PDAir’s New Motorola Droid Cases Reviewed

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PDAir makes cases and accessories for a wide range of mobile devices.  Their products are typically well made and reasonably priced.  We’ve reviewed PDAir cases on Gear Diary before, recently reviewing a couple of their iPhone 3G/3GS cases.  So, when PDAir offered to provide Gear Diary with a couple of their new Motorola Droid cases to review, we said yes.

As a still relatively new device, there is a fairly limited range of cases available for the Droid.  Sure, you can pick up snap-on covers for the Droid at the Verizon store, but they don’t offer much protection for the screen.  To date, PDAir has released several Droid cases offering all-round protection, including book-type and flip-type cases, horizontal and vertical pouches, and a couple of variations on an aluminum case.  For our review, they sent us a book-type case and a vertical pouch with belt clip, both in black leather.

Both cases are nicely made, featuring black leather with white stitching.  The PDAir logo is embossed on both of the cases, but that is the only noticeable decoration.

Vertical Pouch with Belt Clip

The Vertical Pouch with Belt Clip is a slip case.  It’s a simple, functional design.  The front, back, and bottom of the case are leather.  The sides are an elastic material that provides just enough tension to hold the Droid securely in the case.  I’m sure if you turned the case upside down and shook it the Droid would fall out, but it’s not likely to slip out accidentally.  The interior of the case has a smooth lining, and there’s just enough thickness to the front and back of the pouch to provide some protection if it’s dropped.

The belt clip is a tensioned spring clip that is integrated into the back of the case.  The clip isn’t tall enough (deep enough?) to clip all the way around some of the belts I have for casual wear, which tend to be wider, so I’m not sure I would feel safe using it while I’m doing anything very active, but it worked fine for narrower dress belts.  The Vertical Pouch case is also available without a belt clip, if that’s your preference.

What I Like: Nicely made, simple to use, reasonably padded on the front and back

What Needs Improvement:  A taller belt clip would allow the pouch to accommodate wider belts and feel more secure

MSRP: $28

Book-Type Case

The Droid’s sliding keyboard makes it difficult to design a form-fitting case that doesn’t obstruct use of the device in some way, so I was curious about the design that PDAir developed for its wrap-around, Book-Type Droid case.

Like the Vertical Pouch case, the Book-Type case review unit we were sent was black leather with white stitching.  The case opens from the right, as would a traditional book, with the Droid mounted on the right inside the case.  The PDAir logo is embossed on the inside of the front flap.

The Droid is held in place by a holster-like plastic sheet that covers the keyboard and a relatively stiff bracket on the right edge of the case’s back cover.  Inserting the Droid was fairly easy: first, extend the keyboard, then slide the keyboard under the plastic sheeting.  While doing this I was careful to keep the bracket from rubbing against the back of the Droid.  I don’t think it would scratch the phone, but I didn’t want to take any chances.  It was a fairly tight fit, but that is appropriate, considering that the plastic sheet covering the keyboard area needs to allow accurate use of the keyboard and fit smoothly between the top of the keyboard and the bottom of the screen when the Droid is in its closed position.

The case is thick enough to provide a reasonable protection on the front and back.  It uses a magnetic clasp, so it doesn’t require pressure to close it.  There are cut-outs for access to the power button, headphone port, sync/charge port, and camera lens.  The back of the case also has perforations over the speaker area.

Overall, the Book-Type case looks nice, fits securely, and comes in a variety of colors and textures.  If you’re inclined to carry it on your belt, the book-style case has a removable, 360-degree swivel clip.

What I Like:  Well made, holds the Droid securely, uses a magnetic fastener for easier closing

What Needs Improvement: The bracket that holds the right side of the Droid in place is a little too stiff, requiring the user be careful when inserting the Droid into the case

MSRP: $28

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