One of the main advantages of the BookCase design is that you can talk with the case closed. There is a cut out so that the speaker is exposed and the microphone at the bottom is there to capture the sound of your mellifluous voice. I recently reviewed the excellent Organizer Bookcase and this is cut from the same mold. The lack of organizer features is offset by the slightly slimmer profile and fancier leather. At the same price however, I’m not sure that this tradeoff is worth it.

Design

This case comes in two colors: simple black and a textured brown with a suede interior. Possibly his and hers, respectively. I do prefer the black leather model. The stitching thankfully matches the color of the case you choose. I’m not fond of fancy colored thread that doesn’t match the case I’m using.

I am a fan of the book case design. A simple flip and you have access to screen and keyboard. On the back are cut outs for camera and speaker. On the bottom and side of the case are the cuts outs for the connectors and switches. The main downside of this case is the lack of cutout for the miniSD card slot. This would be fairly easy to implement and I wish the folks at Smartphone Experts had seen their way to this feature. They have implemented it in their skin case. Perhaps they figure the phone is easy enough to get in and out of the case.

The magnet flap to hold the case closed is the newer design of the ‘experts’ and I have to say I like it quite a bit. It snaps shut with a lovely click and is easily pushed aside. The case cover can be bent behind the unit without adverse affect.

Functionality

As I mentioned earlier, the phone can be used with the case closed, unlike many of the flip cases. In addition, the Bookcase design affords access to the sync and charge ports and the volume toggle while the Treo is still in its case. For those of you who have accidentally tossed the Treo from your desk while charging, you’ll appreciate this feature. The Treo cannot be charged in most cradles while in the case, and if you wish to do so, I’d suggest the Seidio charging cradle.

The Treo takes a moderate amount of fiddling to get in and out of the case. Nothing too taxing, but if you need to change batteries or swap memory cards reasonably frequently, then I might suggest you look at other options as well. The rocker switch always seems to get hung up when I slide the Treo in or out.

The case offers a reasonable amount of protection. I would feel confident with minor drops and sharp objects as long as the impact were within reason.

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