piel Frama case for the HTC Wizard. Piel Frama have been creating quality leather products for over half a century. Can this case live upto their excellent reputation?

Read on to find out!

Special thanks go out to Ruben Montero from Piel Frama for supplying us with a review sample.

Remember, the direct case comparison review will be posted on Wednesday 1st March after the last of the individual reviews.


For your delectation all photographs are thumbnails which may be clicked on to load an image.



Supplier: Piel Frama
Product: Piel Frama HTC Wizard Case
Cost: 60 Euros including postage. (£41 approx)
Supplier Web Site: http://www.pielframa.com/
Supplier Product Web Site: http://www.pielframa.com/i-mate_k-jam.htm






Introduction

Unlike many PDA case manufacturers, Piel Frama have a heritage in creating quality leather goods that predates the computer, let alone Microsoft, and Pocket PC's. Piel Frama were stitching even before our own Windows was born. Their reputation for hand made quality products using top class materials is born from fact, but they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Can these veteran Spanish masters keep up with the state of the art? Read on.....









Aesthetics

Visually the Piel Frama case is unusual. I find it reminds me of an expensive designer handbag. It's got that exclusive feel about it. In a world of grayscales, its warm shades are a striking feature. Personally, I find the tan colouring doesn't go with my business suits, and would be unlikey to choose it for myself as a primary case. However, beauty is only skin deep, and Piel Frama make cases in a range of colours and materials. Aside from the natural tones (which go well with Jeans incidentally) the case IS a looker.The distinctive hand stitching is a change from the machined look we are used to, but is very easy on the eye. You can almost feel the pedigree in the lines, the materials and the stitching.

The way the Wizard sits, half sunk with the exposed controls reminds of it being in its own little castle. The staggered leather the ramparts. It looks majestic. The matching clip and "belt" add to the overall classic feel. I think Piel Frama missed a trick with the business card holder. This could have been made credit card sized to add an extra feature to the package. While on the subject of the package, the box which contains the case is also very nice and and matches the style of case.








Phone Functionality

The Wizard fits well into the case. The user maintains almost full functionality with the device loaded, even the keyboard is accessible with the case still semi fitted. All you do is open the flap and unclip the "belt". Cool. As I stated earlier the "rampart effect" opens up certain parts of the case for access to the controls. The stylus silo is blocked off, but Piel Frama have skirted this issue by cleverly adding a stylus holder above the device on the flip. The flip also contains two SD holders. Unfortunately these are placed centrally on the flip and press against the screen when the flip is closed, I'm not sure I like that idea. In fact, the flip also rests against the Mail and Explorer buttons when the flip is closed, so you would need to ensure you turn your machine off before shutting the flip. I found this a little inconvenient and found my machine connected to the internet or open on the mail screen a couple of times after I just shut the flip to wait for my Wizard to power itself off. The SD slot of the Wizard suffers at the hand of the flip as well, being blocked when it is in place. One last issue with the flip was the width of the fastener. If it had been tapered slightly you would be able to access headphone socket without obstruction. Unfortunately the fastener prevents this in its current state. This makes listening to music with the case closed difficult.

The clip is a standard affair, one that has a slight hinge to attach around a belt or to grip to a trouser/skirt etc waist. You connect the clip to the case using a special knob. The knob is screwed into the case using the tool provided, and seems sturdy with no sign of movement. Piel Frama include as standard three connector "blanks" so that should you remove the connector you can plug the hole underneath and it will sit flat on a desk. A nice touch. I used the clip on the office and while cycling, and it did its job. I thought it sat a little high, but some people ike it that way.










Physical Security

Piel Frama obviously take device security very seriously and you'll have top notch protection putting your Wizard in here. The back part of the case is made of very tough leather, and the flip is almost as hardy. There's a hardy seem around the edge of the bottom and sides of the case meaning if you were to drop it, no matter how it fell, the device would take the entire force of the impact for real peace of mind. Excellent protection.








Value

Cost: 60 Euros Inc Postage.

At 60 euros the case is expensive, although this does include global postage. I think on balance you'd probably save about 5 - 10 euros with the postage, effectively making the case price about 50 euros. This is quite expensive for a case these days, but again, hand made items are always that bit more expensive.










Pro's

Can use Keyboard with device in case.
Quality leather work.
Complete device coverage.
Seperate stylus holder.
Generally Good access to controls.
Good clip connector.
Connector blanks included.
Stylish packaging..




Con's




Case presses against the IE and Mail buttons.
Centrally placed SD slots press on screen.
Unsatisfactory access headphone socket when case closed.
No Access to SD slot when case closed.








4WM Rating

75%








Conclusion

Protection here is top notch and functionally, there's a good form factor on offer which could be excellent with a few little tweaks. Namely the errant button/screen pressing and the headphone socket obstruction by the flip. I really like the handmade look and design of the case, but personally, with my work suits I'm not sure whether I'd really actually wear it or not. You'd have to decide that for yourself. For me the bottom line comes down to this. If you like the look and you can live with turning your phone off after use, then you're looking at what is a top quality product. 60 euros (including postage) well spent.