It’s been a long time for me between reviews, due to massive work commitments and all manner of other happenings. Nonetheless, I’ve progressed in the Pocket PC Phone world, with my device of choice now being an i-mate JAM kindly provided by my workplace.

Not long after getting the phone, our friends at Piel Frama offered a Wallet Case for our review. I jumped at the chance, having taken a look at the included offering and deciding it’s not for me.

As always, Piel Frama’s typically excellent delivery meant that within a few short days I had the wallet in my hands, and was ready to start!

Getting started

The description “Wallet case” is not very informative; it certainly doesn’t lend itself to a mental picture that includes an XDA Mini. I certainly had difficulty forming a picture off just the photo on the website – but it certainly looked intriguing.

Opening the box, I discovered that wallet case was very apt – it does indeed have space for credit and debit cards – plus, of course, the obligatory SD/MMC card slots - along with a clear-plastic covered section for your photo ID, such as a driver’s license. And last, but not least, a space for the XDA Mini itself.

Now, I have to admit that for me, a wallet is a place to put “stuff” – and lots of it. I have a very bulky wallet as a norm, but a lot of this tends to be scraps of paper and cards – lots of cards (you can’t sign up for anything without getting a plastic card these days!). It was clear that this would have to change with this wallet.

So I downsized. I had to decide to keep just my key debit and credit cards, drivers license, and my business cards (neatly tucked behind said drivers license).

Money? Not really much room for that in here – tucked behind the drivers license was my best solution – but then I rarely carry money in any case (might as well use those plastic cards since I carry them everywhere).

A few sensibilities come into play here. First, the photo ID section is quite generous when compared to most; so much so, in fact, that I ultimately decided to keep a spare stylus in there too. There is definitely room to stow a drivers license, several business cards, and a couple of neatly folded notes if needed.  That last one is a sore point though – plastic coated notes do not unfold well, and some vending machines (especially those belonging to CityRail here in Sydney) do not like to take them – a shame.

All that being said, however, having given up around 75% of the junk which normally crams my wallet, I was now ready to go!

On the go

Putting the phone into the wallet for the first time, I immediately saw its sheer usefulness to me; there was no doubt in my head that it was exactly what I needed; a case that combines wallet and phone is perfect for someone like me who will often pick up only the signle most important item when on the run – which happens to be my wallet – only to realise later that I really could have used or should have taken my phone!

No more excuses now - the phone was part of the wallet! And taking it one step further – replacing the standard stylus with one that integrated stylus and pen – made it the single most useful case I’d ever had.

The case with phone inside is quite bulky for a wallet (except mine), and I can certainly see that for many this wouldn’t be the best option. It’s surprising how many people prefer to slip their phone into their pocket without any case (in spite of the embarrassment a mispressed button can cause, or the pain a broken phone does). Certainly this has a lot to do with the popularity of the clear silicone cases.

For me though, it’s perfect. I don’t mind the bulk so long as it meets my key requirements. And when it combines my money with my phone and a pen – it pretty much has everything I absolutely need, while ensuring that I don’t get into the habit of keeping unnecessary crap in my wallet!

There is one distinct disadvantage here. It’s bad enough to lose a phone or a wallet. Losing both together could be a disaster!

Using it

The real test was to use the phone with it. I almost exclusively use my Bluetooth headset for conversations (even in spite of the odd hiccup with my JAM), and typically receive many more calls than I make - so something that I really liked with this case was that I could simply leave it in my pocket or bag – two places I’ve never been inclined to leave these phones before.

For those situations where I had to hold the phone up to my ear – forget it. A little too much bulk (this from someone who used to do just this with the original XDA) and a paranoid thought about dropping of drivers license, credit cards, debit cards … nope. Better by far to pull the phone from the wallet on these occasions, and although initially fiddly, this was no great task to achieve.

Similarly, to use the camera, there is no choice but to remove it from the case. There’s no provision for a camera hole (but then again, this is a wallet; why would you put a camera hole in a wallet??)

In spite of these limitations – which took no time at all to get accustomed to – I very quickly became extremely fond of my new wallet. Sure, sometimes I didn’t have one of those cards I used to carry around (but usually this is no problem in itself – there’s almost always a process for people who don’t have their card) , and sometimes I might miss a call when I didn’t have my headset and wasn’t fast enough getting the phone out – but somehow the case worked perfectly with my own needs – and certainly the extra padding for my phone didn’t hurt given my “butterfingers”  relationship with these devices.

I suspect, though, that I’m the exception rather than the rule, and that most men, certainly, will find that the bulk of this case is not to their liking.  For women, it may well be a different matter entirely. While I could never envisage my wife downsizing her purse to this minimal size, many women I meet during the course of my work do indeed do just this already – and if they could have somewhere to keep their phone with cards and ID, they’d be over the moon!

Summary

The XDA Mini Wallet Case is a superb piece of craftsmanship both for a wallet and a case. While it’s definitely not for everyone, as a niche item that meets my own needs, I think it’s awesome. My only reservation would be that I wish better provision had been made for those times when you really have no choice but to carry cash (it does still happen, in Australia at least); but otherwise, it’s perfect for my needs.

I give the XDA Mini Wallet Case an enthusiastic 10/10 for myself, but given its niche value I’ll reduce this to 7/10 for everyone else :-)