Phew! Enough of the myriad of Nokia E90 cases that we'd ordered had finally come in, so I proudly present my review roundup of E90 cases. Bottom line? Most of them have genuine downsides, in some cases severe design defects, from not letting the E90 open to being impossible to insert or extract! Buy with caution...
Read on in the full article.
Nice roundup Steve.... I was laughing as I read your opinion of the CP-181 - it really is the worst damned case ever made by Nokia, I think. Just awful. I did buy it when I got my E90 about 2 months back, then quit using it pretty fast once I realized how useless it is. And it took me like 3 days to figure out how to remove the phone from the case - you have to pull up on the open loop! That raises the phone up so you can pick it up. Its insanely dangerous, because it almost completely dislodges it from the case and is in danger of falling over the side onto the ground.
The designer of this case needs to be fired, whoever they are.
So far I've tried the Krusell and the crystal case, and of the two, the crystal case gets the most use.
Just getting the E90 into the Krusell so that it opened and closed reasonably took so much pushing and shoving that I was worried I might damage the handset. Trying to use either of the keyboards became a hit and miss affair with several adjacent keys being pressed, unless I was so deliberate that the speed advantage of a qwerty keyboard was effectively negated. Using the joystick/pad and adjacent buttons on the outer cover bacame pot luck. I can just get away using the machine in landscape mode with the small swivel button and the screen at 90 degrees, but I need to use both hands. Any of the larger clips I found are useless in "desk mode". :frown:
So the moment, the crystal case it is and the phone goes in my pocket. Now I just have to make my mind up what to try next.
On a slightly different note, I'm surprised none of the wallet styles have slots for memory cards, but then again given that 2-4gb cards are now the order of the day, are any necessary?
Keep up the good work.
I whole heartedly agree. Having memory storage slots in the case would be a huge boon to the design and usefulness. I suppose I can just put the memory cards in my wallet if it comes to that, but it would be nice not to have to take my wallet out so I can load a different movie. I mean, now I'll have my phone, the case it's in, the memory cards and my wallet out so I can get the data off... not too eloquent.
Onto the belt clip/loop thing. I have to agree with Julie that the belt loop is not a winner. I'm a guy, but hey... when I go out to see a movie, or I'm at a bbq and we start playing volleyball I don't want this big case on my waist. It would be nice to just unclip it. Or, I walk into a client meeting, it would be nice to have it not so obvious, and easily removable.
As for the wrap around design.. I want to see my phone. I want to actually touch my phone, not have plastic in the way, and like I said before... I want it easily removable. Also, with the non plastic smothered versions you can simply slide it out of the holder and then use it like it was intended... lay it flat, open it part way... whatever you want... Unlike the wrap around kind where belt loops/belt clips are getting in the way (not to mention the plastic).
Another smashing review Steve. Top drawer.
~{ zafa }~
i don't see the point of buying that
Thanks Steve,
Would you mind reviewing the Nokia E90 invisible shield?
I carry my E90 in my big pockets and want to have all controls reachable without manipulation or compromise.
Sorry forgot the link: http://www.shieldzone.com/item_description/NOKE90.html
Great comprehensive review Steve, thanks.
I am happy with the Nokia case. As the top post points out there is a (cleverly designed) way to easilly remove the E90 and mine came with instructions. My E90 never looks like it's gonna fall from the case as it remains half-way in the case when I pull the tab.
Part of what Nokia might be acknowledging with this design is that the form-factor of the E90 is just too case-unfriendly to try and construct a model that leaves the unit functional when inserted.
Probably the best design would be a crystal-style case made from rigid rubber. They were on ebay (now sold out), but the current design is not a good fit and has a daft and unnecessary hinge.
Justen Dyche
I've been trying to purchase a sim-free E90 now for over 3 weeks without any luck.
I've just got off the phone with Clove Technology who say they might get stock by October!! I know Nokia have had issues with this phone, but it appears that no one has had any stock now for several weeks, and doesn't know when they will get some.
Is there anyone at AAS with a Nokia contact who can get any info on this phone's whereabouts? To me it just feels like there's an elite E90 owners club and the rest of us latecomers aren't invited!!! Someone please tell me where I can purchase this phone in the next week!!:frown:
Rant over,
Ian.
I don't think I would ever want a case, the E90 is big enough already without making it even bulkier. It's a clamshell design so the important bits are protected when it's closed and the case only adds to the hassle of using it. On top of all that, these smartphones are effectively disposable items with built in obselesence. I can see me binning the E90 before 2009 because it will be superceded.
An excellent review indeed but am I alone here in thinking why bother with a case at all?
I am quite happy using my E90 in its ' Bithday Suit' without any problems, stored in front trouser pocket.😉 In fact I believe there is more chance of me dropping the phone if I was continually having to take out of a protective case every time I had to take/make a call.
I appreciate that many E90 owners will want to afford the best protection to their beloved (and expensive) device and will naturally seek their ideal case. I dont have a problem with that at all.
In fact, given the folding form factor of the E90, any manufacturer thinking of designing a case in 'book' guise is doomed to failure and I'd wager that noone will ever succeed. This is clearly proved by Steve's findings so far.
I believe that only a pouch type of case will ever be successful in providing an effective and yet useable solution.
I have purchased a similar case to the one purchased in the review from a Bracknell market stall (but mine was from Swansea market!). It cost me �6.99, a simple pouch type affair that looks very much like the PDair traditional horizontal leather pouch in the review. It is perfect for my needs, comfortable on the hip and keeps the E90 safe and sound with easy access.
However, there is one let down and it's a big one. There is no space to keep memory cards safe. Until we have the 8Gb memory cards (or someday the 32Gb cards!) then 2x4Gb cards is the order of the day for most I guess if the card is being used for MP3, video, maps etc. The cards are too small to be safe in one's wallet. The perfect answer would be to have a small plastic book type case like the ones that come with the cards when they are purchased, which would hold 2 cards and that the plastic case would then fit into the pocket of the case.
I see that Proporta have a book type case which has such a slot to keep cards safe, but this case isn't reviewed by Steve.
Case designers - it's a tiny addition, but would make life so much easier! Please help out! I, for one, would be a definite buyer.
cooli wrote:Thanks Steve,
Would you mind reviewing the Nokia E90 invisible shield?
I carry my E90 in my big pockets and want to have all controls reachable without manipulation or compromise.
Hi Cooli,
Thanks for the link - I've just ordered one. As & When it gets here I'll keep you posted.
Regards
Larry W
"As with my other case roundups, there's a pretty mottley selection here..."
You spelled motley incorrectly! Ordinarily I wouldn't say anything 'coz really I'm the last to talk about spelling, grammer, etc. (since mine is atrocious). But after your "if you can't spell then you shouldn't be a writer" comment (in your defence of the E90 as a journalism tool), I just had to point it out!
Keep up the excellent work, your writing (as well as krissie's and rafe's) has made me a firm fan of AAS!
Just purchased the AX-Alex case. Great service from these guys. They don't take credit cards though. Would have never found them without the review Steve. Great Work
OK, the 'Invisible Sheild' has arrived.
It's going to be a few days before I will have the time to get it fitted, but I think I should point out now that this is NOT a case, it's a protective film or layer which would appear to prevent your pride and joy suffering any scratches or other superficial damage. I doubt it will save the machine from serious shock damage etc in the vent of a serious drop or similar. I suspect it would keep all the pieces together though. 😉
I will post an update after I've figured out the best way to take some meaningful pictures (its a transparent film, tricky) and done the necessary...
LW
Apologies, but this is going to take a little while longer than I anticipated.
Reason(s): Basically, it takes time and effectively you are looking at putting your handset to one side for 24 hours, at least if you follow the intructions anyway. The kit consists of several apparently accurately cut panels (which correspond to the panels on the handset), a small 'squeegee', and a small atomiser of the application fluid.
The intructions are basically:
(1) Switch off & remove battery
(2) Soak your ffingers and the film panel in the atomiser fluid
(3) Apply the film to the handset in the appropriate position, while damp you can slide it around.
(4) Squeegee out the excess moisture & air bubbles
(5) Leave for 24 hours for the panel/handset to dry out and 'set' in the shape of the panel it's applied to.
This is potentially quite tricky &/or time consuming because if you try to apply all the film panels in one go, they have a slight tendency to slide around out of position while still damp as you try to adjust/finely position the others.
This sounds like a bit of a performance I know BUT there is a great deal of potential here I think. Along with the E90 shield I also bought the companies screen protector for my Nokia N800 which I have used to practice the application technique. It should be noted that this was one large square flat film panel which was easily applied to a simple matching flat square screen. The E90 full case job will be a bit tougher I suspect. I was very wary of slapping too much atomiser fluid around and soaking the N800 but the instructions state that there is no risk to you, your fingers or your handset.
When everything had dried out, the result appears to be a very usable but tough touch screen surface every bit as clear as the original plastic 'sacrificial' Nokia one but with two benefits:
(a) It IS tough - For the benefit of AAS readers 😉 I have 'had a go' at it with a screwdriver blade, a metal pen point, a pin, the edge of a 50p coin etc... Nothing over the top but definately treatment which would normally have scratched or even gouged the screen. The film just shrugged the attempts off without even the slightest mark visible where the attempts were made a few minutes before.
(b) The film has an ever so slightly tacky 'feel' when using the stylus which I find agreeable and which (IMHO) makes use of the stylus more accurate.
The only very slight downside is that from some anglles the screen is slightly more reflective, but in normal use I find this is not noticeable.
OK - In summary, when I finally get the E90 done this looks to be a useful if moderately expensive 'upgrade'. But as I said in my earlier post, it is most definately NOT a case in the accepted sense of this thread.
LW