Though I may not have a nice new Xda IIi to protect, like Kevin, I do nonetheless want to keep my Xda II safe.  I have to admit that I have dropped it once before (as has my seven year old son) and that I was very lucky to get away with just a small impact mark on the bottom right corner.  So I was very pleased to receive an Expert Shield Crystal Case in the post from Arnold (Mr. Gadget) to evaluate.

The case arrived in a simple blister pack and even had a protective film over it, though what they anticipate scratching it in the blister pack I don’t know!  The case consists of a front and a back clam shell of clear plastic, hinged together at the top by a wide H shaped connector, a design which permits the case lid to be folded over almost flat behind the device while also permitting access to the SD slot.

Installation and removal of the device is easy, the Xda II simply pushes flat into the base of the case, being held tightly by two raised strips down the inside of the sides.  Although the case is a nice snug fit, there appears to be only a few actual points of contact, leaving an all important gap between the case and the device.  Hopefully this gap, particularly at the corners, will permit the case to absorb any impacts and thus protect the device from any drop onto a hard surface.  The lid locks closed at the bottom by way of a couple of ball/socket pressure closures (you know what I mean!).  Unfortunately, when closed and with a mini sync. cable connected, the case fit is such that it can be awkward to get a decent grip on the lid to open it unless you have some decent fingernails!  Without the sync. cable in, it is a fairly simple task to prise the two halves apart but a finger slot/recess would still have been nice.  When in the case, the device becomes about six millimetres larger in all dimensions.  When open, the base of the case comes up to about one millimetre below the face of the device, still providing side protection while not interfering with the screen area and enabling the lid of the case to be relatively thin. 

The case has cutouts for all the controls of the device - one at each end of the lid for the front buttons, speaker and microphone;  one for the side controls;  one each for the stylus, reset switch, headset socket, camera and camera mirror;  plus large apertures at the top and bottom for the power button, SD slot and USB port.  There are five raised grip strips running from front to back on each side of the case to help prevent slippage.  The stylus is a little move difficult to reach due to the additional thickness but tolerable.

With the lid folded behind the case, it is easy to hold the unit in the hand while using it, though people with small hands might find it easier to let the lid just hang and hold only the back part due to the increased thickness.  When holding the folded lid as well, I did find that the exposed edges of the lid were very defined, almost sharp, making it a little uncomfortable in the hand.  I should like to see these rounded off a little by the manufacturer, but could make do myself by running the face of a hot craft knife along them to take the edge off.  As I mentioned earlier the lid doesn’t quite fold flat behind the case, the hinge’s design means that there is a eight millimetre gap at the hinge end.  While this gap does mean that the case is slightly thicker to hold, it also makes the device sit at a slight angle when on flat surface, almost like a low desk stand.  The downside of the gap being only narrow is that I can no longer slip my finger between the lid and case to hold it more securely (as with my Piel Frama case) while walking to and from work reading an e-book, and yes, I do do this when I don’t have to drive to work.  Since the new case is clear, however,  I can see the screen and I can also reach the controls when it is closed so I no longer need to have the case open - so it is not really a problem any more.

I do feel that the hinge is a definite weak point in the design - the pivot pins on the “H” will definitely snap if stressed too hard. All it would take, I feel, would be to press the device flat when in its “desk stand” mode and the pin(s) would fail.  To be fair, I suspect the case would still lock shut with one pin missing but would come apart into two pieces once opened.  It might have been better to use similar ball/socket pivots to the pressure closures which would separate under pressure rather than break.  I should be interested to know how easily, if at all, replacement H pieces can be obtained.

My normal case to date is a Piel Frama.  One of the convenient aspects of the case is its ability to carry two SD cards and my spare battery.  Naturally the Crystal case cannot store my battery but I did find I could just squeeze my spare SD card and my SDIO WiFi cards into the gap at the back of the case, though this did result in a one millimetre gap all round the case and the lock was slightly strained.  It is a shame the manufacturer didn’t think to create a couple of (full WiFi card length) recesses in the interior to allow for cards to be safely stored.

The Crystal case doesn’t have a belt clip.  Previously I would have criticised this as an important omission but, having suffered two failures with belt clips in the past and no longer using them, I no longer see this as a major problem.  Given that the case also adds little to the size of the device and provides protection to almost all the exterior, I no longer have any concerns over putting it in a pocket full of keys and coins.  As Kevin mentioned, there is also no provision for attaching a carry strap or lanyard, however I feel confident that this could easily be rectified with careful use of a small gauge drill bit without compromising the case.

There is one very minor feature of this case which made me question the designer’s state of mind at the time of designing it.  On the back of the Xda II, to the left of the camera, are three raised lines.  Their purpose is simple - to balance the slightly raised rubber grommet to the right of the camera which covers the aerial socket and stop the device from wobbling when placed on a flat surface.  The case designers have faithfully reproduced these raised lines, somewhat larger than life and despite there being no opposing grommet.  The ridiculous nett result is that they have unintentionally (I hope) but deliberately created a case that wobbles on a flat surface!  I feel another hot craft knife moment coming on...

For all its minor quirks, I rather like this case. In fact I think it has finally knocked my Piel Frama off its pedestal, unlike the silicon rubber one I tested some months ago (it has recently start getting some use again... but only as a teething toy for my baby daughter!).    True, the Crystal case isn’t waterproof and therefore wouldn’t have helped me when I recently tried to drown my Xda II in the toilet(!), however I am confident that, had I had this case when I previously dropped it in the car park, it wouldn’t have the nasty looking dent on the corner.  It would probably also have a lot more paint on the rear of the case where continual use and handling is wearing it away. 

Naturally I expect the case itself to gradually suffer damage in regular use (and lose its good looks) but let’s face it, that is precisely its purpose.  I do feel that there are a few small areas where the design could be improved as I’ve already indicated.  One additional improvement that I think could have been added - when the case is closed, it would have been nice if the stylus were locked in place to avoid the all too common loss of the stylus.

My concerns over the hinge are probably the most important issue for me.  If treated well, I can see this case being a valuable asset to any Xda II or IIi owner, but if not given sufficient care and respect I think the hinge will suffer and fail.  For this reason alone I cannot score this case as highly as I would like, nonetheless I do rate it quite highly and recommend all users to consider it seriously when purchasing a case.

The Crystal Case clearly deserves at least an 8.5/10